We didn't get far. We exited the parking garage at Koning Albert I Laan to a torrential downpour. Luckily, it was time for lunch. We snuck into a fabulous Belgian restaurant across the square for a two hour lunch and stayed warm and toasty. Elisabeth ordered tomato soup, Kate ordered spaghetti, I ordered the fish soup and Rich ordered the beef stew. Delicious! The girls especially enjoyed the rye bread! Two baskets!
The Belfry
After lunch we walked along Steenstr to the Grand Plaza. We climbed the Belfry which dominates the city's main square, the Market. A narrow, steep staircase of 366 steps leads to the top of the 83-meter-high building. There was no charge for children under three, but Kate climbed all 366 steps herself, up and down! We listened to a carillon concert while climbing and watched the carilloneur play the carillon on the hand keyboard (although Elisabeth complained that it was too loud).
Belgian Chocolates and a Carriage Ride
Fortunately for us it stopped raining when we left the Belfry. The square surrounding the Belfry is ringed with Gothic and ne0-gothic buildings. Elisabeth's favorite was the pink building, Kate's the yellow (not surprising to us!). Several small shops in Brugges make their own chocolate. While Elisabeth, Kate and I waited in line for the carriage ride, Rich walked to Dumon, one of the best chocolate stores and factories in Brugges. Fortunately, an American in line in front of us told Rich where it was located just off the Grand Plaza. Rich returned just in time for us to savor some chocolates during our 35 minute carriage ride through historic Brugges. Delicious! After the carriage ride Elisabeth said that she wants to have a carriage and drive it when she grows up!
Begijnhof
The carriage ride took us through historic Brugges. We stopped for 10 minutes at the Begijnhof to give the horse some water and oats. We strolled around the Begijnhof, one of the most picturesque squares in Brugges. The Begijnhof was originally a haven for women whose husband's died in the Crusades. The widows pledged obedience to God and spent their time praying and making lace for a living. Today, Begijnhof is home to the Benedictine nuns.
The Church of Our Lady: Michelangelo's Madonna and Child
After the carriage ride we walked to The Church of Our Lady to see Michelangelo's Madonna and Child, his only sculpture outside of Italy. Upon entering the Church Elisabeth was in awe of the sculpture. She just wanted to sit and look at it. She asked questions about the other sculptures, but the Madonna and Child captured her attention most (although I wonder if she was just tired from walking all day?).
Canal Ride
We exited the Church of Our Lady around 4:00pm. We had just enough time for a quick boat ride on the canal before dinner. Brugges is often called the "Venice of the North" and its canals are impressive and beautiful. Taking the boat tour provided one of the best ways to see Brugges and understand it (especially with two young children in tow!).
Quicko's (= McDonald's)
The girls were exhausted, as were we. So we walked back to the Grand Plaza and found a Quicko's. A quick 30 minute meal. We enjoyed chicken nuggets, fries, hamburgers and coca-cola (the girls had milk) while looking out over the Grand Plaza. Just what we needed before walking back to the parking garage and driving home to Brussels.
All in all a great decision to brave the rain: we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at a gourmet restaurant and had a terrific afternoon discovering Brugges with the girls. Nice for us that the blue sky appeared after the Belfry! We fell in love with Brugges. There was so much to see that we will have to return to visit the Chocolate Museum, the Groeninge Museum, the Gruuthuse Museum, the St. Janshospitaal, the windmills and the Memling Museum. We found ourselves fascinated with Brugges, the people, the history and the art.
