Howells in Flanders (& Netherlands!)

The concept of Belgium as a "country" is a bit contrived. Without getting into a long, complex history lesson that frankly I am not qualified to teach, suffice it to say that people in Belgium are far more likely to identify with their linguistic region than the country as a whole. Whereas Brussels (its own region and province, kind of like Washington D.C.) is geographically located in Flanders, it has been Francophone for several hundred years, and my parents had fun trying out some of their newly-acquired French vocabulary in its numerous cafés and shops. However, we left la langue française behind when we set out for the Northern part of the country, to Flanders—the Flemish (Dutch) speaking region of Belgium—and Limburg Province of The Netherlands!



The lovely town of Gent is the capital of the Province of Oost-Vlaanderen (East Flanders), and was once the largest city in Northern Europe! Now it is a charming town of canals and well-preserved buildings, not as heavily trafficked on the tourist routes as Brugge and Antwerp.



My parents are standing along the largest canal in Gent, near the former medieval port. The city's heyday was back during the 11th-13th centuries, though it was also in this city that, oddly, the Treaty of Ghent—the document that officially ended the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain— was signed. Interesting, no?



My parents and I actually ended up in Gent on accident, having originally set out on the train for Brugge only to discover that everybody else in Belgium had apparently decided to take the same train. So, we abandoned ship at Gent and, after lunch on a pretty canal, we instead spent the day visiting churches, strolling through the charming streets, and taking in the view from the belfry.



This is Brugge, Take 2. This time we set out by car on a spectacular HOT day (32˚C/90˚F), joined by our lovely chauffeur Troy.



Pausing for a moment for a photo op in the Blinde Ezelstraat (Blind Donkey Alley).





Truthfully, just about anywhere you stop in Brugge is picture-worthy. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the tiny medieval town is quintessentially 'Old World'—lovely, charming, and quaint with ancient buildings flanking twisty cobbled-streets and pretty canals threading the city center.



This is a side chapel in the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady). That statue of the 'Madonna and Child' is typical in theme, though anything-but-typical in execution. It was crafted by one Michelangelo Buonarroti, and is the only one of his sculptures to have left Italy during his lifetime. Living in Europe we have visited lots of churches and have see lots of statues. But there is something very, very different about Michelangelo's work. It literally seems alive. The last time we were in Brugge the church was closed, so we were thrilled to get to see the sculpture this time around. An aside, but Michelangelo is my second-favorite sculptor, behind Gian Lorenzo Bernini whose work is unparalleled in my book. His sculpture of the 'Abduction of Persephone' literally left me stunned. If you ever have the chance to see either a Bernini or a Michelangelo up close, do it!



As I mentioned, it was beautiful and HOT the day of our adventure in Brugge and thus that made for the perfect time to pay a late afternoon visit to Knokke, a chic town located on the Belgian coast. However, as you might guess from our expressions, even on a 90˚F day the North Sea is COLD.



To be honest, we did not quite 'get' Knokke. (Though to be fair, our point-of-reference for all things beach is usually Hawaii.) Still it was interesting to see, and one thing that definitely sets the Belgian coast apart were all these tiny beach "huts". Hundreds of these little structures line the sand and apparently the larger, cabin-esque ones are even passed down from family to family.



From the Western coast to the Eastern border, my parents saw the sweep of Flanders. This charming fellow is Ambiorix, a tribal leader of Gallia Belgica and the man who revolted against Julius Caesar in the year 54 BC (!) when the Romans were attempting to conquer the area that is now Eastern Belgium, Southeastern Netherlands, and Western Germany. His statue dominates the main square of Tongeren, the oldest town in Belgium and a Dutch-speaking enclave on the border of the seriously-Francophone province of Liège.



Each Sunday Tongeren hosts what is reputed to be one of the biggest and best antique markets in Northern Europe. We have been twice and have really enjoyed it both times.



After a fun morning of antiquing, we settled in for a nice long lunch at a café in the shadow of the basilica. Though we all found some neat things, my mom is showing off what was definitely THE find of the day: a English sterling silver bowl from 1769!



One of the funny things that happened during their visit was the little turns-of-phrase that my parents cooked up between the French and Dutch and British-English they encountered, such as my dad's use of "The Decision" when asking for the bill at a restaurant. (In French it is "l'addition", while in Dutch it is the more sinister-sounding "de rekening". Somehow the twain met in such a fashion as to create The Decision in my father's mind!) Another funny instance of this relates to this picture, namely of the warehouse in Tongeren where Troy often works. Or, in the words of my mother ,"the factory". Maybe it's the images of overall-wearing, lunch-box-toting steel workers of the American 19th century that are so closely linked with the word "factory" in my mind, but somehow the image of Troy going to work in his "factory" still cracks me up.



As we were driving into Tongeren, it somehow came up about the town's proximity to the border with The Netherlands and specifically the pretty town of Maastricht. Even though I had been to both cities before, somehow I had not previously connected just how close Tongeren (BE) and Maastricht (NL) actually are. Luckily, we made the connection this time and rounded off a lovely day with an afternoon in Maastricht. This photo is of the main square, something we neglected to capture on film during our first visit.



My parents adapted easily to the fortifier-style of traveling, this one being a very nice coffee break at a café along the main square in Maastricht.



Yes, we are in fact modeling 'Hear No Evil. See No Evil. Speak No Evil'. This photo was taken a day or two before my parents left and by then we were thoroughly over your typical 'line-up and smile' photograph. For some reason, this particular picture makes me giggle, so I include it as the farewell shot for this installment of 'Howells in Belgium'. Until next post, tot ziens...

Howells in Flanders Photo Album - Click Here