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!
Oct 12 – Today we visited the Grote Markt, to look at more beautiful buildings. This is the main square.
This fountain depicts a hero who cut off the hand of an ogreThe Cathedral of Our Lady
Inside the cathedral is a modern sculpture by Jan Fabre called “The Man Who Bears the Cross”. Unlike depictions of others weighed down by, or dragging a cross, this modern, bespectacled man is taking up and balancing the cross on one hand. How does he do it? Food for thought.
The Man Who Bears the Cross
The sculpture in the middle of the street outside the cathedral depicts Nello and Patrache from A Dog of Flanders. An orphaned boy and abandoned dog befriend one another, until, homeless, they die together of hypothermia in the cathedral. This ain’t no Disney movie. Here they lie under a blanket of cobblestones.
Nello and PatracheThe old and the new Antwerp is a port city, built along the river Scheldt There is a rebuilt fort here, Het Steen, used as a tourist information office This is Lange Wapper, a giant who was born in a cabbage patch. He bullied the townsfolk, but could be thwarted if shown an image of the Virgin Mary.A big handHow often have you seen a crucifix double as a light pole?Even the McDonalds is classy here!Antwerpen Centraal in the evening How pretty!
Oct 13 – Today we planned to stroll out our door right over to the train station and jump on the first train to Bruges. Easy peasy, except….
There was a bomb scare at 7am, the station was evacuated, and no trains were running! It was the top story on the news!
The helpful station attendant could not tell us when the next train would be leaving, or when there would be a seat available due to all the stranded passengers. I asked if there was a bus to Bruges, and she looked up the bus schedule on her phone. There was a bus leaving in 20 minutes!
She programmed my phone to show us the bus station and told us to hurry, as we were supposed to pre-purchase tickets online. We high tailed it down the street and saw the bus marked Brugge, with a queue of passengers loading their luggage beneath. I accosted the driver and asked if we could buy tickets for this bus. He said yes, but only for cash. Did Jim have cash? Yes he did! We got the last two seats! How much excitement can two old folks stand?
Oct 11 – This morning we walked to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, also known as KMSKA – Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen. A mouthful.
The audio guide gave us the option of hearing about every single piece of art, which looked like it might take a few years, or following their selection of the 25 top artworks. We chose to find the top 25, sort of a treasure hunt, but we also meandered around to look at whatever called to us.
Young love
The rooms weren’t arranged by artist, but by theme. There was a room of Light, of Suffering, of Evil, of Impotence, etc. it was an interesting and different way to think about the art.
There’s a Salvador Dali here: Girl Skipping Rope. Why is it in the room of Evil?Rubens: Thomas examining Jesus’ wounds
Of course, my favorite was the room of Madonnas with their various odd-looking babies:
This is of St. Luke painting Mary and Jesus – note that the models have halos, but in Luke’s portrait they don’t In the room of SorrowThis was the room of PowerYoung David holding the head of GoliathJim resting on a purple camel seat
We went to lunch at a nearby café, and had a spicy tomato soup and some bitterballen – fried balls of marinated shredded beef served with mayonnaise that are a specialty in this area. They were delicious!
We returned to look at some modern works. Many of the paintings selected for the audio tour were ones that I never would have stopped long to consider, but I’m glad we did.
This depiction of the artist’s sister eating oysters was controversial in its day for combining a portrait with a still lifeThis is St George slaying the dragon, but all I can see is the look on the horse’s face What’s going on under those masks?How bored can you be?SurrealInteresting use of light and shadowThis artist painted many pictures of his wife – here she is ironingLook at expressions on every single face
A lot to see in one day! Hope you enjoy our ramble.
Oct 10 – We got on the bus this morning and rode for 23 stops to the town of Hasselt, Belgium. Once there, we hopped on a train that took us right to Antwerp.
I’ve always wanted to visit Belgium, home of the painter Peter Paul Rubens, ten different kinds of waffles, and hundreds of brands of beer. According to the Belgians, French fries were actually invented here, and their fries are better than anywhere in the world. And yes, they are served with mayonnaise, not ketchup.
They have three languages here, with 60% of folks in the north (Flanders) speaking a Flemish kind of Dutch, 40% in the south (Wallonia) speaking a Walloonish kind of French, and less than 1% in the west speaking German. We are in the north. This city is called Antwerpen here, and Anvers in the south.
We got off the train to find we were in the world’s most famous train station. It was pretty cool.
The train station is huge, and very ornateThe station exterior, built circa 1905.The train station is next to The View Ferris wheel There is no shortage of rental bikes and scooters here, and a tram runs down the main street.The train station is in the Diamond district, with blocks of glittery jewelry stores right next to one another.
We have a lovely apartment right in the heart of the action, in the center of a block of restaurants. It smells good here!
Our apartment is above the doner shop. The instruction from our host was to “look for the door with the big Shawarma”. Couldn’t miss it!
We took a walk around our local area. It was pretty amazing!
I love statues with birds on their headsIsn’t the architecture fabulous?There is a piano on the Main Street, for anyone who wants to sit down and playA statue of Van Dyke – see his trademark beard?
Oct 9 – This morning we put our boots on, and walked off to find the southern terminus of the Pieterpad. Even though we didn’t do all the hiking we originally planned, we thought we should climb the last hill.
The path ran along the River MeuseThis is a working river, with lots of barge trafficEach bird had a favorite perch
We got to the foot of Mount Sint Pieter, and started up.
There is a lovely lake hereJim is always happy to be ascending, even if the hill is not very steep A view of the town below
Before too long, we reached the summit, and looked around. No signs of the beginning or the end of anything. There were some trail markers, but the Pieterpad was not among them. What to do?
No Pieterpad markers here
We trudged back down the hill, asking Google where we went wrong. No answers. At the foot of the hill was a café. We asked the proprietress, and she pointed across a very industrial-looking area. There was a path, so we followed it.
If you look really hard, you can see a set of steps in the center, at the far side of this picture. Can you see them?We wondered what sort of mining went on here.Now we’re closer – see the steps now?That is not a natural cave – something is mined hereAfter all the metal steps was a last set of stone steps to the top. Wait for me, Jim!Ta da! Not a picturesque view, but we made it!Sure enough, there was a monument where you could immortalize an image of yourself either starting or ending the Pieterpad. Someday we may return and hike the rest!There was an old fort ruin up here too, but we had seen enough for one day.See the old fort in the distance?We had a lovely café lunch – as the sign mentions, dogs are welcome everywhere here.
And so ended our Pieterpad and Netherlands adventure. Tomorrow, on to Belgium!
Oct 8 – As our hike from Valkenburg continued, we left the farmlands, walked through the suburbs…
…over a pedestrian bridge and about an hour into the center of the city of Maastricht. We maneuvered down a very crowded shopping street with upscale stores and lots of restaurants.
There were things to see, but my pack was getting heavier by the minute, so Jim took us right to our B and B, Chez Helene.
Our street – have all the trees been trimmed to the same size and shape?
The funny thing about this country is that the small hotels we tend to frequent all call themselves B and Bs, but most do not serve breakfast. So what is the other B? We may never know. This one was even curiouser, as the advertised en suite did not actually have a separate bathroom. The toilet was right in the bedroom, with no door of any sort. Travelers can get used to anything, I guess!
So, after a good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast from the nearby supermarket (coffee, hard boiled eggs, plain yogurt and fruit, and more coffee), we set off to see Maastricht.
We knew from our time in Valkenburg that the Basilica of St. Servatius was here.
Might this be a church? Nope…It’s Maastricht’s most famous bookstore! With a whole floor of English books……and a dynamite classic vinyl collection. Is $50 a good price for an LP? I have no idea.Might this be a church? No! It’s the bus stop!How about this one?Yes! It’s the Basilica of St. Servatius!…containing some of the remains of the Saint, who died here back in the year 384.Lots of Madonnas and babies hereVery European looking Doesn’t this baby look like he’s up to no good?This one was way up near the ceiling This one is part of a bigger painting……that shows that St. Servatius was related to Jesus and his cousins John (the Baptist) and James (the Less)A nice church – glad we found it!
Then we had a lovely café lunch and walked around town.
A horse with no legsThe Dutch are very serious about keeping their shrubbery trimmed.I like the rainbow crosswalk
Oct 7 – Today we bid adieu to Valkenburg, shouldered our packs and got on the Pieterpad for the hike to Maastricht. Although I’ve shown you plenty of wall art, here is some more as we walked out of town.
Gnome Sweet Gnome An odd place for a baby, above a doorwayA pretty church? Nope – it’s a restaurant!A pretty houseAn ivy covered gazeboFinally – goats!
The day was perfect for hiking – cool and breezy. Maastricht is about eight miles away.
After leaving town, we walked along the River Guel Keeping an eye out for Pieterpad markersThis trail is also part of the Camino de Santiago – it was great to see the familiar sign of the shell!Shady forest We walked through an upscale town with thatched roof houses – go figure!The coffee shop had an impressive collection of old hiking boots – who would discard their boots before the end of the trail?Then back out to farmland We met lots of hikers and bikers, but theses were the only horses we saw today
And just like that, we were in Maastricht, the biggest city we’ve seen since Amsterdam. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow!
Oct 4 – I think this is the longest we’ve ever stayed in one town! As pretty as it is, we’re running out of things to see. We originally dismissed the idea of paying 15€ apiece to tour the ruins of the castle on the hill, as we could see most of it from the street. By today, however, that option was looking pretty interesting, so here we go!
The castle ruins viewed from the streetNow we’ll see them up close and personal!
I mentioned in a previous post that the original wooden castle only lasted for eight years in the 1100s. Stone versions were subsequently built up and knocked right down until the 1400s, when the ruins were allowed to remain ruins. Not much history to tell.
Part of a tile floor unearthed for us to see Nice views of the town below – the metal weathervane depicts St. Servatius with his foot on the neck of a dragonClose up of the St. Servatius weathervaneFrom this angle, you can imagine the bucolic view the original inhabitants sawCastle selfie!
For the price of admission, we also got to tour the sandstone tunnels dug under the castle in about the 14th century.
A stonecutter removing bricks from the tunnel
The tunnels provided bricks for the rebuilding of the castle, and also provided a way for the castle inhabitants to escape unseen. Although the tour was only in Dutch, we enjoyed seeing the artwork carved into the soft stone.
Our tour guide illuminated the artwork with a flashlight What the castle looked like in better daysA siegeThis is the story of two brothers in love with the same princess. When she chose to marry one, the other one, of course, killed her.Some fossilized shells in the sandstone A jawbone of a prehistoric reptile was found in the sandstone. This is what the creature may have looked like! The actual jawbone was taken by the French, and is in a museum in Paris.In September 1944, the Americans liberated Maastricht and Valkenburg from the Nazis, and used these tunnels.The G.I.s left their signatures in the soft stone, and a local artist drew their silhouettes below.Queen Julianna and her family
In the 18th century, a subterranean chapel was carved out of the sandstone.
St. Servatius, the patron saint of Maastricht, lived in the fourth century.The carving above the altar
So, what do you think? As always, we learned something today, well worth the price of admission!
Oct 2 – Another perfect sunny day, and we must be feeling better, as our plan for the day is hiking. We were originally supposed to walk into Valkenburg from the Pieterpad, so our plan for today is to find that trail!
The red and white Pieterpad marker in townThe trail is nice and flatLots of horses… and flowersA mother is biking the trail with her adult son There’s Valkenburg down belowPretty farmland Care for a large cup of tea?We walked through a pretty park on our way back to town
Sept 29 – So we are here in our cozy apartment. We walk out in the sunshine every day, and Jim has found a walking park and trail that is very pleasant. It has been pointed out to me that this is what other people do on vacation – it’s called r-e-l-a-x-i-n-g. What a concept!
A ponySome sheepLots of ducks
The restaurants in town are busy, but so far we have been content with our little kitchen and Jim’s homemade soup.
A crowded shopping street with lots of cafésJim’s yummy potato and mushroom soup, and some odd Dutch pork and cheese sausages called “tree trunks”
There is an Indian motorcycle shop here:
The ruins of Valkenburg Castle sit atop the only hill in town. Originally built of wood in 1115 and destroyed in 1122, the sign tells us it was the only castle built on a hill in the whole country! Not many hills here…
The remains of the castle on the hill
Oct 1 – Are you ready for some real excitement? Today is the Valkenburg Goat Parade, which, if we understand things correctly, ushers in the first keg of bok beer of the new season.
Fake beards / real axesMedieval fineryMilitary precision Flugelhorns?
I was concerned about finding a good spot to watch the festivities, but no worries – the five marching bands went up one street and down the next, and we had plenty of opportunities to see them. But where were the goats? And where was the beer?
Here is a plaque in the main square, apologizing for the hundreds of “goat riders” subjected to torture and execution in the 1700s. These were marauders who were believed to have consorted with the devil, enabling them to ride across the sky on flying goats. We did not see any goats today, flying or otherwise. Nor any beer. Oh well!
Would you like to see some more wall art? Valkenburg has plenty!
Taking Our Time 