Oct 14 – Back in 2008, Jim and I watched a movie called “In Bruges”. Since that time, I have wanted to visit this medieval city filled with history and gingerbread architecture. Now we are here!
There it is!Walking through the medieval gate
As Bruges is in Flanders, where people speak Dutch, the name of this city is Brugge, pronounced sort of like BRUH-heh. The rest of the world uses the French Bruges, pronounced BREWJ, and so will I.
Our apartment is right on a canal, and we can watch the houseboats out our window as the bicyclists ride by.
Our canal, called Coupare, or the shortcut, was dug in the 1700s to relieve the traffic on some of the other canals
We have an apartment with combination locks instead of keys. There is a keypad to open the bedroom door, and another to open the bathroom door!
This statue of Marieke is right outside our door. The statue was erected as a tribute to the Jacques Brel song “Marietke” that mentions Bruges. She is a symbol of the city, and a party is held in her honor every year.
We walked down to the main square.
The city hall in Burg square, built in the 1300sThe Basilica of the Holy Blood, built in the 1100sInside, the altar area and ceilings are of richly painted wood An intricately carved wooden altar pieceA bit of Christ’s Holy Blood resides in this tabernacle, originally collected by Joseph of Arimathea, and obtained during the Crusades by the Count of Flanders. There are no pews – back in the day, worshipers stood throughout the Mass. I love these painted columns .You could give quite the sermon from this fancy pulpit!
Back on the street, we spied chocolate shops everywhere.
This is the land of exquisitely made chocolates…and Belgian laceThe Cathedral of Sint Salvatore had medieval tapestries around the altar…and ancient frescoes on the wallsThis archbishop looks like he doesn’t mind being dead And here is God, looking fierceI love the old houses Lots of horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping over the cobblestones …or you may prefer a cyclo tourA hurdy gurdy adds to the music of the city …as buskers perform for changeHey look! It’s Jim with Tintin and his faithful dog, Snowy, ready for an adventure!
Taking Our Time 