Bruges: Bricks and Chocolate
Today we cruised through Medieval pride and ostentation on the narrow canals of Bruges after a bus ride from our National Geographic Explorer berth in Oostende. Most of us then walked through the maze of streets, but many enjoyed a quainter way to see the cobblestoned, gabled city from a horse-drawn cart. While marvelling at the conservation of ancient gabled brick houses and imposing churches, we sought to find the myriad details which make this jewel of Flanders unique as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. How familiar these tall narrow brick houses seemed after Lübeck and Amsterdam, all taxed by their number of windows in width! Called Brugge in Flemish or Bruges in French, this noble merchant city flourished as part of the Hanseatic League long before present-day Walloon and Flemish disputes caused a dysfunctional government. The heyday of Bruges dates from the 12th century when it was the center of refined cloth making from imported English wool. Later Bruges was comparable even to London in size, with some 40,000 inhabitants around 1400.
The carillon of the Belfort or belfry from 1300 rings out cheerily with its 47 bells, but the monumental brick spire of the Gothic Church of Our Lady (begun 1220) towers even higher. An early marble sculpture by Michelangelo (Madonna and Child) can be seen here, as well as the mausoleums of the last Duke Charles the Bold (1477) and his daughter Mary of Burgundy, who married Emperor Maximilian I of the Habsburgs. Alas, Mary died young, thus the peripatetic Burgundian realm was taken over by the Habsburgs and its treasures are today on view in Vienna. The decline of the city of Bruges was sealed when the harbour silted up well before Spain conquered Belgium in 1548. For some three hundred years Bruges lay in a moribund state until modern tourism rejuvenated the city with bustling prominence.
A particular tradition of the Low Countries is the Begijnhof or convent of the Beguines, in Bruges dating from 1245. These were convents for the overpopulation of women who often desired to spend their lives in service and piety without becoming nuns. We, too, sensed the tranquil atmosphere of this cluster of brick buildings beside a canal. To provide for the indigent, there were once some 20 almshouses, called “God’s Houses.” Paintings by the noted Flemish Primitives Hans Memling and Jan Van Eyck were to be seen in the great museums of Bruges. We discovered numerous displays of the famed intricate bobbin lace, made with quick knuckle grasps of small bobbins of thread, and the flea market of antiques and castoffs was especially fascinating.
Chocolates, waffles, and beer are renowned specialities of Belgium which all our guests sampled around the great Market Square dating from 958. Even with more than 50 chocolatiers competing for customers, business was booming. Other treats include the myriad savory mussels and the Belgian creation of so-called “French-fries” (frites), served with mayonnaise, ketchup, or salt and vinegar. My taste buds were thrilled by a naked sticky waffle straight from the waffle iron.
Our day was rounded out with a lecture on “Viking Life in Medieval Towns” by Vinnie Butler, plus an evening film on D-Day in Normandy. Ultimately, it is this interaction of experiences, sights and sounds, information and conversation that makes traveling with Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic so memorable. Now it is off to bed with dreams of Belgian chocolates and waffles…
