I'm in Love---with Brugge!

Last Tuesday afternoon (3-8-11), after DJ had been to work for 6+ hours, we loaded up the car and headed off to Belgium with one of DJ's co-workers.  Jan, whos' from Belgium and works in Basel (you say his name "yawn"), was great to have as a guide.  We didn't even need the GPS!  We left around 2:00 p.m.  We traveled by car through our little corner of Switzerland (a couple minutes worth), through France, Luxembourg, and part of Belgium.  The ride was lovely.  I spotted multiple castles in the hills as we drove.  I can't wait to check them out, and you should have seen the churches---dozens of them.  We arrived at our hotel in Leuven, about 15 miles from Brussels around 8:00, just in time for a nice dinner.

Wednesday, DJ had to go into work.  I contemplated going into Brussels, myself, but then I took the following into consideration:

• I would be alone and wouldn't have a cell phone with me (there's a story behind that---too long to post here).
• I would have to take a bus or a train or both to get to wherever I wanted to go.  Though the Dutch in Belgium are usually very fluent in English, train schedules and such usually are done in Dutch (Flemmish) or French.  I know neither.
• It was gray, rainy, and cold.
• DJ and I had been to Brussels in 2000, and we hit a lot of the major "must sees" in the sightseeing department.  If I had my pictures from 2000 here with me, I'd post a few here.  The only ones I have are all in a scrapbook, and I don't want to tear it apart to scan them.  Trust me, there's some neat things to see, but I just wasn't "feelin'" it.

So, what did I do.  That's right, I vegged.  I slept in, I read, I wrote, and I colored file folder math games which might someday get laminated and be mailed to some of my cute grandchildren. 

That night, after having talked to DJ at 3:00 in the afternoon, I became a little worried when he hadn't shown up by 7:00, then 8:00, and 9:00. I was getting to the panic stage!  He had inferred that he didn't think he would be at the office that late.  Well, luckily he walked through the door just after 9:00.  I had been ready to call the police!  He'd been at the office until 8:00 which was miles away, had taken a wrong turn, couldn't get the GPS to work, his cell phone had died, and it was dark!!!   Jan, obviously, was not with him; he had gone to the airport to catch a flight back to Basel.  We, however, were planning to get away and see parts of Belgium, new to us.

Thursday, after one conference call at the hotel, we headed for Brugge.  THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT!  It's one of my new favorite places---I think second to Germany's Bavaria.  DJ had another conference call right after we checked in (I know, what's with him working on his days off?---it's just him).  By the time we were ready to hit the streets, it was after 3:30, and we hadn't had lunch.  Needless to say, we didn't take in too much before it got dark, but we caught a few of the "hot spots".  Our hotel, a Crowne Plaza, was right on Castle Square.  The square is named such because this was where the first Count built a castle to defend the Flemish coast from the Norsmen.  Though the castle no longer stands, this is where some of Brugge's most famous landmarks are located:

Our hotel was built on top of the foundation of an old church.  You could go down a floor under the lobby and view parts of it and some artifacts from the church as well.



We went across the square to this restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner---totally charming.  I love the lamps in each of the windows!  Excuse the vans, as workmen were building a terrace, putting up awnings, and wiring lamp posts for a place to eat outdoors.



Brugge's City Hall was one of the crown jewels on the square.

Look at some of the architectural elements on this beauty:

Right next door, to the left, was this incredible building, Oude Griffie (The Chambers) which was built in the 16th century.  It was used as the court house into the 1980's:



What you can't see so well in this picture is the gold!  It's everywhere.

You can see it a little better here.



To the right of city hall stands The Basilica of the Holy Blood.  Somehow even with two cameras, we neglected to get pictures of the botton part of this church, which dates back to the 12th century and is Brugge's oldest building.  We did get to go inside this one.  There are thought-provoking sculptures of Christ on the cross and in the tomb.  Legend has it that Count Diederik of Alsace was given a few drops of Jesus Christ's Holy Blood during the Crusades in Jerusalem as he was returning to Flanders---hence, the name.



On the third side of the square sits this impressive building (don't remember the name of it).   What appears to be a door in the center is an arch.  You can walk through this building into a courtyard in the center of three more wings which form a square.


Some how we neglected to get pictures of the most impressive building on the fourth side of the square, a beautiful Baroque building which was built as the home for the Provost of the church which was demolished.  Later, it housed the Bishops for the Basilica of the Holy Blood.  The only shot I got was the door (as you will see, I had a thing for doors this trip!)

By this time the sun was getting low.  We were bushed and cold.  This was the worst weather day of the trip.  We opted for a movie in our room and called it a day!  Should have had room service bring hot chocolate---what were we thinking, what were we not thinking!