Small world story first--tonight at dinner in Tom's Diner, recommended by Rick Steves, we sat next to a couple from Kansas City, & their favorite hotel is the same one we stayed in next door to LB's Paris apartment rental. They love Paris, so we had a great chat with Tom & Wanda, youngsters who haven't retired yet. We recommended they do so asap since like us they love to travel.
So today was market day in Bruges, & like all the markets we've seen, just chock full of beautiful produce, meats, cheeses, etc....This one had a different flavor in that some of the sellers were shouting about their produce over the din of a crowded place. It must have worked, because they were the busiest of all. Some of the vendors actually arrive with trailers the size of semis with sides that open up & out to reveal their goods, & they weren't there last night, so they must truck in very early.
I've been looking for modern art & finally found an artist's studio/home. He was out, but his wife showed us around, & we liked some of his paintings. They're very abstract & colorful. Here's his website: www.koningen.net . His name is Svein Koningen.
We went to see a Picasso exhibit too with some Joan Miro thrown in, & it was very informative with lots of pieces to admire & plenty to scratch your head & just wonder about. I especially like the Picasso's Peace Dove & the flowers:
Sticking with an art theme, we went to the Church of Our Lady to see Michelangelo's Mother & Child made out of Correra marble. It is a beautiful depiction of the baby Jesus sitting on Mary's lap.
There are 14 churches in Bruges, one Protestant & 13 Catholic. This is the organ at St. Salvator's Cathedral:
There are lots of bike riders here, young to looking-too-old to be on one--all just cruising right along on these bumpy cobblestones. I especially like seeing the parents taking their kids around in the usual child's seat or a contraption like this one:
Another popular mode of transport for tourists is the buggy ride, most large enough to hold 4-6 people, but there are a few larger ones. The horses look well fed & very healthy. I particularly like the female driver who has her small dog on the front seat with her.
The Belgians say they invented french fries & even have a museum to prove it. By the way, they dip the fries in mayonnaise, not catsup. Across the street from the french fries museum is the chocolate museum!
Steamed mussels are big here too. Neither of us likes them, so I can't give you a taste result, but most restaurants offer them, & they're served in a big pot with a large lid. When they bring them out, they lift the lid & place it to the left of the customer who uses it for the shells---one big pot per person. They appear to have some veggies in the pot as well. I wish I had the nerve to try them, since I saw a man spooning the liquid like soup after all his mussels were eaten. I had them years ago in Newfoundland, & they just didn't push my button.
I don't think the topic of food would be complete without talking about the delicious Belgian waffles sprinkled with powdered sugar. As you'll see from the second picture, they can be messy!
Some beers, & many say the best, are made by Trappist Monks. Here's one we had yesterday in its own specially labeled glass. It was tasty...
We couldn't figure out yesterday why there were so many extra horses around town, all tied up beside their trailers. Today, we saw what the big deal was--the BBC is making a film called "The White Queen," to be out in 2014, & I think it's about Queen Elizabeth the First. In these pictures, you'll see some of the extras in a scene we watched them shoot, men in costumes, some of the horses just waiting their turns & me with a couple of the costumed fellows:
We walked about half of the city tour today. We just kind of pooped out, so tomorrow we hope to do the other half which includes the 4 windmills in the city. Our routine seems to be get up, have breakfast, strike out & walk until a break for lunch around 1-2 pm, walk some more, mostly back to the hotel, take about a one hour break, walk a little more & then dinner around 6-7 pm. That's our day in a nutshell!
This is a daytime shot Dave took of one of the canals.
Here's one taken at night. I love the reflection of the bridge which looks like an eye to me.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: I have much admiration for artistic talent. Wish I had some!
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