In Bruges. Again.

For Kathy's 60th birthday, we rented an apartment in Paris, across from the Louvre. We also spent two days in Bruges on the way. Here's Kathy at the train station in 2011.

Kathy in Bruges in 2011

Amazingly enough, she doesn't seem to have aged a day, while I'm grayer and more stooped.

Steve and Kathy in Bruges, 2017

Our train trip was fairly uneventful. Because we are senior citizens (over 65 in Belgium), we can get a train ticket anywhere in the country for 6.40 Euro. The train from Ghent to Bruges was non-stop and took about a half hour. That's probably not such a great savings, but on Sunday, we're going half-way across the country for the same price.

B&B Saint-Sauveur Bruges

When I was searching for hotels, I first looked at the place we had stayed in 2011. Then, I just went on Booking.com and sorted by reviews and price. I settled on the B&B Saint-Sauveur Bruges, right across from the St. Salvator Cathedral. We have the whole first-floor (our second floor) front of the building, facing the cathedral.

Bathing Beauty

The Dutch are the tallest people in the world and when we got a room with a bathtub, the tub was huge. The Belgians aren't quite as tall. This is Kathy's attempt at a copy of a Vermeer painting, which she calls Bathing Beauty.

Belgian Fries

Since we'd already been to Bruges, neither of us felt any need to climb the bell tower or to visit the Church of the Holy Blood again. Instead, we immediately headed to a frituur (or fry-house in Flemish) for some refreshment. Once suitably revived, we set out to see some of the sights we missed the last time.

The Fry Museum

First stop was the Friet Museum, dedicated to the history of the Flemish fry. However, since it cost 9 Euro each to view the exhibits (enough for fries and a Belgian waffle), we skipped it.

Serpent Handrails

After that we walked out to the dike and canal surrounding the city. Kathy took a video of some barges on the canal, which I posted earlier.

Visiting a Canal

Every time we saw a tiny lane, we walked down it. This is in a hidden park on one of the canals. Like Venice, the main streets of Bruges are a constant sea of people. (Like Prague at the St. Charles Bridge.) Also like Venice, once you turn off of the main streets, the crowds disappear.

Giant Swan at the Beginhof

One thing we hadn't done last time (because of rain the second day), was visit the Beguinage,  a complex of lay religious women who lived in community without taking vows or retiring from the world. While we were there, Kathy got a picture of this huge swan.

Statue in a Tavern Window

The tavern just outside the entrance to Beguinage had this statue of a nun with sunglasses in its top window. Outside was the fountain where the horse-and-buggy horses come to drink.

Kathy at the Horse Fountain

From the Beguinage to the canal surrounding the city is a park with lakes known as Minniewater Park. It sounds like it should be in Minnesota.

Overlooking the Minniewater

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the lanes, without a plan, admiring the houses and gardens.

Garden in Bruges

House in Bruges

Just like in London, the city made sure that we were aware that we were being watched. It just sounds so much more quaint in Flemish.

Shhhhh. You'll Wake it Up!

One park had statues of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. This is Death.

Death from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Revolution

This was another one. I didn't know that Revolution was one of the four horsemen. I think that this is who Jesse Eisenberg played in the movie.

Dinner in Bruges

All this wandering around made us hungry. We found a recommended restaurant called the Hobbit, just around the corner from our hotel. (Hobbits are a big deal in Bruges; I'm not sure why.)

Kathy had another great success ordering local food. She got the "Gandalf" Tiger Prawns. Here's a picture of her staring down one of the prawns. I had the "Hobbit" all-you-can-eat ribs. (They don't, however, put sauce on their ribs, and they cook them a much shorter time, so I found them a little dry.)

A Trip to Damme

Last Monday, the Weather App on our phone told us we'd have 5 days of rain. We had a little in Ghent, but it quickly cleared up. We had no rain in Bruges. We woke up on Saturday to a beautiful sunny day and a great breakfast in our B&B.

Ingrid and Kathy Riding to Damme

After breakfast, we made arrangements with Ingrid Verbiese, a member of Calvary Chapel Oostende, to meet at the Bell Tower. We decided to rent bikes with Ingrid showing us how to get to Damme, a canal-side town about a half-hour outside of Brugge.

Ingrid and Kathy riding to Damme

The ride was absolutely great; there was a dedicated bike path, underneath a canopy of trees, and the weather couldn't have been better. It was not too hot, not too cold and not too windy. We actually rode past Damme, and then turned around once we got to the canal that would take us to Ghent.

Windmill on the Path to Damme

On the way back, we stopped in Damme and had a leisurely lunch. Vacations are so wonderful because we so seldom have time to do things like this. It also makes us appreciate them more. This windmill is right on the path. Kathy and Ingrid went in, but couldn't climb up to the top.

Almost back to Bruge

In the morning we're going to church with Ingrid at Calvary Chapel in Oostende. When we got back to our hotel, we checked with the owner about picking up the bus. Today has been interesting. Tomorrow sounds like it will be even better.