Brugge, a Sweet Little City in Belgium

This is the first time for all of us in Belgium.  It is a beautiful little country, the seat of European government and the Euro, so very important.  It is super clean, the people are especially friendly and they are astonished that we are from America.  Not many Americans visit.  I am astonished that the Visa card is not taken here, so the girls will have to cover me here as the Pin number for our family card came after I left home.  Don't ask!!!  Everyone rides a bike here as it is very flat and it is a very agricultural country except for around Brussels. 

We wandered the city's little streets and visited their main landmarks.  Above is the massive town hall. A massive building where all local government is done. All of the local buses stop in front of this building at some point in their route.  The huge square in front of the building is for local gathering, theatre and music productions, horse and buggy rides ... just a busy place.

We marveled at the 500 year old brick work atop the old windows.  How in the world do you sculpt brick?
The designs were incredible and I still wonder where all of the handcrafting has gone in our busy world.  Time is definitely the problem.  Are you proud to be carrying on traditions that your grandmother passed on?  Are you passing these arts on to your children or grand children?  I see the love of creating things with their hands in my two boys.  Now his children are loving to paint, draw and paste and sew.  On to knitting and crocheting for them!   And we will start their dog treat business after I get home.  I do love working with them and wish that my Colorado boys were closer

I did find the gorgeous bobbin crochet that is so famous in Belgium.  It is so excuisite!  This shop also had some import pieces mixed in that I recognized form gift show visits.  Very tricky if you didn't know your stuff!

And then we found the tasty Belgian waffles.  The girls enjoyed them tremendously!!  We just chose the plain sugared, but you can have many kinds of fruit, whipped cream, candy sprinkles... anything you can think of!  Ice cream was a real stretch for them, but I remember having waffles wth ice cream and piles of fresh fruit for dinner on hot summer days in the summer as a kid.

Such a wonderful surprise!  On the way home I found this woman doing the bobbin lace in her door way.  Not a word of English did she speak and my Dutch is not the best... not a word do I know.  We communicated through oohs and aahs.  I bought a small piece of hers to take home and frame for my sewing room.  

Our day in Brugg was really fun.  We stopped on the way home and had dinner in a small restaurant in the tiny town where our farm house is located, Damme.  Of course before, we parked unknowingly in a no parking zone, so the resident came out to gently tell us.  We apologized, moved and she was happy.  There are definate rules, but we are unaware since nothing is posted.  We are working hard to be good American tourists!