If you like food and architecture, you may like this!

Holly was 18 years old last Friday. So Tuesday of this week we all went to Brugge. We were there by 5pm, the sun was shining and I had my husband and two girls with me.

I do adore this fountain group, the mermaid is so incredible.

Pretty Brugge street...

Pretty tasty Brugge beer, with an omlette for dinner.

A walk and onto my favourite sculptures ......Set of 4 bronze sculptures, Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Rik Poot, in the garden of the Arentshuis.

View from same area.....

Mmmm....

Everywhere you look in Brugge (as you know) is a treat for the eyes, a picture postcard at every turn.....

Peeled and faded...

Fancy a little ratty tasty treat????? No, me neither!

I did fancy some of the following.....

Most definitely some of these.....

Meant to try this 'best hot chocolate' but unfortunately didn't have time...

A very out of context Shop door handle. Most odd, but I really like it...50's would you say?

Holly's first Cocktail, which she didn't like, so I had to drink it, it was such a chore! She will kill me for including this.

Evening drew in on the first evening, gentle walk round the town and more alcohol consumed..... we went back to our Hotel. It was really strange, as we are so used to everywhere being smoke free in Britain that it came as quite a shock when the public were allowed to smoke in the Hotel and Bar!

Next morning.....elevenses, greedy so and so, but wild horses couldn't have stopped me.

Market was in full swing. My husband was actually bodily pushed out of the way by a very elderly gentleman......Brugge is a dream to walk around. You don't have to cling to your belongings for fear of muggings, you just watch out for physical abuse in the market place by the elderly! (Maybe a lifetime of of rubber necking tourists get you down).

There is a permanent 'Dali' Exhibition just off the Market Square, which Holly and I visited. I am not very keen on Dali's work but Holly wanted to go in because she is attending Art College. She found it very difficult to know what to draw (pics and sculptures in the exhib) in her sketch book because the bloke had a one tracked mind, if you get my drift, still there were elephants on stilts!

The vaulted ceiling of the Exhibition space was painted a stunning blue and the columns gold....very beautiful. I sat and people watched.

View from front of our Hotel.

Inside our Hotel.

View from canal trip....

View from Evening Meal! Helen of cocoaandblankets recommended the 'Passage' restaurant. Very pleased she did too, as the food and ambiance were memorable.

Next morning and a coffee in the market square before leaving to drive home.

Odd that at 10am we are sitting in this fine Market Square and by 6pm we are home, I can never get my head around it.

Thanks for ploughing through this lot with me. I hope you are not too rigid with boredom looking through someone else's holiday snaps, yawn!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.x

Vintage and Handmade Fair 30th May 2009

I wanted to tell you about the wonderfully happy day I had yesterday at the Vintage and Handmade Fair. If you are a regular reader you will know all about this Fair and I am so happy to have been part of it.

Impeccably organised by michele and jayne. A taste of what was on offer....

sal of sal's snippets, her stand was a feast for the eyes.....

clare of Daisy Darling, as lovely as her millinery!

and onto a diamond.....Michele,Jayne's stand...

Vintage French linens and fabrics. Penny does not have a blog. She lives in the south of France and when she bought her home (an old Laundry) she inherited a loft full of antique linens (makes you sick, doesn't it?)

nostalgiaatthestonehouse.... beautiful handmade and vintage items......

A new friend made in sue of Vintage to Victorian. An absolute joy to talk to and buy from.

Oh and then there was Christine. (No link). Who's work was sublime. Christine kindly showed me photos of her shop and studio in Portscatho, Cornwall called 'The Sea Garden'. I have never seen anything so perfect, sigh.

jane no photo of your stand for some strange reason, but it was great to see you again and see your fantastic work.

Then onto thevintagemagpie. Bears and bunnies, amongst other handmade works of art. I have dropped a hint as subtle as a house brick to the other half! Edna the bear was to die for.

Lizzie The Washerwoman. A stand packed with vintage delights.

Teas, coffee and cake looking like they were part of a Country Living photo shoot. Just beautiful.

Having Holly and my other half with me was such a bonus, as I was able to browse and buy and buy, yes I did! Here are my purchases........

1lb of French vintage Mother of Pearl buttons for £5, enough said???

This is going to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech, sorry, but here goes......I would like to thank everyone that organised and worked at the Fair. I would also like to say a big thank you to all the other fantastic stall holders. A total joy to meet up with my bloggy friends. I am feeling happy and inspired because of you all. But most of all thank you to everyone who came and said 'hello' comment leavers and lurkers (hello Kate ;-) alike. The joy of it was that everyone that came 'got it', understanding the theme behind the Fair. It wasn't one of those 'want to kill yourself' type craft or antique fairs, where the public come to waste time because it's raining and wander aimlessly licking an ice cream or just buying fudge. It was bloody brilliant!

Thanks for stopping by. x