Tea Time: Bruges Monastery: Begijnhof (Beguinage) and De Wijngaard

Before I say anything else, let me preface this post by admitting that I'm likely not going to finish talking about Belgium before we take our trip to Paris on Saturday. That being said, I'll do my best to cram it all in without compromising quality. Meaning that these posts may be a bit shorter than planned, but I figure shorter is better than nothing at all!
...On the morning of our first full day in Bruges, we got up and rambled over to the Begijnhof. The concierge had pointed it out as an area of interest on our map, which showed it as a large green square (the guidebook showed pictures of swans when I flipped to 'Begijnhof'), so based on these details, I thought we were going to a park. Seeing as Keila was already tiring of being carted around all over in her carrier, we thought it'd be a good place for her to run a bit. Imagine my surprise when we ended up at a beautiful monastery! Reminding me once again to actually read the words printed in my guidebook.
Founded in 1245, the Begijnhof (aka Beguinage) became a monastery in 1937 for the Bendictine sisters, who still reside there. If you're interested in the history behind the name of this place, click HERE for the basics. Like I said, I'm trying to keep this short.
The monastery is centered around an area called De Wijngaard (the vineyard), although I'm not sure why it's called that, since it's full of poplar trees and daffodils. Whatever the case, I can definitely see why this is one of the featured sites of Bruges. Situated a ways away from the bustle of the other attractions (and even with bus-loads of people wandering through), it's beautiful, refreshing, and peaceful. This was my favorite spot in Belgium out of every place we visited. Definitely go if you're ever in Bruges!