Bruges! The new Cortona!
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Bruges, Belgium
Music: Aigle Noir, I’m Looking Through You
Books: Heheheh
Beers: Gueuze Bellevue, Orval, Stella Artois, Chimay Brune, Wortegemse Jenever, Straffe Hendrik
What a town! I am immediately charmed by this relic of the medieval era. As we wind our way to the Main Place to meet Prof. Sherridan for another guided visit, we walk down street after street of perfectly maintained and unspoiled medieval houses. This place reminds me of Venice in the visceral, palpable sense of history that it radiates.
The tour begins where the city was founded: the first port. We are told the story of the Belgian noble who stole the king of France’s daughter, hid with her in the boggy marshes of what is now Bruges to avoid the king’s men, and bravely fought off a bear, thus earning the king’s respect—and his daughter—and went on to found Bruges as a stronghold against the vikings. Though the story seems a little far-fetched, it has nevertheless permanently associated the bear with Bruges, and this is the first thing we are shown: a bear in an alcove on the side of city hall.
Bruges, it would appear, also boasts the former residence of the Van der Burse banking family, the first to emit and deal in the trading of stocks, thereby establishing the second-oldest stock market in the world (the oldest apparently being in Genoa).
Prof. Sherridan’s devised a thorough visit which takes us to Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk—literally the church of Our Dear Lady. En d’autres mots: l’église de Notre Dame. This gothic church boasts the only sculpted work by Michelangelo Buonarotti to leave Italy during his lifetime : La Pietà.
Everything about this town makes me want for a simpler life, the kind of life that would afford me the luxury of living in a bucolic city like this one. I keep having to myself that to some people, this town is where they were born, where they went to school, got married, raised children and buried their parents …
Once the tour is finished, a few of us make our way to the Belfy in a hurry before it closes for the day. The Belfry is the town’s main tower, and its 366 narrow and tortuous steps lead to a viewing platform with stunning vistas. Again, I am hit by a deep-seated feeling of kinship for this kind of city. Should I dig deeper? Am I attracted to them because they, like me, are seemingly random agglomerations? The organic nature of this chaos, the seeming disorder—all of it makes the town even more genuine and true.
The evening begins at Le Panier d’Or, and ends at a nondescript pub featuring something that is mighty attractive in this weather: a fireplace! We spend many hours (and many Euros) here, and leave for the station in time for the last train—or so we thought.
It needn’t be reiterated here, but I’ll just say that next time, I’ll make sure I leave my fate in my own hands.
Music: Aigle Noir, I’m Looking Through You
Books: Heheheh
Beers: Gueuze Bellevue, Orval, Stella Artois, Chimay Brune, Wortegemse Jenever, Straffe Hendrik
What a town! I am immediately charmed by this relic of the medieval era. As we wind our way to the Main Place to meet Prof. Sherridan for another guided visit, we walk down street after street of perfectly maintained and unspoiled medieval houses. This place reminds me of Venice in the visceral, palpable sense of history that it radiates.The tour begins where the city was founded: the first port. We are told the story of the Belgian noble who stole the king of France’s daughter, hid with her in the boggy marshes of what is now Bruges to avoid the king’s men, and bravely fought off a bear, thus earning the king’s respect—and his daughter—and went on to found Bruges as a stronghold against the vikings. Though the story seems a little far-fetched, it has nevertheless permanently associated the bear with Bruges, and this is the first thing we are shown: a bear in an alcove on the side of city hall.
Bruges, it would appear, also boasts the former residence of the Van der Burse banking family, the first to emit and deal in the trading of stocks, thereby establishing the second-oldest stock market in the world (the oldest apparently being in Genoa).
Prof. Sherridan’s devised a thorough visit which takes us to Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk—literally the church of Our Dear Lady. En d’autres mots: l’église de Notre Dame. This gothic church boasts the only sculpted work by Michelangelo Buonarotti to leave Italy during his lifetime : La Pietà. Everything about this town makes me want for a simpler life, the kind of life that would afford me the luxury of living in a bucolic city like this one. I keep having to myself that to some people, this town is where they were born, where they went to school, got married, raised children and buried their parents …
Once the tour is finished, a few of us make our way to the Belfy in a hurry before it closes for the day. The Belfry is the town’s main tower, and its 366 narrow and tortuous steps lead to a viewing platform with stunning vistas. Again, I am hit by a deep-seated feeling of kinship for this kind of city. Should I dig deeper? Am I attracted to them because they, like me, are seemingly random agglomerations? The organic nature of this chaos, the seeming disorder—all of it makes the town even more genuine and true.The evening begins at Le Panier d’Or, and ends at a nondescript pub featuring something that is mighty attractive in this weather: a fireplace! We spend many hours (and many Euros) here, and leave for the station in time for the last train—or so we thought.
It needn’t be reiterated here, but I’ll just say that next time, I’ll make sure I leave my fate in my own hands.
posted by Nic at 8:18 PM
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