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Of course, my trip to Bruges wouldn't have been complete without a look at the local art museums. Yes, yet another bloody shot of John getting his head taken off. Salome, stands by -- sometimes joyful, sometimes a bit put off by the whole thing. This panel is by the Flemish renaissance master Memling. |
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| And here's a modern piece -- and it makes a very good point which I can't emphasize enough: If you ever get a marble bust made of your head, be sure that you take your glasses off first! |
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| On the streets of Bruge was the best music I heard in my whole European experience. A traditional (and popular) music ensemble from the Ukraine. Did they ever have talent! Did they ever have spunk, vim and vigor, passion and pizzazz! I bought the CD -- but darn it! I left it in Sanne's CD player in Holland! I've Anneke on a reconnaissance mission for me. I'm telling ya, if you want to hear real musicians, go to Eastern Europe! |
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| And if you want Real Beer, Belgium is the place. I'm not talking about that stuff you get in the import section of Von's [for you outsiders, that's a California supermarket chain]. This stuff is 11% alcohol and damn tasty. Two brands: Duvel and what you see here in the company glass, Bush Beer. I have to admit, like most of us here in the U.S., I didn't vote for that backwoods President -- but the Bush beer is World Class. (maybe even better than Billy Carter brand) |
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| Well, gosh I saw a lot in my quick dive into Bruges -- but less than 48 hours later, I was up at the crack of dawn and heading for the train station. An early morning photo of those ancient streets. |
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| But
wait! Before I leave Belgium, there's one more ancient city I wanted to
see.
Ghent is more of a dirty modern city than quaint little Bruges. When you leave the train station, it's an ugly walk (on a hot day) to the historic center. But once you get there -- have they ever got old stuff! You bet! Here's an old cathedral tower, in a line of three, taken from the top of the center tower, the Belfry Cathedral. |
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| One of the most flagrant tourist draws in Ghent is the old castle Gravensteen, which means something like "Counts' Stone." Since the time of the original counts, these old structures have been through countless renovations -- but when they set this one up for modern tourists, they chose the features that we want to see. Here's a guillotine, which had a lot of use here during the first half of the 19th century. Don't worry, it's just a replica...only the blade is authentic. What you see here is a French father explaining to his curious young daughter just how this infamous invention is operated. (If she really likes it, maybe when she's older she can get a job in Texas.) |
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| Beautiful arches, eh? Those old folks sure knew how to put stones together. |
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| Speaking of infamous gadgets, you won't want to miss the thumbscrew exhibit. Just a small (but effective) part of the impressively horrific man's-inhumanity-to-man collection. A grizzly legacy. |
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