In Bruges...it's in Belgium (and so am I)

So, I went to Bruges and it is well, as the movie says, a "f-ing fairy tale." Bruges was the center (or a center) of Paul's trip to the Low Countries and he went up there a day before I did so I could get some work in at the archive. Of course, when I went up it rained and rained and rained. But, the town is still beautiful.

We climbed the bell tower that stands in the center of town and had a pretty nice view. Bruges was a cloth town and a very important one at that, so the town is awash in beautiful old guild halls and houses that sit on the canals. There is a certain "fake" quality to the place. Once the residents realized that they were never going to have the same wealth in trade, the decided to preserve the town as much as they could.

Paul and I ventured to the oldest cafe in Bruges. Since 1515 someone has been serving beer at this little bar that is off the beaten track. (Thanks Lonely Planet.) According to local legend, as told by my Lonely Planet, the painter Rubens did a dine and dash out this cafe when he ordered his brew and then painted a coin on the table. There was no trace of the coin.

After our beer and some food we made our way to a replica Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Built in the 15 century by a rich family it is a, well, weird church. In side is this morbid altarpiece that is covered with sculpted skulls, ladders, bones, tools. Just weird. According, again to our guidebooks, the church contains a "replica of Christ's tomb, complete with imitation corpse." Now, I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting what we found.

Paul and I began the "hunt for Jesus." We went up stairs and to the chapel behind the altar, no luck, until I found a little -- like 3 foot high -- opening in the wall and looked in. "Found it!" I reported to Paul and we entered the "replica tomb." Now, I'm not sure, but I don't think Jesus was buried in what looked to me to be a 1970s tiled room that could be found in the gym of my middle school. But, well, that's what this "replica" looked like. The replica body, too, was more or less just "off." We found this all together very funny. Good thing there wasn't anyone else in the church so we left before the lightening came down to strike us dead.

On a more somber and serious note, we did get to see the precious blood that is housed in the Basilica of the Holy Blood in Bruges. Brought back from the Holy Land during the Crusades, the blood is in a vial that is in a clear glass canister and, from time to time, put on display. It is housed in a double naved church. The lower nave is a bare Romanesque church with little decoration. The uppernave is more more impressive and gilt. Now, all relics are to be taken with a grain of salt since it's hard to test their validity, but the beauty in which it is displayed and kept and venerated is hard to dispute and, the Catholic I am, I followed the crowed and touched the canister that it is kept in, monitored by a stern looking nun dressed in a resplendent robe.

Walked around some more, took in the museum, and had a few drinks and some food. The walk back to the train station was in the rain, but we did manage to see the town after dark and it is a beautiful "night town." The buildings are light up well and the canals are so still that the reflections -- even in the rain -- are amazing. It's a place to go back and explore more on a better day.