Bruges, Belgium August 16-17th
The entire city of Bruges is a UNESCO world heritage site. For most of this trip we have read about and visited UNESCO sites without really knowing what this means. I did a little research this morning. UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The organization is an agency of the UN. The UNESCO World Heritage Center seeks to identify, protect, and preserve natural and cultural heritage sites around the world. There are hundreds of places on UNESCO’s list. I can see why Bruges has made it on the list. The city is old- but in a good way! When you walk down the street, you feel like you are in a fairy tale of sorts –cobblestone streets, canals with swans, horse drawn carriages more popular than cars, and gingerbread-like stone homes and buildings. The entire city is walkable and we spent the day roaming the streets.
We are staying at the ridderspoor holiday flats until Saturday morning. Then we leave for home. To see our apartment, open this link: http://www.ridderspoor.be/index.asp?taal=en The ceilings in our ground floor apartment are at least twelve feet tall. The door ways are ten feet and the windows stretch to the ceiling. The kitchen is galley-style and small but that doesn’t take away the feeling of grandness. We immediately booked another night when we arrived so we will only have one travel day (a very large one) on our return trip. We were weary from the travel day so yesterday we simply roamed the streets. We accomplished only a few things on our list: feeding the swans and eating Belgian Fries. Tomorrow, we will rent bikes and bike to Damme along the canal.
Our wifi here is just fair so I can’t upload pictures, only text. Oh well, it will be good to have a project when I get home.
The entire city of Bruges is a UNESCO world heritage site. For most of this trip we have read about and visited UNESCO sites without really knowing what this means. I did a little research this morning. UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The organization is an agency of the UN. The UNESCO World Heritage Center seeks to identify, protect, and preserve natural and cultural heritage sites around the world. There are hundreds of places on UNESCO’s list. I can see why Bruges has made it on the list. The city is old- but in a good way! When you walk down the street, you feel like you are in a fairy tale of sorts –cobblestone streets, canals with swans, horse drawn carriages more popular than cars, and gingerbread-like stone homes and buildings. The entire city is walkable and we spent the day roaming the streets.
We are staying at the ridderspoor holiday flats until Saturday morning. Then we leave for home. To see our apartment, open this link: http://www.ridderspoor.be/index.asp?taal=en The ceilings in our ground floor apartment are at least twelve feet tall. The door ways are ten feet and the windows stretch to the ceiling. The kitchen is galley-style and small but that doesn’t take away the feeling of grandness. We immediately booked another night when we arrived so we will only have one travel day (a very large one) on our return trip. We were weary from the travel day so yesterday we simply roamed the streets. We accomplished only a few things on our list: feeding the swans and eating Belgian Fries. Tomorrow, we will rent bikes and bike to Damme along the canal.
Our wifi here is just fair so I can’t upload pictures, only text. Oh well, it will be good to have a project when I get home.
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Bike Ride from Bruges to Damme
Biking is more prolific than driving motorized vehicles in Bruges. Bikes line the streets. People moved aside when they hear a bike bell ring. So we thought it only fitting to rent bicycles during our stay. The cobblestone streets don't really lend themselves to a smooth ride so we decided to try the ride to the neighboring town of Damme. The ride is flat, smooth and follows a lovely tree-lined canal. Isabelle and I planned to try e-bikes. Unfortunately, Isabelle was too small to give these a go. I gave them a try. The e-bike gives you a bit of a power boost when this feature is enabled (I went from 21 km/h to 26 km/h with the push of a button.) Jason and Matthew rode a double bike. We had a picnic on a small dock in Damme. Isabelle really doesn't like biking so she gave the whole adventure a polite 'thumbs down.' (Hey, I don't really love Disney either so she humored me.) We were only 16 km from the Holland border but the kids were not up for this distance. We did get a close look at some old fashioned windmills along the way. AND, the bike rental spot is also a barbershop! So, Matthew finally got a summer hair cut. :)
Biking is more prolific than driving motorized vehicles in Bruges. Bikes line the streets. People moved aside when they hear a bike bell ring. So we thought it only fitting to rent bicycles during our stay. The cobblestone streets don't really lend themselves to a smooth ride so we decided to try the ride to the neighboring town of Damme. The ride is flat, smooth and follows a lovely tree-lined canal. Isabelle and I planned to try e-bikes. Unfortunately, Isabelle was too small to give these a go. I gave them a try. The e-bike gives you a bit of a power boost when this feature is enabled (I went from 21 km/h to 26 km/h with the push of a button.) Jason and Matthew rode a double bike. We had a picnic on a small dock in Damme. Isabelle really doesn't like biking so she gave the whole adventure a polite 'thumbs down.' (Hey, I don't really love Disney either so she humored me.) We were only 16 km from the Holland border but the kids were not up for this distance. We did get a close look at some old fashioned windmills along the way. AND, the bike rental spot is also a barbershop! So, Matthew finally got a summer hair cut. :)
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BEER, BITES & BIKES
Belgium is well-known for their beer, chocolate and waffles. Their fries are also famous. It would appear we took a lot of photos of the great beer, bikes and bites from Belgium. This gallery of photos says it all:
Belgium is well-known for their beer, chocolate and waffles. Their fries are also famous. It would appear we took a lot of photos of the great beer, bikes and bites from Belgium. This gallery of photos says it all:
Last Day -August 19th
On our final day in Bruges and in Europe, we did two tours. The first tour was a brewery tour in the local brewery. "De Halve Maan" is the only family brewery in the centre of Bruges that is still active. The family has gone to great lengths to preserve the history of the brewing process and to maintain the brewing in the heart of this historic city. New, fully automated machinery lies within the same walls as the old copper machinery and vats of yesteryear. This company is even building a pipeline underground for beer so that they can continue the brewing process in Bruges but be able to move their product to a facility 3 km away for final fermenting and bottling. The locals like to say that you will be able to turn on the water tap and get De Halve Maan beer. (Totally not true but makes for a good story.)
We finished our day and our European Adventure by travelling to Flanders Fields with tour guide Nathan. Nathan is a historian and storyteller. He was knowledgeable and was able to paint the picture of the devastation of the First World War. We stopped in Passchendaele for a visit to the world's largest commonwealth cemetery, the Tyne Cot Cemetery. The cemetery has nearly 12,000 graves with over 8000 of them unidentified. This tour really brought home the devastation of war. But it also made us once again eternally grateful for the wonderful place we call home and the men and women who fought for us.
On our final day in Bruges and in Europe, we did two tours. The first tour was a brewery tour in the local brewery. "De Halve Maan" is the only family brewery in the centre of Bruges that is still active. The family has gone to great lengths to preserve the history of the brewing process and to maintain the brewing in the heart of this historic city. New, fully automated machinery lies within the same walls as the old copper machinery and vats of yesteryear. This company is even building a pipeline underground for beer so that they can continue the brewing process in Bruges but be able to move their product to a facility 3 km away for final fermenting and bottling. The locals like to say that you will be able to turn on the water tap and get De Halve Maan beer. (Totally not true but makes for a good story.)
We finished our day and our European Adventure by travelling to Flanders Fields with tour guide Nathan. Nathan is a historian and storyteller. He was knowledgeable and was able to paint the picture of the devastation of the First World War. We stopped in Passchendaele for a visit to the world's largest commonwealth cemetery, the Tyne Cot Cemetery. The cemetery has nearly 12,000 graves with over 8000 of them unidentified. This tour really brought home the devastation of war. But it also made us once again eternally grateful for the wonderful place we call home and the men and women who fought for us.
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Final Stop of the Trip -The Last Post -Ypres
Every evening at exactly 8:00 p.m., The Last Post is played beneath the arches of the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. The first time that this was done was July 1, 1928. And it has been played faithfully every evening since. Countless dignitaries, veterans, school choirs, cadets, and civilians have attended the ceremony. The town of Ypres was completely devastated in the First World War. The old market square was rebuilt in the likeness of the original town. However, the houses outside the old town and in the area outside appear to belong to another generation and another world. The people of the area started anew after the war. There are even still artillery found in the area from this war and they are detonated by military every Friday. We ended our trip feeling blessed and so grateful for the wonderful place we call home.
Every evening at exactly 8:00 p.m., The Last Post is played beneath the arches of the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. The first time that this was done was July 1, 1928. And it has been played faithfully every evening since. Countless dignitaries, veterans, school choirs, cadets, and civilians have attended the ceremony. The town of Ypres was completely devastated in the First World War. The old market square was rebuilt in the likeness of the original town. However, the houses outside the old town and in the area outside appear to belong to another generation and another world. The people of the area started anew after the war. There are even still artillery found in the area from this war and they are detonated by military every Friday. We ended our trip feeling blessed and so grateful for the wonderful place we call home.
Isabelle has clearly had enough 'family time.' Time to get home to her friends. :)