Bruges - Oct. 4th
Last night we arrived in
Bruges. Our trusty GPS, Geraldine,
brought us through the maze of twelfth century streets directly to the door of
our hotel. Then the problems started. The young woman at the desk told us we would
have to “back the car up one block” to get to the hotel parking lot, where we
had booked a parking space. (It’s as
important in places like Bruges to book a parking space as it is to book a
room). Now to get the full picture, you have to understand we’re talking about
a one-lane curvy cobblestone street with two way traffic, not counting the
bicycles and pedestrians. I, with my
cane and white hair got to stand in the middle of the road trying to ban
incoming traffic while J backed the car up.
It was not a pretty sight.
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| Bruges Street Scene |
Finally we got our small car parked in the miniscule
cubbyhole assigned to it, and found our way out of the basement, loaded down
with our bags, to make our way on our own to our room. There was at no point any offer of help. This hotel seems greatly understaffed,
overpriced and overrated. We were given
an “upgraded room” with a toilet designed for midgets in a closet and a
separate room with a wash basin and a tub with sides so high I’d have needed
mountain climbing gear to use it.
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| Bruges Market Square |
However, in spite of the above, I do not regret that we chose
to spend two nights in Bruges. Market
Square in the twelfth century town looks like the set for a fairy tale. A UNESCO world heritage site, the buildings
in the old walled center are each unique, each incredible in the imagination of
its architecture. Even though most
display similar stepped rooflines it seems none is exactly the same height as
its neighbors. And the range of colours
is dizzying. The churches and public
buildings vie with one another in their splendor. Every inch of the inside of the Basilica is
covered in art, and the stained glass windows rather than showing religious
subjects, tell the history of the nobles in Bruges beginning in the eleven
hundreds.
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| Michelangelo's Madonna & Child sculpture |
The only Michelangelo sculpture to be found outside of Italy,
a gorgeous Madonna and Child, resides in another church in Bruges.
Belgium is divided into two political units, with two
distinct languages, French and Flemish. Bruges is the capitol of Flanders and the
language of Bruges is Flemish, which sounds a bit to my uneducated ears like
Dutch. The cuisine in the two parts of
Belgium is as different as the languages.
Beer is big, and we had a delicious beef stew made with the local beer
for our dinner tonight, sitting outside in an unpretentious little sidewalk café.
The town, close to the sea and laced through with canals, is
called “the Venice of the north”. Like its namesake it is a tourist mecca. It is best to see it early in the morning
before the tour buses arrive or in the late afternoon after they leave.
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“I found Sonata to be a charming novel that left me laughing out loud
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Reviews
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"Abigail’s Christmas is a sweet and special story that honors both love and the holidays." -- Sizzling Hot Books
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