Bruges - La Havre

It was a short trip from Amsterdam to Zeebrugge, the port used to visit Bruges, Belgium, our day 10 stop. Belgium has now been added to our list of countries visited. Our excursion there was Bruges in a Day, a tour of the capital of West Flanders.

Many vehicles from China that were unloaded in the port. This is typical of many European ports that are used more for industrial ships then cruise ships. It was a short bus ride from there to Bruges.

The gunpowder tower near the entrance of Bruges was built in 1400. Through the years it was not only used for gunpowder but also as a mill and an ice cellar. Like much of the old city, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Sashuis was built above a lock that was used to raise and lower boats entering the city and to control the water levels in the canals.

Swans in Minnewater Park. Pictured right is the Beguinage that was built for emancipated lay-women who wanted to live a pious and celibate lives.

What is an ancient world heritage site without a horse drawn carriage ride.

Of course the horses create work for the people who drive around responding to requests for clean ups.

The swans are beautiful and they mate for life.

Our tour included a short boat ride that gave a better view of the city than by walking the crowded streets.

The homes with a door at water level were pretty neat.

The Rozenhoedkaai, canal and Belfry of Bruges.

The smallest window in the city. I guess that would allow a nebby neighbor to keep an eye on the street and canal.

Here, there was a street between the buildings and the canal. In the background is de Sint Annakerk, church.

The Church of Our Lady.

Georgie, Jim,Wendy and Gary waiting for their......

.....ale of choice at the Brewery De Halve Maan. I just went with the waiters recommendation and was very happy. 

An old time bottling machine. While beer has been brewed at this site for five centuries, the Maes family has only run it for six generations dating back to 1856.

 Belgium is noted for its huge selection of beer and this store is here to prove it. Hard to believe it would take almost two years to try them all drinking one a day.

The other thing they are famous for is chocolate. There were several stores to choose from, all offering tasty samples.

Everything in this window is made of chocolate made by Dominique Persoone, Belgium's top Chocolatier. He has a TV show and makes creations for Michelin 3 star restaurants.

Kasteel de la Faille was built in 1893 for Dutch nobles. Today it is a restaurant.

We enjoyed our tour of Bruges and would recommend a visit to explore this beautiful old city.

Leaving Zeebrugge we sailed through the English Channel to our next port La Havre. There were many, many windmill in the channel. Here in Florida our House representative just introduced legislation to ban windmills off the coast.

Our view of Le Havre from our balcony. The art work is Catena Containers, a sculpture created by Vincent Ganivet in 2017. The two archways are made of shipping containers to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the city. 

We opted not to take an excursion here. Instead we took a shuttle into the city and explored on our own. The Gold Coast is granite stones painted with gold leaf at the entrance of the harbor. 

The Museum of Modern Art Andre Malraux (MuMa) is a local museum with an interesting collection of art including several impressionists.

  This is Outer Harbour of Le Havre by Camille Pissaro.

There was a special exhibit of the works of  Eugene Boudin. He was a mentor of Claude Monet and encouraged him to paint en plein air or painting outdoors. These pictures by Boudin are a few of the 28 where the subject was cows.

Another en plein air painting by Boudin, Lady in White on the Beach. 

Another artist Monet met in Le Havre was Auguste Renoir who encouraged him to find a woman to model for his paintings.This painting is  Femme Vue de dos.  

Another Renior, The Excursionist.

One of Claude Monet's many Lily Pad pictures. More about him later as we visited his home in France.

Another Monet, La Seine a Vetheuil.

One of my favorites was Meleager and Atalanta by Jacob Jordaens that was painted in 1618. I was amazed at how bright the colors are on a centuries old oil painting. The MuMa is well worth a visit if you get to Le Havre.

St. Joseph Church was built in the 1950's after the previous church and most of the city were destroyed during WWII. It is over 350 feet tall.

The interior is very impressive with thousands of pieces of stained glass, This picture does not capture the true beauty. St Joseph was built as both a church and a memorial to the 5,000 civilians killed in LeHavre during the war.

Nanc taking a break on a big chair. We have seen many on our travels, but this is the first lounge chair we have encountered.

Another interesting structure, The Valcano, the premier cultural venue in La Havre was opened in 1982. It is a concert hall and multimedia library.

Place General de Gaulle honors those who died in the wars of the 20th century.  

We enjoyed our day in Le Harve. The city is very walkable and only a short shuttle ride from the dock.

After one more night aboard the Dawn we arrived back in Southampton. While our fellow travelers were flying home that day we were continuing our journey to spend another week mostly in France.  We had a great eleven days cruising, touring and getting to spend time with old friends and making new ones.