Europe 2019 - Day 15 (Part 2)

21 May 2019, Tuesday

Then we were done and headed back to the train station. We stopped at a food truck to have some hamburgers and here an old man started talking to me and said 43 years ago he was in a horrible accident which left his skull cracked open (his skull is now made of plastic), and which left him in a coma for some time and then a year in hospital recovering from his injuries. He has had breathing and walking and talking difficulties ever since. Out of the blue he asked me if I believed in God and I said yes and he said he used to but he doesn’t anymore because so many bad things have happened to him over the years that it’s hard for him to believe in God anymore. 

I really felt so sorry for him. So I told him he has lived for 43 years, still able to enjoy the blue sky, the fresh air and the delicious hamburger which is more than what a lot of people have, and all of these are some forms of blessings in a way. He said I have brightened his day and gave me a peck on the cheek. Until then I was still in a foul mood, but now I can’t help but wonder whether this incident is God’s way of telling me that He’s still there watching over me. 

Anyway then we took the train back to Bruges. We reached Bruges at about 2 p.m. and walked from the bus station to Minnewater, a park with a rectangular lake and beautiful views. The lake was once the mooring place for barges that sailed the inland waterways between Bruges and Ghent. 

Then we walked into the “Ten Wijngaerde” Beguinage, a Flemish beguinage which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beguines were ‘religious women’, widows or spinsters who wished to live an independent but committed life outside the recognised orders with their vows of fidelity and poverty. They organised themselves in self-supported ‘cities of peace’. The beguinage had a central courtyard lined with trees and cobbled streets, a walled oasis with a delightful inner garden. 

After that we went to the Church of Our Lady because I wanted to see the original sculpture of the Madonna and Child by Michaelangelo. It was beautiful. Then to the Basilica of the Holy Blood to see the relic of a cloth used to wipe the body of Jesus Christ after he died, so it still had His bloodstains on it. It was apparently brought to this Basilica by Joseph of Arimathea. With all the churches that I am visiting, my friend seriously thinks I will become a Christian one day. For me, it’s not about the religious belief but the historical value of these artifacts. I think I will always remain a Hindu. I love my elephant sami too much. 

Then back to the hostel where I had a beer while blogging, followed by a nap. At about 10 p.m. we went out again together with another roommate from Russia who had just arrived at the dorm, to take some pictures of Bruges at night. Quite pretty too although the camera can’t capture what the eyes see. Then I took all the medicines in the world and slept soundly for 8 hours.