Snapshots: (for both Wednesday and Thursday- finding access is a bear.}

Train Time:
Train to Bruges was nice, full and pretty easy to deal with, even though nothing was in English. This time the people I sit with, while pleasant didn’t speak my tongue, or if they did they didn’t want to. No matter, it’s all good.

While Brussels didn’t impress me, the Belgium countryside is quite nice. Farmland with old buildings that go back for centuries, villages that have the old homes. There were also new developments that I suppose are post WWII. Around here you need to specify which war or they think you’re talking some battle in 1348.

For some reason I have always loved farmland and I’m not sure why, but I love driving through any kind of farms. I supposed it goes back to my youth when we use to go back to Kentucky from Arizona each summer. Both of my grandparents were either on farms or had farms that we visited. It was the highlight of the year for me.

More to come (may even be a chapter in my book)


Bruges:
They say Bruges, but they also say Brugges
Who knows?

This is as nice as Brussels was not. While it an old city, its clean and, according to the cab driver, safe. Everywhere you look is a postcard. I will be putting up lots of pictures from here.

But a heads up-- The fountain.
I have taken enough pictures of the “Fountain of Bruges” to warrant it’s own page. It is one of the best uses of steel and water that I’ve ever seen. Terrific figure studies coupled with abstract forms, make this a must see. Probably won’t be able to get the page up until this weekend, and maybe not even then. WiFi access is non-excitant.

You are going to have to wait, but it’s worth it.

Cobblestones:
Look terrific, terrible on your feet. Next time I’m here I’ll bring ankle wraps.

Just an add on:
Today I saw a biker on the street. He was wearing black leather jacket, chains and the always-complementary keys. Rude writing, complete with rude graphics finished off the kit. He was on a bicycle.

I don’t know what to say.

Chocolate:
Bruges is famous the world over for its chocolate. More types of chocolate in more chocolate shops than it seem possible. In the center of the city every fifth shop is a chocolate shop, and out side the city it seem that every 12th shop is a chocolate shop.

Just to walk past the door is worth 3 calories. But, if you pause at the door take a whiff of the wonderful smells wafting out onto the sidewalk, you have just inhaled 29 calories. If you go inside it is Death by Chocolate.

Tours:
When I went to New York City. in my youth, I took the Circle Island Boat tour. It circled the island by boat, thus the name I should think. That taught me a good lesson that I use to this day. When in a new place always take the circle tour, though mostly you will go by bus, and it will point out places of interest. At a later time those places that look best you can come back and tour at your leisure.

I have learned something new on this trip. If you are sitting in a tour bus and you see people watching the bus, you in particular as you go by, here is what you do. You wave at them. They will almost always turn away and pretend that you couldn’t possibility be waving at them. Occasionally people will wave back, but those that do are almost always laughing. These are people that you might like to know.

Children always wave.