Solo in Brugge ~ Church of Our Lady, Shopping & Chocolate (Day 4, Part 1 of 2)

 

I'll give more details about Les' day tomorrow, but for now just know we didn't have a fight!  We knew we would be spending one day apart and we were both excited for our solo adventures. 

 

 

As with most big European cities, there was a large cathedral in Brugge.  The Church of Our Lady was built starting around 1270.  I've seen my share of churches, but this one has a sculpture created by Michelangelo.  The white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child was created around 1504.  While Michelangelo was alive, the Madonna was the only sculpture to be taken out of Italy.  The sculpture was twice recovered after being looted by foreign occupiers—French revolutionaries around 1794 and Nazi Germans in 1944. 

 

 

As with all large cathedrals there are so many things to look at.  Painted graves:

 

 

 

 

Statues and artwork:

 

 

The Calling of Matthew, painted around 1604:

 

 

The Pulpit:

 

 

 

 

A crucifix.  I'm glad Jesus didn't stay on the cross!

 

 

 

 

I spent about an hour wandering the cathedral then took some shots outside as well.  The 379 foot tower remains the tallest structure in the city and the third tallest brickwork church tower in the world.

 

I then spent a few hours walking about Brugge.  SO MANY CHOCOLATE SHOPS!!

 

My plan was to do a little shopping.  We really didn't have room in our luggage for much, so I only bought socks for each of us!

 

Les had seen a hat the previous day that he really liked but didn't buy.  He said he would probably buy a cycling jersey, so it was either the hat or the jersey.  Later that day he sent me a text, "Can you go ahead and buy that cap for me? Don't know why it's OR."  Ha! 

 

I had lunch at some point, followed by...

 

 All in all, a delightful solo day!

Monday Morning at St. Peter's Basilica (Day 4 - Rome and Embarkation Day, Part 1)

We were awake bright and early on Monday morning.  Across the street from Sweetly Home Roma was a little cafe that had a wonderful owner named Carlos.  He didn't speak any English and we didn't speak any Italian.  Buon giorno (good morning) and lots of pointing got us what we wanted.  We ordered cappuccinos and pastries... my mouth is watering just looking at these!

It was around 6:30 and our shuttle was coming at 10:00 so we knew we had some time to wander.  We decided to see what St. Peter's Square was like on a Monday morning.  It was quiet and almost empty!

See my cute pink jacket?  It says "Italia" on the front.  Les and I both got them - his is blue, not pink.  Only 10 Euros each.  Here's a close up of the sleeve:

FYI - the Italian flag and the Mexican flag are very similar - green, white, and red.  The main difference is the Mexican coat of arms.

We started seeing people gather in small groups and head to the entrance.  We didn't know it at the time, but the basilica opens at 7:00 a.m.  We weren't really sure if it was open to the public at that time, but decided to see if we could get in.

Statue of Peter holding the keys

Statue of Paul holding a sword

This was a huge difference from when we were there in 2011 - the pope had done a mass that morning and the crowds were enormous.  This time there were nuns and priests making their way through the nearly empty streets.

A quick stop through security and we were inside. There's really no way to describe this building.  Les teased me yesterday about calling the Parliament building "kinda big."  Compared to St. Peter's, it's actually kinda small.  St. Peter's Basilica Info (link HERE) will give you an idea of just how much is there.  Without a tour guide we took our time gawking and taking pictures

of ceilings...

and statues...

and floors...

and the dome...

 
and more statues...

This painting and description really caught our eye.  It is the "Altar of the Lie" and pictures Ananias and Saphira.  Ananias is being carried away as Saphira has fallen to the ground.

Among all the majesty, we noticed small groups.  Many were kneeling, others standing with heads bowed, as a priest read.

Again, their devotion was evident.  We spent about an hour just wandering and wondering.  I don't agree with the teachings of the Catholic church, but they sure have interesting, and often peculiar, churches.

We took over 100 pictures while we were there.  I've posted them HERE.  Some are darker than we would like, but we did not want to use a flash while we were inside.