A trip to the ninth edition of the annual Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival in Bruges will certainly give you some ideas. Entitled "Around the World", it will open your eyes to what is possible with a block of frozen water and a hammer and chisel. Oh, and a lot of skill and patience.

Here you will see astounding sculptures carved from ice and snow - real works of art - of UNESCO's cultural and heritage sites, as well as some of the world's most popular tourist attractions. You will come face to face with some international celebrities, too.

Outside Bruges' railway station in a thermally insulated tent, which is kept to a temperature of -5ºC, you will be impressed and surprised by what's packed into such a small area. The Notre- Dame cathedral, the Colosseum, Big Ben, Red Square, the Statue of Liberty, Easter Island - they're all there in their frozen glory.

Interspersed are Arabian belly dancers, flamenco artists, bullfighters and even a small orchestra. The stars are also on hand: Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and assorted Disney characters. You can even find a 1952 Volkswagen Transporter and a 1957 Chevrolet.

The sculptures are incredibly beautiful and amazingly realistic. They were created from 300 tons of locally made ice by 30 international artists, with each sculpture taking an average of four weeks to complete. The ice was delivered in two-metre blocks weighing up to two tons.

Snow sculptures, meanwhile, were created by compressing 400 tons of fresh snow, layer by layer, into large wooden moulds. After three days, the moulds were dismantled to leave rock-hard snow blocks, which were then carved into shape. After your trip around the world, you will want to warm up with a hot chocolate or something stronger; the Ice Bar is the perfect destination. Though "warm up" might be an overstatement. The bar itself is literally made of ice, and drinks are served in ice glasses.

The Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival is fun for the whole family, but it's colder than it is outside, so wrap everyone up warmly.

www.ijssculptuur.be