Return of the Blue Whale and other weighty problems.

I think a really good photo of the Blue Whale is called for; I pass him every day, several times, and nod to him in a familiar, fond manner. Last week I had a lovely friend staying and she persuaded me to go into one of the boats-for-tourists on the canals, something I have not done for many years. I see these boats, with their microphones and tourists packed in, all the time and feel no wish to join them. But last Friday, I did and thus confounded another of my prejudices. It was a delightful experience; the captain was well-informed and excellent in his commentary; the view of Bruges from the canal was great and the other passengers more 

than tolerable. In short, we enjoyed it immensely and in future I shall include in my advice to guests, to ‘do’ the boats! The earlier mention in this paragraph of the Blue Whale reminds me to comment on how dull and strange the back view of the whale is from the boat. Not at all the interesting and amusing front view which I have come to love, in common with thousands of visitors to Brugge.

The Pump Room at Minnewater

The Floating School, Minnewater

I have done three visits now to the Floating School on Minnewater, part of the Triennale. It is excellent and gives a whole new perspective, wandering round the structure, climbing the stairs to enjoy the view of the Minnewater bridge in one direction and the Pump Room in the other. The Nigerian architect, responsible for the Floating School concept and design, involved three local schools in the structure and ideas for its usage. It is an exhibit which is not alone in this splendid Triennale to create ideas for living and working on water, utilising unused space in an innovative way. A constant theme of the Triennale is the need to live in a sustainable manner, using as few resources and as little space as possible. On this particular theme, visitors need to see the exhibit in Oud St Jan. Food for thought everywhere.

And indeed the news that the much-loved huge bronzefountain which stood in ‘t Zand since the mid-80s, and which was removed last year against the wishes of many Bruggelingen during the renewal of ‘t Zand, has been stolen, was a recent bombshell! It was to have been re-erected in the area behind the Concertgebouw and the sheer implausibility of stealing the huge group of bronze figures. stuns the imagination. How much lifting gear and huge lorries; how much manpower was needed to steal hundreds of tons of bronze figures and for which subterranean lair was this huge masterpiece intended? Local uninformed opinion suggests somewhere in Eastern Europe and not for aesthetic delight, but for melting down. In the meantime, checking on descriptions of the complicated fountain, online. I read many heartfelt messages praising and admiring it.

The group of statues itself, by Stefaan DePuydt and Livia Canestraro, contained virtually four separate sculptures: a mermaid reclining on a polder; a group of cyclists representing local culture; a third group of fishermen from Zeebrugge and a fourth, of four sturdy, battling females representing the Flanders' cities of Antwerp, Brugge, Ghent and Kortrijk.

And ALL unbelievably lost.

 A Paean as a Postscript.

Just to note that Brugge Wednesday market has had weeks and weeks of the most marvellous paeonies for sale and a regular supply has found its way to my apartment. I have enjoyed as much pleasure from the paeonies as from the melodious blackbird mentioned recently.

Pleasure in small things is a mark of the happy elderly I suppose.

And indeed the news that the much-loved huge bronze fountain which stood in ‘t Zand since the mid-80s, and which was removed last year against the wishes of many Bruggelingen during the renewal of ‘t Zand, has been stolen, was a recent bombshell! It was to have been re-erected in the area behind the Concertgebouw and the sheer implausibility of stealing the huge group of bronze figures. stuns the imagination. How much lifting gear and huge lorries; how much manpower was needed to steal hundreds of tons of bronze figures and for which subterranean lair was this huge masterpiece intended? Local uninformed opinion suggests somewhere in Eastern Europe and not for aesthetic delight, but for melting down. In the meantime, checking on descriptions of the complicated fountain, online. I read many heartfelt messages praising and admiring it.

The group of statues itself, by Stefaan DePuydt and Livia Canestraro, contained virtually four separate sculptures. A mermaid reclining on a polder; A group of cyclists representing local culture and this group also included the figure of Till Eulenspiegel, a character from folk history and much-loved by many people. The third group comprises Fishermen from Zeebrugge and the fourth, of four battling females, represent the Flanders’ cities of Antwerp, Brugge, Ghent and Kortrijk. And all, unbelievably, lost.