Bruges: Market Square and Burg Square

After our brewery tour, we were feeling good and ready to explore more of the city. It was now late morning and the day was beginning to warm up. The first stop was Market (Markt) Square, home of Bruges' famous Bell Tower.

Bruges Bell Tower

...But the tower isn't the only thing to see in the square. The old public trading post is ringed with these classic northern-european gabled (steppy) building fronts and bright colors.

Bruges Market Square

Before braving the 300+ steps of the Tower, we needed a snack. Luckily, touristy towns like Bruges are always full of handy food carts selling local favorites. For us, it was fries and mayonnaise!

"They drown 'em in that s**t!"

The cart was tourist-friendly, so a number of other toppings were available, like malt vinegar, ketchup, and curry sauce. We stuck with the warm mayo pumped from a large bag in the street cart. Mmmmmm...

Refreshed, we were ready to take on the Bell Tower steps. It wasn't easy, but we've climbed towers like this before.

Bell Tower Innards

The steps were tough, but the payoff was great! The view of Bruges was amazing, and the weather was cooperating with mostly clear conditions. The only downside was that being inside the Bell Tower, we couldn't see the Bell Tower. Oh, well.

Bruges Steeples

Red Roofs as Far as the Eye can See!

Bell Tower... Bell

Canal Below the Bell Tower

While we were in the top level, the top of the hour struck and the bells began to ring. It was LOUD LOUD LOUD but pretty neat. The quarter hours were short jingles, but the hour mark was a two-minute piece that banged away while we watched. I smiled at a number of other folks filming the whole thing on smartphones and wondered what kind of sound quality those little mics could pick up... assuming the incredibly loud bells didn't shatter the diaphragms.

After the Bell Tower and Market Square, we headed over to Burg Square, another old center of commerce in this once-great trading port.

Bruges City Hall

This in another of of those "Turn 360 degrees and see all the awesome buildings, monuments, and crowds of tourists" squares. Luckily, we could see the tip of the Bell Tower over the gabled storefronts in the square- and the crowds, oh the crowds.

Bell Tower from Burg Square

Old Recorder's House

We finished Burg Square with a look inside the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The church has on display a relic, a phial of dried blood reported to be Christ's own. It was given to Bruges by a Crusader who brought it back from Jerusalem, and has been housed here ever since. 

The line to see the blood was long, so we just took a cruise through the rest of the sanctuary.

Basilica of the Holy Blood Upper Chapel

Whew! After a morning of walking through a brewery, climbing and descending 300+ steps, and marveling at the unique buildings in the squares, we were ready for a break. Then, more walking!

Final Fantasy 5 Four Job Fiesta Run 10 Highlights

On to Run 10! This party was ridiculously overpowered for this game. Black Mages made for an easy World 1, and Chemist helped us torch just about everything after that. Ninja makes a lot of random battles easy, and the Mystic Knight can cheese so many late game enemies (and bosses!) with Break Sword.

On to the highlights!

@ff5forfutures #FF5FJF2014 #up Run 10: Level 12 Black Mages burn Magissa and Forza http://t.co/UaYPBU82BJ
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) August 19, 2014

@ff5forfutures #FF5FJF2014 #up Run 10: Level 12 Black Mages take out Garula, but it takes longer than planned... http://t.co/FDT3unZLKN
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) August 19, 2014

@ff5forfutures #FF5FJF2014 #up Run 10: Glad I did all that pre-job grinding! Level 12 Black Mages torch Siren. http://t.co/7bCR87BAGd
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) August 19, 2014

@FF5ForFutures #ff5fjf2014 #up Run 10: Archavis was as inconvenient as always, but I got it! pic.twitter.com/7HajXbGqz5
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) August 21, 2014

@FF5ForFutures #ff5fjf2014 #up I always crack up at this little crawling sequence. You can dash through it? Why? How? pic.twitter.com/yxQr3gA77G
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) August 21, 2014

@FF5ForFutures #ff5fjf2014 #up Run 10: VIDEO: Omega goes down to mixes http://t.co/jY5EY8YKzu
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) August 22, 2014

@FF5ForFutures #ff5fjf2014 #up Run 10: VIDEO: Exdeath and Neo Exdeath: http://t.co/BiI3wODFnV
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) August 22, 2014

@FF5ForFutures #ff5fjf2014 #up Run 10: Second run w/ a party like this. MK and Chem make the late game a cinch. pic.twitter.com/L1B2Fxs38L
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) August 22, 2014

As per usual, find my video game action on the following networks:

• Follow me on Twitter
• Subscribe to my YouTube channel
• Follow me on Twitch.tv
• Check my Four Job Fiesta player profile

Marlay Park Fairy Tree

When I was walking the back trails of Marlay Park, I stumbled upon a very strange tree in the southern end of the park. The first thing I noticed was the little, pointy spires and towers from a large dead stump through some thick brambles.

When I turned the corner, I saw the whole thing.

An Inhabited Tree Stump?

As I walked up to the tree, I saw that it was decorated from root to tip with doors, windows, balconies, and walkways. Little towers and steeples poked out of the nubs of old branches. These embellishments went all the way around the trunk and were very detailed.

Fairy Door

Fairy Window

I also noticed little notes, letters, and wishes addressed to the fairies of the tree. Some were just little well-wishes to the fairies and the animals (?) of the tree, while others were requests asking for specific things like toys, ponies, and little brothers.

A Letter to the Fairies

Among the letters were little gifts for the fairies of the tree, baby pacifiers (called soothers) chief among them. Some are pinned to the tree with the notes, but others are scattered among the roots of the old tree, but those leaving them have been careful not to block the doors or windows.

[UPDATE] I heard a theory from @Love_Dundrum on Twitter about the baby soothers...

Thanks! RT @LOVE_DUNDRUM Think the soothers are placed in the Marlay Park fairy tree when toddlers grow out of using them, tho I cd be wrong
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) September 12, 2014

Fairy Gifts

I did some searching, and it seems the Fairy Tree was started and is maintained by an art instructor and students at a nearby center for adults with disabilities. They have been caring for and adding on to the Fairy Tree since 2010.

The tree, judging by just one visit, seems to be very popular with the local children and school groups. The notes and gifts were all in good, fresh, and clean condition, so I assume the tree is regularly cleared of letters and toys that pile up and deteriorate in the elements. I admired the fact that a community can take such good care of such a unique landmark.

The tree and its customs are so well known, an Irish company has even started making and selling fairy doors to be installed on trees or other fixtures so any home can have their own magical fairy family move in.

If you make it to Marlay Park, explore the Wicklow Way trail in the south end of the park and you'll find the Fairy Tree... if you're lucky, you just might see a fairy.

A Resident Fairy

And for those who need a little guidance...

View Marlay Park Fairy Tree in a larger map

Chester Beatty A-Z

The current feature exhibit at Dublin's fabulous (and free!) Chester Beatty Library is an overview of the man and the collection, covering every letter of the (English, it should be noted) alphabet. I had heard good things about this temporary exhibit and made a note to see it before it closed. My go-to Dublin Event Guide announced a free lunchtime tour of the collection by the museum director, and I didn't need any more prompting.

Thanks @CBL_Dublin and Director Croke for a great tour of Chester Beatty A-Z on a beautiful day at #DublinCastle! pic.twitter.com/EHfvtHSmOR
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) September 4, 2014

The display is called Chester Beatty's A-Z: from Amulet to Zodiac. It was a curator's-choice exhibit, displaying a wide range of rarely-and-never-before-seen items from the sizable collection. No photos are allowed in the library, so you'll have to imagine for now until you can see for yourself.

B is naturally for Beatty, the man with the collection. He spent his life and his fortune in the early 20th century traveling Europe, the Middle East, and Asia collecting the finest works of art and literature. When he died, he passed on the entire collection to Ireland, and the curators of this library do a great job presenting pieces with interpretive materials and explanations.

J is for Jade, and Mr. Beatty had a great collection of Chinese jade artwork, including small snuff bottles and hand-engraved books with pages of jade and ink of gold leaf.

T is for Travel, the display is a collection of old European travel texts. The highlight here is the 16th-century book detailing the most famous islands of the known world, including an inaccurate map and colorful description of an island called, Irlanda.

The tour was great, and I would highly recommend checking the library's Events Schedule and Twitter feed for the latest tours and talks. If you aren't around at tour time, catch the A-Z exhibit anyway. It's worth a visit, and it runs until February 2015.

St. Audeon's Church

I was randomly rambling from Smithfield back to my usual bike parking space at [REDACTED] and I happened upon a most unusual, most awesome, and most free historical spot, St. Audeon's Church.

I was approaching from the northwest, and the first thing I noticed was the small gate at the corner of Cook Street leading into a small public park, St. Audeon's Park, not surprisingly. At the east end of the park is the church. 

St. Audeon's Park and Church

I had no idea this place existed, although I've been by on the street a few times. It looks like another church in Dublin's City Centre. Today I happened to notice the OPW sign, indicating a government-sponsored historical museum or point of interest. I popped my head in and the reception fellows welcomed me with a free brochure and some information about the church.

Church Decorating Motif

This spot was the site of a 12th-century church within the old walled city of Dublin (probably still Dubh Linn at that point?). The Church of Ireland (Anglican- not Catholic) built a more modern (but still old) church here, but left much of the original Medieval foundation intact. It looks as if they built a new church inside the old church. The Church of Ireland sanctuary is still actively used for services and run by the church, but an agreement with OPW allows visitors access when no services are taking place.

Modern St. Audeon's Sanctuary (Looking back to Front)

One notices the old wall on one side and the modern plaster on the other, as they filled in the gaps of the old structure to build this new church. As per all Anglican Churches (that we've seen, anyway) the pulpit is raised above the floor by a set of small spiral steps.

Pipe Organ with Hand-Pumped Bellows (Lever on Left)

At the back of the new church, the remaining walls and arches of the old church are still relatively intact. Diagrams on the wall help the visitor picture where things would have been in the old sanctuary.

Old St. Audeon's Sanctuary

Inside, OPW has built exhibits and displays for the various artifacts found during various excavations and a scale model of the old church. On one wall, there once was a priceless fresco that has been completely lost to time and the elements when the walls of the old church sat out in the rain. Sad.

Among the small bits excavated, they found a small segment of the old cobbled road that would have run outside the church. This hasn't been dug up, but has been uncovered and cleaned up for the modern visitor. You can look down (it's a few feet below floor level) onto paving stones laid 800+ years ago that would have once been busy with foot and animal traffic.

When I chatted with the reception team on my way out, they talked to me about the difficulty in promoting St. Audeon's for locals and visitors. It is conveniently located just west of the much more famous (but not free!) Christ Church and St. Patrick's cathedrals. This church doesn't have the continuity or the name prestige of either of those pay-to-enter churches, but it is certainly worthy of a visit. I happily told them that I am writing a free eBook focusing on free-and-cheap Dublin activities- and that they would see St. Audeon's on my blog and in my book. If you make it to Dublin and simply must pay to see Christ Church or St. Patrick's, walk the extra 200 meters and check out St. Audeon's.