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Monday, April 17, 2017
Breakfast was a madhouse!!! A busload of orientals all lined up for the buffet just before the doors opened, then mobbed into the place. Glad we weren't in a hurry this morning...
Once that first crush worked its way through, the rest of us were able to get something to eat.
It was a laid back kind of day. I spent the morning just wandering around the town. I wound up circling the inner city by following the inner canal. Lots of interesting shots.
It was a cold day all day, too. And the weather was weird – overcast with rain at 8 am, mostly blue sky with sun by 9:30, overcast and rain again by 11. And that repeated most of the rest of the day!
The first photo above shows the front door of the Bourgognedes Brewery, which was located on the street right behind our hotel. That's the brewery that made the yummy beer from last night. The next photo shows an arched entrance to an outdoor restaurant. The third photo shows the same archway from the other side, looking back at the streets beyond. The fourth photo shows a set of street lamps.
The first photo shows some buildings and boats reflected in a canal with the tower of the Church of Our Lady in the background. The second photo shows an outdoor restaurant by the canal. This is the restaurant for the Bourgognedes Brewery. The third photo shows another building reflected in a canal. The fourth photo shows a young lady with a colorful umbrella crossing one of the many plazas in town.
The photo on the left shows some buildings reflected in a canal near a small park. The center photo shows a quiet street with some flags in the distance. The photo on the right shows some flags and a street lamp.
The first photo shows a sign on a boat tour shop. The second photo shows a set of interesting rooflines. The third photo shows a garden in a small courtyard. The last photo shows some covered boats with flower boxes on the railing above them.
The first photo above shows a small courtyard with a statue and an outdoor restaurant. The second photo shows an ornate passageway over an alley. The third photo shows more covered tour boats with reflections in a canal. The fourth photo shows a red door reflected in the canal. How they get to use these doors (I saw a lot of them) is beyond me!
The photo on the left shows a building with interesting turrets. The center photo shows a woman standing in her window looking at her cell phone, probably texting. The photo on the right shows some nice reflections in a canal.
The photo on the left shows more buildings reflected nicely in a canal. The center photo shows some colliding roof lines. The photo on the right shows an older gentleman taking his morning walk along the canal.
The first photo above shows another wisteria growing over a door. This one was the most intricately trained one I saw while in Bruges. The second photo shows a house that caught my eye. They had installed a large poster or painting in place of one of the windows. The third photo shows another view of town. The last photo shows some folded umbrellas on the decking of an outdoor restaurant at the edge of a canal.
The photo on the right shows a line of buildings along a bend in a canal. The center photo shows a church steeple and a canal. There's a tour boat just disappearing below my location. The photo on the right has a bicyclist crossing one of the many bridges over the canal.
The photo on the left is looking up a side canal towards Jan van Eyck square. Jan van Eyck is a noted Renaissance painter who spent most of his life in Bruges. The center photo shows some of the buildings around this square and his statue in the center of it. The photo on the right is another view of the statue to Jan van Eyck.
The first photo is another view of the Jan van Eyck statue, this time from the front. The second photo shows the most unusual Easter decorations I'd seen all week. This homeowner had encircled their front door with a dried vine garland with birds nests, complete with eggs, wired to it. The third photo is of The Belfry, a prominent landmark. The fourth photo shows clouds reflected in the windows of St. Salvators Cathedral.
The photo on the left shows some of the shops and restaurants along the perimeter of the Markt, or Central Market. The center photo shows two of the carriage horses that look like they're comparing notes on how the day has gone so far. The photo on the right is Old St. Jan's Hospital from the canal side. St. Jan's is one of the oldest surviving hospitals in Europe, dating from the 11th century.
The photo on the left shows some Belgian lace in a shop display case. The center photo shows the building across the street from our hotel (our hotel is at the right edge of the photo). The photo on the right shows a lamppost and flags in the Markt square.
Lunch was at a Belgian waffle place. Most of us indulged. Mine was a cinnamon cookie flavored waffle with similarly flavored ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel. With hot tea. Yummy!!!
I shot a few more things after lunch, then did some souvenir shopping, including some lace, tee-shirts, and chocolate. I found out that, if you pay less than 30 euros per kilo for the chocolate, then you're getting the cheap stuff. The good stuff costs more. The truffles I got were 5.99 euros per 100 grams, and they were delicious.
I wound up taking a short nap this afternoon, then a short walk to get rid of the cobwebs.
The photo on the left shows the welcoming doors to Sint Jacob de Meerdere, a parish church. I did go inside this one, but I couldn't find a photo policy posted, so I kept my camera turned off. The center photo shows a display of novelty tea pots in a tea store window. There were even more types inside! The photo on the right is a street lamp I spotted.
Dinner was at 5:30 at the same restaurant as yesterday (really good food). Since it's the last night all 11 of us will be together (two are staying in Bruges while the rest of us return to the Schiphol airport hotel tomorrow), the leaders treated us to two bottles of wine, one white and one red. Only three of us were drinking the red, so that was about two glasses for me!
Then we went back out shooting! More night photography tonight.
These three photos are at the same location that we used last night. The lighting was a little better, however.
The photo on the left shows Old St. Jan's Hospital as it is lit at night reflected in the canal.
The photo on the right shows the multiple towers of the Church of Our Lady as they are lit at night. The two shorter towers flank the main entrance to the church.
About then, I realized I was by myself on increasingly deserted streets, so I made a beeline back to the hotel...
I got back to the hotel a little after 10 pm. Time for a shower then bed. I'll finish packing in the morning.