DREAMING OF BRUGES

Mar and I have been dreaming of Bruges since March – dreaming of our greatly looked forward to Mother-Daughter trip on the trail of our beloved Flemish Primitives.  As usual, I did significant research on the art, general sights, transportation…and hotels… taking detailed notes.  We chose to base ourselves in the very center of quaint Bruges

quaint, fairy-tale like Bruges

just a few of the Flemish, Northern Renaissance masterpieces we were planning on seeing

where we planned on visiting the principal museums to admire the Flemish Primitives in Bruges and in nearby Ghent.  While both Mar and I had visited the Brussels’ art masterpieces several times, we had not seen the all the major works of Bruges and Ghent .

In preparation for this trip, I happily brushed up on and renewed my fascination with one of the most remarkable, intriguing and significant pivotal periods in European art history.   (Please refer to a soon-to-be-posted entry on this artistic period.)

charming Bruges

one of the comfortable lounge areas of our booked Pand Hotel

We envisioned sipping brandy at our Pand Hotel , enjoying the comfortable lounges after an evening at our in-hotel Spa.

another inviting and artistically decorated lounge of the Pand Hotel

our booked Ralph Lauren Suite at the Pand Hotel

We imagined luxuriating in our Ralph Lauren Suite after an in-room aromatherapy hydromassage before going out to one of the many restaurants I had researched and where we looked forward to enjoying myriad specialties of the Flanders like  stoverij and witloofrolletjes.  I had assembled a detailed list of the best of the world-famous artisanal chocolate shops – we dreamed of the immense pleasure of tasting their most innovative flavor combinations.

Bruges – the artisanal chocolate capital of the world

one of the charming canals flanked by intact medieval architecture in Bruges

We dreamed of aimless strolling along these fairy-tale like canals after dinner, relaxed and light-hearted – about the easy togetherness we have always shared on our other unforgettable Mother-Daughter trips to exciting European cities.    Sometimes, often when least expected,  dreams butt-up against reality.  We were cruelly reminded, as Robert Burns so aptly wrote, that  “the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry”.

to be continued….