During the Christmas holidays 2009 we spent four days
in Bruges with our friends Nick and Sarah.
Bruges
Monday 28th December 2009
Got up early and took a 7am cab to Oakwood. Eurostar was operating very efficiently and we were soon through the channel and in France.
I always feel a sense of relief when we get on French soil, It’s as if I can breathe deeply – as if England is stifling and suffocating. In France there seems to be plenty of space. I’m never sure whether this effect is due entirely to geography or whether it is a mixture of positive feelings echoing down from past family holidays, or the sense of somehow escaping worries and pressures at home, as if distance will diminish their press on my mind and soul.
Bruges looks really lovely. We went for a quick meal and I had a traditionalmealconsisting of poached chicken with potatoes – a simple but hearty meal. Then back to the hotelforadeep heavy sleep and a nice bath before exploring a bit more of the city at night.
The hotel is positioned right in the centre of the town and just a few steps from the market. In the evening we walked futher to the Burg and had a lovely meal in a restaurant there. The starter was an excellent fish soup followed by ells in green sauce. The ells were fine but I can’t say that I particularly enjoyed the green slime.
Tuesday 29th December 2009
Slept well – my cold is definitely getting better, thank goodness. Went to breakfast at 9:45am. Dull, grey wet and drizzly all day.
Walked slowly to the market and then down more streets stopping for a tea in a lovely cafe next to canal. Then onto the Groeninge Musem – unfortunately several of the rooms were closed but some interesting painting none the less. For some strange reason all the painters, seemed incapable of painting babies (i.e. the baby Jesus) with the right proportions. there was a painting of St. Nicholas which I fitted well with my blog post on Christmas but there wasn’t a postcard of the painting.
Stopped for lunch in a cafe by another winter market area. I had seafood soup and trout. Then back to the hotel for a nap.
In the evening we went to a posh restaurant but very SLOW service. I had tiger prawns and lobsters. It was a pretty, pretty with lots of details in the decor. Somehow it wouldn’t work in England,- it would just look naff – difficult to know why. It must be something to do with unconscious cognitive dissonance – its all about what you expect.
in the morning we went through a design shop. I must say that I find scandinavian design very appealing.
Wednesday 30th December 2009
Slept quite well. Weather was very wet and dreary – got quite cold in the damp. Went fro a trip round the town in a carriage – great fun. Then we walked back to St. Salvator and looked round. Lots of items were covered and it looked like it was in the process of being renovated. then we walked onto The Church of Our Lady (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) where the Madonna and child by Michelangelo is. I lit a candle for myself and dad in the church.
Then we walked to the Begijhof and went into the museum. Very interesting. then went into the church. Lovely inside and strangely moving. I lit another candle light.
I can certainly see the appeal of a monastic type of life. The rhythm and regular timetable and simple life have a powerful charm.
We walked back to the Burg, buying a number of things on the way – apple tart, lantern, frog, etc and after a quick dash back to the hotel fro a wee!
We then went to Choco-story, but it was very packed and not that pleasant.
When we got back to the hotel we caught the end of a film on the TV where two old men had died flying a plane into a building. the policeman in the film said that they had “died with their boots on”. It is nice to think that you can choose how you die, but rarely is that the case!
Thursday 31st December 2009
After breakfast and checking out of the hotel Sue and I went to the Jerusalem church. Very strange! The alter was up some very steep steps and there was a crypt below (I lit another candle). Also saw some lace making next door in a very plain museum.
Walked along the canal (very, very cold!) to the Burg and went into the Basilica of the holy blood. Beautifully patterns inside but rather strange watching people come to the church to pay to touch the holy relic!
After a little bit of shopping we stopped for a waffle and coffee then went to the belfry but the queue was ridiculously long so went inside into the museum in the Burg. We used the audio to look around. The Gothichall was very impressive and well worth a visit.
To kill time we walked along the canal and ended up in a small park with an impressive sized bandstand and a fountain. On the way back to the Market we stopped for a hot chocolate in the hotel by the canal where we had stopped before (behind the sex shop!).
Had a nice lunch with Nick an Sarah ( fish soup and mussels), then back to thehotel, taxi to station and off we went.
Had a slight mishap at Brussels – went too far and had to get a train back to Brussels South but plenty of time before getting on the Eurostar and heading back home.
