We headed to Market Square and went to climb the belfry, but it is closed this week for refurbishment! Lame! Super bummed that we can’t climb it. We walked to Burg Square instead, which is supposed to be fantastic, but I was not impressed, and like Market Square much better. We then followed our itinerary we made last night, and walked to the Chocolate Museum. There are so many chocolate shops lining the streets here. It basically goes chocolate shop, chocolate shop, lace shop, chocolate shop! So, as if we haven’t gotten enough chocolate in already, we decided to go to the Chocolate Museum. Upon entering they let you sample pieces of dark, milk, and white chocolate. I was in heaven! The museum takes you through the history of chocolate, starting with the Mayans thousands of years ago, through Cortez’s crusades, Europe’s upper classes drinking chocolate for social status, and all the way to today. The lower floors had statues made out of chocolate, including a life size chocolate statue of Barack Obama (although there was very little resemblance). Got more samples of chocolate on our way out and also bought some chocolates! Bruges is really chocolate heaven!
Afterwards we walked to the Groeninge Museum to see the old Flemish masters. I liked this museum so much more than Accademia in Venice. It only cost us €1 to get in, because we are students. It usually costs €8!
After the museum we went to the Church of Our Lady, where Michelangelo’s ‘Madonna with Child’ is. The statue is one of the few Michelangelos outside Italy.
We then went to the Begijnhof nunnery. A rough history of ‘Nuns and Pretty Flowers’… Feminism in Flanders was born around the year 1200. A group of religious women got a bit mystical in their beliefs – getting married to Jesus and things like that – and the Catholic Church wanted the bury them alive. The women, called ‘Beguines’, thought otherwise. They started their own communities all over Flanders, and became tolerated as more or less independent women helping the poor. Today 26 beguinages still exist in Flanders, but there’s only one beguine alive. Today, the beguinages are part of Unesco World Heritage, just like the Egyptian pyramids. In the center of the small community is an inner courtyard/park filled with beautiful trees and tulips. The buildings are all white and are very pretty. It was such a serene, beautiful place!
We sat on a bench outside the nunnery and ate chocolate as we soaked up the sun. It was such a nice day. We walked back to our hostel, because we were so close, and went to the bathroom and relaxed.
We went back out and got dinner at a small snack bar. I got a cheap veggie burger that wasn’t half bad. Poor Allyson, they put mayonnaise on everything here, so she did not like her chicken burger very much. This would be her personal hell. I’ve decided that my mom would really like Bruges, because they refer to most food as ‘snacks’, and only list expensive meals and dinners otherwise. It is a snacking city, although their ‘snacks’ are the size of regular portioned food.
We got ice cream again at Da Vinci. It is pretty much the only store that is open at night. We then went back to our hostel and hung out in the bar and socialized. We played beer pong to win a free beer, but don’t worry mother, because I didn’t even come close to winning. I showered tonight – first shower in a hostel! It was nice and warm. I am so exhausted. I need to remember to go to bed earlier. Tomorrow we are waking up to catch a train to Amsterdam!
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