Category Archives: travel

May 16, 2012 · 5:54 am

Boogying the Backstreets of Brussels, Belgium—Part 2

Ursula and I stumbled around the Grand Place for an hour or more. There really was that much to see. And imagine our surprise when we ventured through the gates of one building to find a group of people in brightly colored Roman togas.

Eventually we tore ourselves from this beautiful square and continued on to our next find. Meandering down cobblestone streets punctuated with colorful murals decorating entire walls several stories high, we made the obligatory pilgrimage to that most famous of all cherubic fountains—Manneken Pis. The name may not be familiar, but the image will be. Don’t get caught trying to take home this little souvenir, however. There’s really no need. If you find the little guy that irresistible, there are myriad shops in the immediate vicinity that will sell you a copy, often clothed in various humorous and distinctive garb.

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Tagged as Brussels, travel

May 14, 2012 · 5:49 am

Boogying the Backstreets of Brussels, Belgium—Part 1

After last week’s brief interruption (in which I did a three-part series reviewing Canon’s new Powershot G1 X compact camera) we now return to the final stop on a recent transatlantic cruise. After our ship, Holland America’s MS Ryndam, landed in Amsterdam, we hoped a train and headed south.

We had several ways to fly back to the U.S. We could go through London and arrive a day sooner, but that was prohibitively expensive. We could go through Paris (always fun) but, well, been there, done that, and still have the T-shirt. Amsterdam was a possibility, but we decided to spend a couple of nights elsewhere. That “elsewhere” was Brussels, Belgium.

There’s much to see and do in Brussels—too much to see and do to fit into one blog. Thus, our final stop will fill this week’s three scheduled blog entries. Make sure you keep coming back because, despite the uncooperative weather, I stumbled across some superlative photographic opportunities that I doubt you’ll want to miss.

Our walking tour of Brussels began with a trek from the main train station to the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral. The cathedral was started in the 11^th Century, restored in the Gothic style in the 13^th Century, and completed in the 15^th Century. In juxtaposition to this marvelous example of medieval architecture are the Art Deco-style buildings right across the street. Indeed, in one shot below you’ll see a bronze Bishop facing toward a prime example of the Art Deco style. Brussels truly is a city of contradictions.

After our visit to the St. Michel and St. Gudula Cathedral, we hoofed it through back streets lined with cafés to the Grand Place. If you can’t find a couple hundred megabytes of photo opportunities in this location, you need to cap your lens and hang up your camera by the neck strap.

On the west side of this square is the Brussels Town Hall. To the north stand a magnificent line of ornate guildhalls. Bone up on your photo stitching skills and be prepared to capture the tops of these guildhalls for a great panoramic.

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Tagged as Brussels, Grand Place, travel

May 4, 2012 · 5:46 am

In Bruges—Part 3

Today is our third and final look at Bruges, Belgium, before we once again board Holland America‘s MS Ryndam for our final port of call.

No trip through a medieval European city is complete without a drop by the ubiquitous town church, and Bruges is no different. In European travels, remember your ABCs—Another Bloody Church/Cathedral/Castle.

In the case of Bruges, that hometown church is the magnificent Church of Our Lady. Inside the Church of Our Lady you’ll find the tombs of Charles the Bold (Duchy of Burgundy)and his daughter Mary of Burgundy. These tombs are marked by ornate bronze sculptures lying upon intricately decorated beds of polished black stone.

The tombs of Charles and Mary are not the only treasures you’ll find here, however. Have your camera ready to capture the Madonna of Bruges, an original marble sculpture by none other than the incomparable Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, more commonly known as simply Michelangelo. Madonna of Bruges is believed to be the only Michelangelo sculpture to have left Italy during Michelangelo’s lifetime.

On Monday, at the start of this series on Bruges, I mentioned the fabulously satirical film In Bruges. Many of the pictures you’ve seen this week were locations for scenes in this movie. After this week’s series on Bruges, do yourself a favor and put In Bruges in your Netflix queue.

Until then, enjoy some more scenes of Bruges: