Mom and Dad arrived on Thursday, May 1, which is a public holiday here (you know, May Day - the European Labor Day). They rested all day and went for a walk. On Friday we went to the outdoor market in Braine l'Alleud and had lunch at a nice Belgian restaurant with Kevin. Ellen had a birthday party to go to in Brussels on Saturday (for Molly, who will be moving to Burkina Faso in June - how cool is that!) Mom and Dad took the rest of us on a hunt for a Belgian restaurant called the Barbizan which had been recommended to them by a couple from their church in Salt Lake who used to live in Brussels. It was an incredible meal!

Sue's Adventures in Belgium

May 1 - 12, 2003

Shortly after announcing that we would be moving to Belgium, my mom told my dad to book a trip to visit in May. This surprised me because, after our 1999 trip to the hurricane-ravaged Bahamas, mom had sworn off ever crossing an ocean again. Much to our delight, mom braved the friendly skies and stayed for more than the "stinky-fish" three days. Dad came with her for the weekend, then flew to Lucerne, Switzerland, for engineering meetings, and then came back for the following weekend.

Sunday: Dad left for Switzerland. We decided to visit Gaasbeek Castle, which is quite close to our house. It is set in a beautiful park. The castle houses many beautiful works of art, furniture and tapestries. Parts of it were built during the 15th and 16th centuries, but it was extensively restored during the late 19th century. As you can see in the photo to the left, the castle is built around a formal garden.

Monday: Mom and I visited the Wellington Museum in Waterloo. This is a small museum located in the hotel where the Duke of Wellington spent the night before the Battle of Waterloo. It has a nice audio tour of the rooms and an excellent explanation of the battle with large dioramas.

Tuesday: Off to Tournai, which is located about an hour west of our home, on the border with France. Tournai is a very nice town. We visited the Cathedrale Notre Dame. This is a beautiful cathedral that includes both Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Parts of it date to the 12th and 13th centuries. It is under extensive refurbishment, and needs it. So much of it was not open to visit. However, we did get to see a Rubens painting and a Jordaens painting, which was quite a thrill. It is fun to get to see these works in the setting they were intended for (as opposed to a museum). We also visited the treasury and had lunch on the Grand Place. There is much more to do in Tournai, including a tour of the Belfry and several excellent museums, but we ran out of time. We made a quick drive over the border into France because Mom has never been to France, and then we headed home to pick up the kids from school.

Wednesday: This was the big exhibit day for Will. After 4 months of learning about the Crusades, this was the day to share that knowledge. Mom got to come to the exhibit and see his work, as well as the rest of the school. Will's exhibit was wonderful! Then she and I had lunch at the American Women's Club of Brussels.

Thursday: Mom and I headed for Nivelles, which is a small town with a famous collegiate church. The Collegiale Ste-Gertrude was consecrated in 1046. It was terribly damaged during World War II but has been wonderfully restored. There is interesting art, which a great brochure that tells all about (in English!) This statue to the left was especially beautiful. There is also a wonderful choir (wooden benches) that is beautifully carved with cherubs and horses. After our visit we had lunch at a simple farm restaurant out in the country with the sheep.

Friday: I think that a trip to Villers Abbey is mandatory for anyone who comes to visit us. You can learn more about Villers on the page I already created about it. Mom loved it, said that she had never seen anything like it. We had lunch across the street with a friendly black dog.

Touring with my mom made me realize why I'm always wandering around museums and historical sites with my nose in a tour brochure reading aloud to my kids. Like mother, like daughter.

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