A fun morning in Bruges circling the canals and being reintroduced to the history. Bruges is a remarkably preserved town. We were happy to leave on Saturday because the number of people quadrupled!
some of what I learned… Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium, is distinguished by its canals, cobbled streets and medieval buildings. Its port, Zeebrugge, is an important center for fishing and European trade. In the city center’s Burg square, the 14th-century Stadhuis (City Hall) has an ornate carved ceiling. Nearby, Market square features a 13th-century belfry with a 47-bell carillon and 83m tower with panoramic views. If you want to walk the 366 steps! it is often called the Venice of the North!
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Spent the day wandering and wondering the sites of Brugge. I got lost a couple times…but then the bell tower chimed and my direction was innately righted.
Found myself in the beer museum and brewery. I know, it’s counterintuitive for me… I did not enjoy the brew but loved the wall of beer and their respective glass ware! Ed Thompson you’d love this place. Found 3 different amusement parks set up for “liberation day”… a celebration of the end of WWII. I watched with glee the families delighting in the festivities… no photos … being family respectful. However, I took many family photos on their family phone… probably 10 families didn’t struggle with selfies today! Chocolate is the fragrance and the passion of this sweet (pun intended) town. NO I AM NOT BRINGING ANY HOME… Don’t get your hopes up! A good day in a beautiful city! I ordered a martini at the hotel bar… Listening to French, danish and Flemish around me….understanding Nothing….but feeling less like a voyeur none the less ! Krulbollen my husband wrote a great piece about rediscovering a family sport… IT’S HOW I ROLL
We rolled up to a Mom & Pop cafe in Flanders (Bellem). Tom, the Dutch tour guide told the group of peddlers that he had a special treat for us, mostly due to Mr. Cool. You see - I had been touting all week that I was the only person of 30 on the bike & barge tour that had heritage from Flanders. I showed Tom pictures of Ghent MN, Kortemark Belgium, showed the FB page of Belgium American Days, told him about Ghent’s (MN) love for Rolle Bolle. On our last day’s ride through the farms and fields of Flanders, Tom (unknown to me) made special arrangements to appease a guest. We visited Bernard’s and Edna’s cafe (Cafe De Hert) for a coffee break on a 30 mile ride. I ordered an out-out-region beer, Edna corrected me and insisted I try a local brew. I surrendered and had two of whatever she suggested! In-between the 1st and 2nd, Tom and Bernard coaxed me to the back courtyard. To my grateful surprise we walked into a small separate building and onto a small covered Rolle Bolle court. Through translation, Bernard asked “thick or thin”? referring to the width of the bolle. He presented what he had and I signified with two fingers another two inches to the width of his bolle. He uttered something and Tom translated… “big court player”. I rather reverently, given my history, the place and the circumstance, entered the court. Bernard bent, rolled and we all watched as the bolle curled toward the peg and came to rest two feet from target. Shyly, I took a more pronounce angle, bent, and then rolled, ever so much more gently with a wider curl and the bolle circled round then back, hitting the peg, falling 2 inches from the peg. I looked at Tom, his mouth a little drawn, and said “lucky turn I guess”. Bernard said (eventually translated by Tom) “How long did he say it’s been since he threw a bolle?” We threw some more. The rest of the folks from New England and Florida gathered and I gave up my “”moment””. They all took turns, rolling the bolle, lauding and languishing their throws. All enjoyed their new experience, their new cultural exposure, their new source of fun. For me… The sounds, the laughter and jestures, the experience, was a fond reconnect to Ghent, to family, to tradition, to heritage and a connection to new friends. LIFE doesn't get much better ! Blessed. PS. Thank You Edna and Bernard A quiet farming road. The smell on earth and manure. The 40 bikes single file and the call being passed down is “stopping”. We all park our bikes dutifully.
it’s a strawberry stop. These strawberries were fresh from a vending machine for 3.50 euros. They were fantastic. While we were there several cars pulled in to get their fresh strawberries. what a treat! I’m the middle of our 30 miles to have fresh strawberries from a vending machine! I don’t know that there is a better way to experience a foreign country. Sure, there’s a lot of time in the saddle. Occasionally there is an unfortunate crash of over eager bikers. Maybe just maybe you’d rather shop in those stores than just ride passed them… but for the most part…pedaling is a win-win. I’m not a fan of helmet hair . In Holland they are not mandatory but as Many of you know, I need bubble wrap to protect myself so the “helmet optional” lifestyle is not for me! But traveling by bike allows us to see parts of a country not accessible by bus or Uber. Today we navigated over locks and through tulip farms. We crossed mile long bridges and skinny causeways. We waited for draw bridges and marveled at the engineering. Hundreds of sheep joined us, unexpectedly for lunch! We all fell in love. We visited a town that flooded in 1953 on February 1 and 78 people were killed. We saw the monument and heard how this towns loss provoked the water management systems to prevent flash flooding again. Holland is mostly below sea level We celebrated a birthday! After a 30 mile day there is nothing better than a hot shower, a cold beverage and a nice meal…and maybe some Advil! Cheers to Earning your dinner” while on vacation!
Things that made me go… huh?Mary’s little lamb runs with the passing bikes. No fence, no guard rail… no sign that says “please don’t hit the sheep” huh? T small domestic animals are carried about in these carriers… we’ve see birds, dogs, cats and lizards… because your pets need air, people! Duh! Huh? I particularly like this ladies room door. Huh? No matter where we go… we are served water, soda or a cocktail in cut glass… cut glass-class! Huh? There are still horse and buggies with their own parking lots.. huh? If you plan on being in a canoe/kayak event… expect a lock of claustrophobic friends while you wait for the water to rise! Huh? King William may have had a birthday but most of the Country loves his wife more… although she is a Princess, the Dutch have adopted her as their Queen. I love this… it’s a “plant lending library “ where community members share their favorite seedlings … only requirement is “to care “ for the plant! Huh? So this is the family bike. It’s electric. 3 kids sit in the front. A grown up drives and a spouse sits on the battery. No helmets…. Huh? No words! Huh?
Day one in the saddle will be our longest day. Thirty five and a half miles with so much beauty along the way. As I pedaled through quiet hamlets and the back yards of the Dutch I was enlivened by the sights, fragrances and textures. In my quiet moments along the trail, alone, lost in my surroundings I wished I had a go pro on my helmet to share the surroundings with my readers. I wished I had a microphone to help me write my blog while I was experiencing it.
you will have to rely on my memory of the day. The first amazing gift of the day, the Birds. We saw pheasants brooding and strutting their stuff in their glorious colors and long tail finery. We saw hawks circling and dive bombing for rodents with crazy precision and victory. We saw hundreds of swans! Elegant in their majesty even when sitting on their perfectly crafted nests. There were cranes. Grey and somewhat pink Cranes with their long legs and equally long necks that rotated in slow motion as if to ask…and who are you?” There were magpies bothering all the birds because that’s their nature and so many different kinds of ducks. Oh the colors of these beautiful birds and their signets were nearly as delightful as their songs. Some of their music was carefree and some was clearly a warning that we were in their house! we were captivated by babies! Oh man, the little lambs, cows, mules, llamas, piglets, chicks, geese, goats, donkeys… prancing as if to escape us as we passed their pens woven from twigs. The animals baaaaaaaing and braying as we sped by! In my head it was a Disney movie narration and as in Charlotte s web they were conversing about our intrusion. the fragrance. Of course there was an under current of wafting manure but this gardener loved it. I could feel my hands just wanting to get into the rich smelling earth as clearly these neighbors do! I have no photos as we aren’t allowed to stop… we have too many miles to do… but I did turn my bike around for a second whiff of purple lilac and to bury my nose in a pink peony in full bloom. There were so many fragrances way ahead of our garden cycle. The jasmine…intoxicating! The azaleas, magnolias, cherry trees! And with them the sweet hum of honey bees. sure, there were clock towers from the 1400’s and windmills that we all know from our grandmothers delft pottery… but for me it was the provocative sights and smells of this very wet 35.5 miles. such a treasure. Counting my blessings. Bike and Barging has been our vacation of choice for the last 8 years. We understand that gravity and age are tough battles to fight so we believe in “earn your dinner” vacationing”!
As you can imagine we’ve been in some very interesting boats over the years… We’ve had beds that fold into the walls, showers and toilets which were one and the same, luggage remained packed and under your bunk… But today… the Magnifique has raised the bar… I’m not sure I’ll be able to ruff it ever again! Beautiful sheets, two pillows, a couple of chairs! Say what? USB charging stations! What? A closet! A private shower separated from the stool! Woot woot, now we are living! We’ve asked a dozen locals about the flag and it’s meaning. I have to applaud both the creativity and the apologetic admission of ignorance! So I took to google… now I can explain it to the locals. the three (X) crosses are the St Andrews Cross. This diagonal cross is also referred to as a saltire. Americans associate with railroad crossings. The cross is an 18th century heraldic sign. the black stripe symbolizes the Amstel River and the St Andrews Crosses were to ward off the Black Death (plaque), fire and floods but there is debate. The crosses also are said to represent the 3 tenants of the Dutch "Valiant, Steadfast, Compassionate“. Many visitors as well as locals thought the x’s referred to red light district but the flag is way older than the oldest organized profession. The flag was officially adopted on 5 February 1975 although it was already in use before this date, seen for example on the cover of the day programme of the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam! So now you know…
it made me think about the American Flag. If a visitor asked you, could you tell them what it stands for? The national flag of the United States of America(often referred to as the American flag, or the U.S.flag) #consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the "union” bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars . The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states, and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British coloniesthat declared independence from Great Britain, and became the first states in the U.S. Nicknames for the flag include the Stars and Stripes and the Star-Spangled Banner. 7 million bulbs! Such an explosion of color! We are milling about this beautiful garden park, Keukenhof. We are gardeners so this is right up our alley.
we learned about multi planting bulbs, I tried to buy bulbs but they need to be certified… to get through customs. Whoops! we spent several hours walking around the park dumbstruck by the colors, the combination choices and the carefully planned gardens. We were overwhelmed by the humanity! It’s a beautiful place to be with international languages everywhere! You won’t be disappointed if you find yourself here! take time to breathe it all in! |
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