A (photo-) blog about the beautiful Belgian town Bruges as seen through the very two eyes of an inhabitant. Sharp, witty, and... always admiring.
21-04-2006
Flower park
Every citizen of Bruges has to pay municipal taxes. 8 per cent of his income, to be precise. But, we do get value for our money. Keeping our city clean, for instance. Bruges is without a doubt the cleanest city of the country. Something else the city does with our money : taking care of the parks. Planting flowers for our enjoyment. Our erstwhile King Albert the First, looking on from high up on his horse, can only be pleased. As are we. As are the tourists.
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Gloribus street
A remarkable picture. The old godshouses in the foreground and behind them, in sharp contrast, the Concertgebouw (Concert building). The house at the fore was byuilt in 1436 and is thus the oldest. It was restored in 1958 and two new chimneys were added. The other houses were built during the first half of the 17th century. The street is named after Isabelle Gloribus who, with her husband, financed the building of them. The red Concertgebouw in the background goes back to... 2002.
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Pub Napoleon (2)
Would you dare go inside? Should you hesitate, let me reassure you : the dog is as friendly and peaceful as can be, and wouldn't hurt a fly.
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Pub Napoleon
"Blog from Bruges" wants to be completely neutral in all matters. My photos of Bruges are Bruges as I find it. When a photo shows, here and there, a business enterprise, it simply means that it is representative of the city's image, or that a historical fact is attached to it. Or, simply, that it is funny or pleasant, as is the case here with Pub Napoleon. It's on the corner of the Korte Vulders street and "Hoogste van Brugge" (Highest of Bruges) (true name of the street because it really is about the highest point of the city.)
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The Sacred Blood Procession (1)
From this day till May 25, the day of the Holy Blood Procession, I will post each day a photo of what is called "The most glorious day of Bruges". All the photos were taken in 2004. Let's start with the grandstand, always erected in front of the Sint-Salvator's Cathedral. All the dignitaries, be they of Church, City or Province, are assembled here. In a while, when the Procession will reach this spot, they will join it and accompany its peregrination through the streets of Bruges. Year after year, the procession draws between 30,000 and 60,000 people. Our Mayor, Patrick Moenart, is easy to identify in this photo : he is the only one looking directly at the camera. He didn't look too well, that day. It was later learned he had a kidney problem, for which he underwent successful surgery. To his left we have our Monsignor Van Gheluwe.
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The Sacred Blood Procession (2)
Let me zoom in once more on our mayor Patrick Moenaert and our bishop, monsignor Roger Van Gheluwe. While our mayor has "his pants in high waters", our spiritual father seems to have seriously "worn out his shoes" (as is our delicate way of saying such things here...)
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Outside the Forgers' Gate (3)
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Outside the Forgers' Gate (2)
An impressive bit of nature at the outskirts of the city.
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Buiten Smedenvest
This part of the Ramparts was named after the Forgers' gate. Seen from the ramparts, the gate does not look very impressive. Yet, it is one of the more historically significant gates of the city. It was built in 1367-1368, facing the general direction of France... from where an invasion was somehow expected. And when, indeed, Louis XIV proposed to invade the city, having been assured the help of Frans van der Straeten, a citizen of the city of Ghent, the catastrophy was avoided in extremis. The man from Ghent was put to death and his head was hung outside the gate. Now, an iron cranium serves as a reminder of the memorable event.
21-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
20-04-2006
Water-mill
A water-mill is milling water Water mills the mill-water Milling water in the water-mill What is milling waters the mill A water-mill is milling water
It might make no sense to you and me, but the miller sings it anyway.
20-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Peripheral canal
... all around Bruges. We see the tower of the Sint-Sebastiaan's guild, an archery guild, in the Carmerstreet.
20-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
New part of town
When looking at a plan of Bruges, it would be quite logical to think that in this egg-shaped city, covering an area of barely 3,5 by 2,5 kilometers, there isn't a square foot left to be found anywhere to add another building. Not so. Here and there, some parcels of land are still lying empty. The one here, between the Vlamingendam, the Sint-Clarastreet and the Sint-Claralane, is now assiduously being...built up. That, too, is Bruges.
20-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
God's house De Vos
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"God's Houses". This is one of the many aspects so typically proper to Bruges. Affluent burghers of Bruges might have something bothering their conscience. Did they game excessively, did they murder somebody...? In order to maintain their good standing with their Church and affirm their religious belief, they would finance the building of a God's House for the benefit, mostly, of widows. Whatever the reasons of Christiaan De Vos, in 1713 he had these six godshouses built, flanked by the inevitable chapel. It has become one of the great tourist attractions. Every day, without fail, groups of visitors come and take a look at these houses, from across the street. Which is why I find it strange that, during the winter of 2004/2005, one of the inhabitants had been lying dead for several months inside one of these houses before the fact being discovered (to the right of the photo, there are several more such dwellings). It was only when the policeman who was usually in charge of this area, became suspicious. Bizarre.
20-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Kruisgate at dusk
20-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
The "Bonne Chiere" Mill
"Bonne Chiere" comes from the French expression "Bonne chère" - good fare, good cheer, to be fond of good living). This mill is not originally from Bruges either. The mill was installed here in 1911, and replaced a mill known by the same name but which was destroyed by fierce winds. Two days after the mishap, the Gazette van Brugge (The Gazette of Bruges) related the incident as follows :
"Saturday afternoon, a sad accident happened, which, by a miracle, did not cause any human loss. One of the two century-old windmills on the Sinte-Kruis rampart, well-known and much visited by numerous strangers visiting our city, for their picturesque beauty, has been blown to smithereens by the fierce winds.
This happened around 3: oclock, while a fierce western wind was blowing. Because he had still a great quantity of grain to mill, the sails of the mill were in position, but the miller of the mill nearest to the Kruisgate, being prudent, had not unfurled them completely. Suddenly, a fierce burst of wind grabbed the mill and the wife of a neighbouring horticulturist saw the mill swaying and tottering on its axis, much as would a drunkard, and then the mill turned sideways and fell. The axis on which the whole mill rested, was sheared off just above the floor of the mill. The cap of the mill flew in the Ghent canal. The sail-whips flew the same way and smashed to pieces on the canal-bank and the mills retaining wall. The fall was so heavy that one of the mortars, which was quite new, and completely made from iron, broke like a straw. The upper structure of the mill, the wooden wheels, landed on the road alongside the mill, as did a huge part of the body proper. What remained on the floor of the mill, the sacks of grain, flour, and even the grinding-stones, was totally destroyed.
And that is where the people, who had come running, heard cries for help and found a man lying there. It was the old miller, Jan Clicteur, 71 years old. He was lying on a heap of sacks, under a beam who had somewhat protected him. Once was freed from his distressing situation, he appeared, fortunately, to suffer only from several bruises and sone slight head and face wounds. It is as if a miracle saved Jan Clicteur from certain death.Remarkable fact : the cross that had been hanging on the wall of the mill was lying, broken in two pieces, next to the man.
The old miller Jan Clicteur recovered quite promptly from his misadventure and lamented his destroyed mill. He said that when the mill fell down, he was enveloped in a cloud of flour and did not know what was happening to him."
20-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Mills
No, this is not an old mill surviving Bruges' past. Granted, it is an old mill. It goes back to 1765-1766 but... stood in Meulebeke. De city of Bruges acquired the mill and rebuilt it, at the end of the last century, on the exact spot where, until 1822, the "Coelen Wint" mill (cool wind) was to be found. Which probably goes some way to explain why the surrounding area is now called the Nieuwe Koelewey (the New Cool Meadow).
20-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Canal boat
Good morning to all of you. Here, are a few photos I took along the canal circling Bruges. This is a barge that has been appointed as a fixed dwelling. And, in case you might consider adopting this quite different lifestyle yourself, in Bruges this is impossible. Only those people who were already living on a house-barge before the new ruling was adopted, are allowed to stay.
20-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
19-04-2006
Straight through Bruges
... zo noemt die loopwedstrijd van ongeveer 15 kilometer die zoals hij noemt echt 'Dwars door Brugge' gaat. Nu het weer zachter geworden is verschijnen vele lopers langs de vesten die zich tot doel gesteld hebben om volgende maand deze loopklassieker waar elk jaar zo'n drie- tot vijfduizend enthousiastelingen aan deelnemen volgende maand zelf ook te volbrengen. Hier is er eentje van die het klimmetje waagt naar de top van de Kazernevest.
...And. true to its name, this 15 kilometer running competition goes "Straight through Bruges". Now that the weather is balmier, many joggers have made their apparition on the ramparts. Most are training for next month's running classic which, from year to year, boasts anywhere from three- to five thousand participants. The one we see here is bravely attempting the climb up to the Barracks Rampart.
19-04-2006, 19:07 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Prinsenhof
Steen des aanstoots voor de bewoners van de Moerstraat is het complex dat men hier op het domein van het Prinsenhof volop aan het bouwen is.
The stumbling block for the inhabitants of the Moer street is the complex being built here, on the Prinsenhof domain.
19-04-2006, 18:57 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
Evening
19-04-2006, 00:00 geschreven door Blog from Bruges
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