A "Lesser Known Bruges" Walkabout

Our lovely B and B host, Riet, has an abundance of tourist stuff, including a book on Bruges with some detailed walking tours.  It's time we saw more of this unique town than just the tourist hot spots.  A walk in the book promises sights in the 'Lesser Known Bruges' so off we go.

We're zooming across the Markt to the 'less traveled lanes' when we both stop and stare . . . 

Tim thinks they're advertising some sort of sci-fi movie . . . whatever they are, they're colorful and consent to photo-ops.

After walking for 10-15 minutes we're in a totally different part of town, residential, quiet and very local feeling.  The big draw here is the Church of St. Giles (Gillis) which dates back to the 1300's.  Much of it was destroyed during the anti-papist years and has been completely restored.  It's a peculiar but strangely harmonious mix of baroque and neo-Gothic.

We are the only visitors and are greeted warmly by a woman attendant who tells us she's Iranian, Catholic, and married to a Belgian.  We ask what she thinks of the recent US-Iran Nuclear pact and she just shakes her head 'You can't trust them, not for a minute.'  That's encouraging . . . 

I just loved this doorway . . . the sign in the door said 'Enter at Your Own Risk'.  We didn't . . .

 A gorgeous view down one of the 'lesser known' canals . . .

  

Part of our walk is along the ramparts of the city which on the eastern side are dotted with the iconic windmills (wait a minute, aren't windmills Dutch??).  

We got absolutely soaked yesterday while walking home so with the skies clouding up, we decide to abbreviate our walk and make for home.  

Our downstairs sitting area and breakfast table, with a view of the garden.  Lovely, caring hostess and sweet accommodation.  Tomorrow we're off to Koln (Cologne) and an overnight with Ilse in Bonn.

We've had an excellent adventure in Holland and Belgium!