Bruges wanderings, Part 2

I bet the weather gods were laughing behind our backs when, on the final day of our little break, we were faced with a granite grey sky and some angry looking clouds holding a promise of rain.

We weren't too worried though, as a sunny spell or two had been forecasted for the day, with the temperature expected to climb back into the low double digits. The benefits of the latter, however, was tempered by strong gusts of wind, which took delight in thwarting our efforts to make outfit photos outside our B&B room. I had to keep hold of my dress to avoid a Marilyn Monroe moment but there was no way that I could stop the wind from messing with my coiffure!

I was wearing one of my favourite long-sleeved frocks, in black with a crazy white, yellow, orange and red geometric print. It's vintage, from the Swedish Petri label, picked up from Think Twice back in the mists of time. 

I usually pair it with either orange or yellow, this time opting for both, although you will have to squint to see my orange opaques and necklace. The tiny pair of clogs I pinned to my charity shopped Zoë Loveborn cardi is a Bruges souvenir brooch, one of our final flea market finds before the pandemic hit us. It features a crude picture of the Belfry on one of the clogs, while the other bears the Bruges coat of arms.

After another one of Veronique's mouthwateringly delicious breakfasts, and oohing and aahing over the first of the daffodils which had appeared in the window box overnight, we set our satnav controls for Bruges again and set off for another day of wandering.

We'd been toying around with the idea of revisiting the chocolate museum, Choco Story, and its sidekick, the lamp museum, Lumina Domestica, but as we were mainly interested in the latter, we baulked at having to pay for a combined ticket for both, as sadly there is no separate entrance fee for the lamp museum.

Chatting with Veronique, she asked us if we'd been to the Historium which, by way of virtual reality, takes you back to Bruges during the Golden Age.  As it turned out we hadn't, we were all set to check this one out. 

What we hadn't bargained for were the hordes of tourists which were swarming the Golden Triangle and the Markt in particular. In fact, the crowds seemed to have doubled in size since we'd said goodbye to Kezzie and her husband on Thursday. There was a large group of school children idling in front of the Historium, waiting to enter, so that we swiftly scrapped this one from our mental list as well. Not surprisingly, the Historium is one of Bruges' most visited attractions, but it'll have to wait for another time.

Not to be deterred, we walked across the square to the Belfry, at 83 metres high the city’s most prominent building. This Bruges landmark dates back to the 13th Century, and is protected as a World Heritage site. Instead of joining the crowds milling around, waiting to climb the 366 step to the top of the tower, we quickly crossed its courtyard and exited at the other side. 

We were aiming to walk to the Burg - arguably Bruges' most architecturally interesting square - but we were momentarily distracted by the narrow Bourgondisch Cruyce Passage, which is part of the eponymous boutique hotel. It's easy to walk straight past it if you don't know it's there, but it's well worth going in and strolling to its end, from where the iconic Rozenhoedkaai can be viewed from a different angle.

After a couple of twists and turns, we arrived at the quirkily named alley called Blinde Ezelstraat (Blind Donkey Street) and passed under the archway of the Brugse Vrije (Liberty of Bruges or the Old Civil Registry), built in Renaissance style in 1537. There was no way I could use my special skill of photographing around the crowds unless I pointed my camera upwards so, just before walking underneath the archway and emerging onto the square, I pointed it at Solomon standing tall with Prosperity to the left and Peace to the right.

Jos's eye was caught by what for all intents and purposed seemed like the cast iron hinge of a former gate on the alley's right. The inscription carved into the stone above it confirmed his hunch: this was indeed the site of the city's former south gate! 

Surprisingly, apart from a certain familiar looking tourist and a Brompton bike, nothing was marring the view of the richly decorated building known as the Liberty of Bruges with its gilded friezes and statues.

Here are some details to feast your eyes on, the grumpy-looking knight and the gossiping bards belonging to the building next door, the magnificent Gothic Town Hall, which dates from 1376, making it one of the oldest in the Low Countries.

More details of its amazing façade before entering and purchasing tickets for the secret it keeps on its first floor. But not before admiring the life-size portraits of the city’s rulers lining the ground floor walls.

Then we climbed the red-carpeted stairs to the stunning masterpiece which is the Gothic Hall, with its impressive vaulted ceiling and murals depicting the history of  Bruges. 

Although this wasn't our first visit, we were once again completely bowled over by the hall's opulence. The medallions in the bosses show New Testament scenes, prophets, evangelists and saints, while the decoration of the corbels supporting the roof reflect natural and seasonal themes.

But there's a catch: the so-called Gothic Hall actually isn't Gothic at all, but Neo-Gothic. After a fire turned the interior largely to rubble, it had to be refurbished, a project which started in 1890 and was finished in 1905. 

In the adjacent historic hall, one can discover the important role played by the sea in Bruges' prosperity  by means of an interactive exhibition on the lost Zwin ports, as well as original art and archaeological objects. The exhibition called Bruges and the Sea was newly opened in November 2022. 

Grabbing a pair of headphones, we immersed ourselves in Bruges' at times turbulent relationship with the sea, while effortlessly guessing the language of our fellow visitors by the colour of their headphones, the rows of which, hanging ready for use at the entrance, I couldn't help catching on camera.

Although a visit to the Liberty of Bruges next door was included in the ticket price, lunch time was fastly approaching. As hunger pangs were getting the better of us, we swiftly made our way back to our favourite restaurant on the Markt. Suitably restored by chicken fillets with mushroom sauce and fries (Jos) and smoked salmon pasta (me) we returned to gawp at the Liberty's former court room. It has been restored to its original 16th-Century condition, with a monumental timber, marble and alabaster fireplace dating from 1528. a tribute to tribute to Emperor Charles V (1500-1558).

By then, we were sorely in need of some fresh air and started walking into the direction of our next destination. And fresh air we definitely got in abundance as, whenever we rounded a corner, we were almost blown away by a gale-force wind, which made our faces sting and our eyes water. 

Huddling inside our coats and battling against the force of the wind, we had a quick glance at the tarpaulined tourist boats lined up in the canal next to the Fish Market (below, top left) and barely took in the iconic view of the Rozenhoedkaai with the belfry in the background (below, top right), before crossing the street and making our way towards the lofty spire of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady).

Together with the St. Saviour's Cathedral and the Belfry, the 13th to 15th Century church, with its 115.5 metre-high brick tower, dominates the city's skyline. 

Although we'd only visited the church last year, the blustery wind drove us inside, where we purchased tickets to see its treasures, which include the 15th and 16th century tombs of Mary of Burgundy and her father, Charles the Bold (below, bottom right).

I was glad to see that my new camera did an excellent job at photographing the famous Madonna and Child. Carved in Carrara marble in Italy by Michelangelo, it is the only one of his sculptures which left Italy during his lifetime. I did have to wait my turn, though, as another visitor appeared to be so enraptured by the sculpture that he stood staring at it for what seemed to be an eternity.

Just a short stroll from the church, but made significantly longer by having to circumnavigate yet more roadworks, is one of the entrances to the Oud Sint-Jan (Old St. John) site, a former hospital whose origins date back to the 12th Century. Its spacious wards were restored and turned into a unique cultural site when the hospital closed down in the 1970s. Almost unavoidably, the site now also comprises a congress and events centre.

Although having walked past it countless of times, we never realized the low building on the top left was the site of the old pharmacy of the St John’s Hospital, and that it could be visited. It is housed in the former monastery that once stood next to what is now the museum. 

In 1643, after the last monk had died, the city authorities decided to set up a pharmacy in the old monastery buildings. This pharmacy was run by nuns and remained in operation until 1971. 

The sister-apothecaries purchased medicines from local Bruges pharmacists, but also made their own preparations, which included ingredients grown in the nearby herb garden. The pharmacy itself has scarcely changed over the years and still retains its authentic 17th Century interior. 

After leaving the apothecary and the warmth of its merrily burning stove, we walked towards the Beguinage in search of a nice place to have a cup of coffee and perhaps some waffles. Of course, this being the inner sanctum of tourist land, all the establishments we passed were either of the tacky variety or were full.

We were finally able to grab a table in a place called La Dentellière, close to the Minnewater (Lake of Love) and the Beguinage's Koepoort (Cow Gate) entrance.

We ended our day of wanderings in the Beguinage courtyard, where the first of the famous Springtime display of daffs were raising their cheerfully nodding yellow heads.

From here, we traipsed back to the 't Zand square to pick up our car, nipping into a supermarket for some rolls and cheese for our evening meal.

We'd be spending one more night at the B&B, followed by a final breakfast before returning home on Saturday. 

It'll be business as usual, whatever that is, in my next post. See you again soon!