Belgian Grande Finale

After leaving Ypres, Syvart, Iris, Taylor and I drove to the Trappist monastery of Westvletern to attempt to purchase their much coveted beer.  We went to the abbey yesterday but they had already sold out of the beer when we got there.  This was our last chance.

Westvleteren is one of six Trappist abbeys that produce this beer.  The Trappist philosophy is that the monks brew beer to live, not live to drink beer.  Therefore they only produce what they can by working 6 hours a day.  The rest of the day is spent in prayer. A limited amount of the various beers is available on an irregular basis from the abbey.  Hence, our excitement when they actually had the beer that Syvart and Iris wanted, and we were able to be at the beginning of the line to get it.

Score!  We were each allowed to purchase 2 six packs of this rare and special beer.

 With our beer in the boot, we headed off to Bruxelles.  We spent our last afternoon and evening with the family strolling through La Grande Place and having dinner.

I can't begin to describe La Grande Place.

It was grim and rainy but we were still impressed by La Grande Place.

The sweet shops helped take our minds off the rain.

Bruxelles has lots of beautiful sweet shops - practically every other shop sells the "best" Belgian chocolate.

At the end of a rainy day, and a wonderful dinner we all returned for an after dinner coffee at the Metropole Hotel.

We had a wonderful time with Iris and her parents.  The time flew.  Thanks you Syvart, Iris, Frits and Carolien.

Now we are off to England to see what Cornwall brings

Back to Belgium

We left Zeeland and headed back to Belgium for our final two nights with the family.  We first went to Ypres (Ieper on the map) which was pretty much demolished in World War I.

Ypres is dotted with large and small cemeteries. Perhaps over half a million soldiers died in at Ypres during WWI.  The exact number is unknown because so many bodies were unidentified. The British empire alone lost over 200,000 men in battles at Ypres. The memorial gate lists the names of 54,389 soldiers from countries in the British Empire whose bodies were never found. This town has become a pilgrimage point for Brits coming to honor their dead. We attended the ceremonial "Last Post" which is presented every evening at 8:00.

Damage to the cloth hall in the center of town during WWI.

The center of Ypres - the cloth hall. Ypres was a center for the import of British and Scottish wool to the continent. This is where wool and cloth were stored. It looks like a cathedral.

The cloth hall has been totally reconstructed using original stone.  Notice the details of the statues - the one on the left is a soldier.

Walking on the ramparts (town wall) in the morning, I came across Mary.

Early morning on the ramparts is somewhat magical.

From time to time there are indications that the ramparts were used as defense and there are lots of entrances to tunnels underneath. At one time these ramparts were more extensive than the city they protected.

The town has been restored, the morning streets are quiet.  It's hard to believe that nothing was left of Ypres but rubble at the end of WWI.  All is peaceful now.

Zeeland

With Frits and Carolien at the wheel, we travelled through many small villages in northern Belgium and back into The Netherlands. The southern North Sea coast of The Netherlands is made up of peninsulas, islands and inlets, so there is a lot of coastline.  We headed for Zeeland, which is a peninsular province jutting into the North Sea.  You can see Zeeland on the map below if you find the town of Middelburg.

We spent two nights in Middelburg and took time to explore the lovely town and the neighboring town of Veere.

A small Middelburg home.

We ventured to the town of Veere for dinner and general exploration.

Veere square.

Carolien told us there is a lovely garden behind this wall.  The owners were inconsiderate in not leaving the door ajar for us to peek in.

In case you were wondering, gluten free baked goods are available.

Pre dinner stroll.

The ocean is at my back, and I'm looking across a canal.

Photo by Carolien - Veere cityscape.

Photo by Iris - Veere cityscape.

Beer in the garden before dinner.

A good dinner and good company in Veere.  A good day all around.

Delightful Dalham

Iris and her parents planned a trip for us to see some of the "off the main tourist tracks" in the Netherlands and Belgium.  Our first stop was Frits and Carolien's home in Dalhem, Belgium where Taylor and I were totally charmed. 

This is the kind of structure that I always wonder about when passing by.  I felt so lucky that I got to stay overnight here. The red shutters belong to the next door neighbor.

This house is built into part of the of original town wall.  It was probably the gatekeeper's house.  From the side of the house you can see the wall.

Here are the remains of the town wall. Up the street, past the white house, are the remains of the original castle.

Castle wall with what looks like a blue door.

Looking up the street toward the castle wall from the front door.

You enter the house through it's basement.  Deeper into the cellar are remains that date back to the 5th century.  The rest of the house has been built on these ruins and is newer - I believe Frits told me 16th century.  Anyway, it's really old.  From the entry you climb up a narrow spiral stair, and here you are - in the dining room.

The dining room seems to be the hub of this 16th century home.

This partial wall divides the dining room from the living room.

Frits and Carolien built this fireplace in the living room.  The columns were originally on a fireplace on the entry floor.

Iris and Syvart relaxing in the living room. Can you see how thick the walls are by looking at the window sills?

Syvart and Taylor toasting our time together.

Frits starting the meal with a toast.

As we left the house in the morning we walked by these buildings. There is a bakery in town where we bought our croissant.

Typical Dalham house.

What I didn't take photos of are the lovely gardens on the side and back of the house.  You will have to trust me and imagine the hilly garden filled with sunshine and perennial beds.

As much as I loved the house and town, part of what made it so special was spending time with Syvart, Iris and Iris' parents.  This was definitely a highlight on our European tour.

King's Day continued

The grown ups found King's Day so stimulating that after enjoying it for a few hours we left town and toured the Dutch countryside.  We meandered through several small villages and eventually found ourselves in the town of Edam.

Carolien and Frits. We had coffee and apple pie at this inn before strolling through town.

Classic Dutch house

Did you ever think that Edam cheese came from a town called Edam?  Well, it does.

There are many flavors of Edam, all of them good.

Throughout the Netherlands, the buildings are historic.  Most have been renovated after the wars to look as they did before the bombings.  The result are these streets full of old homes with rich histories. Since much of the population was celebrating the king's birthday in Amsterdam, we were practically the only people on the streets in Edam.  Considering the revels outside the house in Amsterdam, we all enjoyed the peace and quiet.