Bruges Trip: Market Square

Making our way toward the main town square, we passed by a statue of the cheerful bird-fancier Papageno, a character from Mozart's The Magic Flute in front of the City Theater.

This photo of a toy store window captured the buildings across the street much better than the adorable display of teddy bears.

In Market Square, for centuries the center of the city's political, economic and social life. This was also the main gathering spot for tourists, and there were a lot. Pictured above is the 19th century neo-Gothic Provincial Palace.

Row of stores and cafés

Top of one of the buildings

The stone Belfry dates back to the end of the 13th century. The 272-foot high Belfry has 47 bells that play a tune every quarter of an hour.

The belfry was added to the main market square around 1240, when Bruges was prospering as an important center of the Flemish cloth industry. After a devastating fire in 1280, the tower was largely rebuilt. Over the centuries a wooden spire topping the belfry was struck by lightening and destroyed, rebuilt and then destroyed by flames again. There is no wooden spire today.

Brugge is known for its many brick buildings, such as the Belfry.

A circus truck arriving to set up in the square. This truck elicited a "Hey! Do you see that truck?" from our kids.

Model of the Belfry for the visually impaired to examine

Map of the city

We love looking in souvenir shops. Wooden shoes are not just for the Netherlands. In fact, our German neighbor wears them all the time.

Belgian lace

I loved the lace on this Christening gown.

Brugge Trip: Friet Museum

When you're traveling with kids, in particular four kids whose ages range from 13 down to 4 years old, you tailor your travel plans to suit what the kids would like to do. It isn't fair, but it's what works. Even if we do something the kids aren't really interested in, such as an art museum or historic church, we seem to rush through it. Were it just David and me, we would pause to read the long descriptions of a certain piece of art or take a tour of a church to learn all about its history and examine in depth the biblical stories being portrayed in paintings. When we've tried to linger on the details we are interested in in such museums or churches, one of the kids piped up with, "When can we leave?" or "M-o-o-o-m, I'm tired. Where are we eating dinner?" It would make our visit less than satisfactory.

And so today we made our way to the one museum we insisted on visiting, the Friet Museum -- the first and only museum dedicated to the French fry.

Belgium is famous for chocolate, lace and being the birthplace of the French fry. Part of the traditional meal for poor inhabitants of this region was small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes into a fish shape and fried them in oil. Belgians know that the term "French" was introduced when British or American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I, and tasted Belgian fries. They supposedly called them "French", as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time.

We first learned all about the potato, whose history goes all the way back 10,000 years to Chile and Peru.

Next we learned about the history of the French fry and the best way to prepare them. Here are different kinds of potato slicers.

Fries in popular culture

An example of a Frietkoten (fry shack) which have been around for well over a hundred years.

We learned that the best way to make French fries is to fry them twice in a mixture of oil that includes duck and horse fat.

Serving Mom

Micaela can't figure out what to choose from the menu.

We pretty much had the museum to ourselves.

In the basement of this 14th century building, there's a café where you finally get to feed your craving for French fries.

Passing the time while waiting for the fries

James enjoying his Lipton Ice Tea.  Look closely at the can.....

.....that's sparkling ice tea. The kids enjoyed this bubbly ice tea. As for David..., well,... not so much.

Enjoying our piping hot fries

Emilie now always has her French fries the European way -- with mayonnaise.

The eco-conscious museum reminded us to "sort our waste."

Emilie gave the Friet Museum a thumbs-up.

Brugge Trip: The Burg and Basilica of the Holy Blood

Our original plan for the rest of Spring Break was to drive to Brugge, Belgium and then over to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Only after we planned it out did I realize that combined with our trip a few days ago to Venice, Italy, we were doing a tour of European canal cities. That is what I was calling our Spring Break trip. In fact, Brugge is called "The Venice of the North." But with David's sore wrist, we decided to simplify the trip and just visit Brugge (or in French/English: Bruges). We left this morning for the 5-hour trip, drove north, had to stop when Becca was suddenly car sick and recovered just as quickly, entered the Netherlands, blinked and then entered Belgium. We were literally in the Netherlands for about 5 minutes. Can we truthfully say that we were in the Netherlands?

After parking the car at our hotel, we ventured out into the town. First stop was the Burg, one of the two major squares of Brugge. The Gothic Town Hall dates from 1376 and displays a number of historical and biblical statues on its façade.

The present statues are 19th century replacements of originally painted and gilded medieval figures, which were destroyed by French Revolutionaries.

Next to the Town Hall is the Chancellery, built in the middle of the 16th century. The gold statues crowning the building represent Law and include Justice, Moses and Aaron. Today the Chancellery houses the city archives. Pass under the open gable to enter the Blind Donkey Street (the name of an old inn that once stood on this location.)

Brugge coat of arms above the Chancellery doorway. The lion is most likely derived from the lion of the Counts of Vlaanderen and the the bear is derived from the symbol used by a chivalrous jousting society, which was very popular among the public.

My main objective in first going to the Burg was to visit this small 12th century church located in one corner, the Basilica of the Holy Blood. There was something inside we wanted to see and were worried that we may have missed the visiting hours, but we didn't.

The original 16th century façade was destroyed by French Revolutionaries. It was rebuilt with gilded statues of Flemish counts and their family members.

James, Emilie and I entered the church and joined the crowd climbing the beautiful wooden staircase to this upper chapel.

We stood in line waiting to gain entrance to that side of the chapel. What was everyone patiently waiting to see? None other than a vial containing some of the blood of Christ.

Popular legend asserts that the vial was taken to Brugge during the Second Crusade (1147–1149), by Thierry of Alsace, who returned from Jerusalem with the relic of the Holy Blood presented to him as the reward of his great services. Although the Bible never mentions Christ's blood being preserved, one of the apocryphal gospels asserts that Joseph of Arimathea preserved the Precious Blood after he had washed the dead body of Christ. Recent investigations have showed that the vial, made of rock crystal and dating back to the 11th or 12th century, was a Byzantine perfume bottle made in the area of Constantinople. It has never been opened since its arrival in Brugge, so no scientific tests have ever been done on the contents. Sign in the chapel didn't tout the vial's authenticity, rather described it as a testament to the power of faith.

James became increasingly uncomfortable as we stood in line and asked if could just wait for Emilie and me near the chapel's exit. The eerie atmosphere in the chapel and thinking about that vial had gotten to him.

When we reached the altar, Emilie and I made a donation to the church and mounted the steps to view the vial. This picture is from the internet, by the way. Picture taking was not forbidden, but right in front of the vial, it would have seemed disrespectful.  We were allowed to lay our hand on the glass vial and pause for a moment.

Back outside, I took more photos of the basilica while David and Micaela went inside.

This cheap stroller has been worth its weight in gold for us these three years in Europe.

Daring street performer who kept us entertained while we waited for Micaela and David.

The 17th century Provost House, an example of Flemish Baroque architecture with its step-gables.