May 20, Thursday. Up early and off to the train, we had to take the bus part of the way and walk the remaining 700meters. We bought our tickets to Brugge for the Holy Day procession.

We had to decide which train to take, the stop train (which stops at all the towns in between Ghent and Brugge) or the express that goes direct to Brugge. After some discussion it was decided that we would take the stop train. So off we go !!  It was a very nice train, plush seats for comfort and so smooth and quiet you really couldn’t tell we were moving.  When the conductor arrived to take our tickets, we were in first class.  Unfortunately we had paid for second soooo…. At the next stop we had to move to the second class car. It was very nice as well, but a bit more noisy and bumpy. When we arrived in Brugge, the St. Salvador’s bell was ringing.  A very persistent ring but it still sounded great. Following the sound and we made our way to the church. They were getting ready for mass and the church was packed. Standing room only. After waiting awhile we soon heard what sounded like trumpets coming from a distance. The sound drew closer and then entered the church. It was a honor guard carrying the Relic of the Sacred Blood. There were dignitaries both from the church and the city. The smell of incense was everywhere. Sometimes words are not enough to describe the events of the day, and this is one of those days. The sounds and smells are overwhelming. The ceremony was in Dutch, so we couldn’t understand much. When leaving the church, we saw hundreds of chairs set out in front of the shops along the street. We were told that these chairs were for viewing the Parade later in the day. For 7 euros you could reserve one for the day. We decided that was for us. There were already thousands of people milling around and we wanted to be sure we would have good views of the procession. It was 11:00am at this time and the procession stated at 3:00 so we headed out to St. Jans and the internet café. We had our trusty map but still lost our way. Tired and hungry we spotted a lovely little hotel and café on the canal and had ourselves a treat and some coffee before heading back.

This time we found the internet café and got some emails sent. The whole city was now teaming with people and it was getting hard to move around. So we found a wonderful French deli, bought a baguette sandwich, a wonderful apple raspberry tart, and headed for our reserved seats. We had a great lunch while watching the people. It was so interesting. At 3:00 the street was still filled with people. What? Well they do not clear the streets until the procession is upon them and then they have to dart off wherever they can. Interesting to say the least. The parade started with much heraldry, trumpets, horns and drums. The costumes were rich and colorful. They started with Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses , Pharaohs to the Birth of Christ and his life

 and death.

 It was all very colorful and dramatic with herds of sheep, camels, donkeys and lots of magnificent horses. Many bands, all dressed in medieval costumes. And the Relic of the Sacred Blood came toward the end with all the church bells in the city ringing. Wow!!! 

We headed back to get the train to Ghent.  This time we took the extra train.  Extra is for; flying back to Ghent. Very fast!! We walked back to camp, had some wine, and a dinner of Schnitzel. What a day!!!!

19 May ’04, Wednesday. After a great breakfast we pulled the van out of the pitch and headed off to Laarne. We went the wrong way….. Well, it wasn’t the first time and I’ll be you it wont be the last. As it was we had a nice drive. We finally did find our way to Laarne. In Laarne there is a castle that was commissioned by Dietrich of Alsace in the 12th Century. It really is a beautiful castle and it would have been even better if it were open!!! After enjoying our drive and finally finding the castle we found out it was only open on Sundays. This was WEDNESDAY? Oh well… We did get onto the grounds and got some nice pictures before they found us and ask us to leave.

Well not all was lost. Another decision was made on the road and so we headed off to Oudenaarde. I sure hope all of you are keeping up with all your map work as we transverse Europe (I’m speaking to our grandkids). Another very beautiful city with quite a few very interesting and gorgeous buildings and grounds. The Stadhuis (City Hall), is a masterpiece that was erected in 1526. Built in the Renaissance style with an extremely high roof and divided in half by an elegant bell tower. We were able to spend at least 3 hours there before we had to head for the grocery store and on to the pitch in Ghent. Tonight…. Shish-Kebobs !! Tomorrow…Train ride to Brugge for “The Day Of The Ascension” which is a MAJOR holiday here. The procession of the relic of the “Holy Blood” from the Basilica to other churches were additional masses are said. Many more processions will be held throughout the city all day.

18 May ’04, Tuesday. There were a number of sites and walks that we wanted to take before we left Ghent. Again, we caught the bus into town center and taking our trusty guide (a pamphlet acquired at the campgrounds) we took the unguided city tour. Our first stop was Ghent’s Belfry. The 14th century Belfry symbolizes the harsh battle of the Ghent people for liberty, independence, democracy and social justice. The clock and the chiming of bells regulated each aspect of daily life. From the opening and shutting of the city gates to even announcing the militia to be called up. Work to build the Belfry started in 1313 and took about 18 months to complete. The ringing of the bells is done by a large drum that operates exactly like a drum music box and is activated every 15 minutes. When the mechanical clocking device gives it’s notice that the time has arrived for the chimes to commence, the drum starts to roll. As the strikers that are positioned on the drum (and they do move these around every 6 months to produce a new melody) strike a pin, then that pin pulls a rope and the rope pulls the striker on the bell to sound. We had arrived just 10 minutes prior to the striking of the bells at noon. The bells can also be rung by a carillon. Beautiful experience…. At the very top of the Belfry was positioned a Art-Nouveau-like iron and copper dragon.

The first dragon was placed into position on March 31st, 1544. It has been re-built at least 6 times if not more. Originally it did spit fire from it’s mouth. The last dragon to be put into position was done with the help of a helicopter and was set on the spire in 1980. Our climb to the bell tower covered 90 meters (that is a lot with all of it small winding stairs in a very narrow passage). We visited the ornate opera house,

 city hall, the Sikkel, St Michaels, and much more. It was a very full day. We even purchased what we needed to make a great lunch that we ate sitting on the bank of the Leie. Tomorrow….Laarne.

17 May ’04, Monday. Gant or Ghant or Gand…. Your choice. The weather has really been outstanding for the last 4 days and it looks like it will continue for a while yet. Before getting out of Oostende, we had one more stop that we wanted to make. “Fort Napoleon”.

 Napoleon built this fort as defense against a possible attack and invasion from England. This invasion never came, and the fort was completed only upon the fall of Napoleon in 1814. This fort was used by the German military during WWI and II. There are deep “Pill Boxes”,

 tunnels, sleeping quarters, and heavy gun attachments all along the shoreline and surrounding “Fort Napoleon”.

It kind of gives you a strange feeling walking over and around all of them knowing just how they were used . Our ride to Gant was easy and only took about an hour or just a little less. It is amazing the little distances between the cities that we have all heard or read about. If this were just the state of Washington our drive today would have been like driving from Seattle to Everett when the freeways were clear enough for a straight through drive. We have experienced very little heavy traffic on the main roads or even the city or town thoroughfares. As we pulled into the campgrounds we found that this campground would be quite different as well. We are about a 45 minute walk into Gant Centro. Also on the grounds here is a lake, ski hill (plastic surfaced mountain), many tennis courts, walking and jogging trails, full restaurant, grocery store and over 200 campsites that each are divided by a 5’ hedge and are quite large. We have as much privacy as anyone would possibly want. I really can’t tell you how much we are enjoying ourselves. Because it was quite warm and we weren’t too sure just how far it was into Gant we decided to catch the bus that stops right outside the gate. As we arrived in Gant we were really impressed by what was all around us. Each and every town and city that we have had a chance to visit have impressed us and this one certainly didn’t let us down. Our first choice was to visit St Bavo’s Cathedral.

 A beautiful cathedral combining Romanesque, High Gothic and Late Gothic architecture. I remember reading the journal of Bruce and Peg on their trip through Europe and one thing that Peg had mentioned a number of times was just how dirty the very old buildings were from all the pollution…they are, from a dirty gray to black. It is very sad, but I guess we have to remember just how long they have been exposed. None the less, they leave you in a state of awe. As we stepped inside the cathedral, Louise and I both gasped. Saint Baafskahedrall is really a beautiful and stately piece to behold. Construction was started in 1228 and it wasn’t completed until the 17th Century. As they say, “It is one of the 7 wonders of Belgium”. It has it’s own fine art collection to view but, since they are remodeling the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, they have been given a nice collection on loan that is displayed in “The Crypt at St. Bavo’s “. I really felt that this was one of the greatest display areas that we have had a chance to view fine art. One thing that could have been a little enhanced was the lighting but, this was “The Crypt” and not a gallery. This crypt was in fact the original church, and now everything that is “The Cathedral” is built on top of it. The walls of the Crypt were painted with religious scenes of the early church.

 The brick walls were covered with a limestone mix and then painted with these beautiful scenes. One particular painting that caught and has held my attention is “Christ Carrying The Cross” by Hieronymus Bosch c. 1450-1516. If you can look it up on the web I would like your comments…. We had 2 hours left to get to “The Castle of the Counts” and see it before it closed.

This medieval fortress was built in 1180 by Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders. It seems strange to have a castle like this one smack dab in the middle of town but there it is, moat and all.

14 May ’04, Friday. This morning we packed up the van and had to make one last trip into Brugge. We wanted to see the 4 very old windmills that run along the banks of the circling canal of Brugge. One of them is still grinding grain on a regular basis. These mills were some of the prettiest we have seen. After a walk along the canal and a short walk in towards town we got back into “Bumble Bee” and headed off for lunch and a new destination along the shores of the North Sea. Our trip of about 30km or about 25-30 minutes took us into Oostende. We were really caught of guard by the size of Oostende as we arrived. Much bigger and had more taller and modern buildings than we’ve seen since we left Cairo, Egypt. They had a large “Free” parking lot very close-in to the center of town so we jumped at this opportunity with out hesitation. Walking the “Boardwalk” around toward the waterfront was very nice. If anything, they had so much new construction going on that it did get in the way of our enjoying the city to it’s fullest. We got lucky in finding a internet café right off. A very nice couple from England had started it and it seems to be a very good business for them. One of the main highlights of our visit to Oostende was our visit to their Cathedral.

It was spectacular to say the least. Only one problem, we didn’t find any information about it and we forgot to look for the name as well….sorry. The stained glass windows were by far the most impressive we have had a chance to see. One thing of interest about them, was the design the artist used was a very modern approach with both the pattern and the figures. Obviously we liked them a lot. Back to our van and with a new destination in mind we headed North up the coast about 8km or so. We didn’t have any place in mind so when we saw a camping sign we pulled in and set ourselves right up. We are just across the street from the sand dunes that lead down to the North Sea. The motor had barely shut down and we were off across the dunes and up the beach bare-footed. The North Sea wasn’t as cold on our feet as we had thought it might be. We walked for quite awhile up the beach and wouldn’t you know it, we found a nice little Belgium pub right in front of us. This gave us a chance to try a couple of beers that are new to us. I had a Duvel and Louise had a Hoegarten. The bartender told me the Duvel was a little heavier on the alcohol content (8.5%) and I will attest to that fact as well…wow!! There was a good reason we walked all the way down the beach….we had to walk all the way back as well and I needed it after only one. After getting back we had planned a barbecue of chicken breast for our dinner. Well nuts, we have run out of gas for the barbecue already. Something is wrong. We really should have a lot more gas left than that. The weather seems to have gotten a little better so we’ve decided to stay here for at least one more day so that we can really enjoy the sea a little bit longer.

12 May, ‘04 Wednesday. Bruges, pop. 116,000. Wow, where to begin. We started out early, about 9:30am and walked to the city about 4 km, just over 3 miles. As we entered the city, we saw they were restoring a complex of homes and businesses from around 1600.

Amazing! We came upon a small church and went inside. It was beautiful and very old. As we entered the city it was like stepping back in time. All the old and ornate buildings with cobbled narrow streets. It took our breath away. Our first stop was St. Savior church. This church was started in the 1400’s and built over 200yrs. It has been remodeled many times and there are no words to describe its beauty. It contains many priceless paintings and tapestries.

The pulpit is carved of oak and very ornate. There is a wonderful statue of God the Father by Quellinus jr. 1679. The gothic choir stalls from 1430 have sculpted seats, with scenes of everyday life. In 1478 the coat of arms of the knights of the golden fleece were placed above the choir stalls. Over whelming! Next we visited a museum of Auguste Rodin sculptures and other 19th century artists. Then on to more art and sculpture, this time by modern artists. We had lunch from a deli, some great sandwiches, olives from an open market and macaroons form the bakery. Yummy! We ate in the Grote Markt, a big square outside the townhall. Then we went to the cathederal of Our Lady c. 1270. This is where tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgundy are. Also the statue of Madonna and Child by Michelangelo

and The Crucifixion, a painting by Anthony Van Dyck. After this we went to The Bequinage, a community of homes where religious women who did not want to take vows lived and did good deeds. This community dates from the 1500’s. The church St. Elizabeths, was small but had many beautiful paintings, statues and carvings. I have not mentioned the stained glass windows in these churches, huge and very intricate. The older churches we visited in the Netherlands, had most of the art destroyed in the 1500s during the Reformation, so this is the first we’ve seen with the sculptures and paintings intact. We headed back to camp about 3:30 and had some wine and a nap. What a day!