| Amsterdam & Flevo Barging I Tulip Time Barging II Belgium Lowland Cats | |||
 Leaving the Netherlands, we crossed into Belgium after the Delta Works, built to protect large areas of land from the sea. It is also the site of modern windmills. |
 Locals find the "beach" at the Delta Works an interesting place to walk. |
 With its spires, towers and canals, Bruges has a fantasy quality. |
 Willow trees and swans add to the canals' picturesque quality. |
 One of my favorite views of Bruges |
 The swans feel at home here and build nests almost out in the open, as under this large tree ... |
 ... or by this unusual piece of art. |
 This former convent is a home for aging "gentle women" and has a lovely lawn blooming with daffodils. |
 Statuary comes in all shapes and sizes in Bruges ... |
 ... including the marble Madonna and Child by Michelangelo in the Church of Our Lady ... |
 ... where this more modern large carving was also on display. |
 A stained glass window at the Church of Our Lady. |
 This ancient pulpit is also a work of art. |
 Of course, Bruges was abloom with tulips. |
 This is my favorite cat shot of the trip, with it hiding among the roots of an old tree. |
 Burges has many magnificent buildings, such as the Provinciaal Hof, lots of good restaurants and some great taverns. |
 One of the town gates ... |
 ... and another. |
 The monument in Market Square, honoring Bruges heroes Pieter De Coninck and Jan Breydel. |
 But our time with the group was at an end and we got into our little rental car, and were off on our own. (Don't you love the sliding doors?) |
 And we were off to the Vanhercke Family Bed & Breakfast in Laarne, outside Gent. The sign recognizes the area's history for witch-burning, which ended 400 years ago. |
 We loved the "green cottage" with its roomy lounge area and efficient kitchenette. |
 We were greeted by the geese and ducks across the way and innkeeper Ingrid. |
 The small back garden outside our door was filled with lovely blooms. |
 The flowers on this bush were numerous and full. |
 This looked a bit like a pink magnolia. |
 Off to see the old, very gray, city of Gent, with its numerous churches and other towers. |
The Concert Hall has an interesting mural. But the most interesting are was the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb at St. Baaf's Cathedral. |
 With its many canals, an easy way to tour Gent is by boat ... |
 ... which are easily found with multilingual guides. |
 An ancient brewery, no longer in use for that purpose. |
 Gravensteen Castle, which we visited later. The main attraction is the building itself. |
 Another view of the castle |
 Residences and restaurants hang over the canals in the popular area of the city. |
 Another view of the canal. |
 The people of Ghent were called "noose bearers" because they were forced to walk with the ropes around their necks after a revolt in the 1500s. A noose painted on side of building also refers to this. |
 Statuary on a bridge over the canal. |
 A fairytale view ends the tour on Gent's canals. |
 We discovered this nature preserve when exploring around Laarne, which drew hundreds of locals to sun and even swim in the small lake. |
 An unusual flower we found there. |
 Laarne has its own picturesque castle, which was open only on a Sunday. It houses a small museum of local art treasures. One needs to be guided by the lovely volunteers (who may not speak English). |
 The grounds of Laarne's castle house an attractive upscale restaurant, but be decided to visit our favorite little restaurant and tavern ... |
 ... in a more rustic setting. Recommended by Ingrid and just minutes away from our cottage, De Verseau provided us with many wonderful meals, plus that great Belgian beer. |
 De Verseau is near the intersection of the R4 and E17at Meersakkerstraat 1, 9070 Destelbergen, Belgium. Tel. 09 355 51 24. Look for this sign |
 A day trip to the coast took us to another nature preserve, Het Zwin, nestled next to some densely populated tourist areas, which produced a lot of dog walkers. |
 This giant bronze hare stands on one of Het Zwin's dunes. |
 Het Zwin is a protected breeding area for storks, and as we were leaving we were able to see a couple. |
 Our birding guide in the Netherlands, Taco of Flevo Birdwatching, had suggested we check out Het Zwin, and it was a beautiful day out. |
| Amsterdam & Flevo Barging I Tulip Time Barging II Belgium Lowland Cats | |||
The Overseas Adventure Travel tour took us, by bus,
into Belgium and the fairytale city of Bruges, a truly lovely spot with lots
of history and (expensive) restaurants. It was here we got a chance to see
if Belgian beer lived up to its reputation. It does!! When the tour
ended, we stayed on for over a week on our own, having found a delightful
bed & breakfast just outside Gent.
(Click thumbnails for larger versions of photos)
(Click thumbnails for larger versions of photos)