On Friday, we headed for the university town of Leuven. It was quite a surprise when we discovered there was a huge flea market going on when we arrived. Stalls were selling just about everything including shoes, clothing, waffles, cheese, floral arrangements and rotisserie meats just to name a few. You will find that the prices are VERY reasonable when you shop at these types of markets.
After we finished browsing the flea market, we headed on foot to find the Town Hall and Saint Peter's Cathedral. We were all hungry so we stopped at Restaurant Domas for lunch which was on the way. A very good restaurant -- good food and good service in a casual pub-like atmosphere. We later found out after reading our guide book that this particular restaurant has its own brewery in the back and is famous for its honey beer. Unfortunately, we didn't know this while we were there.
The town hall (Staudhuis) was just a short walk away from the restaurant. Completed in 1469 after 21-years in the making, this three-story building has six exquisite carved octagonal turrets (Brabant architecture) making for a beautiful exterior. Notice the incredible detail in the niches, each with its own statue. The next tour was in 2 hours (which we could not wait for), but from what we could see, the interior was filled with working offices and most rooms closed off to the public.
Directly across the town hall stands Sint-Pieterskerk (church of St. Peter). Typical of the churches we've seen thus far, it is quite beautiful inside.
Leuven is just 10-15 minutes from our home in Tervuren, so I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of this town while we are here.
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