020 Belgium part 2

 

Belgium: Bruges & Gent

 



I wasn't up to this climb of 366 steps. It was pouring so after a quick walk around the market (centre bottom) I settled in a lovely café for a dark beer. The two Americans next to me asked me what I was drinking and asked for the same. When the bills came my beer was 6E, theirs was 12E plus 6E service tax. The waiter had winked at me, so perhaps I don't look as dishevelled as I feel!!!

These two horses were definitely sharing  a romance. They were very cute to watch and looked like they were having a good old chat :)

This is a small church. We attended a service where they offered the opportunity to touch a relic supposed to contain the blood of Christ. It was a bit to weird for my taste.

 

There is some amazing beer here but you'd have to live here quite some time to be able to really 'test' it all. This shopkeeper was apologetic that he currently only had 630 different beers in stock.

Everywhere you turn there is just amazing architecture/ history.

When we went into the Gent castle there were hundreds of young school children dressed in medieval dress. One teacher had his group enthralled and had them patrolling the ramparts with their pretend pikes. I could have watched them in the torture display for hours as they were so entertaining pretending to put on thumb screws, garrotte each other, stab ... etc.

The small hotel we were staying at has links with the AIS cycling team. The green car is their car that stays here for when they visit. Only one team member was there when we were. A young man who will represent us in Rio. He had been there a month. All expenses paid. He has full board (3 meals a day) plus his washing done. So when I asked if he was missing home I wasn't surprised when he said "not really". This sport is obviously well supported with grants.

 

 

Well that was Belgium and we loved it.

And finally the oldest known oil painting - the adoration of the mystic lamb, painted in 1463. Two bits are not authentic as they were 'lost' when the Nazi's took the artwork during the second world war.