Have just returned from a few days in Brugge - hence my DH and I weren't at
Wymondham Lace day on Saturday - we were over there to celebrate my youngest
sons Graduation with an MA in European Economics from the College of Europe
in Brugge (Nick Clegg also graduated from here). Needless to say we did get
time for visiting various museums and the Kantcentrum, all of which we
thoroughly enjoyed. The chocolate drinks and strawberry waffles were also
rather yummy.
On route home we stopped off at the new lace museum in Calais which, if you
get a chance to visit, I would highly recommend. We spent 3 hours looking
round and it really wasn't enough time. Part of the permanent exhibition was
dedicated to handmade lace and there were some exquisite pieces on display
and all beautifully displayed too. The machine lace section was fascinating
too.
Two things let the museum down - signposting to find the museum on Rue du
Commerce / Quai du Commerce. Calais has an interesting one way system around
the back roads and we only came across two signs for the museum, one of
which directed us the wrong way down the road supposedly in the direction
of the museum car park - which is on the opposite side of the canal to the
musem, with access via a footbridge. However, there is another car & coach
park - right next to the museum, but it wasn't signposted! The museum shop
as far as I was concerned was a great disappointment. Most of the postcards
were views of Calais, a few lace related ones were formerly sold at the
Museum of Beau Arts (I purchased them from there years ago), the rest was
exhorbitant tat (ie frilly red knickers purses). There were quite a few
books which were abysmally displayed, in fact it looked as if the shelving
would collapse if you dared to touch them, and despite all my searching
which included crawling along to look at books dumped on the floor, I
couldn't find a basic book in any language about the museum and the
permanent exhibition.
However, I will be going back sometime for a better look around, preferably
for a couple of days and hopefully the shop will have improved. The cafe
food, we had sandwiches, (a baguette stuffed with salad, cheese and ham) was
tasty, filling and reasonably priced, half was wrapped up for later
consumption.
Oh quick mention of an excellent book shop in Brugge, on a corner along
Dijver close to the College of Europe and the Groeninge Museum - the owner
is one of the new directors(?) involved with the work going on at
Kantcentrum the lace books were in the basment, but a fabulous selection.
Also roughly opposite the Groeninge Museum by the canal is a very very large
map of Brugge in lace (not hand made of course).
Nicky in Suffolk
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