Postcards from Emily and Gloria
Heart of Belgium and Holland in 11 Days
Bruges
Lizzie's Wafels came highly recommended to us by not only Rick's guidebook, but also research we had done on our own, and we were anxious to find time to stop in. We were also charmed by these little canine friends that almost seemed to be waving at the all of the passerby!
Our long day packed full of World War I history led us into the scenic town of Bruges, also called Brugge in Dutch (Bruges is the French version, with French being the other main language spoken by a portion of the Belgian population). This town is visited frequently by cruise ship passengers doing day-excursions, so it's well worth staying overnight to experience the town after the cruise passengers leave - another tip we learned from Rick's TV series. After our intrepid group dropped our bags at the Hotel Aragon and took a moment to refresh ourselves, we met again for a brief walking tour of central Bruges; ending at that most important spot of the day... our restaurant for dinner! Nico gave us some good tips on our walk for things to do during our free day - including cautioning us against renting a bike here if we weren't seasoned cyclists, as the streets are narrow and can be dangerous for novices. Better to wait until Delft if we're unsure.
The central market square of Bruges (the Grote Markt) is lined with shops and restaurants, with a busy road encircling the center, where horse-drawn carriages and tourists alike gather. It is an excellent point from which to branch out to many popular sites in town.
We passed by this family-owned chocolate shop several times while we were in Bruges. This shop was not the one we went to for our chocolate-making (and tasting) demonstration, but this one IS listed in Rick Steves' Belgium guidebook, and is apparently his favorite!
Our restaurant for the evening was at this very photogenic little place on the right - Pietje Pek. Owned by a mother and daughter, this restaurant immediately won me over with the gorgeous exterior. And then we walked inside, and I never wanted to leave as soon as I smelled the rosemary and cheese of the fondue! I can't lie, I enjoyed my food very much, but a little part of me still wishes we could have had that fondue instead if it tasted as good as it smelled. After dinner, we went back to the hotel with full bellies, ready to turn in for the night.
I chose the rabbit for dinner, which was served in a rich brown gravy with potatoes. If you've never had rabbit, it tastes a lot like dark meat chicken. Mom told me she had chosen something else because she'd eaten rabbit enough as a child - something I hadn't known until then. Amazing what we learn about each other while traveling when we least expect it! If you look closely, you can see Mom and Lori outside the restaurant on our way back to the hotel for bed.
This postcard went to my Aunt Betty - except for Mom, I would say I don't have a bigger supporter for my art. Although I was intimidated by what felt like a very complex image, Mom encouraged me to try it because she knew that Aunt Betty would love it when it arrived in her mailbox - and she was right!
TRAVEL TIP
The best time to see many places is early in the morning, or later in the evening, after the crowds disperse!
Goedemorgen!
(that's Dutch for good morning)
Today we began with a walking tour of Bruges led by local guide Danielle. Danielle was full of information about the history of Bruges, all the way back to the days when Bruges was controlled largely by trade guilds and the region was controlled by the Spanish. Fun fact - it's because of this Spanish occupation that we now have the famous Belgian chocolate! The Spanish controlled Mexico at this same time, and imported cacao into Europe from their territories across the Atlantic. I can't say I'm in favor of colonialism, but I sure am in favor of chocolate.
The second notable story she told us was about the symbol of the city - the bear. As you can see in the photo (and my postcard!) below, the statue of the bear is located on the corner of a building known as the Poortersloge from the 15th century. The legend of the bear is that the Count of Flanders, Baldwin of the Iron Arm (because of his combat prowess), was traveling to Bruges with his wife Judith. They encountered the white bear that had been attacking people outside of the city, and Baldwin heroically fought it. Despite being the villain of the tale, I think the bear's a pretty cute little guy.
I'm pretty terrible at getting my proportions right, but I felt like I had to take the chance to paint the bear, because it was such a unique statue with a lot of history behind it. And any excuse to add a little gold, am I right?
Bruges is much like Ghent in that it has an abundance of beautiful architecture to take in as you stroll along the canals. We found a statue of Jan Van Eyck here, as well. This view of the canal in the bottom photo was one of my favorite of the trip.
We walked to the square in front of City Hall, and took a brief rest. Mom and I really enjoyed this spot, as the city had chairs and benches out for people to enjoy the day. The city hall itself was built between 1376 and 1421 - it's hard to even fathom something being that old, much less still in use as a municipal building where events like weddings are still held.
Today seemed like a good day to break out my "Keep On Travelin"
t-shirt! I'm a hot-natured person, so I appreciate Rick's tip to pack layers so you can adapt to changing weather conditions during the day.
"Kwatta", as it turns out, is something marketed for breakfast, but it's really a small box of chocolate sprinkles - in Maryland we call them 'chocolate jimmies'. Can't lie, they were pretty good on my toast, but I still think I prefer Nutella as my sweet treat.
This was a busy corner of the canal system. Lots of boat tours seemed to pass through here, and it's easy to see why when everything is so scenic. I hadn't painted a canal yet, and this seemed like just the spot!
"Let's get lost" sounds a lot like a tip Rick might give for exploring a new city - don't be afraid to get a little lost and figure out your way home, because you never know what you'll find on the way!
Anyone else just a LITTLE bit reminded of Walt Disney's Sword in the Stone?
Within the walls of the same church, you can find two tombs that were clearly given exceptional status. These two belong to Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold. Mary died quite young from being thrown from a horse, but during her reign, she was known for being a dedicated ruler. Her marriage to a Habsburg, Maximilian of Austria, caused tensions between the Habsburg dynasty and France that lasted for hundreds of years.
The next stop on our tour today was the Church of Our Lady, where Michelangelo's Madonna and Child statue is kept. This statue, like the Mystic Lamb altarpiece in Ghent, was also represented in the movie The Monuments Men. It was also the only sculpture of Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime. Since then, it's left its home here in the church only twice - once during the French Revolutionary Wars (the time of Napoleon), and again when it was stolen by German soldiers during World War II and hidden in an Austrian salt mine. To the right of the sculpture here I've included a little more history about the statue, courtesy of the church.
It doesn't seem to matter how many cathedrals we've seen in our travels, or whether or not I am personally religious - I never get tired of stained glass windows and the ethereal beauty of their vibrant colors. It's easy to see how people in ages past would have found the stories within the windows so compelling. Another place you should see in your lifetime if you love these as much as I do is the Saint Chapelle in Paris - it's truly an experience.
Due to the age, history, and value of the Madonna and Child, you can't get too close - the immediate area is roped off, but it's understandable.
Traveling through Belgium is like reading a history book of Europe, the pages of which contain the record of man's struggle for freedom. Because it has so often been wounded, oppressed and bruised Belgium has placed against the background of her landscape the memories of her past: the belfries recalling her struggles; the churches, the spirit of her faith; the castles, the sentinels of her splendor.
DORÉ OGRIZEK
It's hard to believe we saw and did all of this before lunchtime. But by now, it was very close to time to eat, and we were pretty hungry - a perfect excuse to have dessert before our meal (not that we need an excuse)! Our final stop of the walking tour was at the "artisanal chocolate" shop, Pralinette, which is run by a husband and wife. Fangio de Baets is the husband half of the duo, and the master chocolatier of the shop. Mrs. de Baets is seen in the photo here giving us our chocolate making demonstration. She had such joy and passion for their work, and the quality of the chocolate is immediately evident when you taste one. We tried two each here - one with filling, and one "praliné" which is a kind of chocolate with chopped almonds or hazelnuts to form a sort of nougatine. And good news, chocolate fans - if you don't have room in your suitcase to bring some home now, they DO ship to the United States and Canada!
We saw and tasted every state of the chocolate making process, from the time the beans are still cocoa nibs, to when they are ground into a paste with no sugar added, to the final product. As a fan of extremely dark chocolate I enjoyed all of it, but the unsweetened version is quite bitter if you're not a fan of that sort of thing.
