Blue sky Bruges

As our little getaway was fastly approaching, we were keeping a close watch on the weather forecast. Surely, after all those weeks of endless rain, a change for the better must have been on the horizon? 

By then, the Westhoek region in Flanders - where we've been spending our September holidays since 2012 - had been tormented by heavy rain for 10 days, causing unprecedented floods, so that we could only thank our lucky stars that wasn't where we were going.

Instead we would be staying even closer to home, at our favourite B&B Het Soetewater in Beernem near Bruges, involving a drive of roughly one hour. 

Still, there were one or two hiccups in the week leading up to our long weekend away, with Jos having a case of the sniffles the previous weekend and me pulling a muscle in my back while putting on my boots on Wednesday morning.

 

I'd taken Thursday afternoon off to pack and get into holiday mode, and it was nothing short of a relief that we were both virtually free of symptoms by Friday morning. Not to mention the fact that the sun had decided to keep us company for a change. According to the weather forecast it wouldn't last, but why not make the most of it while it did?

We said our goodbyes to a by then quite suspicious Bess, loaded our car and were off just after 10.30 am.  After meeting a succession of sunshine and showers along the way as well as a lengthy queue due to roadworks about half-way, we arrived at our home away from home for two nights around noon.

It would be our seventh stay at Het Soetewater - and our second one this year! - although we'd never been here at this time of year. It looked every bit as inviting as always, though, perhaps even more so surrounded by the last of the Autumnal splendour. But look at that angry sky!

We were welcomed by our lovely host, Veronique, with cappuccinos, mini brownies and chocolates printed with the B&B's name, and then made our way to our room in the annex.

After unpacking and reacquainting ourselves with our room - noting that Veronique had made a couple of changes to the layout - we made ourselves cups of coffee and tea and lunched on the sandwiches we'd brought with us, while dolefully watching the rain which had inevitably started falling from that angry sky.

At that moment, it would have been tempting to stay put and make ourselves comfortable in those easy chairs, reading the papers or a book, with one eye longingly on that whirlpool bath we had been daydreaming about for weeks.

But soon the angry sky departed elsewhere and we could even spot a patch or two of blue and the odd ray of sunshine piercing the grey. 

So, off we went, making sure to dress warmly and instructing our Satnav to take us to Bruges via secondary roads. If left to her own devices, she would surely have made us drive along the motorway we'd only just gladly left behind.

But not before having a quick peek at my outfit, which that day consisted of a mix of retail, vintage and new-to-me finds. 

I picked up the cord midi skirt - which is from the Belgian Green Ice label - in an outlet shop back in September. The blue flower-pattered jumper is vintage and an old Think Twice find, while my burgundy cardigan is one of my charity shopped King Louies. My belt, necklace and ring were all charity shop finds too, while the faux-Lea Stein cat brooch followed me home from a flea market in December 2018.

Yet another short-lived shower materialized just minutes after we'd driven off, its interplay with the sun leaving a rainbow in its wake. We were able to stop the car and take a photo of it just before it faded away completely.

It was only when I uploaded the photos back at home that I noticed the location. We'd driven past the wooded knoll with its tower many times before, but so far I hadn't been able to find out its identity. 

This time I decided to dig a bit further, so that I can now reveal this is the Galgetoren (Gallows tower) in the village of Hertsberge. The knoll it stands on, and which is about 15 metres high, was built around 800 AD by the Normans as a lookout. The tower itself was added many centuries later, and served as a gallows during the Spanish Occupation.  Apparently, it is possible to visit the tower, which we will definitely attempt to do some time.

Soon, our Satnav was trying to misdirect us to the large multi-storey car park under the 't Zand Square, wanting us to keep to the right instead of entering the tunnel which gives access to the entrance. It's a good thing that after all those years we know our way around a bit!

We emerged from the minus 4 depths onto the square, which is dominated by the Concert Hall (above, top left), completed in 2002. We then walked the length of the square, opting to walk to Bruges' beating heart, the Market Square, via the Noordzandstraat, the poshest and lesser of the two evils being Bruges' main shopping thoroughfares.

We were both craving waffles, and had already passed a recommended tearoom but, finding it a bit too early after our late lunch, we decided to walk to the Market Square first and return later.

The square has long been dominated by the Belfry, at 83 metres high one of the city’s most prominent buildings. Those who climb to the top are rewarded with a breath-taking panorama, but there's always a queue, and its € 15 ticket price rather puts us off. Particularly because I can never be sure whether my vertigo will allow me to continue all the way up. 

Winter Glow, Bruges' Christmas market, was still under construction at the time of our visit, but was already greatly marring the view of the square, with the imposing Provincial Court (above, top centre) peeking out between the branches of the ubiquitous Christmas trees. The sky, by then, was on its best behaviour, coloured a striking, brilliant blue.

As the weather forecast for Saturday was looking pretty dire, we checked out the possibilities of the Historium (above, bottom left, centre and right), a popular museum in which fictional characters tell the story of medieval Bruges enhance by virtual reality. 

The thought of those waffles lured us back into the direction of the tearoom, Café au Lait, who'd celebrated their 25th anniversary earlier that week. We passed the recently opened new Think Twice (T2) shop along the way and I went in for a quick browse but left empty-handed. Those waffles were clearly calling my name!

Then we continued with our plans for the afternoon, which was visiting Bladelin Court, a medieval city palace in nearby Naaldenstraat. We'd passed the palace on our wanderings back in February but, as it is only open on Monday and Friday afternoons, we hadn't been able to go inside.

The palace was built by Pieter Bladelin, treasurer of the order of the Golden Fleece, around 1440, during the Burgundian Golden Age of Duke Philip the Good.

After paying for our - at € 10 quite overpriced - tickets, we were told by the lady at the till that we might be able to tag along with a guide and two other visitors in the chapel. However, at that moment, the small group was just exiting the chapel and walking towards the final room, where we briefly joined them.

In the early 19th century, the Reverend Leon de Foere established his lace-making school here and it was he who added the neo-Classical chapel we would be visiting - with great difficulty - later. 

In the final room we were now in, he installed giant replica paintings of frescoes created by Raphael for the papal reception rooms in the Vatican, which the elderly guide waxed quite lyrical about (above, top left). 

We then returned to the first room, which was the beginning of the tour, where we admired - amongst other things - the 17th Century Descent from the Cross from the art collection of Leon de Foere, an extremely fine and elaborated miniaturistic marble sculpture (above, bottom left).

As directed, we opened the door which we thought would lead us to the next room, only to find ourselves in a beautifully enclosed cobbled courtyard with geometric boxwood hedges under a stately tower. 

In the late 15th century, a branch of the Florentine de Medici Bank was housed here, which the property still bears witness to today with its early Renaissance medallion sculptures of Lorenzo de Medici and his wife, Clarice Orsini, who look down on the Italian-inspired garden.

Several rooms seemed to be leading off from the courtyard, all of them apparently locked. As there was no indication where we should go next, we kept wandering around, wondering what to do until, finally, we we found an open door, beyond which lay a staircase with an arrow pointing upstairs to the chapel.

We breathed sighs of relief, only to find our way barred again at the end of the gallery from which we could therefore only look down into the darkened chapel and return the way we'd come.

Grumbling, we made our way back inside, where we found ourselves back in the final room with its replica Raphael frescoes. But then Jos noticed the small door the guide and visitors had emerged from earlier. We ignored its no-entry sign and had a sneaky peek, finding ourselves in the chapel proper which, after locating a light switch, we proceeded to have a mooch around.

Leon de Foere's neo-Classical chapel is said to be a copy of Sant'Agnese Fuori le Mura in Rome, built outside the Roman Aurelian city walls.

In hindsight, we would have been better off giving Bladelin Court a miss, roaming the streets of picturesque Bruges instead. We were fully aware that only a handful of rooms of the complex, which has belonged to the Sisters of Our Lady of  the Seven Sorrows since 1964, were open to the public, but we were quite disappointed with the confusing layout and lack of proper information. Perhaps it would have been an altogether more enjoyable experience if we'd booked a guide ...

By the time we were back on the streets, the light was starting to fade, the setting sun providing a grand finale for this unexpectedly sunny November afternoon. 

We took our time returning to 't Zand and our car, then drove back to our B&B, where one of Veronique's delicious tapas boards was waiting for us in the fridge! 

We ended our day with a relaxing soak in the whirlpool bath before letting our heads hit the pillows in our most comfortable yet far too large King Size bed.

Please do join me again for the second and final installment of my mini travelogue, which I'm hoping to regale you with soon!