"Make an old woman happy!" Irma and Beautiful Brugge

On the enthusiastic recommendations of my friends Lily and Nikki, I chose to spend two days in Brugge, Belgium, a gorgeous town of gabled rooftops, meandering canals, chocolate pralines, and lace. Also home of one of the nicest populations of people I met on the trip...or maybe it was just in comparison to Paris. Anyway, I was dropped off by a medieval gate by a bus driver and a bus load of people giving me recommendations on where to go, what to see, and how to get to my hostel, which was right down the street. As soon as the bus pulled away, I saw 4 windmills lined up along the river bank! Windmills! How quaint and amazing! Was a bit tired, so I walked around only a bit, ate overlooking the Markt, and planned my walking extravaganza the next day. (And where I was going to get waffles!) Got into a long conversation with people from Chile, Quebec, and PEI in the room.

Walking day! I took all the walking tour routes printed in the tourist guide and pasted them all together. Headed first to a windmill! I don't know why I was so excited about windmills, but I was! The gears were turning, but the miller wasn't milling. Needed two millers to be safe, and the other one was still sleeping. Ah. Had a good time, regardless. Strolled my way through the city looking at every church and facade until I got to the boat rides at the canal and decided, why not! Lovely boat ride with a trilingual tour as the world floated by. Got off and saw a man making WAFFLES in the window and had to get one, right away! Mmmm, Belgian waffles...so good. Not like the stuff they sell in the frozen grocery section, mind you. Real Belgian waffles with chunks of sugar in them, glazed, with ice cream and chocolate on top. Definitely worth the trip to Belgium in itself! Walked to the Burg, or the city center, and into the Church of the Holy Blood. Clearly, the relic is a vile of Christ's blood from the crucifixion, and it is on display every Friday from 10-12, unbeknownst to be when I walked in. Then I saw the line of people going up to kiss something on the altar...decided to keep my distance and look, instead, at the beautiful wall paintings and stained glass telling the story of the king who brought back the vile and donated it to this church. How nice of him. He probably could have sold it on ebay for pile of gold. Then they prosessed with it all over the place and through a little door at the back. Theatrical? I think so. Went into the gorgeous rooms of the City Museum where the councils would meet. One was a Gothic room with a beautifully carved fireplace. The other was a large hall with paintings of scenes of life in Brugge along with major political, historical, and legendary figures of the city. It used to be a huge trading post, though I believe most of the trade has gone elsewhere and now tourism rakes in the dough. Headed down to the ugly modern concert hall and odd fountain statue over to the Church of Our Lady which houses a famous Mother and Child by Michelangelo. The details are very similar to the Vatican Pieta, and it draws quite a crowd. Walked through the grounds of an old hospital to the Lake of Love with swans abound and over to the nuns' complex where all the trees oddly lean towards the church.

Made my way back to the Markt to buy some lace. Here is where I met Irma, or at least I think she's Irma. The store is named Irma and I would like to think that this little old woman was her. She must have been in her nineties, and she sits outside in a rocking chair making lace...which looks so difficult to do! As I'm watching her, she turns to me and says, "Buy lace here! Make an old woman happy!" Yes, Irma! Amused, I walk into the store where her family, or just other workers, tell me that they are proud of their lace because it is made here, by them, in Brugge. "Not like that garbage from overseas!" Apparently, 90% of the lace in Brugge is from China because of cheap labor. Thus tourists buy the cheap lace from the touristy shops rather than the Belgian lace from the original stores. Well, to make an old woman happy, I bought some lace from Irma's. It's always nice to support the local artisans.

The next morning, I had a bit of time to waste before my train, so I joined up with the group from PEI in search for some cheap Belgian chocolate. You can't leave Belgium without buying Belgian chocolate. I had stocked up on some cheaper bars of chocolate from the grocery store, which was indeed amazing chocolate, but wanted to find some of the boxed pralines. We were all very picky, but we found what we were looking for. Decided to go into the belltower (but not up it!) to see a Dali exhibit, which was very interesting. Finally time for the train! But I give a two thumbs up to Brugge. Beautiful and relaxing, it does sweep you off your feet.