My Chocolate Renaissance

 

 

Last weekend I went to Brugge or Bruges, Belgium (top) depending on whether you incline toward the Flemish or French spelling, and it is one stunning city.  It’s been called the Venice of the North due to the many canals that run through it, although you hardly need a gondola; maybe a cattle prod to jolt the many tourists.  I imagine it is much more congested in the summer so I am not griping. Brugge itself dates back over 2000 years but despite the Franks, Romans and Vikings, it was never an actual city until roughly 900 years ago.  Original remnants of the city remain but much of it is medeival architecture is still there with buildings dated like 1675 or 1600. Some date back to the 13^th and 14^th century and are still inhabited by either government or private citizens.  Lots to do in Bruges. Other than canal tours, there are Belgian waffles which taste yummy especially when doused with chocolate and coupled with a hot coffee on a cold day (right). Belgian beers are diverse and so far SO-O-O-O good.  They are so proud of their beer that there are signs warning people to BE RESPONSIBLE, DRINK DON’T DRIVE and of course the eco-friendly urging to SAVE WATER, DRINK BEER. I ate a Flemish Beef Stew for lunch today that was so good, I wept in front of all the Flems (Is that what Flemish people are called?) Of course there is plenty of lace and then there is my chocolate renaissance.  I wrote the other day that Hershey’s kisses trump any chocolate I have had, but that was my dark ages.  I have never seen it carved in so many different forms: statues, witches, Santa Claus, unclothed and detailed body parts (right below). Chocolate that hints of strawberry, hazelnut, coconut, you name the flavor. I now know beyond any doubt what Heaven will be like because I have tasted and smelled it in Brugge – I am still talking about the chocolate. I can still smell it hours later, partly due to having dribbled chocolate from my waffle down the front of my jacket and getting it under my nails and all over my face and partly due to being in chocolate factories. But enough about chocolate.  I could definitely have spent several days in this city and it would be worth revisiting. Aside from Bruges, I have a couple of comments again driving in Europe.  Roundabouts are spaced about every 20 feet in and around most towns so it really feels like driving in circles sometimes.  My GPS says “continue straight through the roundabout” but you can’t go straight through a roundabout or “take the second exit” some exits of which are for bike or pedestrians and some are for cars so I have to be profoundly alert. Roundabouts circle in continental Europe to the right so when the GPS says turn left, I have to go right to go left and she gets all confused and tries to recalculate the route.  Bless her heart.  In Netherlands and Belgium, pedestrians, bicycles and wheelchairs always, always have the right of way so those folks don’t even look.  It’s my job to watch for every idiot that can’t tell that I am an American.  (My friend Manny says, “Day ha no cortesy. We no frong here, wha day speck?” He’s Cuban, so at least I think that’s what he said. Mostly I just smile and say “Si.”)  I have almost run down 3 people (2 riders and one in a motorized wheelchair) and they never looked up…just kept cruising right on by. On roadways there is a sidewalk, a narrow one lane for cars and two large bike lanes running in each direction. Imagine my caution when I get into a roundabout with three cars, a wheelchair, 20 pedestrians, and 30 bikes.  But at least they’re biking, even 80 year olds and 3 year olds so that’s good and healthy, I guess. And for my final comment on the day, there are no billboards anywhere…none.  The highways and side roads are steam-cleaned and ironed daily.  They must be because they are perfect, no bumps or potholes.  Autobahns curve gently so you never feel any centripetal force.  And everything’s so pretty. Below are the flags of Belgium (top), EU (left), and Flanders (right).