My students and I were treated to a tour of the cutest little Flemish village of Damme by our guide Jackie of French Escapade. After lots of photographing, we visited an old flour mill that is restored and now operated by volunteers to teach people how these old mills work. It was amaizing how ingenious the old mill builders were back in the 1800s. Gears, pulleys, levers were used to move the grinding stones, lift the sacks of corn, and lower the sacks of flour. At the end of the mill visit we had a picnic and then set out to paint or sketch the mill. This was a very difficult subject for day one because the sales were spinning all the time, so not only did they move but so would the shadows they made. Most of the day it was cloudy, so no shadows anyway. Here are some photos from today.
This canal leads from Brugge to the North Sea through the village of Damme. People come for the day from Brugge to vist this quaint little village by bicycle using the bike paths along the canal, and by a paddle wheel boat. Of course some came by car, but bicycles seem to be the favorite mode of transprot.
The town hall, built in the 15th century when the North Sea came inland all the way to Damme, so Damme was the port for Brugge, and thus a rich village.
1 comment:
Sandy, I soooooo appreciate your sharing the details of your trip. How very generous of you! Thanks, Connie
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