A (photo-) blog about the beautiful Belgian town Bruges as seen through the very two eyes of an inhabitant. Sharp, witty, and... always admiring.
13-05-2006
Lacemaker
I started my blog about Bruges a little more than two months ago and I have not shown you a photo of a lacemaker yet. Here is a nice one. Most all lace-boutiques have a lacemaker, working either on the sidewalk, in front of the store, or inside, to attract buyers. One could compare them with the Indians on some Reserve, who will don their traditional garb and execute a Rain dance to attract tourists and their money. However, contrary to so many traditions, as well as traditional occupations, lacemaking is still widely practised in Flanders, albeit often as a very popular hobby, with positively superb results. Have a look here Claudette or here Gisela. It still is mainly women's work. There are boys and men who do lacework, but they are a minority.
In the past, lacemaking in Flanders, and certainly in Bruges, was synonymous with earning one's daily bread. It meant an additional income, needed so families would not go hungry. The work was boring because it was generally an endless repetition of the same pattern. Most people actually would work 10 to 12 hours a day.
There were several Bruges lacemaker songs, named "tellers", because, as well as telling a story, they would also be a means of counting the movements of the bobbins, as well as setting a working rythm. In the lacemaking schools and workshops, the fastest lacemaker would be the one in charge of singing and, in this manner, impose a working rythm. Here is one such song, which gives a slight idea of the difficult life people had :
"Wandering towards a poor cottage I have to go through streets where there are knives and swords. I have to cross a bridge of glass And ring a bell of flame and fire. There is a witch who opens the door And asks what I am looking for. 'T is here that I have to live."
The same words were repeated ten times.
13-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Minnewater park
Here, at one of the entrances to the Minnewater Park, another one of those decorative posts with the elegant letter "B" and the small crown.
13-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Wijngaard square (Vineyard square)
Bruges is a paradise for artists. Whether it's painting or drawing, artists love to work in the numerous picturesque spots in this city. Sometimes, you see a whole group of them working in the same spot. It's too bad, though, that most artists seem to prefer the Rozenhoedkaai (the Rose-hat quai) and the Wijngaard square. Of course, here is where the greatest number of tourists will spend some time and thus, where the artists multiply their chances of selling their work. Which, after all, isone of their aims.
13-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Art or kitsch?
It does not matter, it is beautiful. Cynical but funny. Notice the details. Five to twelve, long live grandpa, the bawling child, etc...
13-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Keramiek Kasper (Ceramic Casper)
. You will find him in the Wijngaard street (the Vineyard street). Keramiek Kasper (or Ceramic Casper, in English).
13-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The Sacred Blood procession
Johannes de Doper was door Herodes gevangen genomen omdat hij kritiek had geuit op diens levenswijze: hij had Herodias, de vrouw van zijn broer tot zich genomen. Op een feest danste de dochter van Herodias zo bevallig dat Herodes zwoer haar alles te geven wat zij vroeg. Zij vroeg het hoofd van Johannes de Doper en zo geschiedde.
13-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
12-05-2006
Another protest rally
Next Sunday, May 21st, at 1:00 p.m., another protest demonstration will be held against violence in our community. Participants will meet on the Market. Violence MUST stop. Whatever aspect violence may take, it has to stop.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Protest sit-in
The Maalse Roadway, one of the most important access or exit roads of Bruges. This evening, quarter past six. Hundreds of people are holding a protest sit-in on this road where, otherwise, at this time, hundreds of cars would be speeding by. The protest is aimed at the violence in our community. Saturday night, at exactly this spot, skinheads attacked two people who had subsequently to be hospitalized. One of the victims, a coloured person from Paris, is still in a coma. The skinheads had come out of an ill-famed café a bit farther up. The recent numerous acts of senseless violence against foreigners is just too much for all these people here. They will not stand by and remain silent. Our society does not tolerate such behaviour. All levels of government need to take strong measures to prevent such hateful acts. Is this a coincidence? In the middle of the photo we do recognize the man with the sunglasses : our alderman for Culture, Yves Roose.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
airbag festival
This city's second "airbag-festival" is in full swing, in an attempt to restore the accrdeon to its proper glory. I wonder whether this man is aware of the festival, and I presume he is not. Festival or no festival, he is playing here in any event, hoping to earn euro-money. Preferably as fast as possible.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Quiz for schoolchildren
This, now, is how schools organize a trip to Bruges : they give their students a list of questions about what they will see, along the streets they will be taken through. Nowadays, when you are in the most popular tourist sections, it won't take you more than five minutes before you notice one or more of these groups. The whole pack runs from one spot to the next one, paper and pen in hands. The questions they have to answer might be, for example, what kind of animals live in the ancient ice-cellar next to the Minne-bridge (bats - as I explained with a previous photo). Or, what is the slogan used by the city to make its population aware of its responsibility for the dog-poop problem (No dog-poop on the stoop). Seldom does one see such a group remain more than five minutes in any one spot. No time, it all has to go very fast. Modern teaching method? Did they really "see" bruges? I often wonder. The answer is No. Did they have fun? Yes, they probably did.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Entrance to the Karthuizerinnen church
The church is in the Karthuizerinnen street. At first, this order of nuns lived in a convent in Sint-Andries, barely a few kilometers from here, but outside the city walls. In 1578 the nuns had to abandon their convent and take refuge in Bruges because of the troubles caused by the religious wars. Do take a closer look at the facial expressions on these heads.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Karthuizerinnen church (2)
. This church, who became a military chapel more than a century ago (in 1893) has, in contrast with most churches who are quite heavily adorned, a very sober decor.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Karthuizerinnen church (3)
The church, as seen from the corner of the Oude Burg. On the wall are the lists of the war victims, people of Bruges who were killed.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The Sacred Blood procession
. For three days, the parents of Jesus had beent rying to find their son. They hadn't known he had remained behind, in the temple.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The Sacred Blood proession
,Josef and Mary are desperately looking for their son Jesus. Finally, after three days of searching, they find him in the temple with the scribes.
12-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
11-05-2006
Jolly month of May
't Was in the jolly month of May hey, hey, 't was in jolly May! And, passing through Bruges while coming I saw all the litle flowers blooming; 't was in the jolly month of May, hey, hey, 't was in jolly May.
free interpretation of a poem by Guido Gezelle
11-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The May Fair
The May Fair. Every morning the city's clean-up teams are quite busy and... the means are equal to the job.
11-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The Sacred Blood procession
The Three Wise Men. In Belgium, we call them "The Three Kings", as you can read here. In previous years there have been different Melchior's. This is the 2004 Melchior.
11-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The Sacred Blood procession (2)
The Three Wise Men. Since there were three of them, you still have two coming. Here is Balthasar. The Three Wise Men came from different directions to see the child Jesus. They are bearing the symbols of wisdom of the Western, Eastern and African cultures. Here, you will notice the yin and yang design on the banner.
11-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The Sacred Blood procession (3)
The third of the Three Wise Men, Caspar. Caspar, as we can see from the expression on his face, was a bit reluctant to come and see the child Jesus.
11-05-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
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