Hello from Brugge!
We have had a busy few days here in the lovely city of Brugge. There are many beautiful sights and so many wonderful treats! Chocolate, Waffles, Beer, Wine.... yum!
As we arrived on Thursday, the weather was nice so we headed out to explore right away. We walked from our (very lovely) place to the canal to catch a boat tour on the canals.
Some of the architecture along the way with the "step" gable roofs.
A pretty statue - I tried to get Carsten to recreate it but .... so far it has not happened.
If you are looking for a comfortable bench to sit on .... better keep walking. Was the point here to keep the birds off? If so, I'm confident it worked but why bother????
All aboard! This boat ride is about 30 minutes long. The guide does the narration in French, Flemish and English.
Time for beer! We had burgers, pulled pork and fish and chips. Of course French Fries - which were invented in Belgium as a side.
This couple was seated behind us. The dog seems to understand that this is a nice place to eat and he should be on his best behavior.
Chocolate or Biscuits ... whatever you want .... Belgium Chocolate is the best!
The next stop was the Belfry! Carsten and I hiked up the 366 steps to the top to see the view. The Belfry was added to the market square in 1240. In the 16th century the carillon was added.
View of St. Salvator's Cathedral from the Belfry - built in the 10th century.
View of Church of Our Lady, 13th Century, from the Belfry.
Mr. Safety had to have a look at the Emergency Evacuation Plan posted AT THE TOP of the 366 stairs. Really? Is this needed? Would there be any doubt that running down the stairs would be the only possible option if there were a real emergency?
Looking DOWN the stairs:
Looking UP the stairs
We wandered back out at night to see the city lights! Brugge did not disappoint!
After breakfast in the morning we headed back out to explore.
Stadhuis (Brugge City Hall). 13th Century Gothic building. Built between 1376-1420.
Interior of the Stadhuis. I love the details like this little guy as part of the fireplace -
The gothic room with vaulted oak ceiling.
This figure at the top of the stair rail...
The gothic room has depictions from the New Testament, this one is Jesus, Mary and Joseph fleeing to Egypt.
This wall looks like a face to me.....
The details on the chairs - what kind of committee picks something like this?
Here's a happy little guy...
Next stop was a courtroom - it was pretty intimidating but there were some lighter moments as well.
This little angel that looks like he is up to no good.
The knights with their large ... um.... cod pieces?.....
What is this supposed to be?
So glad the neckline fashion changed over the years...
Now it is time for waffles! Mine just came with whipped cream. Carsten had Nutella, Heike bananas, vanilla ice cream and Egg Nog, Ulf had cherries and whipped cream
Church of the Holy Blood. Built between 1134-1157, it houses a relic of the Holy Blood (basically, a piece of cloth used by Joseph of Arimathea to wipe the blood of Christ after the Crucifixion) brought from the Holy Land by the Count of Flanders.
Church of Our Lady dates back to the 13th Century. The tower is 115.6 meters tall and is the second tallest brickwork tower in the world.
The most famous art in the church is this sculpture by Michelangelo of Madonna and Child. Created around 1504, the sculpture was donated to the Church in 1514. It is the only artwork by Michelangelo that left Italy during his lifetime. French revolutionaries looted the sculpture in 1794 as did the German Nazis in 1944. It was recovered successfully both times, the second time by the US Monument Men.
The confessional:
Jesus huddling up with his disciples.
Next stop was Sint-Jansspitaal (Saint John's Hospital). The items in this Hospital rival any Torture Museum you have ever seen. How about this dude poking while posing....
These are the "Finger amputation saws"
Learning about anatomy...
This display will make you very grateful for advances in Ophthalmology ...
What if you had to get shots from this giant needle (Carsten's hand for scale)? Might make more of us anti-vaxxers... LOL
After you look at a lot of art you start to see the silliness... Jesus on the left blessing the woman washing his feet with her hair. But look at the other guys. The first seems interested, the second not, the third is ... what?
he's like "yo, check this out" pointing his finger... or is he simply ordering another round? who knows
Then we have this guy - Carsten thought he did not have any pants on. He could crack walnuts with that ass...
Finally, the apothecary:
It started raining a bit more at this point so we picked up some food and drinks to go and headed inside to relax for a while.
Last day in Brugge. The weather forecast sent us out in the morning to do some shopping and touring before it started to rain again.
We messed around in some shops before looking for a little beer house down a small alley.
You have to either know where this bar is or be very determined. They are famous for their house beer - you cannot get it anywhere else. Carsten and Ulf said it was very good and they felt pretty good from the 13% alcohol before lunch! LOL!
A bit more walking around -
I love the small buildings squeezed in between - one door wide!
The details on the buildings are very nice.
The obligatory selfie in the square.
After lunch we went on a city tour by bus which showed some of the farther sights we had not managed. Carsten and I went to
Choco Story - this was the history of chocolate in Belgium. It was very interesting and of course, the demonstration and samples at the end were delicious!
One interesting item was this mustache cup. This marvelous cup allowed the man with a mustache to drink his hot chocolate without fear of getting foam in his mustache. I suppose it could work just as well for a hairy woman.... LOL
Tomorrow morning we return to Meckelfeld - time to pack!
Take care,
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