There is a physical limit for eating Belgian chocolate

 

Days 3 and 4 - 18 to 19 May
Two days strolling around Bruges was barely enough time to discover the physical limit for eating Belgian chocolate, and we also managed to fit in quite a bit of activity.  Over the two days we did a lot of walking - over 28,000 steps if you can believe the app on my phone.  Mind you, the same phone told us that the nearest Laundromat was located to the north and west of London, a mere 6+ hours drive away.  The nearest Laundromat was actually just under a kilometre from our hotel.
The picture below shows a typical canal scene near our hotel, taken on a pre-breakfast stroll while we were looking for the Laundromat.

Typical canal scene in Bruges

Next on our list of fun stuff to do was a canal cruise.  Apparently we were a notable group because a lot of other tourists came out to stand on a bridge and watch us as we sailed serenely by.



One of innumerable shots taken during the canal cruise





The beautiful old building below featured in the movie "In Bruges".

An old building beside one of the canals we cruised along in Bruges

We also visited a church that has one of only a few works by Michelangelo outside Italy.  Frankly I don't think it looks much like Madonna.

Madonna and Child (1504-5) by Michelangelo

The real Madonna

The church was quite beautiful and featured a very solid-looking door made on a day the carpenters were practising dove-tail joints.

Very impressive door in the church featuring the less impressive Madonna lookalike

The next photo shows a statue of two monks who appear to have fallen asleep on each other's shoulders, probably because the artist was taking too long carving it.  There are many impressive statues in Bruges, and walking around the city is a great way to experience them.

Statue of two monks

Another place we visited was the Historium, a really interesting museum which brings to life what Bruges was like in medieval times.  A very colourful group of school children was visiting at around the same time as us.  We saw a few groups of school children wearing high-visibility vests, and concluded that they probably go to special schools for kids who want to learn trades that require the wearing of high-visibility vests.  Note to teachers: when everyone is in high-visibility vests, nobody stands out from the crowd.

School group visiting the Historium

The museum takes you through a story set in medieval times and also features a virtual reality tour of the ancient city.  The virtual reality effect was pretty impressive.  It was an amazing experience and we all wished it could have gone on a bit longer.

Peter, John and Lyn tripping in virtual reality goggles

We also visited the Town Hall (called the 'Stadhuis').  A great looking building with some really beautiful rooms.

Exterior view of the 'Stadhuis'

Upstairs function room in the 'Stadhuis' - people can still get married there.

The photo really doesn't do justice to this room at the 'Stadhuis'

There were some lovely details carved around the walls.  The figurine below is near the door on the left in the photo above.

 

Figurine near the door on the left in the photo above

There were some interesting street performers around Bruges.  The three guys below looked more than a little uncomfortable.

Street theatre or an art installation - either way they earned a couple of Euros on a fairly cold day

We also saw some windmills during our walks, and had a look around in one the one below.

The windmill we visited

To give you an idea of how steep the stairs were up to the windmill, the photo below shows Lea climbing down after our visit.

Lea climbing down from the windmill

After the windmills we continued to stroll around.  We found ourselves near another old church, of which an interior photo is shown below.  It was undergoing renovations the last time Rhonda and I visited, but is now restored from a building site to its former glory.

Lea is on the left and Lyn on the right

The photo below shows the view from a café window, while we stopped for morning tea - it hailed briefly but otherwise the day was fine.  I'm sure the Segway tour group that had just left the vicinity were less comfortable than we were.

A (thankfully short) hail shower while we were having a cuppa

We dined on our last night at a touristy restaurant near the hotel. John enjoyed mussels and chips, while Peter drank a rather large beer.

 

Peter looking somewhat pensive about his vat of dark beer

After dinner we returned to the hotel for a cuppa, before turning in for the night.

A final cuppa back at the hotel

The illuminated sign below sums up Bruges.

 

The next day it was time for us to leave Bruges and set off to Amsterdam by train.  Peter was pretty happy with the conditions in first class.

 

 

I was more interested in lunch.

Lunch on the train from Brussels to Amsterdam

After lunch I contemplated a spot of internet surfing, having noticed the strategically placed sign on the inside of our compartment door.

Sadly, the free WiFi didn't work for the entire journey, but at least it was cheap.  That's all for Bruges.  The next post will cover our time in Amsterdam.