Lend Me Your Ear.

My son walking the Pennine Way in the north
of England, with two friends last week..
91 miles over 5 days!.
Great prep for wandering the streets of Brugge!

Definitely, in Brugge, the Corvid stranglehold is loosenng its grip. No need for masks in the street, though some [usually natives] do wear them ; social distancing seems to be a passing fancy; tourists are returning with the continuing proviso that no one can visit from the U.K. The Oud Huis Amsterdam nearby, normally has over 60% of its clientele from the U.K. and is probably fairly typical of other hotels and B&Bs here. This exclusion may well change before the end of the month. I am personally hoping so, as my son has promised to come over for my birthday before the end of the month. I haven’t actually seen him or his Suffolk-based sister for a year nor, in fact the grandchildren, chiefly, since our family theatre trip on January 4

Vaccination proof and 
other necessary papers 
for UK entry from U.S.

 2020! My California-based daughter and her little family landed at Heathrow on July 4 [yesterday] to stay for a fortnight but my possible reunion trip over to the UK for me has been scuppered as I absolutely do not want to quarantine over there and at present, no one from the U.K. may enter Belgium! Though as my home is here. I would probably be allowed re-entry, albeit with another period of quarantine.

July 4Jth 2021 't Rommelmarkt on 't Zand.

But to return to the subject of emerging normality [i.e. pre-Covid events/behaviour] re-appearing. One of the events which I loved early in my relationship with Brugge, was the Zandfeesten. My husband, Eric, and I used to come over for about a week in early August for what is now known as the 
MAFestival of musica barocca and I soon discovered the delightful synchronicity of the huge Rommelmarkt on ‘t Zand. Ignoring the scorn of my husband, I used to hasten to ‘t Zand around 7.00 a.m. often meeting up with the ‘boys from Cologne’ with whom Eric and I were great friends. The

2021 MA Festival logo

leader of that group, Joachim, was/is a confirmed Rommelmarkt addict and he and his partner, now husband, would hit the deck by 6.00 a.m. Eric could never believe, or understand, the magnanimity of our irrational behaviour. He always chose to lie in late on the offending Sunday and virtually ignore the treasures I eventually purchased!

New Senses: Portuguese cafe selling home-made
Pastel de nata with coffee. To die for!

But to return to what was going to be my original point in the preceding paragraph; Sunday June 4, yesterday, saw the first Return of ‘t Zandfeest. I think the last pre-Lockdown ‘t Zandfeest must have been September 2019! Excitement was high at Chateau Clayton, embellished by an arrangement to meet a similar Rommel-obsessed friend for coffee at New Seasons at the corner of 't Zand and Smedenstraat. BUT early on Sunday morning I awoke with a swingeing attack of Labyrinthitis, SO rare for me now that I didn’t recognise what was happening to be able to name it. And yet I suffered from intermittent Labyrinthitis from the early 90s but, crucially for the ageing memory, not for about ten years. I had totally forgotten its existence! But as I was unable even to sit upright in bed, felt dreadfully nauseous and could hardly hear the BBC on the Ipad that always shares my bed, I knew going anywhere was impossible. Indeed it took me around two hours before I was able to walk, holding the wall, to the kitchen.

Labyrinthitis is caused by an infection, perhaps by a virus in the inner ear. It produces a serious loss of balance; some hearing loss; and initial violent feelings of nausea. This sounds terrible but normally, mercifully, it is temporary. In the past, mine used to last up to five days and with the prescribed tablets, improving a little day by day. This time I also feel terrible; unwell, lethargic, with underlying feelings of nausea continuing and a longer-lasting inability to balance, the latter no doubt amplified by ageing which has seen a deterioration anyway in my balance. This time I was lucky to find in my scant medical supplies, a nine year old box of tablets, unused! So although any notional sell-by date will have vanished long ago, nevertheless I have used them and the situation is improving!

Summary of Labyrinthitis Symptoms.
Frankly, it doesn't feel benign!