Breathtaking Brugge

Also known as "Venice of the North", Brugge is surrounded by canals. In 1488 the people of Bruges had executed one of the town administrators, called 'Pieter Lanchals', a name which means ' long neck'.
The Lanchals family coat of arms featured a white swan. Legend has it that Maximilian punished Bruges by obliging the population to keep swans on their lakes and canals till eternity.


One of our favourite parts was Minnewater, also known as the "Lake of Love".





A kind lady shared some bread with me to feed the ducks with. I ran away when they became too friendly.




By Minnewaters. I want to fly, just like one of the seagulls.




In the Beguine's House, lived the Begijns who were religious women, similar to nuns. They accepted vows of chastity and obedience but earned a living by looking after the sick and making lace.




The beautiful and tranquil little cluster of 17th-century whitewashed houses surrounded by a lawn with poplar trees and flowers.

It was then occupied by the Benedictine nuns of the Monasterium De Wijngaard, who try to keep the begijns' traditions alive.




The almhouses, "godshuizen" (or houses of god) were built by the rich in Bruges from the 13th century onward as refuges for widows and the poor.


There are 4 old windmills which are no longer in use. Only one of these mills, St Janshuis' windmill, which dates from 1770 survives in its original position. The modern whizzy ones have replaced them.

Just being cheeky.

The last of the golden leaves before winter arrives.

Pretty (&) Tempting Brugge

It was easy to fall in love with Brugge. The little lace shops lined on cobble-stoned streets paraded carefully decorated windows. You could find chocolatiers almost around every corner.

Some of them have been run by families for generations. There were chocolate Santa bears and yule logs filled with truffles, all in the festive atmosphere.

The fine handcarved truffles sights and fresh, rich praline smells enticed each passerby.

Mom succumbed to the temptation quite easily.

There was a really pretty and unique Christmas shop, called Kathe Wohlfahrt. It was filled with colourful baubbles, wooden nativity sets, toy soldiers and fluffy angels.

Flanders seem to love dogs. We saw lots of pure breeds, Beagles, terriers, Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, all being walked, sitting and driven around.

This little terrier waited patiently for its owner outside a cafe. How well-trained and obedient it is!

There was a little cafe with cute gnomes and hedgehogs in the window.

Not surprising that smurfs, "Les Schtroumpfs" were created by Belgian cartoonist, Peyo which celebrated their 50 years anniversary this year.

They lived in toadstool homes, similar to these ones.

Other whimsical stuff that we came across were the oriental men eggholders, complete with spoons by their sides.

The pair of monkey condiments were equally delightful.

Travelling to and from Brugge

It was an early start on Sunday morning when we caught the Eurostar to Brugge. It was my first time in St Pancras, the newly refurbished station.


Armed with Charlie and Lola sticker activity pack, we boarded the Eurostar which was more comfortable than flying.


We had to change at Brussels to catch the train to Brugge. This was on the way home, Dad helped me but soon lost interest.

Rows and rows of bicycles greeted us at Brugge train station. It is quite a flat city, being close to the port.


As we made our way to the hotel, autumnal colours on trees lined the riverside.

Another common sight is the horse carriage, a great tourist hit. The horses there looked well taken care of, very regal and fit. I can hear the horses click-clocking by even in when we are in the shops.

Dad and A. CYin both turn a year older!

We had some friends over last weekend and celebrated Dad and A Cyin's birthdays. It was really fun to have a new playmate. Rae-Lin and I were making music on the piano.

A CYin kept us very entertained. We all took turns to have a go at playing games.

After dinner, we had some of mom's homemade chocolate chip banana-chocolate cake. It took us a couple of puffs before we managed to put out the candle. I suppose practice comes with age, and we had only two turns so far.

Random updates

Autumn colours in season. October was one of the coldest months since 1934. We had snow and sleet for a couple of days.
The wonder of God's promises comes alive in His Word. His faithfulness is beyond our comprehension. He has been the source of strength and joy in our relationship all these years.

Driving a really sporty car in the heart of Reading. A real treat in the midst of mom and dad's shopping activities.

Chilling with her new sun shades, having a few blueberries to go with the blue tint.