Around Bruges - The Seven Year Itch - CycleBlaze

August 30, 2024

Around Bruges

Around Bruges, by hike

On our layover day, Rachael went for a walk east of town into the woods and marshes.  Once she got out of the city it was great.

It’s great to see so many young people out enjoying the outdoors!
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Bruge has an amazing number of walking and biking trails very close to the city center that allow you to escape all the tourists.
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I loved this view of Castle Ten Torre which is now a luxury self catered accommodations.
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An immature coot.
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Rich FrasierI’ve been called that before!
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3 months ago
Scott AndersonTo Rich FrasierSorry to break the news to you Rich, but you’re not young anymore either.
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An adult.
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Our Lady of Banneux (Our Lady of the Poor) Statue
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The following photos are of the botanical gardens attached to the castle.  There is a footpath with signs describing the flora and fauna.  It was a very peaceful place.

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Bird houses.
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Heather and we aren’t in the UK!
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I love this carved bench with the bee.
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Kathleen JonesIt’s a bee hotel too!
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Scott AndersonTo Kathleen JonesOh! I’ll bet you’re right. Mason bees?
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Kathleen JonesTo Scott AndersonIt complies with the Fair Housing Act, so it’s for any kind of bee. That’s why there are different sizes and depths.
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More shade and beautiful trees!
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Most of the walk was great but I decided I wanted a drink and an ice cream bar and had to walk along a busy, hot road but at least there was a sidewalk.

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Around Bruges, by bike

On our layover day, I went for a bike ride west of town across the polders.  Once I got out of the city it was great.

The way I biked today it took about three miles to put the town and its suburbs behind me. Once I did, I passed through another couple of miles of cultivated farmland. Here, we see where all those Belgian fries come from.
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Here’s a crop I don’t recall seeing before. The way it’s been cut and left to dry reminds me of the cut lavender in Provence that we saw twenty years ago.
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Zooming in, I recognize this crop from one of Suzanne Gibson’s posts she shared recently. It’s golden flax.
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Red and gold.
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A brick farmhouse.
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Scott AndersonTo Graham FinchOh, shoot. I could have pointed that out and impressed you that I remembered. If I’d remembered.
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We saw this colorful cover crop a few time back in the U.K., but it was too far off for a good look.
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It’s nice to be closer up this time. It’s facelia.
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I’m lichen my bike.
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Chicory.
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Snoozer.
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Steve Miller/GrampiesAnd two horsey butts. We miss Joe.
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Scott AndersonTo Steve Miller/GrampiesYes, I thought of that actually.
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This is a chapel erected almost a century ago by local landowners in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes as thanks for the healing of their sick daughter Gatharina.
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Beyond the farm belt I move on to what I’ve been aiming for - a wild, marshy polder recognized as a birding hotspot.
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I’ve come to the right place.
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This legend was invaluable for helping me identify the local birds. It’s not the best time of year to be here - one of the worst, probably - but still I saw at least a dozen of the birds shown on the panel.
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Buizerd.
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Blauwe reiger.
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Grauwe Gans.
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Kleine zilverreiger.
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Houtduif.
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Torenvalk.
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Roodborsttapuit.
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Unfortunately the legend wasn’t comprehensive and I had to use other resources to identify some I saw. This one’s a cattle egret; the visual cue helped.
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And I misidentified this large bird far out in the field, thinking it was a stork. Wrong - it’s a spoonbill.
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Back in town and circling it on the ring road to our B&B, I came across three windmills, all within a few hundred yards of each other.
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Today's ride: 25 miles (40 km)
Total: 3,604 miles (5,800 km)

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