Bruges

Today we drove into Bruges. Bruges is an old trading center with a lot of riverfront houses. Much of the town is several hundred years old and it is almost like somone crossed Venice with fairy tale Germany and stirred in just a small dash of France. 

We parked near the first hospital on the continent, St. John's Hosptal. This old van was out front. Theree are so many different types of vehicles in Europe.

This sign was by the main entrance - "Hier is de hospitale van Sint Jans."

Right behind the hospital was a place to catch a boat tour. The hospital overlooks the river and you can see the windows behind the Winter men.

Then we went into one of the cathedrals to see the Bruges Madonna, by Michelangelo.

It was quite beautiful and no one was allowed close to it.

We were allowed very close to some old paintings, though. This is Mary as an old woman, surrounded by scenes from her life.

All of the cathedrals were undergoing massive restorations, still recovering from World War II and the wear and tear of the centuries. But despite the plastic sheeting, dust, and scaffolding, the structures are still impressive.

Then it was time for the local specialties, Belgian waffles and frites. The waffles are not the light, fluffy waffles we call "Belgian." They are dense, sweet, heavy waffles that taste slightly yeasty. They were delicious. The frites were ok, but we all feel that Uptown does fries better. Maybe Uptown fries them three times, not just the two that Belgian frites require.

There were bikes everywhere. People were transporting groceries, children and shopping bags by bike on the narrow, cobblestoned roads. 

One more photo of Bruges!

Now we are back at our very odd hotel and the men have decided to go jump in the North Sea, which is quite chilly, before we have dinner. 

I am really enjoying the easy access to fresh, warm baguettes in this part of the world! They are astonishingly cheap, which cannot be said of anything else over here, and so delicious!