 |
| The Golden Age of Flanders 1277-1585 |
Today
to AZ Sint Jan, six weeks exactly since I sprawled over an upstanding
cobblestone and fell on my chin. Hoping for the best but geared up
for the worst, I discovered that the jaw is healing well and the
doctor said I can eat and speak immediately. I questioned the speed
of re-entry but she said Oh no; eat nuts, meat, anything you like
immediately. I was so elated that the threatened operation was not
needed that I went immediately from the bus to Sint Paulus, my
favourite bakery nearby, to buy bread and cheese. Felt good to ignore
the yoghurt which I have been adding to smoothies in industrial
quantities and to accept the congratulations of several of the staff
who behaved as if I had done something clever! Then to Cafune,
possibly the best coffee in town and near my place, to have a
celebratory espresso and more good wishes before home. Fell upon the
bread and cheese just purchased and about which I have dreamed for
weeks, and ate lots, gingerly, as the left broken hinge hurts a lot
when I try to eat. I ploughed on, as advised, and sealed the deal
with a Leffe Blonde to make me possibly the happiest person in
Brugge!! Eventually I made the first three physio appointments for
next week, needing up to 18 sessions as my jaw has lost quite a lot
of mobility. This news, strangely, adds to the gaiety of my family
and indeed, it is not something I ever expected to write! However
imperfect the jaw at the moment, it is nevertheless regenerating and
with it, renewing my day to day life! For which many thanks.
 |
| Oud Huis Amsterdam, Woensdagmarkt |
Was
able to go on Thursday evening to my favourite activity of the normal
week; to spend time with the English-speaking group of Bruggelingen.
Such fun for me to be welcomed warmly with celebratory Cava and lots
of kisses. I met a member, new during my absence, who was
refreshingly silly and with her Inner Child on prominent display
while the usual members were on their usual form. How the jaw hinge
hurt when I left, hours later, but it was worth every twinge!
Awoke
with a smile and out in the centre have noticed that, unlike last
year, when entire cafe terraces disappeared, this year, One Single
Line of tables against the wall, is now allowed. So sensible. In the
Markt, all the chalets are in place, with
some already filled. The skating rink and the ghostly, gorgeous,
spiky, silver 'trees' around it, are in position and ready for the
Off. The Christmas Market is edging nearer to the last November
weekend and hopefully, lots of festive visitors anxious to sample its
pleasures. Brugge does love and need its tourists.
 |
| Christmas Market, skating rink |
[The paragraphs above were written on or around November 23.
Following is written on December
5th.]
Oh
dear, a gap forsooth. The above was written perhaps nearly two weeks ago, and not published because it was
unfinished. The first week after The Reprieve, seemed in retrospect,
to have been spent doing lots of activities I had missed so much
since October 12. Then I have just had a lovely grandson
and his gorgeous girl friend to stay for the opening weekend of the
Christmas Market, been to a Saturday concert of guitar music by
Alexander Makay in the Orgelzaal in the Munt followed by a washing
and ironing Sunday when a friend called and packed away all my
terrace furniture for me. Friendship indeed! The highlight of my first freedom week [after the speaking/eating
ban was lifted], I went with four 'girl' friends on a day trip to
Ghent which was marvellous. After my long withdrawal from society, it seemed
particularly good to be able to go to an art exhibition and was quite the high-spot of the week, crowned as the outing was, with a super lunch in a canal-side bistro where I chose fish waterzooi with which I am becoming fixated!
And
the concept behind the exhibition, entitled
Voor God en Geld, or the
Birth of Capitalism, was intriguing. The power behind the idea and the exhibition was
Fernand Huts, Antwerp entrepreneur and art lover whose bold claim is
that in essence, Flanders invented capitalism. He boasts,
'Our region
was the Silicon Valley of the Middle Ages. For five centuries, we
were the epicentre of the world. Later on, that position went to
Genoa until it went bankrupt, then Amsterdam,, next London and now New York. But it remains an impressive story; we built capitalism, the rest merely copied it
 |
| Fernand Huts & curator Katharina Van Cauteren |
and refined it.' He draws the example of
sky high prices for art in contemporary New York because the art
scene is bolstered by a strong economy.
Thus the important mediaeval
art scene in Flanders was a direct product of the economic success of
the region's entrepreneurs. As cities developed, citizens too developed from the hierarchical nobility, clergy and commoners, previously farmers and peasants. Many became entrepreneurs and their accumulated wealth enabled them to show their status in acquiring art. He mentions an impressive list of
mediaeval master artists like Breugel, Jan Van Eyck who invented oil
paint, Memling and the Flemish Primitives, Rubens, Van Dyck,
Jordaens, Teniers. The Flemish artists were the first to produce for what became
the free market; before that time, everything was produced on client's commission,
usually the Church or the aristocracy.
The
exhibition itself is marvellously curated and arranged.
Its art exhibits trace the growth from the early Middle Ages and mediaeval man's strictly limited horizons
 |
| Albrecht Durer's terrifying Rhinoceros |
to the
opening up provided by exploration, shipping, arms technology, textiles, pilgrims,
printing, trade and entrepreneurship, the search for luxury.
Voor God en Geld provides some wonderful art from artists like Breughel and
Memling but for me the greatest surprise and delight came from a
totally unexpected appearance by Durer's Rhinoceros which I have always admired but never met in the armour, so to speak.
 |
| Albrecht Durer self portrait 1500 |
Today
to AZ Sint Jan, six weeks exactly since I sprawled over an upstanding
cobblestone and fell on my chin. Hoping for the best but geared up
for the worst, I discovered that the jaw is healing well and the
doctor said I can eat and speak immediately. I questioned the speed
of re-entry but she said Oh no; eat nuts, meat, anything you like
immediately. I was so elated that the threatened operation was not
needed that I went immediately from the bus to Sint Paulus, my
favourite bakery nearby, to buy bread and cheese. Felt good to ignore
the yoghurt which I have been adding to smoothies in industrial
quantities and to accept the congratulations of several of the staff
who behaved as if I had done something clever! Then to Cafune,
possibly the best coffee in town and near my place, to have a
celebratory espresso and more good wishes before home. Fell upon the
bread and cheese just purchased and about which I have dreamed for
weeks, and ate lots, gingerly, as the left broken hinge hurts a lot
when I try to eat. I ploughed on, as advised, and sealed the deal
with a Leffe Blonde to make me possibly the happiest person in
Brugge!! Eventually I made the first three physio appointments for
next week, needing up to 18 sessions as my jaw has lost quite a lot
of mobility. This news, strangely, adds to the gaiety of my family
and indeed, it is not something I ever expected to write! However
imperfect the jaw at the moment, it is nevertheless regenerating and
with it, renewing my day to day life! For which many thanks.
