Today, I took it a little easier.
Following my delicious breakfast at my B&B, I met Geerte in the market square, thinking we’d see the first “knighting” in 430 years. Oops! That’s scheduled for tomorrow, not today.
Instead, we sat in the courtyard of the Belfry of Bruges, a medieval tower, to listen to the 11:00 am free, live carillon concert. Next, we visited Church of Our Lady so we could see Michelangelo’s famous white marble sculpture, Madonna and Child, the only sculpture of Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime. The sculpture was stolen twice from Bruges. First in 1794, French revolutionaries captured the piece, which was returned after Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. In 1944, German soldiers smuggled the sculpture wrapped in mattresses using a Red Cross truck. A year later, the “monuments men” recovered Madonna and Child from a salt mine in Austria.
Geerte left for Utrecht after seeing Madonna and Child, so I meandered over to Garlic and Greens, a vegetarian Indian restaurant for a relaxing and delightful lunch.
Then what? I thought about going into some of the churches, cathedrals, and museums I’ve seen from the outside. However, the crowds! I’ve been in Bruges since Thursday afternoon, and the quantity of tourists was quite manageable. This changed today! Cruise ships arrived, visitors from nearby towns arrived, people from all over arrived. Time to move out of the city center. I walked to Beguinage Monestary and relaxed on a bench, with my book, by Minnewaterpark.
Slowly, with camera in hand and no map, I strolled (via a gelato shop!) back to my B&B.
Belfry of Bruges (click on photo for a 10 second video of the bell concert)
A traditional Madonna and Child…
Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child!
Saint John’s Hospital.
The goose that laid the golden egg? No. One of many geese near Beguinage.
Beguinage Monastery.
One of the few signs I’ve seen that show not only a British flag but also a US flag to symbolize English.
A horse fountain in a plaza.
It’s hard to focus on my book…
…when this is my view!
A respite before returning to the crowds.
