Friday 13 June 2025
We got up promptly today to beat the tourists to the beautiful bridge by Gruuthusemuseum.
Then found a lovely breakfast spot.
We visited the Groeningemuseum which was a 'must do' on JC's list. The museum had a temporary exhibition showcasing prayer books, called 'The Book of Hours'. They were essentially prayer books, guiding your supplications through the liturgical calendar with prayers for every three hours of the day. The canonical hours are: Matins (night time), Lauds (early morning), Prime (first hour of daylight), Terce (third hour), Sext (noon), None (ninth hour), Vespers (sunset evening) and Compline (end of the day). You were allowed to sleep through the Lauds if you doubled up at Prime.
Into the museum proper, we were surrounded by paintings from six centuries of Flemish painters including many of the Flemish old masters. The Flemish masters set the artist tone for Western Europe, for over 250 years, from the 15th Century into the 17th Century. Some of the most famous, such as Jan van Eyck and Pieter Bruegel have their paintings exhibited here.
This is Antonius Caessians, from the 17th Century "Mars surrounded by art and sciences banishes ignorance" (if only that worked today). It incorporated seven arts and sciences, such as grammar, geography, astronomy, arithmetic etc.
JC was quite taken by Gerard David's "Judgement of Cambyses".
He also into Surrealism, and loved this painting by the Belgian artist Paul Delvaux - "Serenidad". His favourite artist is Hieronymus Bosch - this is "The Last Judgement". Sadly for JC, his house mate isn't so keen, so unlikely to end up on the lounge wall.
I'm more of a fan of things like this Expressionist painting: Jean Brusselmans, "Grey Winter Landscape". But I totally do not get abstract art.
Once we'd had our cultural fill, we headed for the Sint-Janshospitaal, Museum of St John's Hospital. This hospital, built in the 12th Century, has been caring for the sick for centuries. We stuck our head into the pharmacy first.
Then we visited the main wards. The space is now used to house Flemish and contemporary art alongside information about how the hospital ran. Apparently, if a patient was sent to hospital and they died, their clothes became the property of the hospital. There were many a wealthy patient stripped by their family of their finery before being popped in the hospital's sedan chair/ambulance - just in case they didn't make it back.
Spare limb anyone?
It was finally boat time - when in a city with oodles of canals you just can't help yourself. We took a tourist trip about the waters. This was the lowest bridge we had to duck under.
Apart from the fact I need no excuse to get afloat, I love a different way to see a place.
After a couple of museums and a boat trip it was time to walk - and we headed north today. It doesn't take long before there's a church to be found, although they are starting to merge into similar Gothic semblances. This is Sint-Jakobskerk which has a mighty fine selection of paintings.
We found another gate, Elezpoort. Sadly the gates have suffered over the years, but at least they've been well refurbished.
It was beer o-clock and I tested what I thought was a local beer, only to google it and find it was Canadian! I shouldn't google so much.
Another great meal out beckoned and I found some knitted friends for a photo shoot.
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