Today’s a national holiday in France: November 1st is All Saints’ Day – another Catholic holiday in this supposedly secular country. Florists love All Saints’ Day. Cemetaries all over the country will be crowded today as people take flowers to the graves of deceased relatives.

And I’m off to Bruges located in the Flemish region of Belgium called West Flanders. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to discover the delights of Belgium. Maybe because it’s right next door to France and, up until now, I had always set my sights on destinations further afield. I’ve already planned to return to Belgium again over Christmas…..to Antwerp.

Bruges has most of its medieval architecture intact. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The city houses a very fine collection of medieval and early modern art, including the world-famous collection of Flemish Primitives.  Various masters, such as Hans Memling and Jan van Eyck, lived and worked in Bruges.

Because of its many canals, Bruges is often referred to as “Venice of the North.”The only blip is the weather forecast for this weekend: rain.  Oh well, we will console ourselves with Belgian chocolate, waffles and their famous fries (and beer.)