Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
Today is Bruges, a common tourist travel destination and if anything a little too touristy when Leuven, Antwerp and Ghent have much to offer. I enjoyed Mr Twain's specific points on how travel broadens the mind.
Leaving Ghent I couldn't resist a typical street view not far from the centre before moving on to the standard tourist photos.
Unusually for my tour in Belgium there is a castle though Belgium is dense in castles manor houses and the like. In the UK we think of the Norman invasion and the church, cathedral and castle building that went after that and we see the vestigaes of that to this day; Norwich cathedral from my last cycle tour was a good example of the Normans stamping their mark. They were saying "we are here to stay", and they did stay, though England switched back to an English monarch in the mid-12th century. Wales has over 400 castles, some built by the Welsh prince's for defence, others by Edward I when he subdued those princes. The Welsh people still have mixed feelings about those symbols of oppression.
The lighting is wrong but this is Saint Nicholas slaying a dragon; this is a tale that comes from the Eastern Orthodox tradition, an early branch of Christianity. It is a tale as old as time itself. Dragon terrorises a town, the town calls for a hero, the hero slays the dragon and everyone is happy apart from the dragon who is momentarily displeased.
I am still struggling to understand Belgium at any level but I appreciate I would need to delve back before 4 October 1830 when a provisional government declared independence of the Southern Netherlands (Belgium) from the (Northern) Netherlands.
Today is around 50 miles and leaving Ghent I start by hitting the school run which means plenty of bike traffic. I pedal fairly continuously for the first 40 of those 50 miles stopping for a quick coffee and the usual pauses to check directions.
The route could have followed the Kanaal Gent-Brugge all the way but it deviates through forests and farmland to make for an interesting ride including a few cobbles.
I get a brief view of what I am missing by cycling.
It is 1pm and I omitted to bring food so I need to find a supermarket.
The route approaches Bruges from the south then avoids Bruges by pushing up north to the picturesque town of Damme.
One more push and I'll be in Bruges though having driven north I now plunge to the southern tip of Bruges to complete a 54-mile day in relaxed manner given the flat landscape and yesterday's rest day.
Entering Bruges I suddenly recognise one of the three windmills down by the ring road that circles Bruge old town. It feels faintly comforting to be in vaguely familiar territory however brief my previous trip to Bruges was.
