Advertisement
Published: September 6th 2010
Edit Blog Post
Sorry for the late updates...i was so busy being looked after and fed by the Cuenen clan i just didnt have time to update this!
Sunday 29th August
Jean and John dropped me at Belfast City Airport for my flight to Belgium via Southampton.
Well, Els and her dad Leon picked me up from Brussels airport and took me for a quick tour of the city
as well as a visit to my first Belgium bar for a lemonade and a sip of their beers just for the taste!
(and got rained on again)
Had a look around the city (see the photos) before hitting the highway back to their place in
Beverlo, via a restaurant for a quick dinner then home to my Belgium mum Monique!
Monday 30th saw the sun out!
Up at about 8.30am for a huge breakfast and then into the car with Monique and Leon for a
drive to the Vlaams Mijnmuseum (Mine Museum) in Beringen but it wasnt open that early so
went for a walk up Mijnterril hill to have a look over the very flat countryside, in which Leon
managed to find every set of stairs and hill
Belgium Customs...
...and a sniffer dog. in the country and drag me up....buns of steel now!
Went back to the mine for an above and below ground tour...most impressive!
Home for lunch then off to Leopoldsburg War Cementary and then to Lommel to see the
German cementary where 40,000 are buried over a 40 acre area....
Then bumped into a mob of wild boars in the forest....Leon fed them so they where
pretty friendly...
Tuesday 31st and was up again for another big Monique breakfast then off for a walk to the
Japanese Gardens in in Hasselt, then into town and a tour of the Jenever (Grain) museum
where they make this flavoured rocket fuel they drink in this town :-
....washed it down later with a chocolate drink and some Belgium chocolates...yummo!
Then it was off to Tongeren which is the oldest town in Belgium and the Gallo-Romeins
museum for a few hours and a pasta meal at a cafe, and a walk through town that are
set out by markers in the footpath....and several laps of the block thanks to Leons map
reading....
Wednesday 1st of september was another early start after a big breakfast and off to
Bastogne in the Ardennes...Battle Of The Bulge Time!
Had a walk around the American Monument and the museum and then into Bastogne town
for some lunch, then off to Dinant to climb the 408 steps up to the citidel that overlooks the
city....more stairs! (there is a perfectly good cable car next to the stairs)
Thursday 2nd September.
Up at 7.30 or a 9pm start in the car with Monique and Leon and Els (her day off) and off to
Brugge and another climb up 366 Steps to the top of the cathederal! My legs hate me!
Had lunch at a great place called "Passion for Food"...
Back in the car to Iepers (Ypres) and the Menin Gate for the last Post which is blown
at 8pm every evening, and all the traffic is stopped around the Gate. There was about
200 people there and it was one of the highlights of this trip....
Had dinner in Iepers before the 2 and a half hour drive home......
Friday 3rd...
Had a bit of a sleep in today, and woke to an empty house....
had a cuppa and a shower and the ladies returned home so
got organised to cook lunch
for the Family by a quick visit to the Beverlo markets for some ingredients for lunch...
After lunch it was sad fairwells and Leon drove me to the Leuven train station and i caught the
train into Brussels for 1 nights stay and a walk around.....
Saturday the 4th saw me off to the airport at Charleroi for my flight to Edinburgh.......
And i would like to say a big THANK YOU to Monique and Leon (and Els) for showing me such
a great time in Belgium and making me feel so welcome in their beautiful home!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.087s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 13; qc: 55; dbt: 0.0467s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb