But if there is ever a good time to end a good thing, then we think this is our time.

We began “Oh, the Places We See” on a whim: share our photos and tell our stories and people will come. And you did. And we loved hearing from you, reading your posts and comments, and becoming all the richer for encounters with people we might never see in person.

Together we traveled the world and shared our experiences with any and all of you willing to travel with us.

We’ve shown each other photos based upon themes or just random glimpses of life as we know and see it. We were grateful for it all — not just for topics of the week we looked forward to receiving but also your takes and how you interpreted them so beautifully.

We’ve shared our passions, our favorite spots in the world, our families and recipes.

And through it all, we’ve become internet friends. Friends who endured a pandemic, the ups and downs of politics, personal illnesses, and the inevitable changes that life has thrown at us.

Saying goodbye doesn’t mean anything. It’s the time we spent together that matters, not how we left it. 

Trey Parker

For us, the art of writing, posting pictures, and sharing our thoughts and adventures has enriched our lives immensely. And we thank you for sharing your worlds with us. What a joy to have so many perspectives and friends and mutual admiration!

“Oh, the Places We See,” will remain on WordPress until Spring 2023. But for now, we won’t be contributing new posts or adding new pictures even though we will continue to read those of the people we follow. Our old posts will also be available for reading.

Good friends never say good-bye. They just say “See you soon”!

Anonymous

Thank you for eleven great years of blogging.

Travel wide-eyed. We’ll see you soon!

Rusha and Bert

The Cathedral of St. Michel and Gudula

As we’ve shown you in previous posts, we love touring European cathedrals, basilicas, and private places of worship. So, it’s no surprise that we’re leading you into Brussels with glimpses of a magnificent structure built in the 9th century, deserving of the title given by “10 Best Things for Couples to Do” as “one of the oldest buildings in Brussels.”

From the ornate sculptures on the outside to the peaceful, tall white vaulted ceilings, this church will put you at rest as you roam the interior. Take a closer look at the pulpit, spacious passageways, and columns. It’s within walking distance of Grande-Place, so it’s a short walk to see this worshipful, quiet place.

City Scenes

Brussels is vibrant. You can feel the energy as you walk the sidewalks, peer into windows, and mingle with locals and tourists alike.

Don’t miss Brussels Park (aka City Park) with its fountains and tree-lined walkways or dip inside Galerie de la Reine to check out the fashions. Top it all off with sandwiches to go or coffee and a Belgian waffle eaten at a sidewalk table. It’s Brussels at its finest!

Street Art

A cat goes well with people and a bike goes well with the city.

Alain Sechas, artist/creator of La Cycliste

If you love street art, it doesn’t get any better than Brussels! From comic book murals to life-size sculptures to the everyone-has-to-see Manneken Pis and TinTin. Brussels is known for art! And you won’t have to go far to see it.

Belgian Chocolates

In the last few hours we spent in Brussels, we ended this dream trip making chocolates at Neuhaus. Ever since Jean Neuhaus Jr. invented the Belgian praline in 1912, all Neuhaus chocolates have been made entirely in Belgium, and we were privy to their techniques (well, a little bit).

Thanks to Emily and her assistant, we learned how chocolates are made and decorated. We became chefs for the afternoon, adding sprinkles and nuts to fashion original treats. Eating, of course, was the best part.

The most fun? Sampling, sampling again, and buying chocolates for the folks back home.

We’re ending this series on Belgium and Holland with a thank-you to our readers. Traveling in two modes — a river cruise with Viking and a private tour with driver — may be something you’d like to try. It afforded us the opportunity to see many places in a short amount of time while making new friends with Viking, and then, with our guide, we had a chance to stroll leisurely and learn about the cities of Belgium one at a time. Whatever mode you try, here’s hoping you see places around the world in the way that suits you best.

Travel lively,

Rusha & Bert

This post is one in a series prompted by a recent trip to The Netherlands and Belgium. Thank you to Viking cruises (Holland & Belgium 2022) and our travel agent, Lauren Gunnels of Ortelius Travel Advisors, for the arrangements and free time to enjoy the scenery!

Although we initially thought that this would be our last post lauding this charming Holland/Belgium journey, we had so many photos of Grand-Place itself that we have two “last” posts! We first discovered the charms of Grand-Place the day we arrived in Brussels: this cobbled plaza lies only a few paces away from our temporary residence in Brussels: Hotel Amigo.

Our first view wowed us: the grand size of the plaza, its historic guild halls, Maison du Roi (king’s palace), and City Hall. Everywhere, people held up cameras to capture buildings, architectural details, and the one-after-another photo ops of remarkable style.

You have to stand at a distance just to take photos. Massive buildings tower above you, offering magnificent architecture and styles ranging from Baroque to Gothic.

Grand-Place originally was an open-air market, as early as the 10th century. And it has evolved beyond its early designs, with major renovations taking place after a fire in the 14th century and bombardments in 1659. (Source: Top Ten Facts about the Grand-Place)

Today it’s a gathering place.

And the center of celebrations and events, brings people together, securing it as the center of Brussels.

We were unprepared for the beauty at sundown when soft backlighting flooded the buildings, exposing gilded details (as in the photo at the top). And as evening approached, man-made lights added more golden touches, making Brussels a special place to visit.

Whether you go with a tour or all alone, don’t miss standing among historic buildings in this UNESCO Heritage Site or come for greater celebrations like the light and sound shows at Christmas or the spring flower carpet on the world’s most beautiful square.

Grand-Place is a site to behold!

Travel in a dazzled state,

Rusha & Bert

This post is one in a series prompted by a recent trip to The Netherlands and Belgium. Thank you to Viking cruises (Holland & Belgium 2022) and our travel agent, Lauren Gunnels of Ortelius Travel Advisors, for the arrangements and free time to enjoy the scenery!

As kids, we had heard of the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the U.S. But we knew little more about Ghent than that.

Bruges is the belle; Ghent is the rebel.

Hecktic Travels

If Bruges is charming for its quaint structures and meandering small waterways, then Ghent would have to be called “impressive” for its wide rivers flanked by walkways, Flemish architectural gems, and massive buildings.

Ghent’s wide-open spaces wowed us as well.

We crossed bridges and joined other tourists on wide walkways flanked by tall, sturdy cathedrals and early stone buildings like Gravensteen Castle.

This 11th century city, rebuilt after Vikings plundered it, remains a stronghold for residents (many of whom are immigrants and newcomers) intent on preserving and protecting architectural gems and the rivers that run through this timeless place.

I have always believed that every great city in history needs a vibrant center.

Eli Broad

After strolling through the city, we stopped for a while at one of the gems of Ghent: St. Bavo’s Cathedral (Sint-Baafs Cathedral), Ghent’s oldest parish church. It stands on the former site of St. John’s Church which was destroyed, but some Romanesque elements remained. In the 13th century, St. Bavo’s was converted into a Catholic church and most of the chapels were extended in early Gothic style. With its black-and-white tiled floor, vertical grandeur, and the opulent Rococo pulpit, the church has become a repository of masterpieces of Belgian art.

We began our tour with augmented reality, and, using headgear, we moved through the lower part of the cathedral to see how it might have been reconstructed. (We must tell you: this is a better experience than we could have expected — well worth the ticket price!)

The main event (after our augmented reality session) was the viewing of the Ghent Altarpiece, a massive 15th century polyptych begun by artist Hubert Van Eyck but completed after his death by his brother, Jan Van Eyck.

The altarpiece is currently being restored, but we were able to view the whole of the artwork, even its foldable sides, closely.

Also called The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, the central scene of the altarpiece shows the redemption of mankind through the sacrifice of Christ, represented in the form of the lamb. Other panels include judges, hermits, and pilgrims as well as Christ on the throne flanked by Mary and John.

With a final visit to the cathedral itself, we marveled at workmanship we may never see again — not in our lifetime, at least.

So, if you’re visiting Belgium and have only a partial day between Bruges and Brussels, we can wholeheartedly recommend a stroll through historic, beautiful Ghent. You won’t find art and architecture on any grander scale!

Travel wide-open,

Rusha & Bert

This post is one in a series prompted by a recent trip to The Netherlands and Belgium. Thank you to Viking cruises (Holland & Belgium 2022) and our travel agent, Lauren Gunnels of Ortelius Travel Advisors, for the arrangements and free time to enjoy the scenery!

Yes, we had heard that Bruges was pretty, interesting, intriguing, and it was also the site made popular as the setting for the movie In Bruges. But we weren’t sure the city could live up to its reputation.

Immediately upon arrival, however, all accolades were confirmed.

The area now known as Bruges has been a region/city since Roman times. But the name Bruges probably didn’t appear until the 9th century. The name may have been derived from “brugj,” a word that means “mooring” (visitbruges.be). With its lovely network of canals and waterways running through it, we were ready to anchor down and stay awhile.

It’s no wonder that the city of Bruges as a whole was named a UNESCO Heritage Site in 2000.

Here’s a taste of what we loved best.

Canals of Bruges

Part of the beauty of Bruges lies in its smallness (only 20,000 people) and limited size. You can see much of the city from the comfort of a canal boat while listening to a guide point out architectural and cultural details. He’ll also let you know when to duck as you pass under the low bridges. Be sure to line up for a trip — it’s the best way to see the city and its waterways.

Flemish Architecture

And while you’re in that canal boat, get your camera ready. You’ll love the rooflines of Bruges — fabulous stair-step gables, overlapping tiles, wonky chimneys, steeples, and inset sculptures.

A tour on foot with an informed guide will give you quite a lesson in what all these insets have to offer, but for us, it was enough just to appreciate the art forms.

The variations were magnificent — from facades bearing the date of construction (sometimes early 1600s even) to the mixture of rooflines that look great in almost any light. We couldn’t hold back on taking pictures!

Church of Our Lady

This 13th century church reminded us of Antwerp’s place of worship by the same name. Even down to signature black and white interior.

But this one — Church of Our Lady in Bruges — boasts the tallest spire (112 meters) in Belgium and a glorious sculpture of Virgin and Child by Michelangelo. Build in extra time to stroll, read about the people buried there, and observe the beauty of the art forms within the structure.

The Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde

The placid white-washed exteriors of Beguinage established in a lovely, quiet place in Bruges was home to beguines — women who lived a pious life without taking the usual vows associated with religious orders. Today it houses the Order of St. Benedict and other women who choose to live alone. We loved it for the quiet glimpse it gave us of a monastic life amid a very touristy city.

The comings and goings in Bruges

From bountiful markets to horse-drawn carriage rides, people were on the move in Bruges. We loved the colorful, touristy vibe of the city even though there were plenty of quiet moments available near the canals and beyond the popular spots.

We dipped in and out of chocolate shops, eating gooey treats, and we listened to music by a local band performing classics. It’s a city bustling with activity but one that offers a respite from the “bigness” associated with other glorious versions like Paris, Brussels, Prague, etc.

Hotel Heritage

The quiet, tasteful atmosphere of Hotel Heritage started our day with a gourmet breakfast and ended with plush, luxury bedding. If you’re going to treat yourself to Bruges, you might as well do it in style!

Arranged by Lauren Gunnels of Ortelius Travel Advisors, our tour of Bruges included relaxation in a classy hotel yet much time to see the beauty of this lovely, old-world city.

Be sure you’ve put Bruges on your list of must-see cities in Europe. You’ll love what you see!

Travel beautifully,

Rusha & Bert

If you’ve been following our series on Holland & Belgium, please know that our Viking cruise portion of our trip ended in Antwerp. Thanks to Ortelius Travel Advisors, we had a personal guide who accompanied us on the additional sightseeing opportunities in Bruges, Ghent and Brussels. We can highly recommend this travel mode as we learned as much from our guide as we did from seeing the notable places and points of interest he shared with us.

You need not to be of faith to sit quietly and contemplate the loveliness of a cathedral.

Simon Jenkins, author of England’s Cathedrals

As with many tours of cathedrals, we had too little time and very few moments of silent reflection and contemplation. If it weren’t for our handy iPhones, we might not have been able to snap anything as we walked along, listening via earbuds to our knowledgeable guide and snapping away quickly as we attempted to capture the essence of Cathedral of Our Lady with little time for adjusting light settings.

Even so, we marveled at the construction that began in 1352 and took 169 years to complete. And then later we read that restorations and renovations began in 1533. Today, it’s the tallest cathedral of its kind with a spire reaching 404 feet in height.

The details fascinated us — from the hand carved pulpit to the carvings, flooring, and vaulted ceiling. We especially liked the female brandishing a stick as she “warned” the audience to pay attention to the speaker and remain reverent.

Noteworthy, as well, was the use of the color black to add elegance and distinction to the predominately white interior. Everywhere, the stark contrasts outlined details that might have not been seen otherwise.

We found ourselves pointing out to each other notables worthy of a second look: stained glass windows, carved wooden details, and vignettes celebrating famous people and venerated saints.

But if there could be another reason to visit Cathedral of Our Lady — the main one for many guests, in fact — it would be the magnificent art of Peter Paul Rubens, the artist who painted specifically for this particular building in the early years of the 17th century. We were taken not only with the subject matter, but also the use of movement, the studies of the human body, and the color and composition of each.

Regardless of your religious leanings, Cathedral of Our Lady is worth seeing if you’re in Antwerp. And you’ll be in good company. According to a flyer we received on our Viking cruise, “the cathedral draws an average of 360,000 visitors annually.” And you can see why.

Travel architecturally and culturally,

Rusha & Bert

This post is one in a series prompted by a recent trip to The Netherlands and Belgium. Thank you to Viking cruises (Holland & Belgium 2022) and our travel agent, Lauren Gunnels of Ortelius Travel Advisors, for the arrangements and free time to enjoy the scenery!

To love beauty is to see light.

Victor Hugo

Because we’ve been visitors at Pawleys Island, South Carolina, for over four decades, you can probably guess that we have a photo or two of sunrises over the ocean and sunsets over the marsh. And we’ve posted them frequently enough that you may have tired of them.

But every time we visit, we make a point of getting up early, throwing on the basics, and grabbing a camera and iPhone to record ocean views and the reflections on the houses facing the light.

Best of all, my family has now discovered the beauty of these early-morning adventures, and we couldn’t be happier to see the next generations enjoying the sight of a just-emerging glorious sunrise.

This summer brought on an added bonus: tracks of a loggerhead turtle in search of an appropriate, safe place to lay her eggs. It evidently wasn’t where she dragged her tired body near the access at the South End, since we saw no evidence of her nest. But we’ll keep looking for more turtle tracks each time we visit this heavenly coast.

Recently, we saw sunrises on the other side of the world as we noted the arrival of a new day aboard Viking’s Kvasir (the Holland & Belgium trip). At first, the early morning sun barely peeped around clouds, sharing its warm colors along the horizon.

But minutes later, that same light tinged the clouds with pink, sharing the glow with businesses and workers one by one as the day began.

No matter where you see the morning sun, we feel that you have lived to see another of nature’s endearing morning shows. And each one is different.

In South Carolina or The Netherlands, greeting the sun makes us feel a part of God’s handiwork.

Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.

William Arthur Ward

Travel in the light,

Rusha & Bert

For more entries in this Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, head to Amy’s blog, The World Is a Book, to see more beautiful, sunny images.

We loved the intimacy of small pubs, outdoor restaurants, and sightings of locals doing whatever they do best in their Flemish home town. And we enjoyed being a part of the active scene as we strolled down alleys and into spaces flanked by beauty and real life everywhere.

As a major port as early as the 14th century, Antwerp became a popular mercantile center with its sugar trade and sales of woolen goods. And, since 1476 when the first diamond was cut, Antwerp has been known as (and still is) the “Diamond Capital of the World.”

It’s also known for cheaper thrills: beer, brews, and the pursuit of happiness in affordable terms.

We found Antwerp to be a place for getting out and about in this great city. Biking — alone or in groups as pictured at the top — is as strong an activity as it is in Holland. It’s just part of living the good life.

Markets, too, add to the ambiance — like the ones in Grote Markt offering fresh foods and pretty flowers all grown locally.

If you love chocolates (fine, Belgian chocolates) you’ll be in the midst of a whole-country love affair.

For gathering, eating out, and learning about legends and namesakes, head to Grote Markt where an imposing City Hall (built between 1561 and 1565) looms large. The statue in front honors Silvius Brabo, a Roman soldier who killed Druon Antigoon, the giant who forced all navigators to pay tolls before they were allowed to go over the Scheldt river. As the legend goes, if they refused, Antigoon cut off their hands and threw them in the river.

Turn about is fair play, we suppose, as Brabo, in turn, cut off Antigoon’s hand and threw it into the river. (And that’s why you see a man holding a hand in the upper part of the sculpture.)

The entire Grote Markt is impressive with its guild halls, ornate buildings of varying styles, and touches of gold accenting famous people and legendary figures.

In the old city center, Het Steen (built between 1200 and 1225 as a medieval fortress) looms large as Antwerp’s oldest building — and one of its most fascinating.

Of course, you can’t leave Belgium without sampling the waffles. It’s just not polite. So, we did our civic duty and downed a couple of these crispy delights. (Crispier than those in the U. S. and made with fizzy water, according to our guide.) Regardless of ingredients or techniques for making them, Belgian waffles just taste great!

Hope you’ll join us for our next post on Antwerp’s Cathedral of Our Lady. Until then, keep thinking architecture, legends, chocolates and waffles: you’ll want to book a cruise to Antwerp in no time.

Travel through history and art,

Rusha & Bert

This post is one in a series prompted by a recent trip to The Netherlands and Belgium. Thank you to Viking cruises (Holland & Belgium 2022) and our travel agent, Lauren Gunnels of Ortelius Travel Advisors, for the arrangements and free time to enjoy the scenery!

Known for its open-air markets selling everything from clothing to beans, Maastricht identified itself to those of us on Viking’s Holland & Belgium cruise as the place for strolling and taking in all the sights and sounds. With numerous places to sit and sip a coffee or dine on pastries, we found ourselves looking at historical sights but also just enjoying the carefree atmosphere in the plazas and on the streets.

We reveled in more of the architecture of The Netherlands — ornate rooflines, stone construction, and markings that indicate care in construction not seen much today.

The Basilica of Our Lady

We dipped out of the mayhem of markets for a brief but meaningful tour of the Basilica of Our Lady located in the plaza known as Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 7.

The spot where the Basilica of Our Lady now stands was the site of a small church as early as the fifth century AD. This was probably the oldest Christian church in the Netherlands and may have been built on top of the remains of a Roman temple.

Visit Maastricht

We were enthralled to see the lovely blue dome, artifacts still remaining intact, burial records of those interred in the flooring as well as vaulted ceilings and stonework that indicate this is one of the prettiest churches in the country.

But not all churches are so lucky as to remain viable places of worship. Some have been converted, our guide told us, to bookstores or condominiums or other such purposes since fewer and fewer residents are attending church as we know it.

We loved our walk through neighboring small streets as we glimpsed doors embraced by arching florals and alleys where ever-present bicycles call home.

We even took a second and third glance at some decorated cookies in a pastry shop window where the owner motioned for us to come in and enjoy a free sample or a waffle or both! (Lucky us.)

But most of all, what you need to know about Maastricht is not just that it contains 1,677 National Heritage Buildings or that The Maastricht Treaty was signed here or that the euro was created here. You just need to know that it’s what the Viking Daily called it: “irreverent, independent and fun loving — one of the most popular cities for Dutch and international travelers.”

We’re just glad we were among them!

Travel happy,

Rusha & Bert

I don’t know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.

Vincent Van Gogh

As a side venture with our Viking River Cruise “Holland & Belgium,” we walked the town where Van Gogh spent his life from December 5, 1883, to November 24, 1885. And it was here that he created his now-famous painting The Potato Eaters as well as hundreds of other paintings and drawings.

Although his major works are housed in Amsterdam in the Van Gogh Museum , several minor paintings show the progression from his “darker” years to the happy, brighter works with which we’re all familiar.

A stroll through Neunen takes you through Het Park where a monument to Vincent stands as part of a protected village.

But it may have been the humble abode where he worked — alone much of the time — that helped us understand how his environment shaped him. We first caught a glimpse of it in this painting dated 1858: The Vicarage at Nuenen at Night, Rear. The somber tones and loneliness of his early years set the stage for many dark days in Vincent’s life.

We walked past the ancestral home of Margot Begemann, Vincent’s lover and companion. The house also served as a hiding spot for a Jewish boy during World War II.

But it’s the full-size sculpture of The Potato Eaters that made the biggest impression on us: An embodiment of the 1885 oil on canvas that shows the harsh reality of country life. The people at the table are not glorified but rather represented in a familial setting as they live their daily rituals — eating dinner together, conversing, and surviving. It was Van Gogh’s art focused on real people rather than royalty or aristocrats that has influenced painters since his time.

If you’re in The Netherlands, stop by Neunen. It’s definitely a place to learn more about the artist who fought personal demons to survive as best he could, while leaving us with treasures of art known all over the world.

A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.”

Vincent Van Gogh

Travel artistically,

Rusha & Bert

This post is one in a series prompted by a recent trip to The Netherlands and Belgium. Thank you to Viking cruises (Holland & Belgium 2022) and our travel agent, Lauren Gunnels of Ortelius Travel Advisors, for the arrangements and free time to enjoy the scenery!