Bruges

I must be careful not to pronounce that with a New Zealand accent. My friend Claudine is my pronounciation policeman and it seems that I say .... oh, I have no way of writing it really! Lol. Perhaps I say 'Broages'. I dunno! But it should be Bruges with a very ooo vowel anyway. Like eewwww! It needs to be quite forward and I think I say it in the back of my mouth. And I don't get my Rs quite right either. One day! Was that enlightening or what? So... on the Friday we caught the train to Bruges. I have travelled on trains here more than in all the rest of my life put together. Because I wasn't a train girl. And if you think that has a kind of 'it should be in capital letters - Train Girl' - connotation, you would be right! But you have to have gone to Otago Girls High School [or Otago Boys or Tech] to really get it. Hello to any train girls out there! They were from Port Chalmers/Sawyers Bay and there was also a Mosgiel train. And they used to arrive a bit late and had to walk into assembly un peu en retard! There was Something about being a Train Girl. Now where was I? Ah yes, on my way to Bruges. With much of Europe it seemed. Not a seat to be had. Louise and I were squashed into the little vestibule area between a couple of carriages. Apart from there being no room it was also very very stuffy. Fortunately some people got off along the line and we were able to artfully leap into the carriage and grab their seats. We arrived in Bruges and basically were swept along by the stream of tourists walking into Centre Ville. We just walked along with them. And what a lovely place Bruges is! I just got this off Google: Bruges is called : 'the Venice of the North'. This splendid medieval city is one of Belgium's crown jewels. In no other European city the feel and the look of medieval times are so present as here in this city close to the North Sea. It really is great. Somehow you can overlook the tourists and just see the fairytale-like splendour. Glorious weather helps too! This also from the net, via The Lonely Planet: Touristy, overcrowded and a tad fake. Preface any other city with these descriptions and it would be struck off the list. But not Bruges (Brugge in Flemish, Bruges in French). This Flemish city is Belgium’s most popular destination and, despite being overrun much of the year, it’s not to be missed. Suspended in time centuries ago, Bruges is now one of Western Europe’s most-visited medieval cities. Picturesque market squares, dreamy canals and old whitewashed almshouses all evoke a world long since gone. We started off by doing a river/canal cruise - always a safe bet to keep me happy. And somehow we managed to get into a very short queue and had virtually no wait at all. We have been really lucky with queues and things all year! When we saw all he other queues we were amazed at how long they were. We had a young driver (captain? pilot? steerer?) who had a good line of patter, and all in all in was very pleasant. The rest of the day may be a bit out of sequence but fortunately I am not required to be a witness for anything so it doesn't matter! (I just typed "I am not requited." Oh how sad!!) Bruges is the sort of place where it's good to just wander round. We had lunch at a restaurant we just chose at random, and it turned out to be one mentioned in the Lonely Planet. The Cafe Craenenburg. And more from the net....On the corner of the Market Square in Bruges and the Saint Amandstreet we find the « House Craenenburg ». The name originates from its inhabitants of 1305. Its historic value is two fold . Firstly, Margaretha of York watched in 1468 the games of the knights which took place on the market square to celebrate her marriage to Charles the Bold. Secondly, it was here that in 1488 archduke Maximilian of Austria was imprisoned. During 1905 Craenenburg became the local pub for the Bruges smokers’ club. Craenenburg was renovated in 1956 with its current distinctive frontage. The main room was decorated in a typical Flemish style, including the wooden entrance porch, wooden beams on the ceiling, copper light fittings, a lovely freeze with inset tiling and wooden benches along the walls. The bar is superbly sculptured and the windows are set in lead with features reflecting the various brewing processes and skills. Since 1966 the business Craenenburg is run by family Boedt. The current owners are the third generation to be in charge. I think that having lunch there was a little touch of serendipity. Which nicely seems to happen quite often. Cal in Berlin for example. We then went to the... yes... wait for it.... the Chocolate Museum!! Well, it was certainly quite interesting, but I already know a bit about the crops in tropical rainforests and to be honest I probably just wanted samples. Nah, just kiddng. It was good. Two of the cutest little cocoa beans you could ever see! Then we visited a church - the Basilica of the Precious Blood. They have a phial/bottle there which they display to the public on Fridays, and it was Friday! In the bottle is a drop of Jesus's blood. Now, I know we don't have to understand everything to believe it, and I appreciate that there are some of you out there, gentle readers, who would be totally accepting of this. But I want to know - how on earth has it not dried up? Where did they get it from? But anyway, I went up and paid my 2 euros and had a wee look, along with the devout. I certainly wasn't mocking - I was quite interested. But I couldn't work out which was the blood and I didn't like to ask! Anyway, you can look it up on www.holyblood.com I might have a look too. It was actually a lovely church with quite stunning stained glass windows. More wandering, some shopping, and then we came aross a wonderful little slice of Bruges life - a real lacemaker! Most of the lace for which Belgium is famous is made in China these days, but it was wonderful to see this woman demonstrating her craft. Sure, the basket for euros was there for the tourists, but she was doing the business! I love crafts and I loved watching her. I actually videoed it, and do you think I can find the clip? No, I can't. I have searched everywhere though my files and I am distressed! Oops, I have found it! Yay. Here goes - I hope it downloads all right.
I have somehow transposed a random - but beautiful! - photo with it, and it has to stay! If I try to move it I will lose the lot! We also had a look inside the Church of the Benguinage where a whole lot of benedictine nuns celebrate the daily liturgy. And I noticed that the Eucharist is sung in Gregorian Chant. I would have LOVED to have heard that, but it happens at 7.15 in the mornings. Dommage! So that was Bruges. Well worth visiting. Although possibly not at the height of the season. But for all the buzz and bustle there was a certain tranquillity about the place. (Oh admit it Alison, as long as the sun is shining you are happy anywhere!) Well that might be true, but I would put Bruges high up on the list, way before Ashburton. The train going back was a double decker (or up-and-decker as we liked to say in our little family) so you would have thought that getting a seat would not have been a problem. Hmmm.... The whole trip sitting on some hard steps in a vestibule again. But there you go. At least we could sit. And it got us home. A memorable day. xxx