Just had my youngest to stay for nearly a week and what a pleasure it has been. Long enough to
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The much smaller Lyre of Ur replica with
some of Luc Vanlaere's other harps |
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| Exceller Bikes' tables for coffee or beer |
enjoy activities together and not too long for her to feel a bit
bored at my slower pace of life!! I hadn’t realised she had never
attended a Luc Vanlaere concert in Oud Sint Jan and his performance
proved to be as delightful for her as it has been for me on numerous
occasions. Our visit also gave me the opportunity to see again his
splendid reconstruction of the nearly 5000 year old Lyre of Ur about
which I wrote in my September blog. This time Luc played the Lyre and
also showed a video/commentary in which he described the early
excavation of two original remains of Lyres in Southern Mesopotamia
in 1929, plus a brief description of how his replica came to be made.
I failed to get Cait to visit the wonderful Gruuthuse Museum this
time, but we did go for a beer to her favourite bike shop, Exceller
Bikes in Philipstockstraat, a quirky venue with expensive bikes and
equipment plus chic black tables and chairs, inside and out, for
clients to sample a beer or coffee. We learned from the owner that in
January/February the area in front of the shop will be transformed
into a small square, facilitated by closing off Twijnstraat.
Great for the shop and for future clients.
On Friday evening, as a final flourish, we went to Pomperlut on
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Pomperlut, a lovely 17th century building on
Minderbroedersstraat, Brugge. |
Minderbroedersstraat, opposite the children’s playground end of
Astridpark. It is superb and should be jointly ranked with The Park
[on the same street] as Number One Restaurant in Brugge instead of at
sixth or seventh! We had delectable tapas to start and shared the two
mains featuring shrimps, and beef with gamba, which made the taste
buds sing. We could not eat a dessert but one of the lovely waiters
nonetheless brought us a free shared bowl of tiramisu which we
managed, just, to eat. The restaurant itself is architecturally very
pleasing with interesting lighting and various decorative touches
featuring mushrooms and toadstools, Pomperlut being an old Flemish
word for mushroom. The only downside to this wonderful restaurant is
the cost which rather rules it out as a frequent treat! Although I
did save money on the Saturday as I was hardly able to eat anything
all day.
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| Berthold Kijken |
On the Sunday morning, I strode off to find Hauwerstraat 3A just off
‘t Zand where the first Aperitief Concert of the fortieth season
for De Negen Muzen was to take place. One enters Number 3 as from a
building site [it is opposite the huge hole where the Beurshalle once
stood] but inside the main building all is new and light and the
venue, De Brug is the tuinpavilijoen across the garden behind the
main house and an ideal spot for a concert hall. I had had
misgivings about a new, unknown venue after the dear familiarity of
the Crowne Plaza, the usual setting for many years. The concert,
entitled ‘
Les Gouts Reunis’ Parijs 1700-1725, was a delight with
gifted performers, Barthold Kuijken, traverso, and Ewald Demeyer,
klavecimbel, playing Couperin, Hotteterre and Leclair to a full
appreciative house. After which came the aperitef and the opportunity
to greet fellow concert lovers.
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| Ewald Demeyere |
