Day 21-22~Oct 13-14~Th&Fri~Brugge, Belgium~the saga ends!
This is the last post for this trip as we fly out of Brussels, Belgium tomorrow morning. We leave the NC Hotel by van at 3:45AM, heading for Brussels. What a trip this has been! It’s truly not a vacation as we have been on the go, on our walking feet, everyday for several hours. We’ve also been fed delicious food, listened to tantalizing facts and figures about each location, told entertaining tales, and met wonderful people. We just hope our traveling paths will cross again in the near future.
Our first full day in Brugge was better after a night of rest in a lovely old “monastery” hotel right near the large sculpture, but it is still very cold and windy. We are all wearing multiple layers that we would never put together at home! They layers serve their purpose and help to hide us from the wind and chill. Brugge is loaded with sculptures, and we have not done the wonderful artwork here justice just because we are at the end of a long saga and are quite tired. Folks seem to be on the mend from a harsh cold and cough that has made its way through the tour group.
We love the small village feeling of Brugge, and even with the cold weather, the sun was bright during our canal ride so Norm got some great pictures. You can tell by how clear it is that it might be cold, but the sunlight made for great shadows and light in the photos.
A local guide took us on a walking tour, pointing out the multitude of sculptures on the buildings and bridges. She also informed us what buildings hold more artwork and the only Michaelangelo outside of Italy. We plan to follow her recommendation to rewatch The Monuments Men, a movie from 2014. Following the walking tour, we boarded a canal boat for a tour from the water.
(Be sure to click on an individual picture for a larger view.)
The construction material of choice was brick, with the oldest buildings using little ornamentation. Newer construction involves decorative use of brick and color. The Main Square features a charming combination of many styles and is a busy place. Swans are a common site here, but this was a particularly large flock.
The first shot is one of Norm’s that shows the cascading bridges and the vivid colors so well. The canal captain is pointing to the remnants of his hair lost by going under so many low arches.
Two must-do traditions in Brugge:
1-Eat the special double fried fries with mayo offered at the street stand in the Main Square. Norm is not fond of mayo, but I loved them with mayo, and he liked his too.
2-Visit the wall of 1000+ Belgium beers. We visited it and intended to return this last day to taste the sampler. Guess this means we have to return! We couldn’t get there today as we are room-bound trying to get Norm’s cold in check to fly tomorrow.
WHAT A GORGEOUS CITY!!!!
CIAO!
AUF WIEDERSEHEN!!
Narrative Textile Illustrations 
Thanks for coming along on our journey, Dee. You are always good company! My cold was mild and is mostly gone. Norm is still quite sick and will probably get to see the doctor on Thursdays. We’re almost unpacked! Last of the loads of clothes is unpacked! It was a fantastic trip through Europe. I can’t wait to go back…. shorter time though, or stretched out with more days on our own in some of the cities.
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We’re so sad to see your trip end! You’re probably looking forward to resting at home! What a great trip and we’ve absolutely loved traveling with you! What a great blog you’ve written! You’ll love rereading it after awhile. Thanks so much for the great pictures, Norm, and all the wonderful descriptions and lessons with them, Mary! You two should do this for a living!
Ingrid Molde Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. Sent from my I Pad
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Glad to have your company via comments, Ingrid. We loved our journey, and would like to find a combination trip with the free time on our own that we had in Spain and the wonderful guides that we had with Grand Circle. They pack so much into each day, and then we sailed during the night and started all over the next day. You and Al would love it, as the local guides are so good!
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No, no, no…it can’t be the end of the trip!!!! I have enjoyed traveling along with you via your blog. I knew you would like Brugge….the swans were so neat…we were there in the Spring and boy, did they guard their nests as you walked near them. The Monuments Men is a good movie. The author of the book, Resucing Da Vinci by Robert Edsel, was the basis for the movie…he lives or did live in Dallas and we heard him speak several times. There is another movie, In Brugge, that you might want to watch…different but I liked that it took place there. I so hope that Norm got over his cold, as it is terrible to fly when you have one…ears probs, etc. I know it is go, go, go…it is no wonder that eventually everyone gives their illness to everyone on the bus/ship…we have gotten dirty looks before for coughing or sneezing because we always get ill in some capacity!!! Well, you are probably home by now…so just rest and rest…no choice in the matter, because the jet lag will make you.
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