DAY 1
Woke up to a gorgeous day in Bruges with sunshine and warm temperatures around 50 degrees which for the end of December is remarkable. As I walked down the stairs leading to the train station there were already hundreds of cars parked and people coming from every direction heading toward the old town center. I knew it was going to be a busy Burges day but didn't expect, since it's technically off-season the hundreds of thousands of visitors that packed every street, sidewalk and store throughout the main area of town. It was good to see so many families out enjoy the beautiful day and so many tourists, many American, Italian and French, out enjoying the sights as well.
I walked for almost 6 hours straight first walking around the more residential area with it's charming 3 and 4 story homes many adorned with a brick design at the top in a stepped triangle. It was so nice to walk and enjoy the quiet of the locals just doing their Saturday errands and greeting one another along the way. I made it back to the center of town and went in and out of some of the churches and around the mercato, an out door market selling everything from household goods to clothing to food and very similar to the ones you find in most Italian towns. It was jam packed and took up most of the main square.
I then headed to the next square which had a smaller, more season market going on and the ice rink in the middle with lots of happy skaters making a turn. And then off to yet another main square where there was the traditional German Christmas Market that I had been to the night before and gotten a sausage and Belgium waffle for dinner.
Bruges is truly a treasure and it's like walking around in a dream when you're here. You just can't believe that a town so perfectly preserved in time could still exist and even more so, that it thrives by blending the old with the modern by having thousands of shops ranging from discount to the best of the best, comfortably housed in charming and sometimes exquisite buildings. And as you walk you look up and see a church spire or an imposing tower that makes you stop and pause to admire it's beauty. And I loved that just about every street you went down Christmas music was playing for all to enjoy. Every 5 feet or so there is a large speaker that sends the festive songs out for all to hear and although many were in English they had a few more traditional European ones as well. It was all so civilized if you could get past the throngs of people that crowded every sidewalk but that's when you remind yourself you don't have anywhere to rush off to so just take your time and enjoy the day. That is of course hard for a New Yorker who is used to weaving and bobbing through pedestrian traffic like they're on a NASCAR track.
I visited St. Saviour’s Cathedral which is, according to my internet search, "Bruges’ oldest parish church
(12th-15th century). Worth seeing are the gobelins, the choir, rood loft with
organ (1619-1717), choir stalls and numerous fine paintings. Cathedral Museum:
old paintings and retables, brass tomb plates and reliquaries. The oldest traces of the cathedral of Saint Saviour in
Bruges bring us back to the 9th century. The main parts of the church are built
in so-called Gothic of the Schelde style of the 14th century. This
cathedral has some special places worth seeing. We call here the late Gothic
choir stalls (1430), the pulpit in the style of Louis XVI, the baroque rood
loft with the impressive organ, the chapel of Saint Jacob (now baptistery) with
the murals from the end of the 13th century until 1576, the paintings of the
flemish school (14th - 17th century), the tapestries from the 18th century and
so on. Work started on Bruges' oldest parish church in the 10th century but
after being destroyed by fire, rebuilt and alterations and additions made in
the 13th and 14th centuries, it displays a mixture of styles."
After some quiet time in such an impressive and historic church I took a few more hours to walk around and get lost in all the towns simply glory. I visited the Old St-John's Hospital, now a museum with an inspiring permanent exhibit featuring over 100 original works by Picasso as well as works by his contemporaries, Matisse, Miro, Braue, Cocteau, Dora Maar as well as several reproductions of sculptures by Rodin. The buildings itself must have been one of the most beautiful small hospitals in the world at one time with a lovely green courtyard and stunning red brick work throughout as well as exquisitely carved staircases. I've included some of my favorite works that I saw and was very impressed with the design of the exhibit and all the clear, concisely displayed historical information on the life and times and passions of Picasso and his colleagues and I never realized in all the years of seeing his work that he had completed over 30,000 works in his lifetime. Staggering number when you think of it.
"Erik Satie 1" by Joan Miro in 1969 was originally conceived for
the book “Poems and Songs,” which was never published in Miro’s time but was
eventually finished in 2001 and published by the Gallery Lelong, Paris. Erik
Satie was a composer and must have inspired the series which is described
online “Erik Satie Poems and Songs No. 1 is the first work in series of four
etching and aquatint prints that can be described as, Miro's imaginative animal
series. The animals in this series have long slender bodies, large round eyes,
whimsical coloration, and mysterious symbols and shapes in the background.
Creatures evolve and transform before us-for even in their two-dimensional
state, they exude motion and energy. In a refined and artistic manner, Miro
experiments with nature, documenting his fantastical beasts in playful mimicry
of scientists like Darwin. Experimentation and creative expression became the
essential components of Miro's trademark style, both of which are wonderfully
abundant in this series. Miro's contemporary André Breton wrote of his work:
"'Experiment is not just passive observation but the invention of a new
kind of experience,' made possible by a willingness to let 'reason…affirm what
sensible experience seemed to contradict.'" (Lanchner 74)”
Picasso and Georges Aubert's "Personnage"
George Cocteau's "Composition Surrealistic" - I love the hand shadow of the bunny on the wall under the leaf nest of doves.
Picasso's lithograph, "La Colombe" (The Dove), a traditional,
realistic picture of a pigeon, without an olive branch, was chosen as the
emblem for the World Peace Congress in Paris in April 1949. The dove became a
symbol for the peace movement and the ideals of the Communist Party and was
used in Communist demonstrations of the period. At the 1950 World Peace
Congress in Sheffield, Picasso said that his father had taught him to paint
doves, concluding, "I stand for life against death; I stand for peace against
war." At the 1952 World Peace
Congress in Berlin, Picasso's Dove was depicted in a banner above the stage.
The dove symbol was used extensively in the post-war peace movement.[citation
needed] Anti-communists had their own take on the peace dove: the group Paix et
Liberté distributed posters titled La colombe qui fait BOUM (the dove that goes
BOOM), showing the peace dove metamorphosing into a Soviet tank.
A painting by Marc Chagall's work of which I didn't get the name, has the large orange clock with umbrella. Just as I was admiring the work the bells of the nearby church began to ring and I just thought it so perfect to be looking at his whimsical orange clock and hear the chimes ring out around us.
"The Sorrows of the King" is a collage using cut out paper
shapes by Henri Matisse from 1952. It was made from paper he had coloured with
gouache paint and is mounted on canvas. Its size is 292 x 386 cm. It is his
final self-portrait. During the early-to-mid-1940s Matisse was in poor health.
Eventually by 1950 he stopped painting in favor of his paper cutouts. The
Sorrows of the King, is an example of Matisse's final body of works known as
the cutouts.
Also at the museum was a wonderful video taken in the 70's of Picasso painting on glass so you see his expressions and watch him paint. It was fascinating and I stayed to see it twice wanting to make sure I didn't miss any of it as people are continually wondering in and out as it is played on a loop.
So off to do some more sightseeing around town and came to St. James' Church where two very nice volunteers told me about the mass schedules for the churches in Bruges as it was Saturday night already and I had wanted to go to mass at the church where the statue of the Virgin Mary and Child by Michelangelo was. She found it for me on the map and said they have a 5:30pm mass but that she also recommended mass here at St. James' at 6:30pm because it for young people and very festive with lively music. So I decided to do both as well as the mass she suggested on Sunday morning at the church in the town square where all the locals from Bruges go and it would be a great experience.
I went off in search of the Church of Our Lady and found it about 45 minutes later after having had a snack of potatoes and bacon at a food vendor in the German Christmas Market. I got to the beautiful church just as the mass was starting and the bells where ringing. The mass was lovely and they had a printout in English so I could follow the readings and Gospel, much appreciated. The Michelangelo statue was blocked by curtains but after communion when I was walking back to my seat I could see her in the distance and then after mass I was telling one of the volunteers who was blowing out the candles in the isle how beautiful it was (mom and I had seen her on our first visit 6 years ago) and the nice lady said please go over and see her, so of course I did after thanking her profusely and there I got to stand in front of this magnificent creation in total quiet with no tourists or even a local around me. It was such a quiet, truly memorable moment of just appreciate the beauty of a great artist but also the contemplative stair of the Virgin Mary and the sweet, loving baby Jesus holding on to her leg. I'm so lucky I had that opportunity to just be in the space without lots of distractions and the fact that there was mostly candle light and just a bright light on her and the other two statues near her made it all the more special.
The church is quite beautiful as well and I didn't remember much from our first visit so I'm glad I got to enjoy it during mass. The Church of Our Lady (Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) in
Bruges, Belgium, dates mainly from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. Its
tower, at 122.3 meters in height, remains the tallest structure in the city and
the second tallest brickwork tower in the world (the tallest being the St.
Martin's Church in Landshut, Germany). In the choir space behind the high altar
are the tombs of Charles the Bold, last Valois Duke of Burgundy, and his
daughter, the duchess Mary. The gilded bronze effigies of both father and
daughter repose at full length on polished slabs of black stone. Both are
crowned, and Charles is represented in full armor and wearing the decoration of
the Order of the Golden Fleece. The altarpiece of the large chapel in the
southern aisle enshrines the most celebrated art treasure of the church—a white
marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child created by Michelangelo around 1504.
Probably meant originally for Siena Cathedral, it was purchased in Italy by two
Brugean merchants, the brothers Jan and Alexander Mouscron, and in 1514 donated
to its present home. The sculpture was twice recovered after being looted by
foreign occupiers—French revolutionaries circa 1794 and Nazi Germans in 1944.
After mass I zipped off to go back to St. James Church for the 6:30pm mass and made it just in time and was greeted by a young, probably in his early 30's, priest and some of the parishioners. The majority of the large church was darky except for the small side alter where there were chairs set up and about 40 people sitting. There was also a gospel rock band to the left of the alter who played wonderfully energetic, inspiring and spiritual songs, some I presume original works by the lead singer who sang with genuine heartfelt passion for his craft and for the words he was singing. The whole mass was in Belgium so I didn't understand a word but having just read the readings and Gospel in the other church I at least knew the ideas of what his homely was based on although I'm not sure what was written on three large pink bricks he put on the alter as he spoke and each brick came with it's own story so it would have been interesting to know what it was all about. I'm so glad I got to attend both masses and see two widely different interpretations of mass and in this last one the priest, had as all come to the alter and stand during the blessings before communion and hold hands during the "Our Father." I've been to masses before that have done this including in New York when mom and I had attended the church of I believe St. Andrew in lower Manhattan. St. James Church has high vaulted ceilings and is a splendid Early Gothic church, founded in 1240. The interior is decorated with 16th to 18th century paintings and their is a fabulous large organ in the middle of the main church before the alter. It's a dark interior with large gorgeous stained glass windows.
I took the opportunity to just walk another few hours and enjoy being in this breathtaking city before getting back to my hotel and going to bed before even doing my blog entry as I was just too pooped from all the excitement and the beauty not to mention the hours of walking on all cobble stoned streets and lots of fresh air.
DAY 2
I got up early to do as much of the blog as I could before heading out around 10:45am. I wanted to attend mass at the Basilica of the Holy Blood at 11:00am and since I was pressed for time I skipped getting breakfast and just got two nut and cream filled candies from one of the many chocolate shops around the city and zipped off to the center of town where the church is snuggled between an old shopping restaurant complex and the architecturally revered City Hall. The Basilica is very pretty from the outside but one you ascend the lovely marble and wood winding staircase and walk through a dark, small passage to the rather small and really packed church entrance where I gently squeezed my way through sightseers to the women who was allowing mass goers to pass by the velvet station into the church pews.
Mass was packed and I sat in the back row and although it was also in Belgium I had so much to look at with all the colorful stencils and the vibrant stained glass windows depicting, like most stained glass windows in European churches, stories from the bible. There was also a small podium like alter with a stair case on either side and a candle stand in front of it. I watched all the goings on and the people as you might remember from above it was told to me by the volunteers at St. James Church that this was the mass the locals liked to go to and at times I could glimpse that this was a group of people mostly familiar to each other and one of the lay people who was giving communion to our side of the church actually stopped after handing a women in front of me the Eucharist and I think asked her how she was doing based on the response from that lady. I'd actually never seen a lector, I believe they're called, make any kind of polite conversation during that very important and reverent moment. But it was also very sweet and friendly and endearing.
The church has a fascinating history which I found online and explains the relic of the Holy Blood which at the end of mass today was carried from the alter by the priest and placed on the side alter podium that I had mentioned before and then those who wanted could go up an touch the glass and pray where the relic is kept. It's a beautiful possession and I had the pleasure of doing it and then got to light and candle below and watch as others find peace and solace in this very unique and spiritual experience.
“The
Basilica of the Holy Blood (Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed) in Bruges houses a
venerated relic of Christ: his very blood, collected by Joseph of Arimathea.” Myth and Mystery - Legend has it that after
the Crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea wiped blood from the body of Christ and
preserved the cloth. The relic remained in the Holy Land until the Second
Crusade, when the King of Jerusalem Baldwin III gave it to his brother-in-law,
Count of Flanders Diederik van de Elzas. The count arrived with it in Bruges on
April 7, 1150 and placed it in a chapel he had built on Burg Square.
History - The first historical record to mention the Holy
Blood in Bruges dates from 1256. The real story seems to be that it came from
Constantinople, which had an extensive collection of relics including one of
the Holy Blood. Constantinople was sacked by the Crusader army of Count of
Flanders Baldwin IX in 1204, during the Fourth Crusade. Baldwin IX probably
sent the Holy Blood, looted from the Byzantines, to Bruges shortly thereafter.
The manner in which the rock-crystal vial is cut also suggests an origin in
Constantinople.
Snugly located in a back corner of Burg Square, the Basilica
of the Holy Blood consists of a Romanesque lower chapel and a Gothic upper
chapel. The two levels could not be more different: the Romanesque lower level
is austere with very little decoration, while the Gothic upper level is alive
with color and detail. The two chapels are connected by a monumental brick
staircase, which runs behind the grand facade facing the square. The stairs and
facade were built in 1533 in the Renaissance style, but demolished during the
French occupation. They were rebuilt in the 19th century. The gilded statues on the facade represent
Archduchess Isabelle, Mary of Burgundy, and Derrick and Philip of Alsace. The
medallions depict the Archdukes Albert and Maximilian of Austria, Margaret of
York and Sybil of Anjou, wife of Derrick and mother of Philip of Alsace.
Lower Chapel - The lower chapel, the Chapel of St Basil, is
the only Romanesque church in West Flanders, dating from the first half of the
12th century. It was built by Derrick, Count of Alsace (1128-1168) and
dedicated to St Basil the Great to house a relic of the Greek theologian
(d.379) brought back from Caesarea during the Crusades. The chapel has a short
nave, tiny side aisles, a choir and apse. The doorway connecting the right
aisle with the nave has a small sculpted tympanum (12th century) depicting the
baptism of St. Basil. The right aisle also contains a polychrome statue
(c.1306) of the Madonna and Child, displayed behind glass. Left of the choir is
the Chapel of Saint Yves, added in 1504. It shelters the relics of Saint Basil
as well as Charles the Good, the Count of Flanders who was assassinated. The
black marble altarpiece is from the 16th century.
Upper Chapel - The upper chapel was originally Romanesque as
well, but is now Gothic with mostly modern decoration. It is lit by stained
glass windows and covered with murals, including a brightly painted altar
backdrop depicting the Trinity and scenes relating to the Holy Blood relic. The
Holy Blood relic is embedded in a rock-crystal vial, which is placed inside a
small glass cylinder capped with a golden crown at each end. The relic is kept
in a magnificent silver tabernacle with a sculpture of the Lamb of God in the
large side chapel of the upper church. The back wall of the side chapel
displays ex-votos of those whose prayers before the Holy Blood have been
answered. More reliquaries can be seen in the Basilica Museum, including one
created in 1617 by Bruges goldsmith Jan Crabbe, with a gem-encrusted hexagonal
case to hold the relic and a golden statue of the Virgin. Another, from 1612
with a lid from 1716, is silver with a golden flower garland added in 1890.
After mass I walked for several ours finding little places along the way to get a sandwich or have a snack. The city is filled with endless food choices and it was a good thing I walked about 6 hours today because of all the little bits of yummy treats I had along my travels including a very scrumptious, crunchy Belgium waffle with caramel, ice cream and whipped cream. Thank goodness I leave Bruges tomorrow of I'd gain weight.
On my walk I passed so many great small and
large buildings of various uses including one white one with a lovely garden
dating from 1713 and when I looked it up
online I found the following fascinating history. I think for those older Bruges
individuals this must be a nice bonus to being a senior citizen. "Bruges counts 46 Almshouses (called
"godshuizen" in Dutch) in the centre of the city. These houses where
built out of social consideration . They were mainly destined for seniors and
poor people. These white almshouses were
built by rich families so single women or poor people had a place to live. In return for the use of
these houses these people had to pray
for the rich family every day. You might even say that these rich families
bought their way in to heaven. A fine
example of the godshuizen (almshouses) that were built by the rich in Bruges
from the 13th century onward as refuges for widows and the poor, is the
Godshuis de Vos (De Vos Almshouse), from 1713, at the corner of Noordstraat and
Wijngaardstraat, near the Beguinage. The pretty courtyard garden here is
surrounded by a chapel and eight original houses, now converted to six, which
are owned by the city and occupied by seniors. Admission is not permitted, but
you can view the complex from over a low wall out front.
Walking along a path heading toward the convent or Beguinage as it's known here, I came across the little cafe mom and I had visited 6 years ago and had Beligum waffles. I was going to eat there but it was so packed clearly a good choice 6 years ago as well as now. Picture with the red awning.
I also took some time to explore the area where most tourists enter the city which is past the
Minnewater and Beguinage and to explain what they are it’s so much better to
read what has been written on the Belgium travel website – “For most visitors
the Minnewater and its lovely park are the entrance to the beautiful city of
Bruges. The Minnewater is a canalized lake. From the bridge (1740) one can
already enjoy a nice panoramic view over the town. Because of the idyllic
surroundings it is mostly referred to as 'the lake of Love', the Dutch word
'Minne' meaning 'love'.
Actually, the origins
of the lake are less romantic. It was here that the coastal river 'Reie'
entered the city. The river was later canalized and made to continue until the
center of town. It is not sure where the name 'Minnewater' comes from. An
explanation could be 'water van het gemeen', which could be translated as the
'common water'. The lake was used as a water reservoir, to keep the water of
the canals at a constant level. Next to the lake is the Minnewater park, where
sometimes in the summertime (rock) concerts are organized.
One of the symbols of Bruges is the swan. There are always plenty of them on the
'Minnewater'. There exists a nice legend about the swans of Bruges. In 1488 the
people of Bruges had executed one of the town administrators belonging to the
court of Maximilian of Austria, husband and successor of duchess Mary of
Burgundy. The town administrator was called 'Pieter Lanchals', a name which
means ' long neck'. The Lanchals family coat of arms featured a white swan.
Legend has it that Maximilian punished Bruges by obliging the population to
keep swans on their lakes and canals till eternity. Most of these legends and
romantic interpretations come from the 19th century. Believe them or not : the
beautiful 'Minnewater' deserves them.
Just behind the Minnewater lies the Beguinage 'De Wijngaard'
(= the Vineyard). It is one of those typical areas in Bruges where one can find
more peace and quiet than in the sometimes busy and overcrowded streets of the
town center. The Beguinage is a group of houses around a little garden covered
with large poplar trees. It was here that during the last seven centuries lived
the beguines of Bruges. In 1937 the beguinage became a monastery for the
Benedictine sisters who still live here now.
The Beguinage of Bruges was founded in 1245 by the Countess
of Flanders, Margaretha of Constantinopel, daughter of Count Baldwin who
conquered Constantinopel (now Istambul) during the crusades. In 1299, Philip
the beautiful of France, placed the Beguinage under his own rule, thereby
withdrawing it from the influence of the town magistrate. Visitors enter the
place via a bridge over the canal. The entrance gate bears the date 1776. A lot
of houses, however, are much older than that. Most date from the 17th and 18th
century. Some houses were built in the 19th century in neo-gothic style. In the
southern part is a little dead end street where still some houses of the
15th-16th century can be found. The largest and most impressive house is
situated in the left corner behind the garden. It was here that the
'grootjuffrouw', or 'grand-dame' lived. It was she who ruled over the
beguinage. The original church of the 13th century was destroyed by a fire in
1584. It was rebuild in 1609 and later again renovated in late baroque style.
What is a Beguinage? In the rapidly changing world of the
13th century, some people became more attracted to a purer and more mystical
form of religion as a reaction to the growing material and formal aspirations
of the regular clergy. The example to be followed had been shown by the
apostles : poverty, simplicity and preaching. People from both sexes decided to
follow this new movement, which resulted in the creation of numerous new
religious orders and movements.
The official
religious institutions distrusted these new orders, so that they were very
often persecuted or forbidden. In the Low Countries, however, the female
followers of the mystical movement were tolerated in the form of the 'Beguine' movement. They were allowed to live
in separate parts of the cities, in the so-called Beguinages. In this way, the
religious authorities could control and supervise them. The beguines lived like
regular nuns, but did not make the same binding vows that nuns normally made.
Beguines usually made the vows of obedience and chastity, but not the vow of
poverty. Moreover, they could at all times break their vows and leave the
beguine community.
In the early middle-ages most beguines worked in the textile
industry of the cities. It was not a religious movement exclusively for poor
and needy women. Very often, girls from rich and noble families joined the
beguine community. They were then very often chosen to become 'Grand mistress
of the Beguinage' and they lived in the nicest houses, whereas the poorer
beguines lived in the 'convents' which were houses were several sisters lived
together.
Most still-existing beguinages are situated in the Northern
part of Belgium. Although, now, there are practically no beguines alive anymore
, their beautiful beguinages still exist as museums, cultural centers or houses
for elderly people. The most important beguinages in Belgium are situated in
the following cities: Bruges, Kortrijk, Gent, Lier, Turnhout, Dendermonde,
Hoogstraten, Leuven and Diest.
As the sun set around 5:00pm I found myself walking a few more hours and even spending a little time watching the ice skaters in the center of town and enjoyed the lively Christmas music. I've so truly enjoyed my time here and what a great place to come at Christmas, they really make you feel so happy and in great spirits with the constant playing of Christmas music all throughout town, the amazing and diverse Nativity scenes, many life like, that you find all throughout town in parks and in front of municipal buildings and even in the town squares. They embrace Christmas so fully here and they make you feel warm and welcome. One of my favorite decorations, and there are so many to chose from so it's hard to pick a favorite but this one is strung on a lavish garland over the entrance to an antique shop near the main square and this string of ornaments is connected to a battery, most likely in the big drum also attached to the garland. The ornaments are various miniature figures each hitting a bell off to it's side. The actions of hitting the bells is precisely timed and each of the 6 or seven figures is called into action ringing out various Christmas songs. It's totally mesmerizing and to see the kids stop to figure out what is going on is priceless and I must admit I stayed a bit to watch and listen mesmerized. I had my picture taken with it as you can see.
I have been so enthralled with this city and it lives up to every memory I have and has surpassed any expectations anyone could every hold on this magical, mysterious, marvelously enchanting town. I will always be eternally grateful for having this extended stay here and hope you all get a chance to visit some day just be sure to stay a few nights so that you can experience it by evening and hopefully with fewer tourists.
Below, for those who haven't gotten enough of this fabulous town I've copied some history on Bruges itself. Enjoy!!!
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. Today's Bruges has a population of about 45.000 people (the old center) or 120.000
people (center together with the
suburbs). These numbers clearly show that Bruges is not a tiny miniature city.
It ranks, even today, among the important cities of Belgium. It is also the
capital of the Belgian province of West-Flanders. Bruges is unique, in the
sense that here the town authorities have done the utmost to preserve the
medieval-looking image of the city. Of course, not every stone in Bruges has
come to us straight from the Middle-Ages. The 19th century neo-gothic style is more
present than one should think. Because of these 19th century renovations, some
critics have put Bruges down as a 'fake' medieval city. Nevertheless, the
combination of old, not so old and new fascinates everyone who first sets foot
in Bruges.
Bruges (Brugge) was founded in the 9th century by Vikings
who settled here at the end of the little river 'de Reie'. The name Bruges is
probably derived from the old-Scandinavian word 'Brygga', which means 'harbor,
or mooring place'. Because of the proximity of the North Sea, the settlement
very quickly became an important international harbor. A sea-arm, called the
Zwin, connected Bruges with the North Sea. The young settlement acquired city
rights as early as the 12th century. At that time a first protective wall was
built around Bruges. Soon, however, the Zwin started to silt up. This would
have caused major problems for the city, were it not that Bruges adapted itself
to this situation by creating outports in Damme and in Sluis. Moreover,
transport of goods over land became more and more usual. In the 14th century
Bruges became the starting point of a commercial transport road to the
Rhineland (over Brussels and Leuven, cities in Brabant which also started to
flourish because of this trade).
The Bruges bear in
the Porters Lodge.Already in the 13th century Bruges was an important
international trading center. Traders from all over the then known world came
to the city to sell their products to each other and to buy Flemish cloth, a
internationally acclaimed textile product, produced in different Flemish cities
(e.g. Gent). In the early 14th century Bruges was the scene of political unrest
between the citizens and the count of Flanders. Because of this unrest the
French king tried to annex the county of Flanders, but the population managed
to kick out the French garisson on May the 18th 1302. Later the Flemish army
beat the French army in the 'Battle of the Golden Spurs' on July the 11th in
the Flemish city of Kortrijk.
In the 14th century Bruges turned also into an international
financial and trading center. It became the wharehouse of the North-European
Hanza cities. Several countries had their own representation in Bruges: the
Italians, the Germans, the Scottish, the Spanish made the city into a true
European center where different languages could be heard and where the most
exotic products could be found.
The decline of Bruges' wealth started in the 15th century :
the unstoppable silting up of the Zwin, the competition with the bigger harbor
of Antwerp and the crisis in the cloth industry resulted in less commercial
activity. The crisis, however, was not immediately noticable. Bruges continued
to construct splendid late-gothic buildings and churches, and the Flemish
painting school (with e.g. the brothers Van Eyck and Hans Memling ) started to
flourish as never before.
By the end of the 16th century the former glory was only a
memory and Bruges slipped into a wintersleep that took several centuries. New
textile industries were introduced in the 19th century, but to no avail. In the
middle of the 1800's Brugge was the
poorest city in Belgium. The 20th century, however, brought new life. The city
was discovered by the international tourism and the medieval heritage turned
out to be a new source of wealth for the 'Venice of the North'. Economically
and industrially another important evolution took place. The new harbor of
Zeebrugge (Seabruges-at 10 miles outside of the city, at the Belgian coast)
brought new developments and new industries to the region.
Spent the morning walking around Bruges and seeing the few things I had somehow missed over the last few days. I started with a long walk starting at the Beguine to go back to the beautiful church, so quiet and serine on this Monday, New Year's Eve day when clearly the tourists of the weekend had all headed back home and the town and this church in particular were very peaceful as I'm sure it was always intended to be when it was first created. I found this article on line from the July 13, 2008 New York Times and thought parts of it were very interesting about the convent and in particular the church with it's bright white walls and inspiring art. I particularly love the carved wood angles on the alter gate and the painting over the right far back wall of the Virgin Mary surrounded by lots of cheerful angels. 
"
IF feminism means a desire for independence from patriarchal
authority, the beguines — a Roman Catholic laic order that began in the 13th
century and branched across northwest Europe — represented, perhaps, the world’s
oldest women’s movement. Unlike sisterhoods
that required a life spent apart from society under vows of chastity, these
Catholic women looked for holiness outside monastic norms. Although they lived
and prayed together within an enclave, partly as a form of mutual protection —
some historians believe they banded together after losing their men to the
Crusades, which left behind mainly criminals and louts — beguines were not
confined to the cloister. Many ministered to the poor and sick outside their
walls. Lifelong celibacy was not required either. They could leave the order
and marry (but not return)." 
I then went further into the town center and past it toward St. Walburga's Church which I had read about online when researching the other churches I'd visited and it sounded so beautiful. The church, in a more residential part of the city was closed when I got there but here is information on it in case you every visit the city you may want to find it and hopefully it will be accessable. "This church was built between 1619 and 1641 in accordance
with the plans of Pieter Huyssens. It was the original baroque church of the
convent of the Jesuïtes. When the monastery was stopped in 1773, the
Saint-Walburgaparish took over. . Imposant corinthian engaged columns , pilasters and
horizontal mouldings make a beautiful lightshow.candle sticks crown the scrolls
with volutes. The gable wears a fronton. The patron saint of the Jesuïtes, Saint Franciscus Xaverius,
is to be seen in a tabernacle above the doorway. The tower behind should look like the tower of the Carrolus
Borromeus in Antwerpen . But because of lack of money, the construction endede
with the construction of the blunt tower, that contents the bells. The baroque interieur contains a marble main altar dated from 1643. A part of the communiontrail from 1695 was form the hand of Frans Hendrik Verbruggen . The pulpit from 1667-1669 was of the hand of Arthus Quellin . The organ-case is dated from 1763.
Some more walking took me back to City Hall and I stopped in the Basilica of the Most Precious Holy Blood to see the lower chapel that I only found out about after researching it for the blog and it is, as they say online totally opposite to the brightly painted and adorned upper chapel where the relic of the Most Precious Holy Blood is kept. I got there in the middle of mass and stayed, so beautiful to be there when a service is going on it makes you feel more like a parishioner than a tourist. 'The lower chapel, the Chapel of St Basil, is the only
Romanesque church in West Flanders, dating from the first half of the 12th
century. It was built by Derrick, Count of Alsace (1128-1168) and dedicated to
St Basil the Great to house a relic of the Greek theologian (d.379) brought
back from Caesarea during the Crusades. The chapel has a short nave, tiny side aisles, a choir and
apse. The doorway connecting the right aisle with the nave has a small sculpted
tympanum (12th century) depicting the baptism of St. Basil. The right aisle
also contains a polychrome statue (c.1306) of the Madonna and Child, displayed
behind glass. Left of the choir is the Chapel of Saint Yves,
added in 1504. It shelters the relics of Saint Basil as well as Charles the
Good, the Count of Flanders who was assassinated. The black marble altarpiece
is from the 16th century."
I was back at the hotel with plenty of time to get my suitcase, check my email and be on the 1:58pm train to Brussels where I was to change for the train to Luxembourg. Met a nice women and man from Yemen who are visiting the
man’s sister who just had a baby and is married a Belgian and living in
Brussels . The girl is traveling around German and in Berlin for a few weeks
before going home. I asked if they were married and she laughed and he said
“she wishes” and she said the same but they’re good friends. They have such
nice personalities and so friendly and the man said people in Belgium are too
cold, in Yemen people are friendly and talk. I said probably because you get
warm weather all the time with lots of sunshine, that would put most people in
a good mood. 
I took a public bus a little bit further into town to a shopping area with lovely restaurants and found a nice French café, Friquets which is in the lobby of the Parc Beaux-Arts Hotel and had a bowl of lentil soup and freshly sliced prosciutto style ham with bread and butter. A simple meal but perfect for what I wanted and the atmosphere was relaxing with only a few couples and a group of business women having drinks. And in the center of town a building has a huge bubble maker going off their roof and two little boys as you can see from my pictures were chasing and popping the bubbles, so cute!
