Beautiful places and memorial events

It dawns the perfect day for sightseeing. Cool (real cold) and crisp with that beautiful autumn sunlight that so seems to complement absolutely everything you look at. We join the other guests for breakfast where Francine is in control of everything and looking like she has just stepped out of a morning tea - complete with beautiful heeled shoes and a lovely set of pearls. Nothing flusters her and she exudes serenity. Nice. As was breakfast. Good selection of breads and pastries, cold meats and cheese, fresh eggs for boiling just to your liking.

On checking out, they tell us we can leave the car there all day if we want to, but given that we want to start with Beguinage and the Minnewater area that is also known as 'the Lake of Love', we take the car to get over to there. Brugge was cursed after a massacre to keep the 'long necks' (swans) for all time and this area is where they are found. It is a very romantic area of Brugge - greenery, water and houses combine, pretty in a way that has inspired painters of times immortal.

Beguinages had their origins as places founded something aside from a convent where women lived, not taking vows, but following religious percepts and earning a living in Bruges with looms. When the last of the Benguines died a community of Benedictine nuns was established here. The homes of these people exist in the open community as a place of peace and tranquility and despite the large numbers of visitors wandering, there is little noise to disturb the calm. After strolling through this beautiful place, and stopping to visit the church that is dedicated to St Elizabeth of Hungary, we head back into the city centre to expand on out quick visit late yesterday.

Bruges is known as the 'Venice of the North' because of its canal system. And along with the canals come boat cruises that burn up and down the waterways (not like the sedate gondolas) and waterside dining spots. And with canals you get...? Bridges of course and this is where the name Bruges is founded.

Frances eventually finds us a parking spot near the Church of Our Lady. We are amazed at the number of people that are here in Bruges today. Being a Sunday it is also surprising to see almost all the shops open for trade. We have just come from Germany where nothing except some of the petrol stations are open on Sundays. And yes, every second shop is a chocolate shop - truly. I spy a hat shop and being Michael's birthday, we go in to find something special. And we do. His own Deer Stalker hat! (think Sherlock Holmes and you can picture it!) Looks pretty good in it too - don't you think!!!

So, a beaming husband in his new hat by my side, we head for the Church of Our Lady. Now, Bruges has a huge number of churches - seven are know to be monumental and often are on visitor itineraries. The Church of Our Lady is known for two things:
Firstly it is home to the Madonna with Child carved in Carrera marble by a young Michelangelo and secondly as a repository for many other works of art throughout the church and in its museum. But this church is really so much more - it is a church of people (their words) and there are many opportunities for you to participate in the life of this community - least of all, the invitation to write prayers and thanks on sheets of paper and post them into a keeper which is opened each week and read out at the end of Mass.

The church itself is quite austere although the altars are baroque. The tall windows in the body of the church are not lead-lighted and so light floods the building. A community member welcomes you at the door, music fills the space with the echoes soaring to the roof. At the end of the first aisle sitting within a marble altar is the beautiful work by a young Michelangelo 'Madonna and Child'.

The museum within the church is an array of jaw-dropping art. However, it is tastefully arranged so as not to diminish the aura of the structure from being a house of worship. To appreciate the collection, one has to be there to experience this wonder. Albeit, the museum is confined within the apse and presbytery of the church. The confessionals are beautifully carved walnut depicting various saints, as is the choir. There are original works of art which adorn the walls, and in particular is Gerard David's triptych 'The Transfigeration of Christ' (ca. 1520). There is so much I can regale, however space is a premium so I suggest you follow this link.

Back outside we join the ever growing number of people who are cruising the streets. Ah yes, Bruges on a Sunday sure is jumping. Down small back streets, up narrow lanes. You turn a corner and there you see yet another Madonna. The patron saint of Bruges is everywhere - including a new take in a window of a pub. Many of the churches are now closed as they have finished with their Sunday services, so we just admire them from the outside. And now it is time to return to the Markt and HOT CHOCOLATE - mmmmm. Yep, it is cool and getting cooler as we walk in the shadows of the buildings. Everyone is well rugged and girls you should see the fancy and sometimes beautiful scarves that people here are wearing. Again, guided by the locals, we find a cafe to sample some traditional Belgian luxuries - hot chocolate and fresh Belgain waffles (with bananas and chocolate). Yu-um. Michael however is hungrier and opts for a snack of spaghetti carbonara.

The Markt square is impressive. At the ground level it is dominated by the monument to Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck who led the revolt in 1302 to rid the city of the French. But it is the imposing Cloth Hall and Belfry that really dominates the square. At 88 meters high, and including a carillion of 47 bells this is one truly beautiful edifice. And like with all the other towering structures that we have seen, Michael soon makes it his business to climb up the 388 steps to get a view of the city from on high. There is a museum within the Tower that has been used like most of these across Europe, to house the important records of the City.

It may have not been the highest tower I have climbed, but it would be one of the most interesting. To scale the interior one has to negotiate three levels of stairs: lower and middle spiral stairs built in masonry, and the belfry is reached by sections of wooden staircases. The centre section of the tower contains a 'vault' which originally was the city's repository for records and funds. The repository contains two original strong boxes, with one ensconced behind an iron latticed 'curtain'. Before arriving at the belfry, one reaches the musical 'tracker bar' (not too dissimilar to a pianiola roll, but much greater in size) providing the notes for the carillon. Finally, the belfry is reached and the views of Brugge (and the bells) are quite spectacular. As I was admiring the view, the carillon began to 'chime' - a deafening sound muted to an enjoyable interlude by inserting one's fingers in the ears!

Then its around to the next square that houses even more impressive buildings - the Town Hall, the Basillica of the Holy Blood, the Court's Office and the Provost's house. All impressive, all ornate and grand and all filled with sightseers! As I said, the place to be on a cool but clear Sunday afternoon is Bruges!

We finally returned to the car and turned for Ypres (Ieper) where as a special treat for Michael on his birthday we are going to the Last Post Service at the Menin Gate tonight. We check in to the Ambrosia Hotel in the drizzle. Owner Vincent makes us very welcome and suggests a restaurant for dinner. I won't name it because for us it certainly did not live up to the recommendation - the food was average and the service deplorable.

Anyway, before we went to dinner we started at the Menin Gate where The Last Post Ceremony has been conducted every night (except for the German occupation between 1940 and 1944 when it was held in Surrey) rain hail or shine as the Belgians honour those who freed them in WWI. There are a large crowd of people present packed within the arches of the gate and spilling out onto the surrounding street. Just before 8 pm the local police arrive to effect the road closure and the buglers of the volunteer Fire Brigade and a piper arrive. At the dot of 8, a hush falls and the mournful sound starts. There is a contingent of Adult Scouters from the UK here, all stand at stiff attention, one with tears coursing down his face, and the British flag rests on the ground. You could have heard a pin drop if it weren't for the 3 bus loads of young English high school students. Honestly, they are too young to fully comprehend or appreciate what they are witness to. Still, after the Last Post, the laying of the wreaths and the Reveille are played, they quickly find somewhere else to be, leaving this special place to those with memories or respects to pay to linger a while . . . And Michael places the last of our Australian flags at the Diggers memorial at gthe eastern flank of the Gate. It is a most modest memorial with a collection of wooden crosses left by silent pilgrims.

After a little while we go back into the centre to have dinner and then return to the hotel and a warm and welcoming bed - it is now only 2°C!

Heading west and north to the cold.

The Art Fabrik (factory) & Hotel serves a buffet breakfast that is the most expensive we have encountered for ages. At €12 per person we contemplate whether we should go out for brekky but in the end give in and go down to the cafe area where it is served - down in the funky lift. We need not have worried - the spread is amazing with hot and cold foods - meatballs, a couple of different types of sausages, scrambled, fried and boiled eggs, salad ingredients, cereals, yoghurts and additives such as fruit and nuts, cold meats and cheeses, a variety of rolls and breads and pastries and some of the best fruit juices and coffee that we have had for yonks. We eat our fill knowing that we won't have to worry about lunch today!

Although it has been wet through the night, there is just a spattering of rain as we prepare to leave. We marvel at the growing mounds of leaves that autumn brings and while we will miss it back in the hot Australian summer, I can't help but think how much work it must create for the local councils. At least they would have plenty of mulch materials!

And so we hit the road again. There is a cable car like no other here in Wuppertal - it hangs beneath the track. The hotel reception staff tell us that it is a great way to see the city. When asked the duration of a round trip they reply that it is about an hour. Too long for us today - especially in this weather. We have another longish drive and if it continues to rain, I don't want to hurry. Once we are clear of the city and back on the motorway, my fears are realised when the rain continues on and off.

The weather is cold and quite bleak. The trees look naked without their leaf cover, and yet, grown as they are in long lines or clumps, they appear to be huddled together against the ravages of wind and rain. Today we pass through the Netherlands again - just passing through, clearing the outskirts of Venlo and then Eindhoven and noticing again the gothic architecture that is so abundant throughout this part of Europe.

And still the rain comes, although along with the wet, it is a little warmer thankfully - gee we actually get to 8°C! Yes, I know that its not hot, but believe me the difference between 4°C and 8°C is heaps when it is wet and windy! I was hoping that I could leave all the really warm clothes packed for now, but I should have known better! And as we continue to head north before we head home, odds are that it will get colder yet - bring on the Australian summer - I think. (Probably won't be Saying that once we are back in it in the coming weeks!!)

We only travel across the very south of The Netherlands for a total of about 80 kms before we are in to Belgium. Just before we cross that border, we pull in for fuel. At the bowser alongside us, there is a fellow in a van with Lithuanian registration plates on it. Like many other Eastern European drivers, he is towing an unregistered car. I think that they come to the west, buy the older, cheaper second hand cars and then sell them at a nice little profit back home - lord knows, we have seen enough of them! The state of his bullet-holed van leaves us wondering whether he has pushed his luck just once too often. He had better be careful with this one then!

We push on, needing to travel across most of Belgium. When deciding our route back to London for flights home, I had asked Michael whether he had any preferences. He said that he would like to return to Ypres to hear the The Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ieper, so I have arranged our route to give him this little joy on his birthday!

Other than that, he had no preference and I did. I really want to see Bruges. It has a fascinating history and is often known as the Venice of the North given its canal system. There are very heavy planning requirements for all buildings new and old in the historic old city centre that means it retains to today much of the same architecture and certainly a uniformity of look, as it first did in its glory days that date from the 12th century. So we travel towards Bruges, calling in briefly at the small town of Damme on the way through. This pretty town sits on the bank of the River Reie that has now been canalled. It is known for its well preserved windmill and has a very handsome City Hall as well as numerous bookshops and coffee houses.

Now, as we all know, one of the best things produced in Belgium is CHOCOLATE. And when we first arrive in Bruges, before we go around to our hotel for the night, we drive in to the old city and take a walk around. Every second shop is a chocolate shop! And while prices are competitive, the chain shops are the dearest! We stop. We look. We smell. We sample. And of course, we buy! No wonder there are so many cows in Belgium (but what is it with all the beef cattle?) And another thing that Belgium is famous for is lace and lace products. Those who know me know that I love fine lacework. We walk past a few very commercialised shops that seem to specialise in mass-produced items and its only when I find one of the smaller shops that we venture in. I get a beautiful tray cloth that is hand-worked. The owner spends quite a bit of time chatting to us and explaining the differences in the various lace pieces she has for sale. Gosh, I could go bananas in this shop for sure! (Got to remember, this is just stuff!)

Its now after 5 pm, dark and getting colder by the minute, so its time to head over to our accommodation for the night - the Golden Tree Hotel. Plenty of time tomorrow to explore Bruges in more detail. We are the last car in to the car park and there is only one spot left that will park in another car. No fear, it belongs to the family running the hotel and they say to park here. When we walk into the room, it is very warm thankfully and it takes most of the evening for us to realise that there is under-floor heating, so I turn the radiators down.

When asked for a recommendation for dinner, Francine at the Golden Tree Hotel warns us against eating near the Markt Square - over-priced and poor quality food she says. She can recommend a local restaurant called Carte Blanche. Michael takes a walk and gets the last table reservation! It's not a large restaurant, but is quite obviously popular with locals as well as visitors and from the greetings between some of the patrons and the owner, it has many regulars.

Owner Kieran and his staff run a tight little ship here and as we are sitting in front of the open kitchen, we get a first hand look at just how productive a very small space can be. The menu is large enough to offer a good range of foods, but small enough for them to manage well. The theme is 'Authentic Flemish specialities with a contemporary twist'. We agonised over having to make choices yet again and finally decided on:
Entrees:
Bloedworst met compote Granny Smith (Blood sausage with Granny Smith compote) Michael
Kaaskroketten (Cheese Croquettes) Maria
Mains:
Rundvlees stoofpot in bruin bier met chips handgesneden en een salade (Beef stew in brown ale with hand cut chips and a salad) Michael
Varkensvlees Stew in Cherry Bier met chips handgesneden en een salade (Pork Stew in Cherry Beer with hand cut chips and a salad) Maria
Desserts:
Rijstebrij met bruine suiker (Rice pudding with brown sugar) Michael
Crème brûlée - Maria

The food was fabulous and had us making comparisons with the French food we haved eaten. At the end of our meal we chat some with Kieran and he shows us a photo of his 'very cool dude' new son Maddox at 4 months old with dad's sunglasses on! Very cute!