Bicycles in Bruges

Still waiting for winter!

There are no snow-clad ramparts for the moment, nor ice-covered ditches.

Autumn still rules the town and winter seems further away than ever!

Minnewater, a love story

One of Bruges most famous landmarks is the Minnewater nearby the Beguinage. Often wrongly translated as "Love Lake" or "lac d'Amour", it simply means Minne's water, as the lake was a former property of the Minne family. The somewhat archaic verb "minnen" (to love), caused a bit of confusion.
This may all seem  very unromantic, but there is a love story!
I heard it long ago and will try to write it down as I recall it.
In those days, when Rome started to loose its grip on the Northern part of its empire, there was a small hamlet nearby the river Ruya. More or less where you have the actual Town Hall.
When the farmers went to their fields in the morning, they had to pass the hut of a Saxon settler who dwelled nearby the lake. He never got a kind greeting from them, nor did he got one in the evening.
His name was father Minna, and he disliked the locals just the same way they disliked him.
Father Minna had a daughter, a very pretty lass, who used to go every morning to the lake, with some laundry to wash.
On the one hand, the men of the little township were maybe very decided in denying father Minna's existence,on the other hand, they loved the presence of his daughter.
They exchanged friendly greetings with her, and she smiled and waved back to them, cheering them up for the rest of the day.  One particular young lad  got all her attention. She blew him kisses, followed him with her eyes until he disappeared in the distance and forgot  all about her laundry.
It doesn't need to be said that the boy was very pleased to be the subject of all her attention, and after a few weeks they had their daily chat in the morning, and in the evening.
Then came the hugs and the sweet words...and they fell in love.
Unfortunately they were not very discreet and, in no time, the whole neighbourhood knew about their feelings for each other.
The young boy was ordered by the shocked villagers to stay home when the others went to work, and a furious father Minna forbade his daughter to be outside the hut when there was people around. The poor girl was completely heartbroken but didn't dare to ignore her father's order. She had to wait until sunset to go out in the dark, and then she sat there by the water, whole alone and silently weeping.
In those days, every lake, spring or river had a spirit. Those spirits guarded the waters and made sure they stayed clean and healthy. As healthy water was very important, the locals often prayed to those spirits and threw coins in the lakes and rivers as an offering for good luck and happiness.
Minnewater has its local spirit too, and luckily it's a good-hearted one. He overheard the girl's lamentations and felt very sorry for her. He also knew about the settler and the villagers, and their mutual dislike for each other, and he decided to help the young girl who was so deeply unhappy.
Those ancient spirits had a fair knowledge of magic and the lake spirit had no problem in transforming himself into a little spider. He climbed in a small tree beside the girl and found a good place in the foliage above her head. Then he started to weave a web, a special magic web.
The threads formed characters and a message could be read, saying that the youngsters' love was appreciated and approved by all the celestial powers.
When the girl saw the spider's creation, she couldn't believe her eyes. Two seconds later she ran to the village, overwhelmed with happiness, to tell her boyfriend and everyone else about the miracle.
The people of the hamlet came to see the wonderful web and even father Minna was alerted by the commotion they all made.
He gazed in amazement to the web and then  looked at his daughter and the boy, and the villagers. 
And he started to laugh, and because he did so, the villagers too started to laugh.
And it all ended with people being happy, a beautiful wedding and a satisfied spirit, sitting on the bottom of his lake.
If you pass Minnewater,do throw a coin into the lake. I don't know if the spirit is going to fulfill your wishes, but maybe he still loves to make a bit of extra cash.

www.brugge.be
www.flandes.net

Christmas shopping in Lille

Patisserie Meert is far more than a regular patisserie, it's an institute! Founded in 1761, the shop and tea room in the rue Esquermoise still serves refined pastries to the gentry of France and Belgium.
Even Leopold I, first king of Belgium, became one of their most illustrious customers.
ize: x-small;">Meert was rebuilded and redecorated in the first half of the 19th century, and kept its Victorian atmosphere until now.
www.meert.fr

Galician laundry II

Laundry is an important protagonist in Spanish streets, as mentioned in a previous post. The value it adds to the colourfulness of the street scenery can never be underestimated. Alas, not everyone has a good taste in choosing a decent beach towel. This one was proudly put on display in Betanzos.

Waiting for winter

Last winter came early, with lots of snow, and don G. loved it.  Due to a salt shortage the snow covered roads, and highways were a nightmare, especially for doña B.

This year seems to be a three season year, with a long autumn between summer and spring, and no winter at all. This is not a problem for those (like don G.) who love outdoor winter pleasure, because a temporary ice skating rink on the market square provides a lot of fun in a grand setting, dominated by the Provincial Palace.

A few square meters of winter for the children, and snow free roads for the adults, isn't it nice?

Rural Bruges II

Rural Bruges

Some parts of Bruges kept their rural character, giving us the opportunity of visiting town and countryside at the very same moment. The old defences that enclosed Bruges obstructed the expansion of the city, and in the 13th century it was decided that a new ring of defences had to be constructed.

The, a bit overenthusiastic, town councillors had a too optimistic idea about the growth of the population in the future, and most of the newly enclosed space was never built-up until the 19th century.

Even then, some parts of Bruges kept their rural aspect into the 21st century. Farm buildings are now a part of the urban landscape, as well as high garden walls and an occasional village street.

A touch of countryside in the town center! We love it.
www.brugge.be

www.flandes.net

Gaelic ghosts of Pontedeume

A weatherbeaten statue with an eroded face ,and a worn monk's robe in a museum.

A joyful evening

Spanish people love social life, and often gather together in the local pub for a joyful evening. A good glass of wine, and some tapas, assure that the economic crisis and increasing uncertainties  can be forgotten for a moment. The hard reality of daily life softens in the cerveceria, when you are in good company.

Frieten, patatas fritas, chips, frites...or french fries? part II

A mobile snack bar appears in the street and is immediately surrounded by a flock of people. It's a well known business in the regio, and the locals know their products are of outstanding quality. Quite necessary for a snack bar that goes by the name of "Health Pharmacy".

A second ship model

There is a second ship model in a chapel. In de Blindekenskapel (chapel of the Blind), in the Kreupelenstraat (street of the Cripples). The chapel belongs to the former almshouses for the blind, and is pictured in the post titled "Godshuizen". As there was a great shortage of food in 1588, the arrival of the "St-Andries",with it's cargo of grain, saved the citizens of Bruges from starvation. A model of the "St-Andries" hangs in the chapel since then.

Sailing among the stars

The ship model in the chapel (1683).

A lovely chapel

Hidden between the canal Bruges-Ostend, and the railroad to the coast, is that most wonderful place. A scenery, that reminds the 17th century, displays itself before the eyes of the occasional bypasser. The canal -been dug during Spanish rule- and rows of majestic trees dominate the landscape, in which a modest chapel, and some old farms are located beside a manor house.
Doña B. and I love this spot!
The chapel is called "kapel van't Boompje", meaning "chapel of the Tree". It was constructed in 1664 by a nobleman, Andries De La Coste. His father was a Genoese merchant and as his mama's name was Livina De Valencia, I can only suppose he had Spanish roots too.
The story goes that two seamen found a statue of Mary under a lime tree. It was brought to the local church, but appeared the next morning again under the tree. Since then, the spot is a place of pilgrimage for sailors and farmers.
The ship model hanging from the ceiling is an ex-voto, donated in 1683 by some men whose ship survived a severe storm.
Making ship models still had a purpose in those days.

www.flandes.net

Godshuizen

From the 14th century onwards, rich people and corporations donated money to built houses for the needy. Eldery citizens, widows and the disabled found a home in those "Godshuizen"(almshouses). In general a dozen of them surround a courtyard, together with a chapel. Once the courtyard was used for cultivating a few vegetables. There was a public waterpump too, and some outdoor toilets.
The name of the donator, or donating family, is often painted on the wall, together with the founding year, and -sometimes- a family coat of arms.
The courtyards became nice gardens, and nowadays the almshouses are often oases of peace and rest, where retired residents still find a cosy home.

www.gidsenkringbrugge.com/en/overons.html
www.flandes.net