Saxophones and Cable Cars...

You probably didn't know this, but Belgium is noted as the birthplace of the inventor of the saxophone! Adolphe Sax, born in Dinant, Belgium, created his namesake musical instrument back in 1846.

We discovered this bit of trivia when visiting Dinant last Saturday. Dinant is more famous for the Citadel, an old fortress located on a high cliff, with panoramic views of the country side (you can see the fort at the top of the hill). As a valuable strategic location, Dinant has seen its fair share of battles, from the 11th century on up through World War II. In fact, a young Charles de Gaulle fought and was wounded there.



The church at the base of the hill is the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame, with its "Onion" Dome...



You can either take the cable car up to the 350 foot peak, or climb the 408 vertical steps to the summit. Jo wanted to take the stairs, but the girls and I vetoed that idea and we took the cable car.



It is said that in 1466, Philip the Good punished 800 villagers by tying them together in two's and tossing them over the bridge shown here and into the river. As they were bobbing in the river, they were probably wondering who the heck actually gave him his title?

After our pita wrap lunch, we tried to visit the caves at La Mervilleuse, but missed the tour by a few minutes. So instead, we will just have to come back and visit Adolphe's old stomping grounds on another day.

RS