Tuesday 3rd June
We started the day very slowly, and watched the fire brigade arrive to pump out our basement and lift. When we arrived home last night it had obviously rained very heavily and the basement was flooded and the lift full of water. Although we decided not to use the lift Peter had to push the botton at the top and it sounded like a water fall. We watched the fire brigade do their job as we ate a leisurely breakfast and had showers before heading to Brugge for the day. Brugge is probably Belgium’s most popular tourist city. It is set on 30 canals and was built form the 1300’s onwards. Very little in the last couple of hundred years. It is hard to believe that just up the road in Ypres the entire town was flattened and here the town appears to bear no scares of the war. Yesterdays wonderful tour guide gave us a list of things to do in Brugge and they were numbered so we new which were more important. We started with the Frites Museum (hot chips) It was interesting, started with the potatoes and ended up with the Flemish inventing fries. Actually we finished with sampling the fries. Here is the first bit if trivia for the day. Fries originated in Belgium. The should be cook twice the first time at 150degrees C for 4 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness and the second at 175 – 180 degrees C to finish the process. 2nd lot of trivia. Fish was the staple diet of the Flemish people, in the winter when the water was too frozen for the fisherman to catch fish potato’s were cut in to long strips to look like fish.
We then went to the Chocolate Museum. There we started with sampling the goods. It took us through the history of chocolate. This museum started with the Aztecs and the chocolate bean being used for trade (1 bean got you a tomato or 3 green peppers but you needed 10 beans to get a rabbit.) We finished with watching a demonstration of chocolate making and yet another sample. Yum!
We started the day very slowly, and watched the fire brigade arrive to pump out our basement and lift. When we arrived home last night it had obviously rained very heavily and the basement was flooded and the lift full of water. Although we decided not to use the lift Peter had to push the botton at the top and it sounded like a water fall. We watched the fire brigade do their job as we ate a leisurely breakfast and had showers before heading to Brugge for the day. Brugge is probably Belgium’s most popular tourist city. It is set on 30 canals and was built form the 1300’s onwards. Very little in the last couple of hundred years. It is hard to believe that just up the road in Ypres the entire town was flattened and here the town appears to bear no scares of the war. Yesterdays wonderful tour guide gave us a list of things to do in Brugge and they were numbered so we new which were more important. We started with the Frites Museum (hot chips) It was interesting, started with the potatoes and ended up with the Flemish inventing fries. Actually we finished with sampling the fries. Here is the first bit if trivia for the day. Fries originated in Belgium. The should be cook twice the first time at 150degrees C for 4 to 8 minutes depending on the thickness and the second at 175 – 180 degrees C to finish the process. 2nd lot of trivia. Fish was the staple diet of the Flemish people, in the winter when the water was too frozen for the fisherman to catch fish potato’s were cut in to long strips to look like fish.
We then went to the Chocolate Museum. There we started with sampling the goods. It took us through the history of chocolate. This museum started with the Aztecs and the chocolate bean being used for trade (1 bean got you a tomato or 3 green peppers but you needed 10 beans to get a rabbit.) We finished with watching a demonstration of chocolate making and yet another sample. Yum!
The streets of Brugge are lined with shops selling yummy Belgian chocolate and beautiful Belgian lace.
We wandered about the town and of course had to have some Belgian Waffles Gill had a toasted sandwich while the rest of us enjoyed waffles with cream and strawberries.
We took a canal trip and learned a little of the history of the buildings. It was very picturesque. Gill, Garey and I enjoyed it and Peter dozed!
Gill and I visited the church which has Michelangelo’s Mother and Child statue.
We all visited a convent which is still operating with 20 Benedictine Nuns. They had an area that was set up to show how the Sisters have lived in the past.
We then hired a horse and cart to take us around the town. I think that is just one of the things you have to do when in Brugge.
We had one more church to visit and it was outstanding. It was highly painted and quite different to most others. It has what is said to be a drop of Christ’s Blood behind one of it’s alters.
We finished the day with dinner at one of the many little restaurants in the town. Back to our lovely accommodation for a quite evening in front of the TV.
PS it is 10.30 and only just getting dark.
We took a canal trip and learned a little of the history of the buildings. It was very picturesque. Gill, Garey and I enjoyed it and Peter dozed!
Gill and I visited the church which has Michelangelo’s Mother and Child statue.
We all visited a convent which is still operating with 20 Benedictine Nuns. They had an area that was set up to show how the Sisters have lived in the past.
We then hired a horse and cart to take us around the town. I think that is just one of the things you have to do when in Brugge.
We had one more church to visit and it was outstanding. It was highly painted and quite different to most others. It has what is said to be a drop of Christ’s Blood behind one of it’s alters.
We finished the day with dinner at one of the many little restaurants in the town. Back to our lovely accommodation for a quite evening in front of the TV.
PS it is 10.30 and only just getting dark.
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