Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday was our first and only full day in the enchanting city of Bruges. We enjoyed a traditional European breakfast buffet of brotchens, meats, cheeses, croissants, soft boiled eggs, fresh fruit, cereal (this must have been for the Americans), and yogurt, before hitting the streets for hours of walking, sightseeing, and beer tasting.
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| Kate eating a Belgian Waffle |
The first place we knew we wanted to check out was the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
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| Basilica of the Holy Blood |
The Basilica of the Holy Blood (Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed) in Bruges houses a venerated relic of Christ: his very blood, collected by Joseph of Arimathea. Legend has it that after the Crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea wiped blood from the body of Christ and preserved the cloth. The relic remained in the Holy Land until the Second Crusade, when the King of Jerusalem Baldwin III gave it to his brother-in-law, Count of Flanders Diederik van de Elzas. The count arrived with it in Bruges on April 7, 1150 and placed it in a chapel he had built on Burg Square.
The colorful Procession of the Holy Blood is held on Ascension Day in the spring. The bishop of Bruges carries the relic through the streets, accompanied by costumed residents acting out biblical scenes.
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| Entrance |
The tradition of the procession is first recorded in 1291. It followed a route around the city walls until 1578, when the religious wars necessitated its relocation to the city center. It is this route that is still followed today.
Later, I hand picked my own box of KC Belgian chocolates, I had to wear a white glove to do so. No other chocolate in the world is as decadent as KC Belgian Chocolate, I'm in love!
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| Picking out chocolates |
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| Carpe Diem Cafe |
Matt and I shared some Belgian Fries as we were walking to the brewery and we saw this cafe called "Carpe Diem." I obviously got excited and just had to take a picture in front of it.
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| Our tour guide |
Next we toured the Brewery De Halve Maan; ‘Brugse Zot’ is the pride of the traditional brewery ‘De Halve Maan’, whose earliest reference dates back to 1546. It is a tasty beer of high fermentation made of malt, hops and yeast. If you wish to learn more about the production process and the history of the brewery, you can join a guided tour and try the beer...I recommended doing so!
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| Brugse Zot Blond |
We arrived in Bruges excited about the architecture, chocolates, beer, and tourism. From what we had researched, we knew Bruges would be an interesting city but we soon found there was so much more to this place. We found the most friendly and welcoming people in all of Europe. We were very shocked when a man came up to us and asked if we were visiting from America. He then showed us a great place to take some pictures and told us to enjoy our visit. The people in the bars, restaurants, and at the brewery were delightful folks who seemed to love their jobs and really like the tourists. This is definitely not the same attitude we are used to from the German people. We felt right at home from the time we checked in to our hotel. I want to live here!
When we lose one we love, our bitterest tears are called forth by the memory of hours when we loved not enough. ~Maurice Maeterlinck, Wisdom and Destiny, 1901
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