On Monday evening (May 25), Peter and I took a walk around the IJzermonding Nature Preserve adjacent to the yacht club for a couple hours after dinner. Our favorite spot was the large kijkhut or viewing hut in the wetlands. While we were there, in addition to dozens of rabbits, we observed many types of birds where the high tide had flooded a low place in the marshes. They included many types of gulls, shelducks, Canada geese, common redshanks, common terns and a Eurasian curlew, a first for us. There are birdsongs and calls constantly around the marina and in the wetlands. Our favorite was the distinctive and loud flute-like whistles of the redshanks.
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| Rabbits in the late afternoon light |
We returned to the boat as the sun was setting. With sunset occurring just before 10 p.m., the days are long and our usual bedtime passes before we notice how late it is.
The next morning, Tuesday (May 26),we got up early and walked the short distance to the viewing hut, but the tide was out and most of the birds were not present, although the handsome shelducks with their striking and well-delineated black, white, rust and deep green plumage were still feeding in the muck. After showers and breakfast, we cast off the dock at 9:30 under sunny skies and with warm weather, excellent visibility and flat seas, but insufficient wind to sail. We motored for two hours up the coast of Flanders to Oostende, Belgium, where we tied up at the Royal North Sea Yacht Club, med mooring for the first time ever. It seemed strange to us to tie the stern to the dock and tie the port and starboard sides to boats on either side of us. It does allow for more boats to fit in. The dock master and the people on the other boats were welcoming and helpful, and the yacht club is situated conveniently where the the city center and the long, wide, white-sand beach meet, so access to both was close by.
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| Mantra rafted up with a Hallberg Rassy |
Each year at this time, the Oostende at Anchor Festival takes place, with over 100 historic ships coming in for the event. The official start was on Thursday, but we were able to walk along the harbor and see the many boats that were already in port. In every plaza and along every street within a couple blocks of the waterfront, there were many, many more vendor setting up in preparation for the opening than there were ships in port, even including the ones such as us who were not there especially for Oostende at Anchor. Seeing this, we decided that we would not extend our stay at the yacht club in order to attend the event. We would much rather learn about old ships at places such as Mystic Seaport in Connecticut where the total emphasis is on shipbuilding, navigation and history.
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| Old ship in the harbor |
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| Old ship with leeboards in the harbor |
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| Group of wooden sailing boats |
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| Boat with finely carved and varnished wood |
Oostende started out as a small village in the Middle Ages. In 1265, it was granted the status of "town," which allowed the inhabitants to conduct a market and build a market hall. Oostende developed as a major port and resort in the 18th century. Both King Leopold I and King Leopold II preferred to spend their holidays in Oostende, with the latter building a palace, the Hippodrome Wellington (a racetrack), and the Royal Galleries a 380 meter long covered and colonnaded walkway by the wide promenade that allowed the royal family and their guests to walk to the racetrack in any weather.
The two world wars were disastrous for Oostende so that it lacks the old-world charm of other cities in Flanders. The Germans occupied Oostende during WWI and used it as a submarine base, provoking the British to conduct two naval raids that led to destruction of historic buildings but not to a blockade of the port. In WWII, the German Luftwaffe repeatedly bombed the city in May1940, with the British RAF bombing it right after that because of the fear that Germans would use it as a base to invade England. Oostende was the most-bombed Belgian city in that war, with the Allies dropping 407 of the bombs.
Nevertheless, we found a few historic places. Sint Petrus-en-Pauluskerk (The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul), a Catholic church, is near the water. A previous church was destroyed by fire in 1896. All that remains is the impressive brick tower near the new structure. King Leopold II made plans for another, grander church, with construction beginning in 1899; the Neo-gothic building was completed in 1905. The stained glass windows were destroyed in both world wars, but the ones installed after WWII, depicting Saints Peter and Paul, of course, and Belgian royalty, are gorgeous. The soaring columns and pointed arches lead the eye upward, toward heaven, as was the intention of the Gothic style. It is, indeed, awe-inspiring.
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| The exterior of Sint Petrus-en-Paulusker |
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| Stained glass windows in gothic arches |
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| Carved choir seats |
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| The altar of Sint Petrus-en-Paulusker |
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| The old brick tower behind the current cathedral |
After the cathedral, we strolled around in the city center, stopping to enjoy the restful Leopoldpark.
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| Much fondled mermaid statue |
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| Willows, wildflowers and bridges |
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| Peaceful lake |
We returned to the boat mid-afternoon for naps and then dinner before going to the promenade, passing by a unique installation of public art consisting of many bright orange-red shapes resembling crushed cans or large boulders before walking two kilometers and back, as far as the site of the Hippodrome Wellington. There are just a few older buildings including Leopold II's edifices, but most of the hotels look just like the high-rise, beach-front structures that were built in the last 50 years along the mid-Atlantic coast of the U.S. Before returning to
Mantra for the night, we walked a short distance on the cool, fine sand beach as the sunlight faded.
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| Sunset over the North Sea in Oostende |
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The Promenade
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| Rock Strangers |
The next day was a grand day out. We walked 10 minutes to the train station and rode in a luxurious second-class coach on smooth welded tracks for 13 minutes to reach Brugge, a city that somehow was spared the 20th century war bombings. Because of this, most of the the centuries-old meandering streets and expansive squares paved with cobblestones set in sand are still intact.
Our first stop was Salvatorskathedraal (St. Salvador's Cathedral or the Cathedral of the Savior and St. Donatius of Riems). The main part of the building was constructed in the Romanesque style between the mid-13th to the mid-14th century. In 1830 it became a cathedral when a new bishop was installed in Brugge, and a 99-meter tower and Neo-gothic additions were made to reflect its new status.
Lavishly decorated and colorful walls and columns, altarpieces, reliquaries artwork, tapestries, tombs, tryptichs, carved choir stalls, the ornate pulpit--the splendor and beauty of all of these fascinate the eye and are meant to inspire godliness. The sheer amount of treasure in these cathedrals is overwhelming and displays the masive wealth of the Church as well as the devotion of the believers.
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| Salvatorskathedraal interior |
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| Rococo decoration |
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| Items in the Treasure Room |
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| Tryptich behind the altar |
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| Reliquary of Charles the Good |
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| Tapestries above the choir |
The gilded, elaborately carved and lushly painted works in the nave, altar and chapels contrasts with the more simple painted frescoes of four14th-century burial vaults from the earlier Romanesque period discovered in the 1990s and now seen under glass floors. In Medieval Brugge, the dead had to be buried within 24 hours of death. To honor prominent citizens, masons and painters hurriedly constructed small, brick-lined vaults and painted them before the fresh lime plaster dried. Because the paint and plaster dried simultaneously and quickly, the rich colors of the frescoes are integrated in to interior walls of the tombs.
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| 14th century burial vault |
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| 14th century burial vault |
After some time in the cathedral, we strolled past attractively designed and constructed edifices toward the Markt, where the Wednesday market was being held. Grand buildings line the sides of the square, with the Belfort (old bell tower) to the south.
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| Brick facades near the market place |
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| Elaborate exteriors around the square |
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| Fruit vendor stand |
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| The Belfort |
We purchased and ate some the largest strawberries we have ever seen from a fruit vendor and then continued to amble through the old city, stopping in a lace shop to admire the wares and see a sample of bobbin lace making. Only a couple short blocks from the Markt is the Burg, another large open space. The 14th-century City Hall, Renaissance Hall and the 12th-century Basiliek van het-Helling Bloed (the Basilica of the Holy Blood) face this square. We visited two of the chapels of the basilica. The upper, Neo-gothic one is more ornate and displays a reliquary containing some of Jesus' blood. I have to wonder: how and when was this collected and by whom? (Supposedly the drops of blood were brought from Jerusalem by a crusader.) I have the same questions about the body parts of saints. I assume when they died, for the most part, they were given a decent Christian burial. When the deceased person became canonized, which occurs no sooner than at least five years after death, is the body disinterred? Through what macabre process are the relics obtained? Who hacks away at the skeleton and body? It seems ghoulish to me.
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| Bobbin lace |
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| Upper chapel in the Church of the Holy Blood |
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| Exterior of the Church of the Holy Blood |
The lower chapel is more stark, with Romanesque heavy columns and round arches. This is where the crusaders would have worshipped.
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| Lower chapel of the Church of the Holy Blood |
We were getting hungry, so we walked to one of the many canals and found a restaurant with a table overlooking the water, on which tour boats passed, and enjoyed the food and rest. Afterwards, we walked along the canals to visit the Church of Our Lady
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| View from the restaurant |
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| View of canals |
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| Architectural features |
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| Bridge over a canal |
We visited Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (the Church of Our Lady. So many churches!). Constructed mainly during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, its 115.6 meter (379 ft) tower remains the tallest structure in the city and the third largest brickwork church tower in the world. Flying buttresses, cross-vaults and elaborate decoration reflect its mostly Gothic style of architecture. The interior is a wonderful example of the later 18th century Baroque style of ornamentation. One of the treasures of this church is a Madonna and Child sculpted by Michelangelo in the early 1500s.
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| Interior of the Church of Our Lady |
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| Vaulted ceiling and pulpit of the Church of Our Lady |
After admiring the church, we walked back to the Markt, which was still full of tourists. However, the vendors were gone, so the grandness of the square and surrounding buildings was easy to see. We returned to this place to climb the 366 steps of the 83-meter-high, 13th century Belfort van Brugge (the Belfry of Bruges). This belfry is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as is the entire historic center. The steps of the spiral staircase becomes less deep and more worn during the ascent. Luckily, there are a couple rooms to rest and see the city's medieval coffers as well as the music drum and keyboard that control the bells.. Near the top is the carillon, comprised of 27 bells, ranging in weight from two pounds to one weighing 11,000 pounds. In addition, there is a swinging bourdon bell that is only rung on the King's birthday and other special occasions. The views from the top are wide-ranging, with red roofs among park areas of green.
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| de Markt |
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