First Full Day in Bruges

We had a full hotel breakfast and met Danielle, our, local guide, at 8 AM. We walked the streets of the historic center city, winding around and making turns so that I was completely disorganized as to my sense of direction for the full three hours she was with us. She said that American streets with parallel lines are confusing to her. She pointed out historic houses of wealth people, of guilds, of building materials, and of the ornaments and their meaning. She pointed out good restaurants and museums to visit and brought us into the Church of our Lady in order to see the carving of Mary and her child Jesus by Michelangelo. It was striking. We learned about royalty marrying other royalty from other countries and the inter-country conflicts, of the plague and lack of medicines, as well as seeing the school for training future diplomats. It was a full introduction to the city. 

The morning ended in a chocolate-making business we were told every step of the process of making chocolates with all natural ingredients. This is one six such stores among the 65 in the city the size of Pasadena. We each chose a couple sample. I enjoyed them. 

We returned to the hotel and left for our free afternoon.  We stopped first at the oldest pub in the city, 1515, to lunch and drink cherry beer. Both were really very good.  We continued to walk in our neighborhood to the folk museum. encouraged by our hotel receptionist.  The museum was in a neighborhood of historic houses and contained items of daily living of Belgians in the 19th and 20th centuries. Rooms contained replicas of classrooms, homes, and work settings. We each recognized items from our childhoods such as a laundry wringer, games, school supplies, and grocery store. We were about the only people there. 

It was a welcome quiet time before the noisy brewery tour. We went up three flights of stairs on the warm late afternoon and were told of the steps taken making this brewer's beer.  I am not sure how much I remember, however, 

We were each given a glass of beer to sample. I almost finished mine. It took a good half hour to decide where to go for supper,  who wanted to join us, and what did Rick Steves' book have to say about the options we were considering.  We returned to the pub where Premilla and I had lunch, and I had a second cherry beer today,  the third beer for the day.  The most recent one was probably several if not many years ago.

The weather is changing, and a cool wind is blowing.  Rain is expected tomorrow. 

Guten Nacht,    Susan








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