After the chocolate demonstration, Sam and I took off to do some shopping. She had been very patient about this, plus I had an "order" from a neighbor to visit a specific tapestry shop (Mille Fleurs) and buy a pillow cover detailing the "Tree of Life." Sam bought a couple tapestries and then even I bought a pillow cover for my living room couch. We also stopped in some lace shops but didn't make any purchases in those.
We were hungry so it was time to find some lunch. The café we selected was in a small passage around the corner from the Church of the Holy Blood, a passage with shops and little restaurants overlooking the oldest canal (top photo).
Our restaurant, a little coffee house serving lunch (Koffiehuis Ter Steeghere), was delightful even though it was housed on the side away from the canal in the passage. It had been our coolest day so far this trip and we had suffered a few sprinkles. So, hot soup sounded really good and it certainly was--even though we never figured out what kind--and we didn't ask.
After touring the Church of the Holy Blood (a separate post), we wandered back to the hotel and tested the chocolates. Before leaving to check out another lace shop Hilbren had pointed out on our orientation walk the night before, we watched some swimmers from our window competing in the canal--brrrrr, looked very cold!
On the way to the lace shop, we entered the Saint Anne church (Sint-Annakerk)--beautiful and ornate, although the back of the sanctuary was being renovated. Wish we would've had more time to study the artwork and learn about its history.
What a cute little home the lace shop occupied. I wondered if the owner (the lady who waited on us) lives upstairs. And even though it was in a very quiet, non-traffic, and residential area, her other customers seemed to be familiar with the stock and knew exactly what they wanted. I got the feeling it was a "destination" on those shoppers' list, as it was on ours. After Sam found a couple gifts, we sauntered back through the neighborhood, found a bench, and called our parents.
Hey! Let's drop off your packages, Sam, and "do" coffee and cake on the way to the harp concert. It was that time so we went back to our favorite café for very fancy and delicious waffles. Life is good.
The free harp concert was interesting and just the right amount of time--I believe Luc Vanlaere only played six songs, on a variety of harps and string-type instruments and all his own compositions. Before beginning, Luc surveyed his audience and told us he spoke four or five languages, which he confirmed by commenting in all languages at different times in the program. He was finished playing within 30 minutes and we slipped out without buying a CD or signing any guest lists. It was really a different and pleasant experience.
We found our way back, meandering by and through many sights we've seen multiple times, plus a new one--a group of dancers in the old fish market.
Since the sweet waffles were only a distant memory and it was time for dinner, we stopped at a pizza place pointed out by Hilbern this morning. There, we ran into two of our tour buddies, Peggy and Mike from Sonoma, California. Pretty darn good and fun company. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel and bed.
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