In Search of Decent Fries In Bruges

As students of this blog know, we are admirers of Flemish fries, and will go out of our way to try anything that sounds remotely Belgian or Netherlandish in the fries realm. Candidly, our recent experience in Paris was mostly unimpressive, except for les Relais d'Entrcote, but we figured Bruges would be a snap for good Flemish fries. We consulted Google and also our landlord and, after our Groeningemuseum visit, found something called Mr. Potato (or somesuch) and got the last two seats in this evidently very popular friterie, out somewhat beyond the touristy zone. We sat at the counter, ringside seats, watching the preparation of Flemish frites with eager anticipation. 

Patatamobil

Inside the restaurant delivery truck

Shaking the frites after their 2nd frying...alas, they
were disappointing, a larger cut than we're accustomed
to, lacking flavor, a bit too crispy on the outside...plus
this friteur only offered four (4) sauces; most Low
Country types eat their fries with mayo; the friteries
we know in Amsterdam and elsewhere will offer a dozen
or more sauces; oh well, we left, not hungry, but feeling
our quest was not at its end

Wandering on, in search of a recommended chocolate
shop, noting ever more beautiful buildings

Near it was the local McDonald's (cue foreshadowing music)

The chocolate shop, where we stimulated the local
economy

Alley scene

Corner scene

Etc.

Helpful model of the Bruges tower

Attempted pano of the city square

It's a long story, involving a restaurant that couldn't find our reservation
(finally seated us after I showed them their confirmation on my phone),
wanted 10 euros for a liter of water (refused to serve carafe d'eau; in
Paris you often don't even have to ask), had a disappointing listing of
beer offerings, and was a prime example of Bruges' "stick it to 'em"
attitude to tourists...we left, and finally ended up at McDos--first time
since August, 2023--where we enjoyed the best frites we have had
recently, with curry sauce, and even

 

A 1 euro can of beer

The Bruges McDo

Groeningemuseum, 2

 Continuing our visit to the wonderful Groeningemuseum in Bruges...

Pieter Pourbus, Last Supper, 1548, Judas heading for the exit

Another Boschy, a Judgement, 1486, now said to be either a) by Bosch,
b) his workshop, or c) a collaboration between Bosch and his workshop;
come on...all those Team Raphael or Team Rubens paintings are just the
same; why not just say it's a Bosch?! 

The details are absolutely consistent with Garden of
Earthly Delights and other undisputed works

Wouldn't you love to have had a drink with Bosch?

Heaven was an option for some...paucitas salvandorum

But it was pretty boring

Monk and nun enjoying a little quality time in the hot tub?

Heaven for climate, Hell for company...

Peter Brueghels the Younger, The Sermon of St. John, early 17th;
as with his dad's "religious" paintings, you have to study long and
hard to find the religious bit, namely St. John; the emphasis was
always on the folk 

Antonio Claeissons, Mars, Surrounded by the Arts and Sciences,
Conquers Ignorance, early 17th; evidently the arts and sciences
couldn't do it on their own and Mars was called in for back-up

There is much in the Groenigemuseum beyond the
early Flemish stuff we like; here, Joseph-Benoit Suvee,
The Invention of the Art of Drawing, 1791

Pierre Paulus, The Fumes, 1930

Henri Eugene Le Sidaner, Boat on a Canal (Morning), 1900

Xavier de Cocke, View of Bruges, 1880

Paul Delvaus, Serenity, 1970

Groeningemuseum, 1

The Groeningmuseum is perhaps the chief of Bruges' many museums: it has the van Eycks, the Boschs, and specimens of pretty much everything in between, from the North. We visited in 2013 and in 2015, but I posted pix of mostly just the biggies. Here and next I'll focus on the biggies again, mostly, but offering much more detail, since that's where it's at with the likes of van Eyck and Bosch.

In the gift shop, van Eyck portrait umbrella

Fortunately, I already have all the van Eyck fridge
magnets I'll ever need

The bookstore was impressive

The Groeningemuseum's most famous holding is van Eyck's Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele (1436) (also Baby J, St. Donatio and St. George); often compared with the Louvre's Chancellor Rolin, which is much smaller but gives a way better appreciation of van Eyck's powers, especially with landscape and perspective; details follow; and, if you really want to get into the rich symbolism, iconography, etc., have a look at the short but excellent Wikipedia article

She droned on, auf Deutsch, and on...but here is useful for perspective

The painting is on 6 oak panels, and the original frame
is lettered in some detail, describing the painting, its subjects,
and also contains van Eyck's signature; above, some of it
translated

As with the Arnolfini Wedding portrait, van Eyck's self-portrait
can be seen reflected in St. George's helmet

More incredible detail

Detail (among several) on Mary's throne: Cain bonking
Abel

Van Eyck's portrait of his wife, Margareta, 1439

Jan Provost's 1525 Last Judgement; I've already skipped over plenty
of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th generation (after van Eyck) of Flemish painters,
but include Provost's above because it has a nice lurid Hell 

Thus

Speaking of which, here's another...

Jacqus van den Coornhuse, way later, 1575

Someone please send this to Justice Thomas...Gerard David's 

Judgement of Cambyses, 1498...Cambyses was a judge who was

found to be corrupt and was then flayed (alive); in the upper

right of the 2nd panel, you can see his skin covering his judge's

throne...a reminder for his successor...

Once attributed to Bosch, now to a "follower," the Job Triptych, 
early 16th century; I hereby propose the term "Boschy" to apply to
Bosch-style paintings from roughly his vintage; there are several of
these, especially since the dendrochronological studies of
recent years removed several paintings from the Bosch canon (Bosch
died in 1516; the tree died in 1523; ergo...)

Interim Update #1,282

Life moves on and so do we. After a nice stay in Bruges, and a nicer one in Ghent, aesthetically, we took the Flixbus back to CDG, spent a night there, and then flew on to Riga (via Frankfurt). Riga is an Art Nouveau center, with hundreds of structures of interest. Plus visiting Latvia and later Estonia will allow us to notch two more countries onto our walking sticks. Not that anyone is counting. Of course, the blog is behind, needing coverage of two Flemish art museums in Bruges, a museum and a cathedral in Ghent, plus the usual walking-around sights and sites. The blog will move on too. Eventually.