Bruges, Ghent
April 25, 2011

Distance Traveled Today: 194

Distance So Far: 7894

In Bruges

Fun, long excursion day to Bruges and Ghent, the two jewels in the crown of historic Flanders.

Both cities were hugely important for a long time. They were both ports (reachable from the sea by canals) and were heavily involved in the Flemish cloth trade. Then two horrible things happened: Silt filled in their harbors and those damned English figured out a way to make cloth as nice as the Flemish stuff for much less. That and a reprisals from a bit of political disobedience killed both towns. Now they are both sturdy, mid-sized cities who earn a lot of their dough from tourists like me.

Make sure you spring for the most expensive candles; this guarantees that God fast-tracks an answer to your prayer.

I have one question for the horrible Spanish family who sat behind me on the bus. Why would you take a two year old on a 10 hour bus and walking tour to Ghent and Bruges? Why, oh why? What a shock that he didn’t have a good time. And as everyone knows, if a two year old who’s sharing a confined space with you isn’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.

Didn't have time to climb it. But damnit if Brendan Gleeson can climb it, I can climb it.

I kept looking for an opportunity to push the tot into one of the many scenic canals we visited during the day, but no appropriate opportunity presented itself.

Bruges is the smaller of the two cities, but its historic district is much larger. It is indeed a jewel. I had just the day before ascended the many winding stairs to the tippy top of the bell towers of Notre Dame, so I wasn’t sure if I was up to doing the same thing in Bruges. The clock tower in the center of town figures prominently in the fabulous movie In Bruges, and I really wanted to climb it . . . I think. Perhaps fortunately, the line to climb was long and we didn’t have time during our brief stay. Oh, well.

I enjoyed the picture taking, particularly around the little lake just outside the town center. Also, there’s a lovely Michelangelo statue in the cathedral. He carved it for a church in Siena, but it was acquired by a rich Flemish merchant who brought it home to impress the locals. It’s one of the very few Michalengelos outside of Italy.

One of the few Michelangelos outside of Italy.

After Bruges it was a zip down the highway to Ghent. By this time the squalling espagnol brat had soured my mood somewhat, so I sort of stomped around Ghent checking out the greatest hits. Happily, one of the greatest hits was the magnificent altarpiece The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, from 1432, on display at the St. Bavo Cathedral. It consists of 24 panels and is quite something.

I guess I don't get the point of black flowers.

Something that had been bothering me to an increasing degree over the week was concerns about having enough walking-around money. In Europe, debit cards are used much less commonly than in the States, and I’d had zero luck using either my debit card or my credit card in getting more Euros out of any ATM. Finally, I scored at a KTB bank ATM in Ghent, rendering Ghent to be an official Wonderful Place.