Trip to Bruges, Belgium

We slept a bit late this morning and made it to the dining hall just in time for breakfast.  Barry had a short workout after that and then we were off to see Bruges, Belgium, which so many folks have recommended to us.   Its historic city center is a UNESCO world heritage site and, because of its canals, it is sometimes called (as is Amsterdam) the Venice of the North. 

We walked up the main shopping street in Antwerp to the central railway station and boarded a train for the hour and half trip.  We another interesting encounter on the train after we switched trains in Ghent.   The seats were configured two facing two and Barry sat down with 3 gentlemen in their early 70s.   At first, Barry paid little attention to their conversation but simply noticed the dynamics between the three who were obviously good friends.    He wasn't really thinking about what language they were speaking until he thought he heard "saleem."  Arabic, he wondered?

He took a trip to the bathroom and when he came back one of the men addressed him in English.  After exchanging greetings, Barry asked what language they were speaking.  He was right, it was Arabic.   It turns out they were all Palestinians living in London.   Two were from Jerusalem originally and the other from Gaza.  I asked him about the situation in Gaza which he had visited a year ago.  I also asked about their faith.  One said he was Christian and the other two were Muslim, "but that does not matter to us," he said.  "We are the same.  It is terrible that religion and politics have gotten mixed up.  In Jerusalem, before the war in 1967 [when Israel began the occupation of Palestinian territory], it was impossible to tell who was Jewish, who was Christian, and who was Muslim."    He was in Egypt when the war broke and out and after that could not return to his home.  That's when he chose to move to London.  

They also told me they were on their way back to London from Brussels where one of them, a musician, had organized a performance by a Palestinian dance troupe.  "It's a shame we didn't meet you yesterday," he said.  "We could have given you free tickets."

In Bruges, we walked from the train station to the center of the city taking in the glorious old buildings.     

After lunch at a café in the main square we bought some chocolate and then had a beer at a place called "Wall of Beers."  It claims to display all 1100 of the beers made in Belgium.

 

Then we took a half hour cruise on the canals.

 

I can't say we learned all that much today, though we did develop an even deeper appreciation for another of the wonderful places from the "old country."

 On the way back, Barry did some reading on the Kindle the folks at Hebron Lutheran Church gave him so he wouldn't have to bring so many books along!  Thanks!  He is using it.