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Published: March 8th 2011
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Canals!
The [i]Groenerei[/i] again Monday 7 March 2011
The plan for the day was to head into some of the more touristy (and beautiful) parts of Bruges (which we had largely avoided previously). This meant starting reasonably early (but not too early - this is us, remember!).
We walked along the canals starting with the
Groenerei (because we like it so much) and then down the
Djiver. Tucked behind a couple of museums is a charming little park called
Hof Arents. There's a very small canal running under one of the museums and through the park. There's a small bridge crossing the canal which looks mediaeval but isn't! It was apparently built much later. The bridge is called
St-Bonifaceiusbrug, but it is nick-named "Lovers' Bridge". It's also extremely photogenic and event though it wasn't that crowded, we had to wait our turn to get a decent photo.
Further south, still following the canal, we visited the
Beginjnhof, a cluster of houses built around a central garden and church, surrounded by a protective wall. These originated in the 12th century when large numbers of men from the Low Countries took part in The Crusades and many never returned. Their widows often felt the need
to seek security by joining a religious order. Joining a convent, however, required giving up their worldly possessions. Another way, especially appealing to wealthy widows, was to become a
Begijn. These lay sisters made Catholic vows, including obedience and chastity but could maintain their private wealth. The communities were self-contained, most had a farm and vegetable garden, and made supplementary income from lace making and from benefactors who would pay the
Begijnen to pray for them. Apparently there are very few
Begijnen left anywhere and the Brugge
Begijnhof has, since 1937 been a Benedictine Monastery. It's a very peaceful place but, despite the many signs (in multiple languages) requesting people to be quiet, our patience was tested by the number of people for whom this seems insurmountably difficult!
Nearby, is the
Minnewater (or "Lake of Love") - a very broad (lake-like) section of the canal, complete with swans (there are lots of swans in Brugge!). The adjacent park is very pleasant for ambling around - which is what we did!
After dinner (John's Trappist beer count is up to 4), we headed into the
Burg and
Markt Squares to get some night shots of the place all lit
More canals!
The Belfry in the background up.
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Thanks to Ali's paranoia about missing trains, we managed to catch an earlier train than planned for the second time this trip! Fortunately, John made up the time gain by getting us lost in Brussels en route to our accommodation!
We spent the rest of the day exploring Brussels - and we have to say that our room is the best thing we've seen so far! In fairness, there are some fabulous buildings and we found a really cool bar (once again, courtesy of Lonely Planet - no, we're not on the payroll!). Also, there's a great park (
Place du Petit Sablon) with heaps of statuettes lining the park, each of which represents a different mediaeval guild (the 15th equivalent of trade unions) and the centre-piece - two 'fabulous' counts - popular city leaders who were beheaded for opposing the Spanish in the 16th century. However, the overall impression is of a slightly grotty and uncared for city. This may be a bit harsh, but it's our first impression.
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Wendy Duff
non-member comment
THE BED!!!!
I cannot believe your accommodation! It looks a million dollars! Hope the bed was comfy as well as gorgeous....long legged variety woudl definitely have to sleep in the middle or diagonally.....lucky you two are so compatible!! Please bring back the to-die-for scarlet love seat/chaise/sofa.....any name will do!!