Wednesday, May 6: Ypres and Brugge.
The weather, as you may notice in the photos, has changed to cloudy, some rain, and quite a biting cold wind at times, especially as we arrived in Ypres.
This was another "along the way afterthought" with limited expectations that were vastly exceeded. As you may know, Ypres was more or less the centre of the horrific trench warfare of WW1. It was left in such ruins that many people, including Winston Churchill, advocated for leaving it as a gigantic memorial to the horror. The Belgians had other ideas, and have rebuilt the city upon its foundations, to the point where it could well be taken for an authentic Renaissance era city. The huge "cloth market" building takes up much of the centre of town, and contains the "Flanders Fields Museum" in which we spent at least 2 hours. The only relative we know of who experienced the trenches was Pat's maternal grandfather, Captain Wilfrid Ord. We have at home, dozens of his handwritten letters to his fiancee, Pat's grandmother Marian. Those letter will get more attention when we get home.
Still choosing byways, we passed many mass graveyards. And then on to Brugge (Bruges). We are in a very nice, clean quiet campground about 20 minute bike ride into the centre. We rode in to town and downloaded a walking tour app. Many of you have been to Brugge, so you know it is a beautiful city centered around a canal system, with delightful views around every corner.
I'll let the photos speak for themselves:
A moving sculture display of the stations of the cross in the central church.
Fresh, unfiltered beer at a brewery.
Pat just horsing around.
And a 10 minute hold up enroute home as a barge came through. Only about a metre on either side of him through the canal.
We've decided to stay another night here... our only two nighter besides Paris, because the campground is so nice, and there is another walking tour to be done.
Thursday, May 7, Brugge
Just two more day with the van. The "walking" tour today was about 7 kms long, so we made it a biking tour, and even so it took us about 4.5 hours.
On the way in there was a photo exhibition alongside the canal.. Might I make a good grumpy Bishop?
Late 19th C photo.
Winton Churchill painting in Brugge in 1945.
Nice picnic spot!
Compulsory Beligina waffle.
At the site of the 17th-18th C harbout was a free VR terminal where you could transform yourself back in time.
Dike's Palace... now a swank hotel.
Oops.. this guy drove toward the wall after a couple of pints of Belgian tripel!
Back to the campground for dinner. Pretty much exhausted, but maybe it's the four empty bottles in the background.
Probably off to a last campground in Haarlem, near enough to get the camper sorted to turn in on Saturday.
Loved seeing that beautiful city again. Way better with your blue sky, than the gray off-and-on drizzly weather Nonie and I had. Our group lunched at a brewery where we tasted different beers in small glasses. Everybody kept sending over more glasses, as it was my 70th birthday. Not being much of a drinker, I was hammered for the afternoon. Belgian beer is good.
ReplyDeleteWill you have time for a walk-around in Haarlem? When I was there with Graham and Judi (around 2002 or 3) there was a calliope festival in the main square. Lovely town.