Blog from Bruges

Bruges inside out

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akke.be

Woensdag 26 juli 2006

Erstwhile Meat Market

During the Middle Ages this is where originally the city's crane had been erected. And where now we see a street, there was a wharf, the Kraanvest. When the wharf became obsolete and a crane was no longer needed, a cover was built over this area and in 1771 and 1772, the resulting building was used as a meat market. It is now a bicycle-renting business aimed at the tourist trade. Before that, it was a grocery store. The classical-style building is one of the hundreds of protected monuments in Bruges.

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Woensdag 26 juli 2006

Potters Rempart

I have recently taken up jogging again and in Bruges, there is no better place than the Remparts. I did start a bit late, last night. On purpose, in fact, because I wanted to take advantage of the coolest time of the day to run a bit. But right now, "cool" is relative. It was still 25 degrees when I started even though it was already dark. Then, I reached the Potters rempart, I was struck by the rather great number of.... I give you two guesses why this stretch of what is really the Katelijne rempart, has been dubbed the "Potters"* rempart in popular parlance.. Even when those men with fire in their pants are not around, I cannot get rid of this niggling impression that one of them might be hiding behind one of the knobby trees. Well, when it's dark, I just run a bit faster.
* "Potters"= homosexuals.

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Woensdag 26 juli 2006

small artistic escape hatch...

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Since yesterday, I am once more without a camera. Mine is still in for repairs and I had to give the camera which was lent to me, back to its owner. The owner was leaving on a trip. And when does the ordinary Belgian use his camera? When he travels and when there is a family gathering. Thus... that camera is now travelling. However, provided I am getting my own camera back before long, you won't even notice its absence in this blog. I can't show you anything "actual" for now, but on the other hand, it leads me of necessity to a bit more improvisation and creativity. Improving some of my photos a bit, for instance...

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Woensdag 26 juli 2006

Theodoor J. Rijken

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With "Jerry's Cigar Bar", about which I told you previously, in the background, to the right, we have here a house to which people hardly pay attention when walking by. Oude Burg 33. And yet, it is one of only three houses now remaining in Bruges who are in the pure Renaissance style. (Not to be confused with Bruges late-gothic, as happens with so many houses.) The façade is the authentic one, built in 1571. It was restored in 1980-1981. The first owner was Willem Clynckemaille, after whom the house is named "de Clyncke".
Another remarkable fact about it is that it was bought, in 1863, by the Xaverian Brothers (the "Frères") and a short time later their founder, the Dutchman Theodoor J. Rijken, came to live in this house. And it is from here that the Xaverian Brothers started the enormous expansion of their foundation. They now occupy almost the entirety of the block between the Mariastreet, de Nieuwstreet and the Guido Gezelle square.

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Woensdag 26 juli 2006

Ceres and Mercurius

On the façade of the Clyncke house, at 33 Oude Burg, which was built in 1571, you can see these two stone medallions depicting the mythological figures Mercurius and Ceres. They were probably commissioned to be installed there around 1577, when Highes, who was a wine merchant succeeded Willem Clynckemaille as occupant of the house.

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Woensdag 26 juli 2006

Jerry's Cigar Bar

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A unique spot in Bruges in this era where smokers are being more and more stigmatised and isolated. "Jerry's Cigar Bar" is probably the only place in a wide area where one can not only buy smokers' paraphernalia and strong drink; one can also sit down in a very beautifully appointed bar and spend some pleasant moments tasting appreciable goodies. For those who prefer to do that outside, the bar's nice terrace is right on the Simon Stevin square. Such moments are lost on me but, for those who want to savour those pleasures (not devoid of risk, it would seem) of life, by way of a Cuban cigar or a glass of Glenfiddich, for example, then here, you are at the right address.

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Dinsdag 25 juli 2006

pants - shirts - skirts

A last sample of bad taste. I do not want to mention the name and the address of the store any more.

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Dinsdag 25 juli 2006

graffitti

... with a twist : the owners of the business did them themselves. Well, they did used chal. This is the entrance of the wo_men_at_work store. One can make any number of comments. Their promotional stunt by way of introduction to their business was a poster showing the virgin Maria with a crown of thorns on her head. This poster was to be seen at Flanders Inside "Maria At Work" on July 21, 2006. Inside the store near the display-window there was the same picture with candles all around it. Then they did away with it. (Likely some protest had been voiced). Was this supposed to be an eye-wink for the benefit of Bruges? When I saw the... thing, I was just speechless. Then three words spontaneously came to mind : kitsch, bad taste, stupidity.

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Dinsdag 25 juli 2006

Example of bad taste

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Not so long ago, after a Dutch chain of clothing-stores had opened a branch in Antwerp, they opened one in Bruges (wo-)men at work. Their manner of promoting their stores is head and shoulders superior to all other possible forms of bad taste.Phooey, if that is all the Dutch have to offer by way of knock-dead words, unsignificant symbols and willfull provocation... There used to be a bookstore here, with an antiques shop in its annex. Which is why you can still see the word "Antiquariaat" at the right top of the sign.

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Dinsdag 25 juli 2006

antiquariaat

Foto genomen gisterenmorgen om 10 uur in de Mariastraat. Mariastraat 10, meer bepaald. Vanavond meer hierover.

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Dinsdag 25 juli 2006

korenslang

Quite recently the area was in a bit of upheaval because suddenly, there had been several and repeated sightings here and there of... snakes. The latest news is that all but one of the snakes were caught and that the one who is still enjoying its freedom might have elected, for the last two weeks, to hide somewhere in the cellars of the four-star hotel "Hans Memling" in the Kuiperstreet. Apparently, they are of the harmless cereal-snake variety. Snakes probably feel in their element in this warm weather and these particular ones decided to go and have a look outside. It is suspected that a local snake-collector might be missing a few of his pets...

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Dinsdag 25 juli 2006

For sale

On the corner of the Philipstock- and the Gunsmiths streets there is a business for sale. Until recently it was the Vanbelle Bakery. The chances that this business might be a bakery again are very slim. There is another bakery in the street and, moreover, slowly but surely the trend is towards buying bread in the big chain-groceries. And this, of course, means the loss of the independent baker.

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Dinsdag 25 juli 2006

The Vanbelle bakery

At the beginning of the 17th century, there was already a bakery here. The first baker's name was Adriaan Wouters. Four hundred years later, Christiaan Vanbelle puts an end to it. During all these years, here the people of Bruges came to buy their farmers' bread, as well as many other specialties, of course. The interior of the bakery was very old-fashioned, and it was one of it's charms. We are curious to see what shall become of this store. It is in a quite good tourist spot. Lace-shops are no longer "in". I am hoping for an "all-night" store, or a chocolate boutique. However, rumour seems to make it likely to become a souvenir and notions shop.

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Dinsdag 25 juli 2006

Bundles of rays...

Good morning, Bruges. The heat is not letting up. From 10 in the morning, it becomes unbearable. It is now almost a certainty : this will be the warmest summer our small country has ever known.

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Maandag 24 juli 2006

The 'Divina Commedia'

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... of Alighieri Dante (1265-1321) has the following reference to Bruges and the Cadzand. Translated, it reads :
"As do the Flemings between Cadzand and Bruges,
fearing the streaming waters who turn against them,
throwing up dykes to keep the sea at bay."
Dante was using this comparison with the Flemish dambuilders to illustrate the dams surrounding the hellish sea of flames he was describing in his "Divina Commedia". Thus it would seem that the fame of the dam-builders of our area had reached as far as Italy during Dante's lifetime. It was only much later (in the 20th century) that the Dutch surpassed the Flemish in this discipline. That particular fragment of the "Divina Commedia" has been symbolized in the group of statues which stand in the centre of the Zand.

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Maandag 24 juli 2006

Simon Stevin

That's him, Simon Stevin. The square, where some are sleeping ( see previous photo), is named after him. Everybody takes a picture of Simon from the front. Yet, there are also a back and two sides to him. And seen from the side it is quite noticeable that the famed mathematician is the victim of quite a bird-poop problem.

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Maandag 24 juli 2006

Morning nap

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Simon Stevin Square. Around 10:oo a.m. These tourists are sitiing on a bench, their luggage about them. Let me guess : this morning, around half past nine, they got up, had breakfast and left their hotel because their reservation had run out. There was no air-conditioning in their room and thus, it was too uncomfortable to enjoiy a god night's sleep. Exhausted and overwhelmed by the glaring sunshine warming the Simon Stevin Square, the lady just dozed off again.

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Zondag 21 mei 2006

Vlamingstraat 40

Bruges still has two houses with authentic wooden façades. Sorry to disappoint you, this is not one of them. This one can be seen when looking diagonally from across the theatre building, in the Vlamingstreet, on the corner of the Kraan square. This façade was re-done in 1963 and is the work of architect Antoine Dugardyn. He used iconographic sources as basis for his interpretation of how the house actually looked like in the year 1542. What is missing are the painted motifs at the top of the façade, who earlier illlustrated the name of the house "De Haan" = The Rooster.

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Zondag 21 mei 2006

Wollestraat - Eeckhoutstraat

Those street names would translate as "Woolstreet" and "Oakwood street". One more view of Bruges from the Halltower.

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Zondag 21 mei 2006

Leaving a business-card

Those Spaniards seem to have gone to quite some length to leave their business card on this bell in the Bruges bell-tower. All those who came here, high up in the Halltower, know what I mean. Did these Spaniards bring a ladder with them? If not, then they certainly were very acrobatic people.

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