Belgium Being Back in Brugge Belgium 2018

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We have arrived!

This is home for a little while.

.....more later.​

 

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Still battling jet lag but the flat already feels like home. The suitcases are empty and put away; the fridge is full; and there are flowers on the tables. But I lack sleep.

We like our apartment. It is spacious and well appointed, clean and scent-free.

We arrived Monday evening at around 6:30pm, very tired with no sleep in 27 hours and rather hungry for home cooked meal. Altho we chose healthier alternatives, the smell of lounge and airplane food had made me nauseous. So we quickly went to the supermarket before its closing time of 7:30 to pick-up something quick to cook which ended up being chicken & potatoes pan-fried in a little olive oil and asparagus. We went to bed at around 11:30.

 

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Tuesday and Wednesday spent mostly shopping

.....the weekly market on Wednesdays​

One of the plants purchased, an orchid

Wednesday dinner at home

 

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Thursday: lots of walking, catching up with friends we met last year, and looking for flowers

.....too late for the daffodils at the Begijhof​

.....the green house caught my eye​

.....one of the installations for the Triënnale Brugge 2018​

.....for sale​

 

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On Friday afternoon, I revisited the St-Warburga, a catholic church built by the Jesuits in the 17th century in the baroque style.

As you enter the church

The main altar

Two of the side chapels

The pulpit

 

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Saturday and Sunday: We woke up to overcast skies and rain was forecasted. We went out with our umbrellas and walked to the other weekly market on the the other side of 't Zand. We didn't buy too much, just some pears and Belgian white asparagus.

We also stopped in at Kaasbolle cheese shop for goat cheese, comté and parmigiano.

It started raining on our way home. I was going to take a walk in the late afternoon but it continued to rain gently. So, I stayed in.

It rained all day on Sunday; never made it outside.

Sunday dinner

We are hoping for a dry day tomorrow.

 

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It rained all night and the first part of the morning. By the mid morning, it has stopped so I went out to get some walking done. And then I realized that tomorrow is a holiday, so I did some food shopping at the bakery, deli/butcher shop, wine shop and supermarket. I asked about closures tomorrow: supermarket - close; bakery, deli/butcher and wine shops will all be open. Oh, well.....

I revisited the cathedral, Sint-Salvatorskathedraal. The oldest parts are from the 12th century. Beautiful inside -

the altar​

 

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May day was dry and partly sunny but cold, very cold. With a down jacket, I went walking...

.....one of the four windmills​

Like many of the very popular tourist attractions and cities, leaving the tourists paths brings peace and beauty.

 

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Stopped in at St-Annakerk

.....huge painting over the main door​

.....the confessionals​

.....lit a candle and said a prayer for dear friends​

.....these wooden sculptures hold up the pulpit​

 

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Another installation for the Triënnale Brugge 2018

 

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What a beautiful day -

....one of the low-income housing, called "godshuis"
This one is the "Godshuis Goderickx Convent 1383"
​

 

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Sint-Jakobskerk

 

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Friday was another beautiful, sunny day.

.....our back patio​

.....another installation for the Triënnale Brugge 2018 - a collection of plastic containers to become a giant blue whale.

We will revisit the various installations once they are comleted.

 

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And today, the last two photos looked like this....

They were still working on it.​

This is made of plastic waste pulled from the ocean. And the sad part is that there are a lot more plastic waste out there.

 

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The weather today was simply wonderful - warm without being too hot. I walked over 20,000 steps within the city.

Enjoyed looking at this beautiful wisteria.

We first did some food shopping. While waiting for my turn to be served at Maertens, I snapped these photos. There were a lot of ready-made food, cheese, deli meats, raw meats, etc. etc.

Today I bought raw ground beef, serrano ham, regular ham slices, and two kinds of patè at Maertens. The cheese we bought from two other cheese shops.

 

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After lunch at home, I went for another walk to look for other Triënnale installations which started today.

.....this is suppose to represent the swan​

.....the Minne Floating School​

From the Minne Floating School, the beautiful views.....

 

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Reflections

 

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Yesterday, Ascension Day, I watched the Procession of the Holy Blood for the second year. Last year I took over three hundred pictures; this year not so much. We rented a couple of front row chairs along Mariastraat for €5 each. I enjoyed watching the participants of all ages and admired the costuming.

The procession started at the Garden of Eden to the resurrection of Christ.

.....even the gruesome​

 

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And then, there were the animals. Sometimes too close for comfort.

 

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This weekend I checked out the Voorsmaak culinary festival. I only tried the dessert offerings:

....from the Chocolate Brothers/Depla Chocolatier​

....from our favorite ice cream shop​