Beer and waffles in Bruges, Belgium

We went on a day trip to Bruges from Ghent as it was just around fifty kilometres away that could be covered in an hour.

Bruges, often referred to as the "Venice of the North," is a picturesque city in Belgium known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and enchanting canals. 

Its historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage site, features cobblestone streets, charming squares, and landmarks such as the Belfry of Bruges and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.

Bruges has a rich and complex history that dates back to the early medieval period. Originally a settlement of the Celtic tribe, it developed significantly during the 9th century as a trading post due to its strategic location near the North Sea.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, Bruges flourished as a major commercial hub in Europe, especially in the wool trade. The construction of canals facilitated trade, connecting the city to the sea and enabling it to become a vital port. This period saw the rise of powerful merchant guilds and the establishment of the Bruges Bourse, one of the first stock exchanges.

The city reached its peak in the 14th century, becoming a cultural and artistic center. Notable works from this time include the famous Flemish Primitives, such as Jan van Eyck. However, by the 15th century, Bruges began to decline due to silting in its harbor, which reduced its trading capacity.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Bruges faced further economic challenges but managed to retain its artistic heritage. The Industrial Revolution brought some revitalization, but the city transformed into a quiet, medieval town.

Today, Bruges is celebrated for its historical significance and beauty, attracting millions of visitors each year who come to experience its rich cultural legacy. Its preservation as a UNESCO World Heritage site underscores its importance as a medieval urban center.

Our first item on the ‘to-do’ list was a boat cruise down the canal as we would manage to see most of the city without breaking into a sweat.

The cruise was wonderful with a knowledgeable boat captain who kept pointing out the various sights on the way. He had a great sense of humour too!

Next on our list was to try out the various beers of Belgium followed by a quick snack. Not to forget the ‘French’ fries that originated in Belgium and of course to satiate our sweet tooth, the world famous Belgian waffles!

Before long it was evening and time to get back to Ghent after a lovely satisfying day in Bruges, ending it on a sweet note!

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Ghent, Belgium

Ghent, or Gent in Dutch, is a historic city in Belgium. It is known for its rich cultural heritage, medieval architecture, vibrant arts scene, and a lively student population.

Ghent combines the charm of a small town with the vibrancy of a bustling city. Its canals, historic buildings, and lively squares create a picturesque and inviting atmosphere. Whether you're exploring its rich history, enjoying its contemporary art scene, or savoring its culinary delights, Ghent offers a unique and enriching experience for all who visit.

Most of these landmarks are within walking distances from each other.

The Gravensteen Castle - a medieval castle, built in 1180, is one of Ghent's most iconic landmarks and provides a glimpse into the city's feudal past. The current castle was the residence of the Counts of

Flanders until 1353. It was subsequently re-purposed as a court, prison, mint, and even as a cotton factory. It was restored over 1893–1903 and is now a museum and a major landmark in the city.

Belfry of Ghent: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this belfry offers panoramic views of the city and is a symbol of civic freedom. Construction of the tower began in 1313 after a design by master mason Jan van Haelst. The work reached completion in 1380. 

The uppermost parts of the building have been rebuilt several times, in part to accommodate the growing number of bells.

Saint Bavo's Cathedral is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. Construction of the Gothic church began around 1274. In the subsequent period from the 14th through 16th centuries, nearly continuous expansion projects in the Gothic style were executed on the structure. 

When the Diocese of Ghent was founded in 1559, the church became its cathedral. Construction was considered complete on 7 June 1569.

St. Nicholas Church is one of the oldest and most prominent landmarks in Ghent, Belgium. Begun in the early 13th century as a replacement for an earlier Romanesque church, construction continued through the rest of the century in the local Scheldt Gothic style. 

Typical of this style is the use of blue-gray stone from the Tournai area, the single large tower above the crossing, and the slender turrets at the building's corners.

The City Hall of Ghent is a four-sided complex surrounded by the Botermarkt, the Hoogpoort, the Stadhuissteeg and the Poeljemarkt. The main wings are the late-Gothic alderman's house of De Keure and the alderman's house of Gedele in the Renaissance style. The building has 51 halls.

Ghent's City Hall seen from the Grote Markt

The Royal Flemish Academy of Dutch Language and Literature is a government organization which was established in 1886 by Royal Decree as Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie voor Taal- en Letterkunde.

In 1972 the name of The Royal Flemish Academy for language and literature was changed to The Royal Academy of Dutch language and literature, and in 1981 the existence of the Academy was confirmed by a decree of the Council for Cultural Affairs for the Dutch cultural community (the predecessor of the Flemish Parliament) (decree of 13 February 1980). The KANTL is now an institution of the Flemish Government.

 St-Jacobskerk - The Romanesque twin towers of this iconic church date from the 12th century but the church itself has undergone numerous expansions, renovations and reconstructions over its long history. 

It's believed there has been a place of worship on the site since the 7th century, with the first church constructed in 1093. Today the square surrounding it is regarded as the epicentre of the Gentse Feesten; it also hosts the town's favourite flea market.

And last but not the least if you like murals/graffiti do visit the lane that is filled with it. It’s an amazing experience. Check out the brief video below.

 

 

Of flowers, architecture and windmills in Netherlands

Netherlands is truly a country for artists and their art be it horticulture or architecture as evidenced by the Tulip festival in Keukenhof and quirky architecture in Zandaam and the open air museum of the historic windmills in Zaanse Schans.

Our first visit was to Keukenhof to revel in the floral fantasy of not only tulips but so many other flowers like hyacinth, daffodils and amaryllis.

The history of Keukenhof dates back to the 15th century. Countess Jacoba van Beieren [Jacqueline of Bavaria] (1401-1436) used 'Keukenduyn' [kitchen dunes] as hunting ground for the kitchen of Teylingen Castle. Keukenhof Castle was built in 1641 and the estate grew to encompass an area of over 200 hectares.

Landscape architects Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher, who also designed Amsterdam's Vondelpark, redesigned the castle gardens in 1857. That park, in the English landscape style, still constitutes the basis of Keukenhof.

In 1949 a group of 20 leading flower bulb growers and exporters came up with the plan to use the estate to exhibit spring-flowering bulbs, signaling the birth of Keukenhof as a spring park. The park opened its gates to the public in 1950 and was an instant success, with 236,000 visitors in the first year alone. 2024 will be the 75th edition of Keukenhof. During the past 74 years Keukenhof developed into a world-famous attraction.

You can buy bulbs of tulip plants if you wish to and there are eateries where you can relax and re energize.

Check out the slide show of the beauties of Keukenhof.

Zaandam and Zanse Schans are neighbours, both close to Amsterdam. There are more tourists here than locals.

Zandaam is located on the river Zaan, just north of Amsterdam. It was an important shipbuilding centre in the 17^th century. It is now famous for its quirky architecture. 

Zaanse Schans in the neighbourhood is an open air museum of Netherlands history of windmills and cheese.

There are beautiful walkways which take you to the different sight seeing spots in town. 

Windmills, houses, clog making workshops and of course cafes to fill your tummies.

No one in Netherlands seems to be in a hurry. Possibly because almost all commute by bicycle or take the public transport. They have made it very difficult to use cars by making parking very expensive and most of the streets are majorly cyclist friendly.

A tale of 3 palaces and a park

You step out of Berlin and enter Potsdam – a popular tourist destination. It is popular for the palaces and parks. We visited Potsdam to check out the three famous palaces – Sans Souci, Orangery and the New palace, each one unique in its architecture and layout though all in walking distances from each other.

Our first stop was the Sans Souci palace, disappointing at first sight, not at all impressive as a palace 

ought to be. 

It was the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia and despite its 

diminutive size was considered the German rival of the French Versailles. The palace was designed and built by George Wenceslaus von Knobelsdorff between 1745 and 1747 to fulfil King Frederick's

need for a private residence where he could relax, away from the pomp and ceremony of the Berlin court. Hence the cosy ambiance I suppose. As a matter of fact ‘Sans Souci’ in French means ‘without worry’ or carefree.

The palace was renovated during the nineteenth century by Frederick William IV and was a favourite place of residence for the German imperial family until the fall of the Hohenzollern dynasty in 1918.

Following the terracing of the vineyard and the completion of the palace, Frederick turned his

attention to the landscaping of the greater vicinity of the palace and thus began the creation of Sans Souci Park by planting over three thousand trees producing oranges, melons, peaches and bananas.

After World War II it became a tourist destination in East Germany and in 1991, following German reunification, Frederick's casket was interred in the terrace of the vineyard of Sans souci – in the still 

existing crypt he had built there – after dark, without pomp, in accordance with his will. Sans Souci palace and its gardens became a World heritage Site in 1990.

A short walk through the beautiful gardens and we were outside the Orangery Palace. Was not

expecting anything spectacular after the disappointment of seeing the Sans Souci but was pleasantly surprised. Well, this was nothing spectacular but was a moderately impressive structure. This was designed and built by Frederick IV, the ‘Romantic on the throne’ between 1851 and 1864.

The building, with its 300 meter long front, was built in the style of the Italian Renaissance, after the image of the Villa Medici in Rome and the Uffizi in Florence.

The building in the centre is the actual palace while the halls adjacent to it are the plant halls where plants from the park are kept during winter under controlled temperatures.

Since 1990 the Orangery Palace has been declared a United Nations Heritage Site.

Further down, on the Western side of the Sans Souci Park is the real impressive palace – The New Palace built by Frederick II between 1763 and 1769 and considered to be the last great Prussian Baroque Palace.

For the King, the New Palace was not a principal residence, but a display for the reception of important royals and dignitaries. It had over 200 rooms, four principal gathering rooms and a theatre for royal functions, balls and state occasions. The centre portion of the palace was crowned with an enormous dome, at the top of which were placed the Three Graces supporting the Prussian royal crown. Additionally, the north and south auxiliary wings are crowned with domes surmounted by gilded eagles. Opposite to the palace’s westward-opening court of honour are the Communs, designed

by Carl von Gontard and Jean Laurent Le Geay. Styled in the same manner as the palace itself, the two buildings housed the royal kitchens, utilities, gardeners’ shops, palace guards and servants. Today the buildings are used by the University of Potsdam.

Thus ends my tale of the three palaces and a park in Potsdam. Have not given you an intense dose of history as there is plenty available on the internet for those wanting to go into the detailed history of these palaces and their builders.

We could not enter the palaces as either there were long queues or no slots available so if you wish to spend time in the exploration of the interiors you will do well to book your entrance tickets online prior to your visit.

Historic Berlin

This was our second visit to Berlin and hence we visited places that we had missed on our first visit a couple of years back. To check out what we had experienced on our first visit click here.

Old Berlin also called Alt-Berlin beckoned and we decided to check it out.

The walk to the old town from Alexanderplatz  had a couple of amazing giant murals.

Then the twin spires of Nikolaikirche appeared and lured me to Nikolaiviertel the Nicholas Quarter 

of Alt Berlin which is the reconstructed heart of Berlin.

A few steps ahead and was confronted by this awe inspiring structure – the Old City Hall built in 

1902–11. Altes Stadthaus (Old City Hall) is a former administrative building in Berlin, currently used by the Senate. During World War II it was completely destroyed and totally refurbished in the 1990s.

Turned my head to be awed by the Rotes Rathaus. The Red Town Hall (Rotes Rathaus), located in 

the Mitte district near Alexanderplatz, is one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. It is the seat of the Governing Mayor and the Senate of Berlin. The Red Town Hall derives its name from the façade design which is made up of red bricks. Heavily damaged in World War II, the Red Town Hall was reconstructed in the postwar years.

After a short walk we came across the vintage St.Mary’s church. It is presumed to date from earlier 

than 13^th century though reconstructed in the 1990s post war period as it was badly damaged during the war. The church was originally a Roman Catholic church, but has been a Lutheran Protestant church since the Protestant Reformation and a united Protestant church since the Prussian Union of churches in 1817.

And then we came across the Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas church), the oldest church in Berlin, built 

between 1220 and 1230. Originally a Roman Catholic church, the Church of St. Nicholas became a Lutheran church after the Protestant Reformation in the Electorate of Brandenburg in 1539. On Reformation Day in 1938 (October 31) the church building served its congregation for the last time and was given to the government, to be used as a concert hall and ecclesiastical museum. This church too was badly damaged during the war and reconstructed during the post war period and now serves again mainly as a museum and occasionally as a concert venue. It is renowned for its acoustics and the rebuilt church has been equipped with a fine set of 41 bells.

Slightly ahead was the Spree river and on the other side of the river was the magnificent Central and 

Regional Library of Berlin.

And then we crossed the Spree river and came across the Ephraim Palais. The Ephraim Palace is a 

Rococo-style building, originally constructed in 1766. Despite the destruction of the palace in 1936 by Nazi Germany, the beginning of a reconstruction was possible in 1985, as many elements of the facade had been stored in East Germany. Today, the Ephraim Palace is a cultural-heritage property and houses a museum, mostly dealing with cultural topics. It is named after Veitel Heine Ephraim, who hired the experienced architect Friedrich Wilhelm Dieterichs to design it.

As we concluded our Nikolaiviertel walk we passed the under renovation Berlin palace, expected to 

be complete in November 2019. 

It was indeed a delightful walk through monumental history.

Our next visit to the Royalty was to the three lovely palaces in Potsdam near Berlin – the Sanssouci Palace, the Orangery Palace and the New palace. Read all about it in the next post coming up soon!