Bruges

What does anybody know about Belgium? Not much, is my guess. All I knew was that it neighbors Germany and that they brew good beer. That, my friends, was the extent of my knowledge. So last week, Tim and I had the opportunity to do some investigation. We came up with a theory. We think Belgium is doing something really horrible, like smuggling drugs or selling small children or ripping tags off of mattresses because it falls just a little under the radar. Even here in Germany, no one seems to know much about their neighbor. For example: Tim found out they have a King. Did you know that? How come he isn’t painted all over the tabloids like Chuck and QE’s fam? Curious, I say.

Anyway, Tim was working most of the week south of Brussels, which is in the French speaking part of Belgium. (Belgium Random Fact: They speak French in the south and Flemish in the north, which is essentially Dutch, although neither the Flemish nor the Dutch will claim the other’s language.) So I picked him up on Friday there and we drove on to Bruges. What an absolutely beautiful city! Belgium, like the Netherlands, is considered a “Low Country” so picture a lot of canals, not to mention absolutely beautiful gothic buildings from the Middle Ages.

Quick history on Bruges. Back in the 12-1500s Bruges was a big trade city due to its proximity to the North Sea. But in the middle 1500s, their Queen-type person fell off a horse and died at about the same time the canal to the sea filled up with silt. Not so good for the Bruggian economy. Thus, the town got pretty much wiped off the map for a few hundred years. They were so poor that they couldn’t even afford to tear down the old buildings to build new. But, that misfortune later became their good fortune. Because they had no money, the town got kinda pickled in the Middle Ages and now enjoys a pretty kickin' tourist industry. (Yippee--Happy Ending.)

Tim and I got in on Friday evening and stopped first at our Bed and Breakfast. Just perfect. It’s an old leather mill turned into a home right in the middle of the Old City. The woman that runs it lost her husband a few years ago and essentially takes you into her house to enjoy your company. Saturday we spent the day sight seeing: cruising on the canal, checking out the Gothic Cathedrals, climbing the Belfry, and perhaps tasting the Belgian beer.

At dinner that night, I left our table for absolutely no longer than 2 minutes, came back to find that my husband had befriended an entire Scottish family of 10. Before we knew it, we had been adopted and spend the evening with Gram and his wife Gail, his 2 small children, his Aunt Doreen and Uncle Billie (who live in Malaysia,) his cousins, his dad-Papa David and his mother, which he lovingly referred to as “the Dragon.” The Scottish drinking songs entertained the whole restaurant and the Guinness and whisky flowed like water. So apparently, when in Bruges…do as the Scots do!

A truly wonderful weekend.