September 7, 2010 - Brugge Walks

Hallo All,

I have decided to use Dutch greetings rather then French on these blogs about Brugge as it does seem to be the predominant language I have overheard from residents.  We started out early hoping to retake some pictures without the hoards of people around that we saw last night.  The first walk we did was called Essential Bruges in our guide book and we started off at the Markt.  To the right you see the statue of Pieter Coninck a weaver (1250-1333) and Jan Breydel a butcher (1264-1331) who led the Flemish Rebellion against the French in 1301-02.  They became symbols of Flemish independence and pride.  The markt also houses the Belfort a giant belfry, provincial government buildings and numerous restaurants and cafes.  It has been a working market square for a thousand years with a short interruption in 1993 when it was moved to the west of the city.  It was returned to the square and takes place on Wednesdays from 7am to 1pm.

We moved onto the Brug another square that is home to Heilig- Bloedbasiliek (Basilica of the Sacred Blood), which is a two level church.  The lower level is rather plain but the upper portion is truly magnificent.  It is one of the most beautiful works of art we have yet seen.  The paintings on the walls, arches and pillars are colourful and finely detailed.  You must check out our Flickr site to really get a appreciation for what we saw.  I lit a candle here for the Pagazani girls who are special to our hearts.  Also located here is the Stadhuis or town hall.  Dating from 1376-1420 it is the oldest in Belgium and one of the finest Gothic structures.                                                                   
Next to the Stadhuis is the Oude Griffie or Old Recorders House a very ornate
Renaissance building dating back to 1534-1537.  We left the Brug

along a narrow street called the Blinde Ezelstraat or Blind Donkey Street.  There are a couple of stories behind the name of the street, one being that donkeys had to be blindfolded when fully loaded to negotiate the narrow alley and the other and more probable is related to a nearby tavern that sold the cheapest beer in town resulting in its clients becoming as drunk as blind donkeys. We then crossed a small canal and entered the Stonemasons Embankment.  We came upon the Vismarkt (fish market) where the fish from the Port of Zeebrugge is sold on stone slabs set out beneath the covered colonnades. The Vismarkt was erected in 1826 in a neoclassical construction and has a massive water pump in its centre.

Our walk then takes us past almshouses one called De Pelikaan dating back to 1714.  The Pelican is a symbol of Christian charity because female pelicans were though to peck at their own breast to draw blood to feed their chicks. OUCH!!  From here we ventured off to do the Canal and Windmills walk as we had already covered most of the remaining part of the walk the previous night without realizing it in our initial venture out.

We crossed a canal that has many lovely and unique if not somewhat crooked homes along it.  This walk took us past many churches some which are still houses of worship and others that have been converted to museums.  Our first stop was Sint-Annakerk.  It is a a barrel vaulted church that was originally consecrated in 1497.  It was wrecked in 1581 then completely refurbished in 1624 and has retained its 17-18th century interior.  The other church worthy of mention is the Jeruzalemkerk.  It's a very unusual shape.  It has a polygonal tower, two tiers of wooden lanterns and a tin orb.  The structure is influenced by Byzantium.  We did not enter as it was closed and it now a museum to lace making.  On our way to the city ramparts and main canal we passed a crucifix dating from 1760, a street shrine that commemorates a local miracle.  It is said that on a cold winter night a young girl Anna was fetching water for a sick

neighbour, was attacked and thrown down a well.  Her mother set off on her knees to appeal to the famous Madonna at the church Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie.  When she returned she found her daughter was safe at home.  Some cynics pointed out that the well was frozen over but as the story says why allow a scientific explanation get in the way of a good miracle?

From here we finally reached the city ramparts and outer canal.  We were in luck and see a 100 foot barge complete with car on the back passing along the canal.  There used to be over 20 windmills on the earth ramparts of the city before they became redundant because of the steam age.  There are now four windmills and only one of them was originally built on this site.  The other three were moved here to make an open air museum.

We stopped for a late lunch at a small restaurant and both of us ended up having spaghetti bolognese as it was the only thing on the menu we could make out as the menu had no English and I didn't want to chance getting a fish dish, and I am not a great stew person which was another recognizable option.  We then continued our walk refreshed and headed to the Kruispoort which is one of the four surviving city gates (picture to the left).  Our next stop is one of the first WWI sites we come across, the Muur der Doodgeschoten (Wall of Executed Prisoners) where 11 Belgians, 1 Frenchman and 1 Englishman were shot by Germans. Bullet marks can still be seen in the wall but to be honest neither Fred or I could tell a bullet mark from normal decay of the wall.

It has been a full day of over 6 hours of walking to take in some of the sites.  We stopped in the Markt for some refreshment before heading back to our hotel room.  My last picture is another thing besides lace that Belgium is famous for, Chocolate!!  These are actual boxes made out of chocolate that you then fill with truffles or other handmade chocolates to present to whomever you wish.  A tad on the expensive side as they were priced at 34 Euros.  Now I don't know if that was just for the box alone or it came full with your choice of chocolates.
On that note we will say,

Dag all,

Sandy & Fred

September 6, 2010 - Back To Belgium

Hallo All,

Today we said goodbye to Holland and headed back to Belgium. We decided to take a route so that we could see the countryside rather the traveling on highways or motorways as they are called over this side of the pond. Fred gave our request to the Nav Chick  and we went on a 4 1/2 hour drive rather than 2 1/2 by motorway.

We saw some beautiful countryside  with canals and thatched roofed homes in addition to some of the most beautiful homes in the various small towns we passed through. The route took us on our first mini ferry ride on the KWF Kanker Best Rijding. I asked the ferryman where we were and he asked were we were going and proceeded to try and give us directions. Not what I wanted but then he was trying to be helpful and was very friendly, something we appreciated. Turns out we were at

Bergstoep when we got on the ferry and Grout Amersbergm Dacht when we departed the ferry. The drive was very enjoyable even with the numerous detours we took due to road construction, which the Nav Chick can't comprehend. We arrived in Brugge (Bruges) in good time to explore once we had checked into our hotel.

Brugge originated as a 9th century fortress built to defend the coast against the Vikings. Dominated by the French and later the Dukes of Burgundy it became one of Europe's most sophisticated cities and an international trading hub famed for its extravagance and luxury. Today it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site with amazing buildings and churches. I personally think it should be known as the City of Churches as there are so many. The origin and meaning of the name Brugge remains a mystery. A favoured theory is that it comes from the Norwegian Viking word bryggja, meaning a landing place, perhaps conflated with the old word for the River Reie, Rugja. The name Bruggia first appears in print on coins struck in 864 AD.

Just down the street from our hotel is one of the first churches we venture into. Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady). This is a fine Gothic church that houses one of the few pieces of Michelangelo's work outside of Italy, Madonna and Child.&nbsp. The church itself has works or construction inside that dates from the early 17th century to the 18th century. It was late in the afternoon when we visited here and a man went to the pulpit to make a announcement that the church was closing for the day and as he did not speak English I thought he was saying a prayer so I stopped and respectfully and bowed my head. When he finished I carried on looking around and taking pictures. He watched me but never said a thing. It was not until Fred said we have to leave that he was waiting to lock up.

You must check out our Flickr site once Fred has uploaded the pictures to see the amazing architecture in this church. I will have some pictures posted on my Facebook site by Monday of Brugge and the various churches. We then headed off to the Markt for some refreshment before returning to our room for some cheese, crackers and wine for supper as we had had a late lunch on the road. We then planned our attack for the next day of site seeing in this magnificent city.

Au revoir,

Sandy & Fred

September 5, 2010 - Delft, Den Haag and Scheveningen

Hallo All,

Today we met up with Jenny and Theo, Meaghan’s aunt and uncle who live near Amsterdam, in the town of Alphen aan en Rijn, which is only a half an hour from our hotel.  They showed us a bit more of Holland.  Our first stop is the golf course as Jenny is running a tournament later in September. They are both avid golfers with Jenny learning as she was tired of being a golf widow.  They have both won a number of tournaments and have their names on a number of plaques in the clubhouse.  I tell Theo we did not know we would be going out with celebrities to which we all have a good laugh.

Our next stop is Delft.  On the way Theo takes us along roadways so that we can see windmills up close.  The town of Delft dates back to 1075 and is world famous for its blue and white pottery and is also renowned in Holland for being the resting place of William of Orange (1533-84) the father of the Netherlands.  He led the resistance against Spanish rule in the 80 years war.  His victory meant religious freedom and independence for Holland.  The Markt is still the centre of the town life and we see Oude Kerk and the Stadhuis.  We then walked along the canal and see a house built in the Renaissance Style. 

Our next stop is the beach at Scheveningen, a seaside resort that is just 15 minutes from Den Haag.  To get to the beach we drove through Den Haag, so we get to see a bit of the city, which is a major metropolitan centre.  As with all cities in the summer months construction is the name of the game.  Each street Theo wanted to take to get us to our destination was closed down.  Finally, we arrived and after a short walk we were on the beach enjoying some Dutch hors d’ouvres and drinks.  The day is bright and sunny and the beach is busy.  It is here I see a dyke. Not what I was expecting but a dyke just the same. Holland is below sea level and the dykes and windmills where used to keep the sea out and drain the land.  After our respite on the beach we headed back into Den Haag and stopped to view the Peace Palace.

Our last stop of the day was for supper.  Jenny and Theo treated us to an Indonesian supper in a windmill.  The quantity of food is unreal as dinner consists of two types of rice and 20 other small dishes from meat to veggies. Some were spicy and some were not. A very enjoyable experience, as we have never had Indonesian food before. We really enjoyed our day and can’t thank Jenny and Theo enough for sharing their day with us and showing us more of Holland.

 

Dag,

Sandy & Fred

                                                                                             

September 4, 2010 - Amsterdam

Hallo All,

We were up and at it early, into the town centre and off in the right direction this time. We quickly found our way to the “old side”.  We had decided to walk first and then take a boat tour.  As it turns out this were a big mistake but more on that later.  We first passed through the red light district while on our way to the old side.  I am so busy looking at the old church and buildings I completely miss the women sitting in the windows in their undies.  Fred comments on how ugly one lady was and I ask what is he taking about.  He tells me to go back down the street and walk back look at the windows.  LOL, I missed it all.  The lady’s were all on the large side at this end of town and of mixed heritage.  We continued walking along the street and canal and this area certainly caters to all types of erotica and was interesting but once seen no big deal.  We continued our walk and finally ended up in the old side of Amsterdam.  The homes that line the canals are interesting with varying types of gables and plaques.  The plaques were used in place of numbers as they did not use them in the 15^th and 16^th century.  I must say at this point while the houses were interesting we were somewhat disappointed in the overall architecture.  Houses in Amsterdam were built on reclaimed land and wooden piles were buried deep into the ground where the water would preserve the wood as long as it was not exposed to air.  Today the wood is topped with concrete when structures are built.

Bicycles, bicycles, I want to ride my bicycle is certainly a song very suited to the transportation mode in Amsterdam, or for that matter Holland.  It is the only place that I have been to that you need to watch out for the bikes rather then the cars.  All age groups ride them and even deliveries of some products are done by bike.  Safety does not seem to be a big issue either as we see very few people wearing helmets, not even the kids.

We stopped for a late lunch of pizza in the old quarter before heading off to do our canal boat tour of Amsterdam.  We picked the ”canal bus” which allows you to do three different routes and get on or off where ever you wish.  Our first tour was on the green line, which takes us off into the harbour then back into the canals past numerous gabled homes, Rembrandt House, casinos and the sea palace. We stayed on the boat for the whole circuit. I really wanted to do the orange line that takes a complete tour around the outer canals around Amsterdam. Unfortunately, it doesn’t run very frequently, so we went for drink to kill some time before the next orange line departure. We waited and waited, other lines come and go and we continue to wait. The next orange line boat is now delayed. The delay turns out to be over 40 minutes and when he does arrive he informs us that he is only going part way and he is finished for the day.Some people were pretty ignorant, pushing and butting in. My elbow got some good use as we were waiting but this news was the icing on the cake and we decided to head back to the hotel. Dag, Sandy & Fred

September 3, 2010 - Amsterdam

Hallo All,


We arrived in Amsterdam in the time the Nav Chick said it would take.  On the drive in Fred did make a comment in the car that we should have made sandwiches from the ham and buns at the  breakfast bar for the road.  OMG I laughed, you truly are becoming a Brit!!!  This is something we have seen done by the Brits in our travels.

Once we checked in at the Novotel, we had a late lunch  and found out the easiest way to get to Amsterdam city centre.  A free shuttle bus ride to the airport and then a quick train ride takes us right into the centre of town.  We decided that it was a good idea to get the lay of the land so we can optimize the time we have in Amsterdam.  So off we headed into town.  As you all know I can't read a map if my life depended on it and my sense of direction is non-existent.  I can safely say that tonight Fred was not much better.  We started off by leaving the train station by the nearest door which was our first mistake.  The picture in the right hand corner is the train station.  We wandered around trying to find the "old side" of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam city centre is divided into four sections and we wanted to see the old side first.  Even the TomTom which Fred has was of no use to us, we were not sure if it was the user Fred (LOL) or it just did not recognize the street names. We were standing on a corner looking at the map and two young kids approach us looking for directions. They desperately wanted to get to the Red Light District and I laughed and advised them that we were lost as well, so would be of no help to them.  We continued to wander around as Fred tried to find street names and get some sense of direction.  Finally, a young man stops and asks if he can help us and points us in the right direction. We finally got the lay of the land and I am tired and in pain so we headed back to the hotel to get rested up and ready to tackle Amsterdam tomorrow.

Dag,

Sandy & Fred

September 3, 2010 - Antwerp

Bonjour, Goed dag,

The two languages that are spoken in Belgium French and Dutch.  This morning we headed into the city centre of Antwerp.  It is the largest city in Flanders and is also know as Belgium's second city.  Antwerp began as a settlement on the banks of the Scheldt in the 2nd century AD.  It then became part of the Duchy of Brabant, and a main port in 1106.  Over the next 200 years, it was a thriving hub of the European cloth industry.

The name Antwerp is said to come from the legend of Silvius Brabo (seen to the right) who cut off the hand of an evil giant Druon Antigoon who was extracting heavy tolls on shipping and cut off the hands of captains who could not pay.  He threw the hand in the River Scheldt.  This handwerpen or hand-throwing is said to be the gesture that gave Antwerp it's name.

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of Our Lady) as seen to the left took almost two centuries to build, from 1352-1521.  The tiered spire rises 404 feet above the street.  The structure is amazing and the carvings in stone very detailed.  From here we walked on to the Grote Markt which is a series of buildings that were once Guild Houses, examples being the crossbowmen and meat guild.


We were able to get to all the sites in Antwerp that we wanted to get to and there was very little tourist traffic.  Also none of the stores were open.  It is after 10:00 and everything was closed down.  We started to wonder whether Friday was a special holiday in the town that we knew nothing about.  We discovered that things didn't open till 11:00 a.m.  Nice starting hours
but then we don't know how late they work.  We enjoyed our short visit in Antwerp and now we are heading off to Amsterdam.

Tot ziens, au revoir ,

Sandy & Fred

September 1 -2, 2010 - Dover

Greetings All,

The drive from Liverpool to Dover was uneventful but long for Fred. We thought his cold was getting better but by the time we arrived in Dover he was totally buggered.  After a short walk around and some picture taking he crashed for a couple of hours of much needed rest.
The picture in the top right hand corner shows a balcony, window and what I am calling the back door to what we think may be part of the castle that is on top of the cliff.  Sure would not want to piss off the hostess or host of this place cause it is a long way down if they show you out the back door.  I kind off like that idea myself as I know a few people I would love to show this door to.

Our ferry departed at 10:00 a.m. and we had plenty of time  for boarding.  As we departed we saw the White Cliffs of Dover in all their magnificence. My first thought was a bit foolish as I thought of how Robin of Lockley must have felt when he rolled onto the beach beneath the cliffs on his returns from the crusades.  Yes I know it was only a movie of a mythical character but that was my first thought.  More sobering is how the pilots  returning from bombing missions must have felt when the White Cliffs came into sight that they made it back to England. Vera Lynn's song also comes to mind when looking upon these amazing cliffs

The ferry ride across the Channel was uneventful.  I was hoping for some wave action but maybe on the return voyage.  Getting out of Dunkerque (French for Dunkirk) took longer than expected due to congestion and a large amount of truck traffic to get around.  Other than that the drive to Antwerp was not stressful at all or that long. Tomorrow we are looking forward to checking out Antwerp's city sites before heading to Amsterdam Holland.

Cheers,

Sandy & Fred