Arenburg Kasteel

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Today we decided to meet Jonathan close to his office on the grounds of the university We meandered down the street towards the Arenburg Kasteel (Castle). The property currently cover 29 hectacres and are filled with all sorts of walking and biking paths. Before World War I the Arenburg family could supposedly walk from the Atlantic Ocean to the Czech Republic and never leave their own land. After their involvement in WWI they were forced to give away a lot of land which is how KUL came to own this parcel and the buildings on it.

The girls found the oldest church (kerk) in Heverlee up on one of the hills and we explored that. Seeing all of these churches has really sparked the girls interest in religion. They are a little confused because they have friends who “believe” and yet Jonathan and I don’t really believe in much of anything, other than ourselves and the strength of our own little family perhaps. Abigail today told me that God created everything. I asked why she believed that and she said that her friends David and Luke believed that. I said that was true, but it didn’t mean she had to believe the same thing. She replied that God created all of us. And I responded, actually Mommy and Daddy created you and your sisters, the same way my mommy and daddy made me. She said, no, at the beginning there was just space and so God took some playdough and made dinosaurs and then sprinkled pixie dust on them and there they were. Now how do I respond to that one!

Then we went to the castle, which we all agreed was more like a palace, as compared to Gravensteen in Gent. The girls loved it. There was water all around it and ducks and geese to feed. There were hundred of tadpoles in one of the little ponds and all sorts of frogs jumping into the water. We also saw huge catfish and koi. We picnicked on the grounds and then fed leftover crusts to the various birds. Jonathan left to go back to work and the girls and I took a different path home, also part of one of my running routes. It follows a river the whole way, across which are many bridges to play on and feed ducks from. Emma and Abigail were amazing. They walked at least four miles, in between playing, and were great. We stopped at the GB (a different grocery store) on the way home to check out what they had, and I got them their first Kinder Surprise! They have currently locked themselves in the fort they made in their room playing with their new Kinder figures.

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Photos

Nature
Feeding the ducks and admiring the bull frogs, fish and tadpoles.

Kerk
The oldest church in Heverlee.