Bricks: our courtyard

Old bricks II

Old bricks

 Bricks are used since the Roman conquest of our country. They got a bit forgotten during early medieval times but regained their popularity again when towns were growing in size and prosperity. Timber was replaced by brick, and elegant buildings were created  by those highly skilled Gothic bricklayers whose work we can still admire today.

Best known of all medieval  bricks is de "moef". Well fired in the kiln they are everlasting.

 Spanish in origin, they were hand-formed and their subtle shades of yellow and salmon-pink

are a pleasure to see.

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Autumn shopping

Graffiti in Ghent

Ghent is a very lively town with a large student community. 

Some are more creative than others, but even the most modest

streetcorner becomes a canvas to express themselves.

Later in life they will be lawyers and scientists. 

Pilgrim spotting

When we are in Santiago doña B. and I love to watch pilgrims arriving. Our favourites are the very traditional ones with their donkeys. Not many pilgrims still want to choose for those gentle but often stubborn animals to transport their travel gear through the Pyrenees Mountains and northen Spain. It must be a great experience for pilgrim and donkey alike. They rent them in Puy-en-Velay, get a short Do's and Don't's training and off they go.
A pilgrim's staff too is needed and choosing one that suits you is an art. Avoid those on sale in souvenir shops and look for a specialist staff carver in the Pyrenees. They study with a keen eye the lenght of your limbs, motoric capabilities and even body mass index if needed, to provide you with the ideal walking stick.
But a modern pilgrim goes to his local outdoor shop, that's less complicated. 
www.ot-lepuyenvelay.fr

trekking bike and cell phone instead
of donkey and staff.

www.csj.org.uk

Bruges by bicycle

Bicycles are very popular in Bruges. They are the most common mean of transport for schoolchildren, housewives doing shopping and elderly citizens on their way to their favorite tea room. But policemen too use them to patrol the streets, and many tourists consider a good bicycle as ideal to explore the town.
To rent one, if you didn't brought your own pushbike, is no problem.  There is a good shop in the Hallestraat  www.adventure-bike-renting.be. More addresses can be found here: staatopdekaart.be/total/brugge/5 . The Tourist Office can provide you  with special route maps and all necessary documentation 
As most streets are laid in cobblestones some experience is needed. Driving a bicycle in Bruges is far from dangerous, there are good bicycle paths outside the center and good indications everywhere. It may look a bit scary to drive a cycle in the center, but traffic is slow and the locals are used to share the streets with many cyclists. Anyway be careful and remember that traffic rules may differ from those in your own country. One-way streets are very common in Bruges but exceptions are often made for cyclists, they are indicated by traffic signs. 
If cycling is rather tiresome, then try to rent one of the many carriages and let you drive around in grand style.

Two police bicycles and a complex traffic situation

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