Netherlands/Belgium Trip - Bruges      4th July:

Sint-Salvatorskathedraal

    The two Middlesborough hydrofoils had crept out silently, as the crew said they would do, well before 6am. After a delicious shower I hand washed sufficient clothes to last me till I got back home. It doesn't seem to matter where I go, on a longish break I always undergo a clean clothes management routine towards the end of the trip.
    Soon we were on a train to Bruges, passing through green agricultural land and sunny meadows full of sheep and cattle. Probably due to being further south, the cereal crops were more advanced than their Dutch counterparts.
    On alighting at our destination, almost oppressive heat scrambled us as we walked across the sun baked cobbled square outside the station. Hundreds of other tourists similarly heading from the trains to the historic city centre also seemed to be slowly dissolving into dribbles of sweat.
    Historic city centre is perhaps an understatement. The oval-shaped centre was about 430 hectares in size and was a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO; sometimes referred to as "The Venice of the North".

Sint-Salvatorskathedraal Organ

    Archaeological excavations have shown evidence of human presence in the area of Bruges from the Iron Age and the Gallo-Roman period. In the first century BC, after Julius Caesar's conquest of the Menapii, fortifications were built to protect the coastal area against pirates. Around the 4th century, the Franks took over the whole region from the Gallo-Romans and administered it as the Pagus Flandrensis. Come the 8th century, Bruges was described as Municipium Frandrense, the headquarters of the Pagus Frandrensis and the residence of the Merovingian counts. It was the military and administrative centre of the region, and commercial links with Scandinavia started at the same time. In the 9th century, those friendly chaps, the Vikings, were not content with raiding Britain, they also set their eyes on this region. These Viking incursions prompted Baldwin I, the Iron Arm and first Count of Flanders to reinforce the Roman fortifications and build a castle as protection. Trade soon resumed with England and Scandinavia and gradually a town grew up. Trade came via the nearby village of Damme and its waterway, the Zwin, which linked the settlement to the North Sea. Bruges quickly became an important international trading port.

Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk behind Simon Stevin Statue

    The first city walls were built in 1127, and Bruges received its city charter on July 27th, 1128. Gradual silting caused the city to lose its direct access to the sea. As a result of this a sea canal was dug up to Bruges to facilitate navigation, thus consolidating its maritime role, which lasted until the 15th century, with Damme, Hoeke, and Monnikenrede as transition sites.
    The Bruges fair was established in 1200 and contacts with Britain were the first to develop, particularly related to wool. This was followed by other regions - northern Europe, the German countries, and the Mediterranean. The growing prosperity of the city was reflected in the construction of public buildings, such as the imposing belfry in the Grand-Place, and Bruges was quickly established as the economic capital of Europe north of the Alps. The palace of the van der Buerse family became the monetary centre, giving its name to the concept of the Bourse (stock exchange). As in other Flemish cities, textiles were Bruges' ticket to prosperity. Traders from all over the world continued to flock to the city to sell their wares and to buy internationally-acclaimed Flemish cloth, which was produced in various cities, including nearby Ghent. Much trade was connected to England's wool industry, the source of the finest grade of wool, and by the late 13th century Bruges was a major cloth-trading centre. When Philip the Fair, King of France, visited Bruges in 1301, his wife, Joanna of Navarre, was so surprised by the inhabitants' wealth and luxurious clothes that she purportedly claimed: "I thought I alone was queen, but I see that I have 600 rivals here". But the city's increased wealth brought political tension and gave rise to social upheavals. After guildsmen refused to pay a new round of taxes in 1302, the army was sent in to garrison the town. Pieter De Coninck, Dean of the Guild of Weavers, and Jan Breydel, Dean of the Guild of Butchers, led a revolt against the 2000-strong army of the French garrison that would go down in Flanders' history books as the Brugse Metten (Bruges Matins). Early in the morning on 18th May, the guildsmen crept into town and murdered anyone who could not correctly pronounce the Flemish phrase "schild en vriend" (shield and friend). This revolt sparked a widespread rebellion, the population joined forces with the Count of Flanders, which led to the Flemish victory against the French six weeks later at the Battle of the Golden Spurs near Kortrijk on July 11th. The statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, the leaders of the uprising, can still be seen on the Markt. Independence was short-lived, though, and the French soon regained control.

Belfry Tower

    Following its growth the town developed a series of social institutions from the 14th century onwards, including the Saint-Jean Hospital and the typical small God's Houses (Hôtels-Dieu) and hospices. The Gothic town hall of 1376 remains the oldest in the Low Countries. In the 14th century Bruges became a key member of the Hanseatic League of Seventeen Cities, a powerful association of northern European trading cities, and the city reached its economic peak. Italian cities such as Genoa, Florence and Venice built trade houses here, and ships laden with exotic goods from all over Europe and further afield docked at the Minnewater, a small lake to the city's south. Under Philippe le Bon (1419-67), who arrived in 1430 to marry Isabella of Portugal, Bruges became a centre of court life, as well as that of Flemish art, involving Jan van Eyck, who contributed to the development of the Flemish Primitive school of painting as well as exercising an influence on European art in general. At the same time it became the centre for miniature painting, and also for printing. Owing to the presence of Italians it soon became a centre of humanism and the Renaissance. The new oil-painting techniques of the Flemish school gained world renown. The first book in English ever printed was published in Bruges by William Caxton. This was also the time when Edward IV and Richard III of England spent a period in exile here.
    During the 15th century the Zwin, the waterway linking Bruges to the sea, silted up. Despite attempts to build another canal, the city's economic lifeline was gone. When the headquarters of the Hanseatic League moved from Bruges to Antwerp at the end of the 15th century, many merchants followed, leaving abandoned houses, deserted streets and empty canals. Nevertheless, it remained active in the international monetary market and continued as a centre of Humanism; Erasmus called it "the new Athens" and Thomas More wrote his Utopia there. Architecturally the medieval Gothic remained the common reference and was merged into a characteristic Bruges style. Art and architecture continued to flourish, with the construction of splendid late-gothic buildings and churches, and the Flemish painting school (including Anthony Van Dyck and Hans Memling) producing great works.

Their Majesty Best Appreciated from the Belfry Tower: Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (left) and Sint-Salvatorskathedraal (right)

    From 1600 to 1800, as a result of the construction of canal systems, Bruges re-established its maritime connection, albeit only at a modest level. By the end of the 16th century, Bruges no longer held any great power and by the middle of the 1800s, Bruges was the poorest city in Belgium. During the 17th century, the lace industry took off, and various efforts to bring back the glorious past were made. During the 1650s, the city was the base for Charles II of England and his court in exile. The maritime infrastructure was modernized, and new connections with the sea were built, but without much success, as Antwerp became increasingly dominant. The city slowly emerged from its slumber in the early 19th century as tourists passed through en route to the Waterloo battlefield near Brussels.

Rozenhoedkaai from Belfry Tower

    From 1815 to 1830 Bruges was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and since 1830 it has been part of Belgium. The railway reached Bruges in 1834, causing some changes in the urban fabric. Starting in 1854, the municipal administration prepared plans for urban transformations in the spirit of Haussmann, but only one of these was implemented, in the area of the new theatre, where the medieval fabric was destroyed. During the 19th century, a colony of English aristocrats influenced the cultural life of the city. In 1892 Belgian writer and poet Georges Rodenbach published Bruges-la-Morte (Bruges the Dead), a novel that beguilingly described the town's forlorn air and alerted the well-heeled to its preserved charm. Curious, wealthy visitors brought much-needed money into Bruges, and contributed to a renewed interest in the artistic heritage of Bruges and the restoration of historic buildings, including the founding of the Société d'Emulation pour l'histoire et les antiquités de la Flandre Occidentale. Some of the restorations were fairly substantial, resulting in the building of copies of lost historic buildings. This sealed Bruges's fate as a town frozen in time.
    In 1907 the Boudewijnkanaal, a canal linking Bruges to the new port of Zeebrugge, was constructed. Although Zeebrugge suffered extensive damage during both world wars, Bruges escaped unscathed. From 1968 policies focused on the conservation of the historic town, resulting in the establishment of the Service de la Conservation et de la Rénovation urbaine and the first urban structure plan. As the capital of West-Vlaanderen province, it now lived largely off tourism, although it also had a manufacturing centre outside the city that produced glass, electrical goods and chemicals.

Stadhuis Niche Statues

Stadhuis

    As we walked up Oostmeers, sharing the pavement with trucks that were delivering building supplies, we could feel ourselves slipping back in time. I caught sight of a large impressive tower, I must see that I thought. Then, we broke through a side street to find ourselves dwarfed by a large cathedral, Sint-Salvatorskathedraal (St. Saviour's Cathedral).

Chambers or Oude Griffie

    This impressive building started out as a common parish church founded in the 10th century, and wasn't completed until the 15th century. At that time, the Sint-Donatius Church, which was located at the very heart of Bruges opposite of the town hall, was the most important religious building of the city. At the end of the 18th century, the French inhabitants of Bruges threw out the bishop and destroyed the Sint-Donatius Church, his residence. In 1834, shortly after Belgium's independence in 1830, a new bishop was installed in Bruges and the Sint-Salvator church obtained the status of cathedral. In 1839 a fire destroyed the roof of the cathedral. William Chantrell, an English architect, famous for his neo-Gothic restorations of English churches, was asked to restore Sint-Salvator to its former glory. At the same time he was authorized to make a project for a higher tower, in order to make it taller than that of the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of our Lady). This change of status prompted lots of ecclesiastical rumblings - nearby Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk was bigger and its spire higher - and when part of St Salvators went up in smoke in 1839, the opportunity was taken to make its tower higher and grander in a romantic rendition of the Romanesque style. Instead of adding a Neo-Gothic tower extension, Chantrell chose a very personal Romanesque design. After completion there was a lot of criticism and the royal commission for monuments (Koninklijke Commissie voor Monumenten), without authorization by Chantrell, had placed a small peak on top of the tower because the original design was deemed too flat.
    We took some time out to have a look around the interior of the cathedral. The impressive organ caught my eye as soon as I walked in. Eight tapestries hung in the building, all manufactured in Brussels by Jasper van der Borcht in 1731. The designs were based on a matching set of paintings by Jan van Orley. The tapestries had been commissioned by bishop Hendrik van Susteren for Sint-Donatius.
    As we walked down Steenstraat on our way to the Grote Markt, I stopped at Simon Stevinplein to cast my eyes over Simon Stevin Square towards the nearby Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk. I could see clearly the competition its tower and spire posed to Sint-Salvatorskathedraal. Simon Stevin Square itself was a pleasant enough square with lots of shops and restaurants around its perimeter. In the middle of the square stood the statue of Simon Stevin: a Dutchman, mathematician, physicist and engineer.
    A short distance away, via the obstacle of several hundred tourists, lay the Grote Markt. This 1 hectare square was located in the commercial medieval heart of the city. The city administration was located in the nearby "Burg" square.

Entrance to Basilica of the Holy Blood

    The most striking building on the market square was undoubtedly the imposing 12th-century belfry, that once stood as a symbol of freedom and wealth. The building was expanded from the 13th till the 15th century. The octagonal highest part of the tower had housed the carillon since the 15th century.
    On the Northern side of the Markt stood the Provincial Court, originally the Waterhall. It stood on the site where the medieval "water halls" used to stand. This was a covered hall where ships could unload their products for storage in the halls or for direct sale on the adjacent market. After the destruction of the water halls in 1787, a new complex of houses was built there in classical style. This style was considered very modern in a town that was basically built in late-gothic style. In 1850 the provincial government bought the complex, enlarged it and made it the seat of the provincial institutions. The members of the catholic and traditionalist political parties rejected the building as "unfit for the beautiful Gothic Bruges". In 1878 a fire destroyed most of the building, thus allowing different groups to take their chance to have it reconstructed in 1887 in neo-gothic style, the "house"-style of the catholic party. On the left side of the complex was the house of the Governor of the Province of West-Flanders.
    The rest of the market was surrounded by beautiful 17th century buildings that faced the square occupied by restaurants, cafes and shops located in former private houses and guild houses, some with 15th century façades.
    In the centre of the market stood the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck. The statue not only honoured these two leaders of the "Battle of the Golden Spurs" which took place on the 11th July 1302, it was perhaps more so a clear statement of the political leaders of the 1880's that the cause for Flemish emancipation was something that the Belgian government had to take notice of. Both Breydel and de Coninck participated in the 1302 uprising of the Flemish against the occupation by the French king. This battle was also the central theme of the book "De Leeuw van Vlaanderen" (the Lion of Flanders) written by Hendrik Conscience in 1838. He romanticised the Flemish uprising and it became a symbol of the Flemish movement which fought for recognition of the Dutch language and Flemish culture in the French-language dominated Belgium of the 19th century.

Fresh Fish Today

    In 1995 the market was completely refurbished and was now one of the most attractive parts of the city. Parking in the square was removed and the area became mostly traffic-free, thus being more celebration friendly. The renovated market was reopened in 1996 with a concert by Helmut Lotti. However, the market wasn't exactly free of "traffic". Numerous horse and carriages were patiently lined up to take tourists on guided tours around the city. The guides, male and female, sat on their carriages, dressed in black and all wearing hats of mainly the bowler variety, chatting away to each other or to the occasional tourists who got close. Cameras clicked incessantly, and the earthy aroma of horse manure emanated from the canvas poo-catchers brushing their rear ends.
    After taking the view in, we rested our feet in a cafe in what was once Cranenburg House, where emperor Maximilian of Austria was incarcerated in 1488. This was one of the beautiful restored buildings. Rex and Meryl fancied a spot of lunch, I fancied climbing the belfry, an activity they had already participated in on a previous visit, so we agreed to meet up later and off I went.
    The Belfry of Bruges or Belfort was one of the city's most prominent symbols. The Belfry was also known as "Halletoren" (Tower of the Halls). It housed a treasury and municipal archives, and served as an observation post for spotting fires and other dangers. The original cloth hall and tower dated from 1240. The first tower, however, was destroyed by fire in 1280. At the time of the fire the four wings of the cloth hall already existed, as well as the two square segments of the belfry. The octagonal upper stage of the belfry was added between 1483 and 1487, and capped with a wooden spire bearing an image of Saint Michael, banner in hand and dragon underfoot. The spire did not last long: a lightning strike in 1493 reduced it to ashes, and destroyed the bells as well. A wooden spire crowned the summit again for some two-and-a-half centuries, before it too, fell victim to flames in 1741. The spire was never replaced again, thus making the current height of the building somewhat lower than in the past; but an openwork stone parapet in Gothic style was added to the rooftop in 1822. A poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, titled "The Belfry of Bruges," refers to the building's chequered history:
             "In the market-place of Bruges stands the belfry old and brown;
             Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded, still it watches o'er the town."

Poortersloge Watched Over by Jan van Eyck in Jan van Eyck Square

    I entered the former market hall, a rectangular building with an inner courtyard, and started off up the narrow steep staircase on the 366 step climb to the top of the 83-metre high building, pausing for a while at the treasury and archive floor to soak up more of the city's history. Nearing the top of the building I stopped to take a look into the carillon room. The bells in the tower regulated the lives of the city dwellers, announcing the time, fire alarms, work hours, and a variety of social, political, and religious events. Eventually a mechanism ensured the regular sounding of certain bells, for example indicating the hour. In the 16th century the tower received a carillon, allowing the bells to be played by means of a hand keyboard. Starting from 1604, the annual accounts record the employment of a carilloneur to play songs during Sundays, holidays and market days. In 1675 the carillon comprised 35 bells, designed by Melchior de Haze of Antwerp. After the fire of 1741 this was replaced by a set of bells cast by Joris Dumery, 26 of which were still in use. There were 48 bells at the end of the 19th century, but today the bells numbered 47, together weighing about 27.5 tonnes. The bells ranged from weighing two pounds to 11,000 pounds. On the quarter hour the 47 bells sounded, by mechanical means, played by movable tabs on a giant copper drum. Concerts were played by a carillonist, who played the manual keyboard with fists and feet, rather than with fingers.
    At the top I surveyed the city and its surroundings with a 360° view, and it gave me the opportunity to observe how compact the city was. The climb was well worth it. It took me three times as long to descend the narrow staircase than climb it. In front of me was a middle-aged English couple who insisted on letting all and sundry up before venturing down a few more steps. I bit my lips; at times I am not a patient man.
    I met up with my partners in crime, and we headed off to the Hallen part of the Belfort complex, which now housed exhibitions, in particular we wanted to visit the permanent Museum-Gallery Xpo: Salvador Dalí, Marquis de Púbol (Dalí's full name was Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalí y Domènech, Marqués de Púbol). As soon as we entered the exhibition room, my senses reeled with the colour scheme, the medieval hall had been transformed into a Dalínian showroom, a work of art in itself. The Grand Opera Decor of Bruges, whose artistic director and CEO is Barron Saint Mythelfinger, had developed and designed the concept and interior decorations of the new Museum-Gallery Salvador Dalí. Barron Saint Mythelfinger, the self-proclaimed "360° sovereign artist-designer", was the right man at the right time and place. He not only created paintings and bronzes, but also decorated interiors, designed furniture and carpets. As a true Dalí aficionado, Mythelfinger worked through genial exaggeration. The Museum Gallery had turned out to be a dazzling work of art for that reason. The visitor moves through the grand medieval gates into a number of sensual boudoirs. The decorator had lavishly applied Dalí's favourite colours: gold, mother-of-pearl and (evidently) shocking pink, which enhanced the erotic atmosphere of the works on display.

Silent Watchers of the Canals

    A large collection of watercolours, drawings, paintings of various techniques, illustrations of various texts, books, sculptures, sculptures and famous works of graphic art were on display. The collection was not for the faint-hearted, he managed to turn everything into a quite obvious sexual connotation. What were my views on the works on display? To me the quality of draughtsmanship was superb. This was a guy who could boldly and confidently portray his ideas with simple lines of stunning clarity and ease; he was indeed an accomplished artist. However, what his offerings meant I have no idea, I was not on the same planet, and I was at a loss. Perhaps this reflects Dalí's opinion, any true artist should be able to express his wildest and most chaotic experiments in a classic way. He himself never avoided uncontrolled experimenting. He even claimed to have painted by means of a revolver, which goes way beyond what action painters such as Jackson Pollock did years later. "The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad" is one of his thought-provoking quotes, alluding to Descartes. And like Hamlet he adds: " 'it's madness, and yet there's method in it." Scattered around the exhibition were various Dalian quotes, such as, "I AM IN A PERMANENT STATE OF INTELLECTUAL ERECTION" or "THERE ARE SOME DAYS WHEN I THINK I'M GOING TO DIE FROM AN OVERDOSE OF SATISFACTION", giving an insight into the man's inner thought mechanisms.
    It was all very thought-provoking. For anyone wishing to visit the exhibition, it was permanent, but the collections would be altered year by year, so as to achieve more variety in the displays.

Splash of Colour by the Canal

    A short distance away from the Grote Markt, the commercial heart of medieval Bruges, stood the Burg or Castle Square, the heart of administrative Bruges. It was here that Count Baldwin I had a fortified castle built to protect the area against the rampaging Normans and Vikings. The castle had long since disappeared as well as the main religious building of Bruges, the St. Donatius church, erected around the year 900, which stood opposite the town hall. On the site of the church stood a little wall, a partial reconstruction of the choir walls of the church. It was built here after the foundations of St. Donatius had been found in 1955. The central part of the church was octagonal, much like the cathedral of Charlemagne in the German city of Aachen on which it was modelled. The original prayer house of the year 900 was replaced in the 12th century by a church in Romanesque style. This version of the St. Donatius church was destroyed in 1799 during the French occupation of the Southern Netherlands. Some of the art treasures went to other churches such as Sint-Salvatorskathedraal. Several famous people were buried in St. Donatius : the English princess Gunhilde (1087), the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck (1441) and the Spanish philosopher Juan Luis Vives (1540). The Burg square was really a showcase of different European architectural styles: Gothic (Stadhuis), Renaissance (Chambers), Gothic and Gothic Revival (Basilica of the Holy Blood), and Neo-Classical on the facade of the former Court of Justice, a part of the Mansion of Bruges (Landhuis van het Brugse Vrije).
    One of the most beautiful buildings of Bruges could be seen here, the gothic Stadhuis or town hall dating from 1376. One of the oldest town halls in the Low Countries and one of the first secular Gothic buildings, the Stadhuis was built on the site of the fortified castle of Count Baldwin I (Boudewijn). In the front facade were six gothic windows. In addition there were 48 niches for statues. The original statues (biblical figures and counts of Flanders) were demolished during the aftermath of the French Revolution. Their 19th century replacements had also already been changed for more modern versions.

A Different View of Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk from the Canal

    Next to the gothic town hall stood the Chambers or Oude Griffie (Old Civil Registry), in renaissance style (1534). The decorative gilded figurines representing Justice, Moses and Aaron, were also smashed to pieces in 1792, but later renovated. The building was used as a Peace Court between 1883-1984.
    Left of the Oude Griffie was the Court of Justice (not the judiciary which was housed in more modern quarters on the edge of town). The "old" Court of Justice, built in neo-classicist style (1722) now housed some offices of the town council including the Tourist Information Centre.
    In the south-west corner of Castle Square stood the Basilica of the Holy Blood (granted Basilica status in 1923). It was originally built in 1134-1157 as the residential chapel of the Count of Flanders, Thierry of Alsace, who brought the Relic of the Precious Blood back to Bruges from the Holy Land at the end of the Second Crusade (1148). The highly venerated Relic of the Precious Blood has been carried through the streets in an annual procession since 1303.
    You can't come to Bruges without taking in a canal trip, and since our feet were getting tired, a 30 minute break was most welcome and viewing the city from the water would give it a totally different feel. We headed down Blinde-Ezelstraat (Blind Donkey Street), so named because the donkey which used to service the mill here was blindfolded so that it would not be able to look at the same route every day and feel the ennui, and soon we were with forty other souls on a low motor boat traversing the canals at a brisk pace. The captain gave a running commentary in Dutch, French and English, but the noise of the engine drowned out his dulcet tones.

Spot the Smallest Spy Window

    Because of its canals Bruges was often called "The Venice of the North". In the Middle-Ages, the waterways to Bruges had to be regularly adapted and enlarged to allow large trade ships to reach the city. Already in the 12th century the cargo was mostly brought to the outports of Damme and Sluis, two small medieval cities that still exist today. All through the golden era of Bruges the rivers and canals were constantly dredged. Inside the city the Reie river had been turned into a network of canals that enabled the traders to bring their products to the large Water Halls at the Markt. Inside the Water Halls the goods were stored or sold directly. After they had passed Damme, the ships entered Bruges on the site where now the Dampoort-complex was situated. The "Dampoort" was one of the city gates that allowed entrance to the city. On the way to the centre the sailors followed the canals which were now called "Langerei", "Potterierei" (where the shipyards were located), "Spiegelrei", and "Spinolarei". From the Spinolarei we saw the Poortersloge (Burgher's Lodge), built in the early 15th century, which was the meeting place for the richer and more important members of the Bruges society. Until 1715 it was the seat of "The Society of the White Bear," the chivalrous jousting association of Bruges. The Academy of Fine Arts had also resided here and to date the National Archives were housed here. Very often concerts, festivities and banquets were organized in this building. In front of it lay the Jan van Eyck square with the statue of this great Flemish painter who lived and died in Bruges (1444).
    We sped past overhanging weeping willows under which ducks frolicked, under many of the city's fifty plus mossy bridges, past St John's Hospital that now housed a museum, having served as a hospital from the time of the Crusades. Many picturesque houses had no windows or had covered panes, and our guide told us the reason: a "window tax" once imposed on the town's people. Hmm... did Pitt's influence stretch this far? We meandered down canals, looking at palaces, churches, houses with gables covered with ivy and "spy windows". Meryl spotted the smallest Gothic window in the city, of course a spy window.
    Suitably rested, we strolled past a flea market, explored some more on foot and stumbled upon some alms houses and a convent. The city was dotted with many simple whitewashed alms houses, also called Godshuizen, that locals called "Charity frozen in stone" - houses made by charitable institutions, rich merchants and churches as a safe refuge for widowers and spinsters. Today these were private residences.

Even Postboxes are Charming

    We wandered back towards the Markt, passing many chic shops clinging together in the main thoroughfares, gulping in the waft of freshly made chocolate, admiring exquisite woven delicate laces and chocolates that beckoned from artful shop windows. Waffles seemed the order of the day. Meryl tried one smothered in chocolate; "pure fat" and "never again" were a couple of comments she uttered. Everywhere tourists walked toting cameras, horse carriages clip-clopped on cobblestone, and bells of soaring belfries provided the romantic soundtrack.
    I heard the sound of approaching hooves on stone and turned to see a lady carriage driver accompanied by a bevy of passengers approaching a road junction. She wasn't going to waste time letting cars get in the way, she just nudged into the traffic flow pretty smartly; the cars would have to brake. I imagined the carriage drivers must get bored with the same routine, and I noted the speed at which these horse drawn carriages shot through the city. As with the canal boats, time is money and therefore speed is of the essence. The carriage drivers gave rapid, mundane commentaries without casting a glance at their customers or the objects they were describing.
    It was hot, it was crowded, and we were starting to suffer from cultural diarrhoea. A sensible decision was reached and we left the pretty, fairy-tale city and headed back to industrial Ostend to chill out for a while.
    Back at the marina, the old couple who had arrived in the converted lifeboat had now departed, and one of the Middlesborough boats had returned. The cheery Geordies asked if they had slipped their moorings quietly enough during the early hours, always with a smile on their faces.
    The little, old man turned up on his overly large motorbike again, protected his gleaming bike with its cover, and slowly hobbled down the gang plank to his boat where he presumably lived. Meryl, who had worked in the medical field, commented on his obvious pain, suggesting that he was in dire need of hip and/or knee replacements.
    A wind was starting to get up as a yacht entered the basin. It was being buffeted onto the jetty, and its crew fought to prevent it suffering serious damage. Once they had their craft under control, they managed to bring it around to a cradle, and when secured to it, hauled the cradle with vessel up a slipway. It immediately became obvious why. The keel, rudder and bottom of the boat were encrusted in mussels and oysters; it would have been a pig to sail. The crew spent a considerable amount of time removing the debris, and a flock of gulls enjoyed the subsequent feast.
    As dusk approached the wind really got up, and torrential downpours ensued. It was set in for the night.