Monday August 5
Bruges-Museums, Canal Tour and Walk
This morning we breakfasted in the little garden at the back of our apartment hotel. Then we walked into town to visit the three sites on the Museum Card we bought that are open today. We started with Brugse Vrije-the old courthouse. Right next store we spent some time in Stadhuis-the old municipal hall. Finally, we walked around to where O.L.V.-Kerk is-the old church that houses the only Michelangelo that was taken out of Italy during his lifetime-the Madonna and Child (this church and statue feature prominently in the movie from a few years back-Monuments Men.
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| In Garden Behind Bonobo |
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| Vrije-Charles V Mantlepiece |
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| Stadhuis-Town Hall |
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| Michelangelo-Mother and Child |
We picked up some excellent baguette sandwiches and headed back to the apartment to have coffee and lunch. Then we headed out to take a boat tour of the canals. This is something that tourists have to do-there is a signed contract. It's all like herding cattle. You pay your cash fare, get in line, and wait for the next boat. They pack you in, run around the canals and give you 20 second splashes of 'that building is...' in three languages. They go fast so you're done in thirty minutes. Well, we had to do it. It's contractual.
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| On the Boat |
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| Bridge from Water |
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After this, we took another of the walks featured in the guidebooks that were loaned to us by the place where we're staying. We did get a look at a side of Bruges we hadn't been past yet, with windmills. We went out for dinner this evening. I had moules et frîtes and Megan had a Flemish beef stew.
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| Belgian Windmill |
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| Working Canal-Not Tourist Boats |
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| Jeruzalemkerk |
mmmmmmm Flemish beef stew
ReplyDeleteYou can really see why they call it the Venice of the North, eh? We've never done the canal tour --- but we've done a bus tour and a horse and buggy tour --- both were worth the price!
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