The May Fair

  
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.

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. 

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.

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In the Katelijne street, somewhat halfway, is the entrance to two hotels. Left, the "Ibis" and right, the "Novotel". A tourist who made reservations at the hotel "Ibis", after reading that he was going to be lodged in a 15th century convent (oh yes, indeed, that is what the "Ibis" advertises) is in for a rude shock. Honestly, wouldn't you expect something quite different from this late 20th century building?

Tourists expecting to spend the night in an old convent will be lucky, when they enter this inner court of the hotel "Ibis", if they manage to notice anything of the "old" in the actual transformation - please, let's never call it restoration - of what used to be the Alexanian convent. In 1841 the Brothers of Love even built a refuge and hospice for men here, but in 1982, the city fathers had little or no regard for history and had decided that the old had to make way for the new (NOVOTEL).  And only for the sake of contrast was some of the original building integrated in the "Ibis" Novotel..

Were they really happily laughing about it in the eighties, when they shamelessly could demolish historical buildings? Novotel used materials from the small bell-tower of what ised to be the Alexanian convent, to build a bench in its hotel's inner court.  The remainder of the convent was rased but they kep the small tower as a joke. Or were their intentions serious, at the time? Utterly bad taste is all that can be said about it.

... reflects the grace of the city. Even these posts are decorated with the logo of Bruges : the elegant "B" with the small crown.

... tell us we are in Bruges.

The Katelijne rampart as we now know it was developed between 1881 and 1890. But this part of the fortification wall goes back to the year 1662.

This is how one usually sees our swans, in Bruges. Floating on the water, a small tree nearby. Quiet, tranquil, gracious.

... a less familiar sight. Walking along the path, searching for some edible tidbit..

The shepherders come visiting the newborn child Jesus

I stood here, this afternoon, taking photos. A few female students from Holland addressed me. They were holding a questionnaire. ."Do you know what animals are kept in here?" was one of the questions. Fortunately for them, I knew the answer : bats. Time ago, long before refrigerators and deep-freezers were invented, this was an ice-cellar, used to store huge blocks of ice

Inside the Magdalena church. Action for the "sans-papiers". Notice the broken English used.

... asylum-seekers, also called "paperless". Several churchleaders from Bruges rolled up their sleeves took action in order to help such people, here and in the neighbourhood of the St-Magdalena church.
I do not intend to take a stance,  but the reasons why these people should be helped are certainly reasonable ones. Friends of my sister are in the same boat. They were allowed to remain in this country for several years, they have two children and they became completely integrated. After eight years of living here, and their children now being 16 and 20 years old, this family still does not know whether they will be granted citizenship or will have to leave again. Having people  live for years and years with such uncertainty hanging above their heads, with the very real daily fear they might be told "Out, you have to leave" is inhuman.

"Bruges the jewel, after noon when the sun is shining. A background of gothic houses, towers and campaniles looking down on the still canals wherein, as clearly defined as if it were a painting, the beauty of the stones is reflected."

Felix Timmermans

This is the first time the path of the race goes through the Potterierei. I guess only habitual "cobblestone-grinders" just take them in stride...