2019-04 - Brugges to The Hague (the Netherlands)

Belgian waffle with fresh fruit

It was a travel today for us. However, first, we fortified ourselves with more Belgian waffles and pots of tea at Verdi. This time, I ordered the "fresh fruit" Belgian waffle, which had strawberries, raspberries, grapes and even half a passion fruit. My first time eating a passion fruit raw.

Inside the Begijnhof Garden

Then, we walked through Brugges one final time, walking to the gardens of the Begijnhof. As we got closer, we started encountering bus tours of tourists walking toward the city center. The Begijnhof was a complex for women who took vows but were not associated with a particular religious order. It included widows and spinsters. There are still sisters living there today. However, their central garden is open from 6:30 am - 6:30 pm, for the quiet tourists to enjoy. It was a calm and tranquil experience.

On our walk back to retrieve our car from parking, we accidentally activated a wooden sculpture by Ugo Dehaes (who is actually a dancer) along the walking trail. It looks like a body lying horizontally. However, at minimum 15 minute intervals (when someone passes in front of a motion sensor attached to a nearby tree), the statue is activated. It ripples up and down, almost swimming in space, as it slowly makes it's way to the top of the display case. My video didn't turn out. However, you can watch someone else's video of it here.

Wind Tower along the highway from Brugges to Den Hague

Our drive to Den Hague was broken only by a stop for lunch at a shopping mall because our credit and debit cards did not work for any of the parking meters for every other parking spot in and around Delft. A very nice local showed us where the 3 hour free parking was for the shopping mall. We ate inside at a little restaurant that was mostly serving retired locals at two in the afternoon on a Friday. Our most non-touristy meal yet!

Den Hague is full of restaurants and places to shop but feels less touristy than either Amsterdam or Brugges. It also does not all the historic sites and buildings (or at least not as popularized or open to the public) as in the other cities. We've already walked through the Binnenhof, seen the outside of St Jacob's Grotto (a de-consecrated church) and walked by the Noordeinde Palace and statue of William the Silent in front of it. There is another Willig Cheese shop here, giving me one final chance to bring home some Dutch cheese as a souvenir from this trip!

More photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/N19MsskY85La8LRh6

2019-04 - Full day in Brugges (Belgium)....almost

Belgian waffles with strawberries and cream and a proper pot of tea

We arrived in Brugges (Belgium) last night via car. Parking is slim inside the city walls. Even our hotel only had a few spots. However, there was a parking garage only ten minutes walk away. One of the benefits of Brugges is that it is so small and mostly contained within old city walls (at least the touristy parts).

View from the belltower

We started off this morning with Belgian waffles with strawberries and cream. Thus fortified, we climbed the 366 steps up to the top of the bell tower. While the wait can be long, as only 50 people are allowed in the tower at any given time, it's very nice to enjoy the view from the tower with fewer people. It also made the narrow flights of stairs easier on both the way up and back down.

The giant drum programmed to play the belltower bells

On our way back down, we stopped in the section with the giant drum that triggers the clappers that ring the bells on the quarter hour in different tunes. Currently, the bells play a section from Bach's Prelude in C Major. In addition, the bells can also be played by a person called a "carillon" at a type of baton "keyboard". We arrived just in time to watch the drum turn for about 30 seconds to play the quarter hour.

Bike path on the dike along the canal

 Stair stepping was just a warm-up for our main activity today: renting bikes and cycling back into the Netherlands to Sluis. The main path is on top of the dike. We rode along the canal on one side and verdant farmland on the other side. All of the dikes have a row of tall trees planted alongside. It must have been a massive project to build the dikes, divert the water into the canals and plant all of the trees (not to mention pave roads and bike lanes).

Windmill at Damme

We saw horses, cows, and sheep. There were even a few tractors out in the fields and windmills along the road. It was pretty amazing to cycle endless flat, paved track in such beautiful countryside with the blue skies above us. A good thing, too, as the rental bikes were super heavy with slightly flat tires to mitigate the bumps of cobblestones within Brugges.

Old Westpoort gate at Sluis

Part of the way along the bike path, there was hand crank "ferry" to cross the river from one side to the other. There was a crank on both sides of the shore as well as on the boat. The ferry was attached to the wires being cranked; and, a person could crank the ferry from one side to the other (with a bit of effort).

Sheep along the bike path. Shepherd and three dogs kept them from getting on the path itself.

We stopped in Sluis (the Netherlands) for some lunch before cycling back. Sluis even had an Aldi, which we stopped at for some snacks. Nothing like cycling in two countries in a few short hours. After returning the bikes, walking felt so slow!

Minnewaterpark

 However, I did keep walking, as who knows when I'll return to Brugges? There were chocolates to sample at the various chocolate shops and a park to see at Minnewaterpark. I continued on past a park of geese and ducks and then around another beautiful church before finding my way to a gyro window for a quick dinner.

Another beautiful church

More photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/JuD3c17qFtYnMPvV9