Belgium, Revisited...

The fun part about having visitors over is the opportunity to see things that were missed on an earlier visit. So, when my brother David came for a visit from California last week, we too, saw things for the first time. We had an action-packed week, so I will only recap the highlights not previously written about in our blog.

Ghent

If you recall from my previous post of Ghent, I had every intention of one day going back to visit Gravenstein Castle. Gravenstein was built by Philip of Alsace, count of Flanders, shortly after returning from the Crusades in 1180 with images of similar crusader castles in Syria fixed firmly in his mind. According to local legend -- supported by Gallo-Roman artifacts uncovered in excavations -- the count built atop foundations originally laid down by Count Baldwin "Iron Arm" in the 800s. (I always find it quite amusing the "nick-names" men give to one another). One of the more sinister rooms inside this castle was its well-equipped torture chamber. In it were relics such as a small guillotine with the original blade, spiked iron collars, racks, branding irons, thumb screws (ouch!) and other weapons and suits of armor. Outside, we climbed the ramparts of the tall buildings in the center and were rewarded with a great view of Ghent's towers.

We also visited the Ghent Town Hall, the Stadhuis. It's the result of several building/rebuilding campaigns and expansions. This explains the variety of styles of the building (I found the black and gold pillars of its exterior visually interesting...) Here we obtained a guide book which led us through 20 different areas in the building. One of the more celebrated rooms here is the Throne Room, which housed the inauguration of Emperor Joseph II.

In addition, you will notice that the pictures of Ghent (slideshow - coming soon) look very different from our previous pictures. This is because the town was in the midst of a huge summer festival, with its' streets lined with stages, bleachers and vendor tents everywhere. It was here where we stopped to buy purple cone-shaped candies being sold on various carts throughout town. We were told it was a Ghent specialty made of Arabic gum, flavored with a red fruit. (the taste reminded me of grape jelly bean).

Lunch at Chez Leon near the Grand Place (the original flagship restaurant established in 1893)

Imagine my delight when we stumbled across this restaurant while looking for a place to eat. Since I've been meaning to try this famous Belgian restaurant after reading about it in several guidebooks, it was a "no-brainer" to stop here. In addition, David had yet to eat his "mussels in Brussels". So, David had moules au vin blanc (mussels in white-wine sauce), Ray had a pork filet, I had the deep-fried mussels (yummy) and the girls had spaghetti bolognese and poulet-roti. This is a great place for families since children eat for free. I was especially happy that David enjoyed this local specialty (along with a few beers, of course).

Efteling

Many of you know that David is an amusement park and rollercoaster fanatic (I mean aficionado). So, it was natural that David, DS, PS and I went to Efteling Amusement Park located in Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands (Ray was on a business trip to Japan). Only a 1-1/2 hour drive from Tervuren, we spent the day from opening until closing (10a-9p) exploring this unique and enchanting park. What I found so charming was its' fairy-tale themes with enchanted forests and extensive pathways to browse through. You could spend a few days here just exploring the park in detail. Plus, there were numerous thrill rides to keep David, DS and even PS satisfied. This park that appeals to all ages -- quite evident since we all enjoyed our day here.

Efterling had a unique self-service hot vending machine adjoined to a few of its restaurants that contained a huge selection of deep fried snacks, with a variety of different fillings. David tried the "Groentensnack" which consisted of vegetables. Just pop in your money (1.70 Euros) and out comes your selected snack. I was surprised how fresh, hot and delish it was! My only disappointment was that I could not get back to it before the park closed!

Waterloo

This return visit enabled me to see Napoleon's Farmhouse Headquarters, now a museum where he spent the night before the infamous battle. Although it was closed, I was able to take a peak in the back garden where I found an ossuary erected in 1912. It contained bones of soldiers found on the Waterloo Battlefield during different excavations. Its inscription at the top means "often for the Emperor, always for the Fatherland." I must say it was quite eerie to see the remains of soldiers, who gave their lives for their country, in a pile like this. I can only hope that visitors who see this will remember their sacrifice and the cause they fought for.

Bobbejaanland

Another amusement park on David's "to-do" list was Bobbejaanland. Located in Lichtaart, Belgium, this park was founded by Bobbejaan Schoepen, a Flemish entertainer who enjoyed international popularity in the 50's and early 60's. Tired of touring, he decided to build his own music theater and started draining a 30 hectare marsh that he bought in 1959. In December 1961, Bobbejaanland amusement park was born. Again, we spent the entire day here (9:30a-7pm) enjoying attractions that are unique, fun and very thrilling. DS enjoyed this park even more than Efteling because the rides were a bit more challenging.

We had a lot of fun while David was here and on Friday, we were sad to see him go. The girls just LOVE their Uncle David, so tears were flowing when they realized he was leaving. They quickly cheared up, however, when I reminded them that GM and GP will be coming to visit in September!