December 2nd – Day 2…or 1…. or what is it???!!!

December 3, 2012

Wow!!!! It seems all I can say at the moment! It’s a good thing I’m blogging because otherwise I’d never remember one day from the next!

I got lots of sleep and fully unpacked and I think I organized things fairly well! Went downstairs for breakfast around 9:00. I sat by a window so I could take a pic or two of the view. From “our” standards, it was a very dreary morning out! It was raining/snowing/sleeting or something…not too much of any of that, just some. The row houses across from the hotel are so unique and lovely; only 1 with a garage, the rest had loads of bikes around them and/or in front of them. Breakfast was plentiful and assorted. I had baked beans in honor of my son Kenny who loved the fact that when we traveled with the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony to England, Scotland, New Zealand and Austratia, they had baked beans everywhere for breakfast! I didn’t have lots, but I had some! I had fresh fruits and tea and scrambled eggs, etc. I think I took a pic of some of that too! I usually drink tea when I travel because I’m so weird about my coffee and I like it so weak that in some countries (most probably ) it might not even be considered a cup of coffee, but skim milk flavored like coffee!

After breakfast Pat and I ventured to what we thought was the bus station so she could get bus tickets for the students who would want/need to take the bus to the coursework. As it turned out, it was the train station so I found out all the information I think I need to go to Amsterdam, Bruge, Gent, and Antwerp! So excited to think I might actually accomplish any or all of that! We got back in enough time to put things away and meet up with everyone in the lobby for the walk to our restaurant for a welcome lunch. It was about a 20 or 25 minute walk and, except for the rain, it was neat! We started to see and appreciate some of the fabulous old architecture. We were going on a walking tour after lunch so we’d learn more and more about this architecture as time went on, but it was unbelievable to look at. I took pics and they’ll be at the bottom of this day’s blog!

We went to lunch at Rodin’s and it was really interesting and good. Nothing was as expected–but that wasn’t a bad thing necessarily! I had pre-ordered pasta scampi with vegetables. I assumed it would be a light dish; but it was a ruddy tomato sauce with penne pasta and scampi! It was a sweet tomato sauce however and it tasted great! Water with dinner and then tea afterward.

Then, at 3:00 we embarked on our walking tour. We walked for a little over 2 hours and saw the most interesting a beautiful historical sights of Leuven. We learned there are 63 local beers made in Leuven! And on the one street there are 32 pubs in a row, on a very short street!

Mostly, we learned that the beautiful architecture we would experience is only a small part of what was originally here and what was left after German destruction in both WWI and WWII. The most beautiful building of all, however, was preserved because they made it their headquarters.

I hope my pictures do justice the the incredible buildings we saw. Of particular interest to me was the Groot Begijnhof (Great Beguinage). Beguines were women who took a temporary vow of chastity and obedience, but not any religious vows nor vows of poverty. They supported themselves either with their own funds, gifts or income from teaching or caretaking of the sick; or from crating and sewing, embroidery and spinning. Some of the beguines had their own homes in the beguinage and the poorer beguines lived together in a convent or communal home. They also had an infirmiry for their sick and old. This enclosed neighborhood is surrounded by a wall and had rowes of small streets and squares with lovely gardens and parks and “convents”. In 2000 UNESCO placed this Great Beguinage on the World Heritage list. The University purchased it and it houses students, staff, and foreign guest professors. My own boss and another faculty member in my department both lived here when they were on sabbatical and a visiting professor here. The beguinage had its own church.

Speaking of churches, the church at the main circle was gorgeous. We did not get to go inside, and maybe another day this week we will. Most everything was closed as it was Sunday. Restaurants were open but most everything else was shut down! I remember when it was that way in good old Parma, Ohio! My dad took me driving training at Pleasant Valley Shopping Center on Sundays because all the stores were closed!

A guidebook lists “Seven wonders of Leuven” as 1. Tower without Nails: The tower of the St. Gertrude’s Abbey which was constructed entirely from stone, including the spire; 2. The bell outside the tower: Tradition says that the bell of St. Jakob’s church was a devil’s bell and so could not hang in the church so it was attached to the outside of the tower! 3. The altar outside the church: The Baroque facade of St. Michaels’ has a striking resemblance to an alter, including the host at the top (designed by Father W. Van Hees). 4. The living walk among the dead: The Romanesque St. Michael’s Church in Tiensestraat, with numerous tombs of noblemen, was erected on the ramparts of Leuven (on top of the former Hoelstraatpoort). 5. People walk beneath the roots of the trees: a number of elm trees were planted on teh Groefpoort so that people going through the gatge walked under the roots of trees. 6. Water that flows upstream: According to the tradition, the body of ‘Fiere Margriet’ drifted upstream. This can be explained by the system of sluices, which ensured that part of the water ran back to Leuven. 7. The tower lower than the church: The bell tower of the Baroque Discalced Carmelites was built on the sacristy and came scarcely any higher than the ridge of the roof. ***Thought those were fun facts to remember!***

It was a fascinating 2+ hour walk and then we had another 20 minute walk back to the hotel!!!! When we got near the hotel, we decided to stop in for a drink. I had Belgian hot chocolate and friends had a beer and we tasted a few appetizers! Then we got back to the hotel and I convinced my friend Pat to try the Triple Yeast beer we were told we’d love that was made by Trappist Monks! She agreed, we split it and it was yummy! It was 9% alcohol. If we split it, does that make it 4.5%???? Then the bartender gave us a sampling of another local beer that is only served in December, a Christmas beer. It was good too! We did finally then go up to our rooms! I did yesterday’s blog and photo upload and went to bed!!!!! Pics below, I hope!