After a hearty breakfast at Con Ampare B&B – everyone needs a breakfast of a small loaf of bread with butter and jam right? – we headed out to check out Bruges.
Our first stop was Sint-Janshospitaal. The hospital was constructed during the mid 12th century! It served as a place where sick pilgrims and travelers could go to be cared for by nuns and monks. This medieval building served as a hospital until 1977 – over 800 years! The architecture in this place is amazing! You are given a free audio tour which explains artwork in the hospital as well as instruments used by doctors to heal the sick and perform bloodletting rituals. Bloodletting is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. During the Middle Ages some believed that blood and other bodily fluids were “humours” that had to remain in proper balance to maintain health. Yeah…creepy.
This place was fascinating. John said he got a spiritual vibe being there. It was incredible to be in such an old amazing building and try to picture what went on inside – including caring for patients with the plague.
Another thing John really wanted to do was see the relic of the blood of Jesus Christ. But on our way we got distracted – by tourists and canals and chocolate shops and BEER! Being the savvy travels we are we managed to get in the shortest queue for a boat trip along the lovely canals of Bruges. This is such a cool, alternative way to see the city that I recommend it for everyone. Although our driver did provide a little bit of information about the buildings we passed, it was really more about admiring the scenery from a different perspective. It’s a lovely way to see the city and for just $8 euro per person, totally worth it!
The Basilica of the Holy Blood was closed for lunch (huh?) and it was really time for us to try a Belgian beer so we headed to our host’s favorite local pub to try “angel pee-pee”. The pub is called De Garre and it’s accessed via a “hidden” street between the Burg and the Belfry tower. We had to turn around once because we missed it the first time! But it is a cozy little pub and of course we ordered the house beer – Tripel van De Garre. It is served with fanfare in a huge brandy-like glass with a ton of head (hehe) and a small bowl of cheese. The bar will also only serve you two of these beers as they have 11% alcohol! Perhaps needless to say, I found it to be less than angel pee-pee. John, however, loved it. But the combo of cheese and beer was really nice and the coziness of the bar was totally worth it. And I swear after only a few sips of this beer I was a little buzzed!
Finally we were off to the Basilica of the Holy Blood. This is interesting…every day this relic is brought out and put on display so that a wave of tourists and religious folks can come to admire it and also give the basilica money. The relic is an ornate vial filled with a bit of fabric that is said to hold the blood of Jesus Christ. You literally walk to the alter (and no pictures!) one-by-one (or with your spouse/partner) to place your hands on the glass box that houses the relic and say a prayer. You are given some information and then go on your marry way. I’m not going to lie – it was moving – but experts are still trying to prove the authenticity of the relic itself.
All right – it had been almost 24 hours and we hadn’t dipped into one of the scores of chocolate shops in Bruges! I know…ridiculous! It was time…literally in the city of Bruges I think there is a chocolate shop (or three) every single block! It’s actually overwhelming – in a good way – because how do you choose? Well, we’d asked Filip and Annemieke so we at least had some direction. We headed to Depla Chocolatier in the center of Bruges. This particular chocolate shop has been in business since 1968. The chocolates are laid out and named for the customer to choose. Since we don’t read Flemish it was a bit confusing because everything looked delicious! We ended up choosing a little box of 5 different chocolates. Well, we didn’t even get a city block before they were all gone! They ranged from butterscotch filling to marshmallow to a ganache. And this chocolate is definitely different from the states – rich and thick and oh so good!
We had sustenance and we’d literally seen all of the things on our list so we wandered – just wandered through this gorgeous little town. All of the medieval buildings are brick and well-kept and none is over 3 stories tall. The canals run through the center of town and seem to always be filled with tourists in boats. The banks of the canals are lush and green with areas blooming with flowers (I can’t imagine how gorgeous spring is here!). We headed toward the Lake of Love and Lovers Bridge.
The Lake of Love is in the middle of Minnewater Park and is named for a legend of a pretty girl named Minna who was in love with a man who her father didn’t approve of – Stromberg. Her father arranged for her to marry another man and she ran away. When Stromberg found her, she died in his arms of exhaustion. The lake was named after Minna. It is also said if you walk over the bridge and kiss your loved one, it will be eternal love. So sweet…and the lake is lovely – there are swans all over the place and you can sit and hear the clip-clop of horses as they transport lovers around the park.
There is always shopping to do in Bruges so of course we had to get a bit of that in. But on the way we happened upon the Begijnhof (Beguinage). This area was once the home of beguines, emancipated lay woman who lead lives without men. They still adhere to a strict code of silence. It was so peaceful and beautiful in there.
And then back to our B&B for a much needed nap!
Yes we were in Bruges but yes John and I love wine. We’d heard about a great wine bar from both our B&B and from our dinner hosts – a place called, appropriately, Blend. Just a couple short blocks from our hotel, it was a sweet, trendy spot with a pretty decent wine list! Considering we were in THE country of beer! In fact, when we expressed our delight at finding a wine bar in Bruges, he stated, “yeah, we hate beer here”! Blasphemy!
We had a couple of yummy wines and a gorgeous charcuterie board. We also had the kind of conversation that makes a vacation. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is why I travel. To learn, to grow, to relax and fall in love all over again!
