September 2 – Thursday It was sunny with some high clouds, but cool 55 degrees to low 60s
Today was supposed to be our “down day” which means a ‘take it easy day’, but it wasn’t. We have found over years of traveling, that every few days we need a day of rest or else we get burned out.
It’s actually very difficult for us to stop and rest while we’re traveling because we both seem to be driven to keep going. We really have to fight the urge to “see what’s beyond the next corner” and just stop and relax and rest and become renewed before the body gives out.
Our plan today was to see just one thing, then return to the hotel and rest, and then go out later for dinner. In our guide-book under the category of “Tranquil Escapes” was the “Prinselijk Begijnhof ten Wijngaarde” or in English: the Princely Beguinage of the Vineyard. All the Flemish begijnhofen are UNESCO World Heritage sites and since Bruges already has this status, the begijnhofen is pretty special and we thought it would be well worth the visit.
The Begijns were religious women who accepted vows of chastity and obedience, but preferred to earn a living by taking care of the sick, and making and selling lace. The order provided an option for women to live without a husband and children, but without becoming a nun. There were no other options for women at the time. It was founded in 1245 by the Countess Margaret of Constantinople.
There are no more Begijns today, but the Begijnhof is occupied by Benedictine nuns who try to keep the Begijn traditions alive. (Whatever that means!)
We decided to visit the Begijnhof in the morning. It was on the edge of the city near the outer moat and we walked through a different part of Bruges to get there. There is a small museum in one of the houses and the convent’s baroque church is open to visitors.
The guidebook gives this appropriate description: “This beautiful little cluster of 17th century white-washed houses surrounding a lawn with poplar trees and flowers makes a marvelous escape from the hustle and bustle of the outside world.” This is exactly what the Begijnhof was! It was a beautiful tranquil place within a beautiful historic place…..
We had a cup of tea and relaxed a bit at a corner tea shop. We walked to the outer moat and along the Minnewater (lake) near the train station. We continued to walk and take photographs.
Bruges is a very photogenic city with a lot of character and beautiful historic architecture. We returned to the Navarra Hotel to rest up a little and later went out for dinner.
Earlier I did a Google search to find the best moules et frites restaurant because I wanted really good mussels, and found a restaurant near the Stadhuis (town hall). We walked there and waited a few minutes until they opened at 6:00 PM. We shared a delicious fish soup (vis soep) and I had moule Provencal. Jeff had fried mussels in butter and garlic. After dinner we walked around the central markt and savored our last few hours in Bruges. This is one of Europe’s loveliest and well-preserved medieval cities. It is a delightful city which we both like and want to return to again some day.
