Well, we are surrounded by Christmas in this town, making us think of little else. Only three weeks until the big holiday, and only two weeks until our great adventure is over. I have to admit that, no matter how much I am enjoying this trip, and no matter how many incredible sights we see, it will be nice to get back to a country where everything is familiar. But first, we have some more to see here.
Bruges was a world power and a major trading center until the river that provided its access to the sea silted up, causing the demise of the city. For a long time, it meandered along, a virtual ghost town trapped in the shadows of its Gothic glory. Finally, in the twentieth century, with the rise of tourism as a mainstream activity, Bruges emerged as a major destination - a nearly unchanged Gothic city. Now, the place exists almost solely to cater to visitors.
One of the major annual draws of the city is the Christmas market season. Small kiosks pop up around the main squares selling everything from mulled wine to bratwurst to cheap children's toys. The city teems with activity every night, making the holiday spirit thrive. Most of the stands crowd around a central ice rink (outdoors, of course), and happy revelers from all over the world gather to enjoy the season.
We have been all over the place the past few days. Sorry I haven�t written more, but our computer has been giving us some very serious problems. It�s almost as if someone out there is getting tired of my emails and has placed a curse on the machine. Hmmm�
Of all the amazing and interesting sights we have seen, one of the most incredible was our visit to the Basilica of the Holy Blood. Originally built, in the Romanesque style, as a church dedicated to St. Basil, the church gained prominence after the Second Crusade, when knights brought a large vial filled with (supposedly) Jesus� blood to the city. The church now houses the vial, and the church fathers hold veneration every day. Travelers from all over the world are invited to enter the church, approach the dais, and pay their respects to the Holy Blood. Of course, there is a small basket next to the vial for donations.
So, not really knowing that veneration meant they actually pulled out the vial, we went into the church expecting to see some good art and architecture. When we entered, we noticed the priest seated at the side of the church with a small line of people to his left. One by one, the visitors climbed the steps, made a donation to the church, and bent over to kiss the relic. I couldn�t believe it. A holy relic of this magnitude, maybe one of the best and most interesting we have seen over the course of the past three months, and they had it out in the open. So we, in turn, climbed the steps and paid our respects.
The vial was glass with gold embroidery, and both ends were capped with magnificent golden orbs. Looking through the glass, and I have to admit that I probably took just a little too long looking at the relic, I could make out another, somewhat smaller vial inside that contained some reddish-brown substance. It wasn�t liquid, but it really didn�t look grainy or sandy. OK, so I have never seen dried blood before, let alone dried blood that was 2000 years old, but I was expecting something different, something purer. After trying to take it all in as quickly as possible, I kissed the relic, took another long look, and climbed down from the platform.
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