In Bruges

My title says it all.  I am currently in Bruges, Belgium.  I am anxious to watch the film again when I get home, but there is one thing I can say for sure.  Even a total moron  like the main character would never call this city a dump.  It is absolutely the most beautiful place on earth.  A medieval gem.

Unfortunately, the main museum that houses one of the most beautiful works of art in the world is closed for renovation.  When I saw the sign on the door, I burst into tears.  I wish I was exaggerating because I am not one for crying.  But I was so disappointed that I came all the way to Belgium and I won't be able to see Van Eyck's altarpiece with the Canon Vander Peale, that I really did  become despondent.  Luckily, there is much else here to console the down hearted.  We'll stay a few days and then head over to Ypres, site of the famous battle in WW1.  I was biking in the Flemish countryside today and my wife pointed to some poppies blooming on the roadside.  The words to the famous poem came to mind.  "In Flanders field the poppies grow, upon the crosses row on row."   Such a sight in the US would cause a national emergency.  The Drug Enforcement Administration would cordon off the entire district, while helicopters would descend spraying tons of toxic poison.