In Flanders Fields

Today we went on the Flanders Fields Tour with Quasimodo. I found out about it online and we booked from home. A taxi picked us up at our hotel to meet the tour bus at the train station. Then we set off. Quasimodo is run by Philippe and his Australian wife Sharon. On the tour were assorted Americans, Brits, Aussies, at least one German and two Scottish ladies who were chronically late to the bus, about 20 people in all. We started at a moving Canadian memorial then went to the Tyne Cot British cemetary and visited several sites along the front line that barely changed over 4 years of war. The uselessness and destruction was almost overwhelming. We also saw an example of the trenches, a German cemetary, a huge depression where the British had tunneled under German trenches, set explosives and blew them up, the rebuilt town of Ypres which was completely destroyed during the war and the Menin Gate memorial there. Probably most moving was visiting the field dressing station where John McCrae wrote his famous poem "In Flanders Fields".

Munitions and artifacts have been unearthed for years and the place we stopped for lunch includes a private museum which we had admission to. It reminded me of the many small museums in Normandie and had a very expressive collection.

The Belgians suffered a lot and have felt the after effects of the war for years. For decades unknown tunnels left from the war have caved in that have been built over and there are still munitions found. There is a special Belgian army base in this area which handles any explosives that are found.

As we drove through the area I was struck by how prosperous the farms appear. Large expanses of corn and other crops, big cows, a few goats and other animals. The houses are very pretty with lovely gardens. Then it struck me, unlike other areas of Europe these homes are new, built mostly after WWII. The country didn't recover for decades; Ypres wasn't completely rebuilt until the 1960s.

It was a really interesting day but a long one. When we returned to Brugge we were dropped at the train station and an easy walk to the center of town. We had seen a square the day before with lots of restaurants and had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Adriatico.   T had four cheese penne which was really good. I had salmon and penne.  The only disappointment was the bread.

Friday 9/28

 

Today we slept in so I hope we can shake the jet lag. We finished breakfast around 10am and went walking. We headed to find one of the laundramats so we can wash a small batch of clothes on Sunday. The woman at our hotel was a block off on directions but we found it. Then we walked west to the Begijnhof and explored a new area. The Begijnhof had a sign saying no photos which made me wonder if that was posted 29 years ago. I have a great shot taken on that trip. As we walked and shot more photos the low battery sign came on again. We just bought batteries. This time we bought Duracell Plus and hope it is just poor batteries and not the camera. We found lunch at a little cafe on the Wijngaard Plein (square?) called the Lace Maker. I had a simple ham baguette while T got a really great looking salad--it's good to share. Still lots of chocolate and lace shops as well as another Kathe Wohlfarht Christmas shop in this area. T found a bench in the sun while I looked at Christmas goodies.

We kept walking and shooting photos until we came to a cute shop on a corner called Carpe Diem. Inside was a pastry case with Parisian style desserts and to the right was a tea salon. Perfect. I had tea and a waffle (our first) while T had a cappuchino and selection of cookies again good for sharing. The waiter (probably the owner) was fun to talk with. We walked back toward our hotel taking more and more photos. Finally we split up and T went to the hotel while I revisted a couple of shops. Our new rule is to buy when you see it and and not think you will go back. The gift shops all start looking very similar. I also found a few artisans set up in the former Fish Market and one said they will be back this weekend. I hope we have time to see them.

Tomorrow is our Flanders Fields WWI tour.

17,748 steps

Thursday in Brugge

At least I think it's Thursday. Jet lag and the onions in my dinner last night kept me up so I am operating today on too little sleep. However if I can work on too little sleep I can certainly play tourist.

We enjoyed the breakfast at the hotel then went out exploring. We walked to the canal nearest our hotel at Jan van Eyck Place. As we walked around we passed the ChocoStory museum, many cute cafes and shops. I visited the Christmas shop we saw last night but didn't buy anything. I wasn't feeling all that great and as it got close to lunch asked Tom if he would mind if we went in a little place so I could get a cup of tea. The next one we came to looked good so we went in. The shop's sign read Het Dagelijks Brood and the cafe turned out to be a branch of Le Pain Quotidien. There weren't many people so we sat at the communal table and enjoyed the tea then lingered long enough to order lunch. Perfect. 

I don't often take catnaps (Tom is the king of the "cat") but after lunch we went back to the hotel and had a short but refreshing nap. We would need the rest as our plan for the afternoon was a canal boat ride and shopping! The boat sped along faster than I expected but we still got to see a lot of the beautiful buildings and took lots of photos.

After the cruise we went in search of the fabled "Bailey's Surprise" chocolates but I think my sisters have made up this candy just so we will have to visit every chocolate shop in town. If you are reading this it is because you know me and will be shocked to learn I have bought no chocolate yet and the only piece I have eaten was a sample! We didn't even eat the chocolate we got with our tea. But there is tomorrow and plenty of time for chocolate.

We passed the Duc de Bourgogne, the hotel where M., Bunny & I stayed in 1983. Thought we might have dinner there but the menu did not appeal. We are planning to return to Cafe Erasmus tonight.

9715 steps

Finally blogging

Wed 9/26

We are settled in Bruges but the wifi is a challenge so I hope to be able post this tomorrow. The wifi worked well on both the netbook and phone in the afternoon but the signal in our room is very weak. I hope that does not continue.

We left London on the Eurostar at 11am and cruised to Brussels. After the beautiful station at St. Pancras, Brussels Midi was an unattractive concrete let down. We bought our tickets to Bruges and asked at the Information booth which train and track to take. As it turned out the woman at that window gave us the wrong info. We were on a pokey regional train that stopped in a bunch of towns. When the conductor came through he tried to explain to us and came back to make sure we got off and switched to what was probably the train we should have taken in the first place.

Once in Bruges we went to the taxi queue and lucked out with our driver. He provided a guided tour as we drove along. After 29 years I had forgotten just how beautiful Bruges is. We checked into the Hotel Oud Huis de Peellaert and got exactly the room we wanted away from the street and without the charming beams and slanted ceilings we don't want to meet in the dark. The bath is very nice with a radiant heat floor. We have 3 windows that open so we can have fresh air at night and being 2 flights up we have a view over rooftops.

After a nap attack we went to find dinner. The desk clerk suggested 3 restaurants only 1 of which we found and its menu didn't really appeal. The little place where we ate ended up being quite good. We chatted a little with the German couple next to us. The husband referred to himself as a "pensioner" and I explained Tom was the same. The wife and I declared that we are still working because we are so young. They had driven the California coast about 5 years ago in an RV and found it beautiful. They are from Trier which I visited 29 years ago on the same trip which first took me to Bruges.

Packing

T & R spent Saturday getting ready for our trip.  Lots of little details to cover with serious packing tomorrow.  The laundry is done, reservations confirmed and printed and London theater tickets purchased.  This took inordinately long R thought as the first 2 websites would not allow us to pick up at the box office and wanted a UK address to mail the tickets to. 

We fly to London on Monday, arriving on Tuesday morning and staying one night before taking the train to Belgium on Wednesday.  I expect our first blog post will appear on Wednesday as our London hotel wants a ridiculous 10 pounds for internet access.  After a few days in Bruges we'll return to London for a week in a Notting Hill flat.

Travel Tales to follow