Day 75 - Wednesday 17 July - Bruges

Wednesday 17 July

Bruges is a city about 95km nth-west of Brussels. We went past cows and corn, and the city of Ghent, from where some imaginary riders galloped all night and morning to Aix (Aachen), in a poem by Robt Browning.  It has taken us 11 years to go the other way.

Bruges is the home of the Groeninge Museum, an art gallery which traces local artists from C15 to the present, and ranks on a couple of lists of the top 10 galleries in Europe.

Lots of horse and carriage rides for tourists.

It was our first port of call, and we were there for about 2hrs, listening to the descriptions and explanations.  

 Painting by Gaspar Peeter Vanbruggen ll, frame by Laurent van der Muelen

 Archduke Albert and Isabella  by Frans Pourbus ll between 1601-20.

 The Last Supper, painted in 1548 by Pieter Pourbus.

 The Calling of Matthew, painted in 1441 by Jacob van Oost l

 

This was the 2nd painting of an ancient Persian story about a judge who took a bribe. He was sentenced to be skinned alive.  He is gritting his teeth and bearing up rather well in the circs.  In the background is his son, now the judge, sitting on the seat of judgement which is draped in his father's skin.  by Gerard David, 1498

 The only thing that spoiled it was the last 2 rooms.

 

 After lunch we admired the market square, and I went shopping. 
 

 The Bruges Belfry

 The light grey building is the provincial court.

 St Mary's tower, the second tallest brickwork tower in the world.

 The tourists on the water and the locals on the bank.

Then on the way back to the station we called in at another small gallery where there were drawings and prints.

The train home was empty until Ghent, then it was full.