Castles and Windmills

So, I've been here for more than a month and no one has asked me about the windmills and castles.  They're out there for sure.  Staying close to home, I went to Wijk Bij Duurstede which is only about 20 minutes outside of Utrecht.  There's a cute town square and because it was Saturday, the town was busy and crowded.  Having a decent weather day certainly helped.

We found a place to park and headed toward the windmill at the end of town.  I'm not sure if this one is a working mill but it was cool to actually stand underneath it.  There are something like 1600 working windmills throughout the Netherlands.  That's the old school variety.  The new energy generating ones dot the landscape as well.

The other site to see is the Duurstede Castle.  This one has it's origins back in the 13th century and there's a structure still standing!  The main castle was added during the 1500s.  We didn't get there in time for an inside tour but the grounds where the castle stands complete with moat are impressive.  I hope to get back can photograph this site at night.

Duurstede Castle

So How Long Does It Take To Build A Cathedral?

St. Bavo, Ghent, Belgium

On the way home from Bruges, we stopped in the town of Gent (Ghent), Belgium.  We knew it as a university town but beyond that, we knew little.  It was a chance to see another city on the way home.  Like all the places I've been so far, this was another treat.  While there's a lot of resurrection work going on in the city, the architecture of old is very evident.  2012 will be a time to really visit this city's center once the project is complete.

We decided to go into Saint Bavo Cathedral (pictured above).  This cathedral was built in various stages with additions over the centuries.  Evidence of the wooden beginnings of the structure are evident in the crypt and date back to the year 942!  The cathedral was considered complete in 1569, a mere 500 years later.  Inside, was the real treat.  Now this cathedral is not like the gleaming cathedral I saw in Antwerp.  This one is dark, damp and shows the discoloration of withstanding centuries of time.  Yet, it is the most remarkable cathedral I've seen to date.  The details in this place were just incredible.  Unfortunately, pictures inside were not allowed.  I know my words won't do the place justice but I was awed by the magnitude of St. Bavo.

There's much to see in Gent.  However, having gotten there about midday, we stopped for a Waffle drizzled with chocolate and a coffee following our visit to Saint Bavo and strolled the streets some more.  On our journey, I caught a glimpse of an alley that was covered in artful graffiti.  Naturally, I stopped to see if I wanted to photograph the alley.  Well, this was a long alley and it was covered with art.  The further I walked, the more art I saw.  The alley went all the way through to the next street and it was covered with graffiti all the way.  It was street art at its best.

Graffiti Alley, Ghent, Belgium

Venice of the North

Bruges, Belgium

Well, I'm falling behind a bit.  Last weekend was our first 'sleepover' in the city of Bruges, Belgium.  Known as the the Venice of the North, Bruges is the best preserved medieval city in all of Europe.  History of Bruges dates back to the 4th century but most of it's current architecture dates from the time it became a merchant trade town in the 12-15th centuries.  That's right, it's current architecture!  I am constantly amazed at the age of the structures I encounter and these buildings are still in use.

We stayed at a wonderful little hotel, Hotel Ter Duinen.  I highly recommend this place.  Small, quaint with very helpful and friendly service and located just outside the 'noisy' center of Bruge.  We felt like the location was more a neighborhood.  The breakfast the next morning was also great as we sat by the window overlooking a canal.

The best word to describe Bruge is simply charming.  Some think it's a bit touristy but we found it fun to explore the city and it's history.  The main square, which is impressive and reminds me of Brussels, and is bustling with people includes the tall belfry and the Church of our Lady.

But the real fun we had in this city can be summed up in three words, waffles, chocolate and beer!  Waffles with your favorite topping are like street food.  The shops will sell from their storefront to people passing by and they are really good!  While there are many chocolate shops, only a few actually make their own chocolate on the premises.  The Chocolate Line was recommended and it didn't disappoint.  Just standing inside the store you get a big wonderful whiff of chocolate.  Lastly, we went to the Half Moon Brouwerij for a tour of their beer making process with a nice sample at the end of the tour.  We ended the day at Spinola and had one of the best meals to date since arriving to Europe.

Amersfoort

Koppelpoort - Amersfoort, NL

Well, despite a full day of walking Saturday, we decided on Sunday to go check out the nearby town of Amersfoort.  There an old gate on the west end of the town that was part of the original fortress to protect the city.  It’s called Koppelpoort and dates back to 1425 when it was completed.  I was most interested to see this as we have nothing like it in the U.S., certainly not this age.  It amazes me to see such sites that are nearly 600 years old!  Amersfoort is a city of old vs. new.  The old part of the city is still surrounded by canals and walls offering its protection.  In this case, it’s protection from the modern architecture that exists beyond the old city walls.  Within the walls however, is a very quaint typically dutch down with windy streets and lovely homes.  The town square with it’s tower is quite impressive as well.  We happened to be there on Koopzondag or “Shopping Sunday”.  Once a month, stores are allowed to open on Sunday and this was the day in Amersfoort.  I think the whole town and surrounding community was out roaming a main street like area that was filled with all kinds of shops.  Some are similar to home but most are specialty shops.  We like Amersfoort a lot.  There were some restaurants we’re thinking of visiting sometime soon.