Here is a foretaste of the "hidden treasures of Bruges" which I discovered today. This here is the cupola, inside the English convent. I can assure you, I had never seen it. Magnificent, as were the clear, brilliant colours everywhere in that convent. And "colour" was precisely the theme chosen for this year's Heritage Day. And just as magnificent and colourful was the hospitality of the nuns. Even though there were many people, and the place as busy as a beehive, the nuns remained smiling and ever ready to give yet additional explanations. I heard a conversation between a nun and neighbouring people, living in the same street, the Carmers street. The nun had never set foot outside the convent, had never been out in that street... I heard English visitors having a conversation in English with another nun. In between, I could hear two guides rambling off background history about the convent. Had it not been for all the other interesting places I did not want to miss on this day, I would gladly have spent the whole afternoon in that English convent. Fortunately, I managed to take quite a few photos. I do hope you like them.

If you are not a "Heritage Day" enthousiast, then there is the fleamarket and jumble-sale for you. This is on the Langstraat and Hoogstraat (Long street and High street). This photo was taken at 11:00 a.m. and I suspect that it will look quite a bit busier this afternoon. Don't let the weather keep you away.

As promised, here is the daily photo of the Sacred Blood Procession. Today, nothing of the Procession proper is to be seen, of course. However, visitors are already walking the streets of Bruges, in an advance-search of the ideal spot from where they will want to admire the grandiose event. This is the Dijver. And the chairs you see will be rented at a fixed price on the sumptuous day.

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.

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.

"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: o’clock, 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 mill’s 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."

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.

And here is another Bruges classic : the Blinde Ezelstraatje (Blind Donkey street) where you can admire the magnificently decorated back-façade of the house where the civil registry used to have its seat.  This façade was beautifully restored for the "Bruges 2002, cultural capital of Europe" event.

Het is niet meer goed te lezen, maar boven de ingangspoort van het bisdom staat deze Latijnse tekst te lezen: "Ut Prosim" (Dat ik dienen moge).  Het was de lijfsspreuk van bisschop Hendrik Jozef van Susteren, een geboren Amsterdammer die in Brugge van 1716 tot 1742 bisschop was. 
Zou het niet wenselijk zijn een nieuwe bouwaanvraag in te dienen om deze ingangspoort, toch het visitekaartje van het bisdom, te restaureren?   We zien een schild, het wapen van bisschop van Susteren.  In het schild zijn twee 'aanziende' leeuwenkoppen verwerkt, maar ook twee zesspakige wielen (zie daarvoor mijn opmerking over de Jeruzalemkerk!).  Naast het schild staan twee putti maar vooral het rechter ventje ziet er maar schamel uit.

It is now barely legible, but over the entrance gate of the Bishopric, the Latin text states "Ut Prosim" (That I may serve). It was the motto of Bishop Hendrik Jozef van Susteren, born in Amsterdam, who was Bishop of Bruges from 1716 to 1742. Wouldn't it be preferable to obtain a restoration permit for this entrance? It is, after all, the calling-card of the domain. We see here a shield with the arms of Bishop van Susteren : two lion-heads se regardant, and two six-spoked wheels (see my note for the Jerusalem church!). Next to the shield are two putti but, the one on the right looks rather pityful.

Spring

Aan de gevel van het huis langs de Korte Vuldersstraat, no. 27, bevindt zich dit basreliëf.  Theo Raison restaureerde het huis in 1932 en die Raison was afkomstig van Rijsel/Lille, juist over de grens in Frankrijk.  Daar in Rijsel wordt in de Basiliek van O.L.V. van het Hek (de la treille), de patrones van die stad vereerd met dezelfde aanroeping ("OLV in de traillie, bidt voor ons") en op dezelfde manier uitgebeeld.  Het hek moet beschouwd worden als het zinnebeeld van de kanseliers.  Achter het hek spreken ze immers recht in naam van de koning en beoefenen ze de liefdadigheid.
Verder is er bij mijn weten in heel Brugge geen enkel ander beeld van OLV van de Traillie aanwezig.

This bas-relief is to be found on the front of the house at nr. 27, Korte Vulders street. Theo Raison, an architect from Rijsel/Lille, right on the border in France,  restored this house in 1932. There, in Rijsel/Lille, in the Notre-Dame de la Treille Basilica (Our Lady of the Trellis), the patron-saint of the city is honored with exactly the same invocation as represented here ("Our Lady  in the Trellis, pray for us".) The trellis, or gate, must be considered as symbolic of the Chancellors. It is from their position behind the gate, that the chancellors did, in fact, speak directly in name of the King, and carried out their charitable duties. To my knowledge, this is the only representation of Notre Dame de la Treille in Bruges.

De paasvakantie zit erop.  Velen zijn met veel tegenzin opnieuw naar de school/het werk getrokken.  Jammer eigenlijk dat de mooiste, warmste dag uitgerekend gisteren viel, op de laatste dag van de vakantie.  Maar kom, het was de aanzet naar meer mooi weer.

The Easter Holiday is over. Many went back to school/work with dragging feet. Too bad, really, that we got the warmest, nicest day only yesterday, the very last day of the holiday. Still, it is one more step to more beautiful weather.