BRUGGE WALK

We are thoroughly enjoying our visit to Brugge. We are staying at a fabulous little B&B in a 17th century house ( no, it is not cold, or drafty, but incredibly cozy) that was inhabited by nuns until 1953.
This morning we headed out to explore, visiting the Basilica of the Holy Blood, build in 1150 to house the drops of Christ's blood that a crusader brought back from Jerusalem.
Regardless of what your beliefs are, it is very special to be in such a beautiful place, and we were privileged to witness the ceremony of bringing out the vial from behind the silver tabernacle that it usually sits behind, giving people a chance to view it.
We continued on our city walk, enjoying the canal views and the clip clop of the horse drawn carriages.
We toured the Church of Our Lady, and saw Michelanglo's "Madonna and Child". He carved this ( in Carrera marble) in between breaks from carving his masterpiece "David". It is said to be the only Michelangelo statue to ever leave Italy in his lifetime. The Brugge businessman who bought it and donated it to the church, is buried beneath it. It is beautiful.
We also saw the tombs of Mary of Burgundy and her father, Charles the Bold. Excavations in the church
in 1979 turned up other painted grave markings which were quite fascinating.
We ended our day with a great dinner in Market Square, at a great restaurant where we sampled a few Belgian Blondes, beer that is.
We are hoping the weather dries up and warms a bit, as we would love to get on a couple of bikes and tour around the countryside....stay tuned