IN 2013, WE HAD PLANNED to visit Bruge as part of a driving tour through Normandy and Belgium. As things turned out, Lauren had an accident in Paris, broke his hip, ended up in the Clinique Blomet where he as he puts it "got screwed by the French." His French doctor, Dr. Atassi, put two stainless steel pins to hold the bones together.
When we explained to the doctor that this accident had messed up our plans to visit Bruge and other places, he scrunched his face, and poo-pooed and said, "Oh, it always rains in Bruge anyway." It was at that moment, raining in Paris.
Fast forward to 2023 when we're on a river cruise that included a stop in Bruge, and Lauren and I wondered if it would indeed rain in Bruge, as the doctor said it would.
Lo, and behold --- we had a wonderful sunny, albeit cold, day in Bruge!
A UNESCO heritage site, Bruge is a beautiful and charming medieval city, compact, with canals, and narrow roads that lead you to squares with imposing guild and city buildings, churches and lovely houses.
Bruge became the capital of the County of Flanders in 1089. Its strategic location made it a commercial center. Wool and wines were some of the items traded.
Our guide led us through a beguinage -- and that was when I first learned about "beguines" -- the women who formed lay religious communities, dating from the 12th century.
Women at that time had two choices: get married or enter a nunnery. The problem was that nunneries wanted huge dowries and were therefore only available to wealthy women. Another problem was the shortage of men because many died from the plague, crusades, and wars. So these women fell through the cracks so to speak, but undaunted they started their own religious communities. It was really a women's movement, defying the mores of the time. They prayed, served the poor and sick, but they did not take perpetual vows and could leave when they wanted to.
At some point, there were a million beguines in Europe, mostly in the low countries. Some of the beguines were wealthy. Quite a number of them became mystics and writers.
It's not surprising that the church resented these independent women and for a time beguines were condemned by the church. In fact one, Margarite Porete, was burned at the stake.
The beguines managed to survive political turmoil, but they diminished in number in the late twentieth century. Now, curiously there are beguinages starting in Europe and the US.
Here are some links to learn more about Beguines:
Back to my account about Bruge, we walked around Market Square and had lunch in Burg Square. We visited the Basilica of the Holy Blood, which houses a relic of Christ's Holy Blood reportedly collected by Joseph of Arimathea.We also took a lovely canal cruise which gives you a great idea of the layout of Bruge. The city developed in rings, the oldest part in the middle, with a canal surrounding that, then another section developed, and another canal was built around that part.
Bruge is the kind of place that would be better to visit after the majority of tourists are gone, around five in the afternoon, but that is a luxury only those staying there can do. Those from cruise ships had only a few hours to do a whirlwind tour and get a sense of what the place is like.
I am sharing pictures taken at lovely but crowded Bruge. The lead photo shows a statue of a beguine, photos of the beguinage garden. There are photos of the river cruise, of the squares, and lastly the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
River Cruise of the Netherlands and Belgium - Bruge or Brugge
River Cruise of the Netherlands and Belgium - Antwerp
River Cruise of the Netherlands and Belgium - Hoorn and Arnhem
River Cruise of the Netherlands and Belgium - Amsterdam Canals
The Kindness of the French (Trip to Paris)
Tags: #rivercruise #europeanrivercruise #Amsterdamcanal #Europeantravel #Europeanholiday
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