May 2 & 3 – Typical Living with a
Flemish Family
Jos and Natasja had told us to make sure we tried some Shrimp Coquettes in Brugge after they dropped us off, so after we found our host family, we set off for a quick trip to the old city in Brugge and to buy some quick dinner. We ate part of them before remembering to take a picture, but you get the idea....kind of like a chiken nugget, but with shrimp. quite tasty!
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| Our first "fast food" in Europe |
Before we totally leave Holland, I have to show you my two favorite cookies ever...I wish I could bring some home with me. They were so good.
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| One was an Almond Dutch Windmill cookie. I remember having something like this when I was a child. The other was a Struppe Waffle Cooky with syrup inside...so amazing! |
Brugge is the capital and largest city in West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgium. We spent both days in the historic city centre....so amazing! When we walked into the first square area, I just couldn't believe my eyes. It was really breath taking - magnificent structures in grandeur and in size.
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| City Hall |
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| The Church of Our Lady |
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| The Old Belfry |
The architecture of Brugge, from the Middle Ages until modern times, is
principally characterized by brick Gothic, and particularly by a style
of construction known as travée brugeoise . This type of
construction was well established in the early 16th century and, with
some later variations, it was maintained until the 17th century. It also
became the main inspiration for 19th-century restorations. Enjoy a tour of historic Brugge!
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| Entrance into Historic Brugge from one of the Gates |
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| Cute little Gazebo and Garden |
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| There were swans galore and beautiful ponds and canals |
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| We watched this swan make her nest by bringing over small piece of twigs and then dragging over larger ones. then she snuggled into it....she definitely has nesting instincts. |
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| View from Rozenhoedkaai |
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| Lookin' a little cooky in my hat that Ingrid gave me (I lost my NYC hat) :( |
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| So many doors with ornate decor over them |
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| Is this trimmed in real gold? |
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| The Nunnery in the 17th century |
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| Posing by one of many canals in the area |
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| There seem to be plenty of "statues" to entertain the tourists |
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| Panoramic view of one of the Squares. There were several throughout the city. |
Brugge is famous for lace-making. Lace blossomed in Flanders in the 16th century. Needlepoint lace, which developed in Italy, was predominantly made in Brussels while bobbin lace is believed to have originated in Brugge. The latter
requires thousands of painstaking and meticulous movements of bobbins
and pins. Each lace-maker had her own patterns, which stayed in the
family and were handed down through generations.
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| Belgium is famous for its chocolate, too. YUM!! |
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| Guy & Marjan ready to bake (can't remember what it was called) |
Our host family had a beautiful 3 level home which was decorated so beautiful. We had our own large room and the bathroom was great! (Hot water, not just warm!) They had a large back yard, huge kitchen, family room, computer area, laundry room, huge attic area that was a flat in itself. 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
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| This was our "couch"...a real Queen-sized bed |
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| Annabelle & Sam (2 young adults and VERY smart) with their mom and dad - Guy & Marjan |
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