We drove from Caen to Brugge on Saturday, July 19th to meet Mark, Shea, and McKinley. We checked into our hotel @ Martin's Brugge which was just across from the Market and behind the Belfry and Halls. Our first order of buisness when we arrived was to eat. We ate in the Market area - I enjoyed a wonderful Belguim waffle while Terry had mosseles and frites (mussels and fries). We then set ourselves up for a challenge to climb the steps up the Belfry (Clock and Bell Tower) to check out the views of the city. It wasn't an easy task climbing 366 steps up to the top of the Belfry, especially with Terry having to carry Jaret and the steps getting very narrow. Due to the steps being so steep and windy, many times people had to wait for others coming down before they could attempt to ascend the next flight. The views were magnificent though, despite being overcast with rain. It was extraordinary hearing the bell ring while we were at the top of the tower.
After that we walked around just exploring the city, until it was time for Terry and Mark to go on their beer tour. They toured a brewery which they only had to pay 5 euro for and it included a glass of beer at the end. They really do drink beer over there like it is water. In fact, many places won't serve tap water and the soft drinks and bottled water are as much or more than a beer or glass of wine. The guys enjoyed the tour and the beer. Shea and I had a tiny taste but didn't really care for it as the look on our faces truly tell the story.
The evening was warm and the atmosphere was festive. There was a free open-air concert happening in the market. We enjoyed a nice supper and then just hung out in the market area. We were going to call it a night when we realized that both Jaret and McKinley had fallen asleep in the stroller. We did a little dance and danced right to a pub where we could sit and enjoy a couple of drinks while listening to the concert. It was great!
Sunday we toured through The Chocolate Museum and learned a little more about chocolate. The boys informed us that this tour was a bit of a rip off as we paid 5 euro but only ended with a small little sample of chocolate in the end, nothing compared to the brewery. Before leaving Brugge we walked through a cathedral that dates back to the 12th century. It was amazing and so full of history. Sint-Salvator Cathedral was originally just a common parish but by the 19th century obtained the status of cathedral and it isn't hard to see why as you walk through it.
After eating a little more chocolate and enjoying one more Belgian waffle, we were on our way back to Amsterdam.
AMSTERDAM
We spent the last couple of days of our trip back in Amsterdam. We did a little more walking around to see the city sites and were excited to go and get our picture taken in front of the I AMSTERDAM sign that was not far from where Mark and Shea's place was. As we walked through the park, we were dumbfounded as we noticed the sign had been removed from the spot it was. We went into a few shops around the Museum district to ask the employees about the sign and they were just as dumbfounded as we. They had no idea where it had gone or why and had no warning of it. It was a little too funny actually and taught us that you should never put off tomorrow what you can do today.
One last thing that I enjoyed while in Amsterdam was the Van Gogh Museum. Terry and I spent just over an hour going through the museum and learning more about Van Gogh's life and enjoying many of his paintings. One can really notice the change in his artwork in the ten years that he painted and sketched. It was interesting to read his take on his art through letters he wrote to his brother that were part of the museum display. The more famous works that were included at the museum were - The Potato Eaters, Sunflowers, Irises, Almond Branches in Bloom, Self-Portrait, and Wheatfields With Crows. I was disappointed that Starry Night, Starry Night Over the Rhone, The Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum at Night were not part of the exhibit. But it is understandable that his works are at galleries around the world.
Throughout the trip, I also did what I always do - take pictures of doors. I saw some really great doors though and I just had to capture some of them, despite getting constantly teased by the boys. So, just because, I will attach a few pictures of doors as well. It's just another quirky Jenn thing.
That brings us to the end of our trip and our time in Europe. It was a wonderful trip! When Jaret saw me adding some pictures of Normandy to the blog he said, "Hey, look Mommy, the church. We were there. Can we go back there today?" When I told him that we couldn't just go back and that it was a very long way away he said, "Okay, maybe later." Oh, a childhood conception of life. Have we already instilled in him the desire for travelling the world? Quite possibly.
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