Tournai / Doornik
Two names since in Belgium they speak French and Flemish. The highlight of this city bordering France was its huge plaza. It would be even bigger if they didn't use a fraction of it as a parking lot. Tournai also has a large cathedral and separate bell tower. We didn't go into either, but stopped to appreciate them from the outside. We found a second, smaller church with the symbol of the Camino de Santiago. Such a far ways from Galicia! Since there weren't many more sights to see, we stepped into a cozy pub. At first it was just us and what seemed to be a Brazilian resident with his parents visiting him in his new home across the ocean. I can relate to that! Then our Belgian Beer Tour began. By the time we ordered the second round, the place had filled. The other bartender/owner appeared from a door behind the bar (not from the main entrance) so I got the feeling the owners lived upstairs. She then proceeded to walk around to all of the tables to say good evening. She stopped and sat down at a few to chat with the regulars. I absolutely loved that! If I ever had a bar, I would strive to be that chummy with the regulars. |
| Reunited and it feels so good! |
We were killing time in Tournai, waiting for my cuñada to pick us up on her way home from work. Then surprise-- the whole family came to get us! Hooray! Apparently they go quite often to Tournai on Friday nights to hang out with other family friends. So on we went to meet the gang at another bar. The Belgian Beer Tour continued.
Lille
This big city has a few brick buildings mixed into its general fancy French architecture. We spent a good amount of our time there watching a live band play in a square. Our sobriño is future musical mastermind and never gets tired of seeing artists perform.
Last time in Belgium, I went to the city famed for its fairy-tale appearance: Brugge. Obviously, it was pretty touristy, but I still enjoyed it. Truly though, Ghent knocked it out of the water! The architecture is just beautiful. I adore the dark brick style in Belgium and Holland. And despite there being plenty of fellow travelers (we heard a lot of Spanish speakers), it still seemed genuine. Our hostess had lived there for several years, so maybe that helped our experience.
Walking around Ghent was a treat. There was a cathedral and a few churches, not to mention bridges and canal walkways. We only went in one cathedral. No museums though. Which is why one day trip wasn't enough. I'll be eager to go back when we're in that region again.
The other highlight of Ghent was dining at Amadeus. I had been hearing about this restaurant for years. I'm not a huge carnivore, and also the fact that here in Galicia the famed ribs have NO BARBECUE SAUCE WHATSOEVER makes me even less interested. But at Amadeus they know how to do ribs right. They were covered in a delicious sauce. And don't even get me started on the baked potato! First of all, baked potatoes aren't a thing in Galicia. They love their potatoes in many ways, but boiled is king. The baked potato at Amadeus was doused in a finger-lickin' good sauce. Did I mention it was all-you-can-eat? It was like a little taste of home.Dunkerque
Like in Galicia, Carnival is one big party in this harbor town in French Flanders (again, right by the border). Dunkerque has carnival traditions of its own: namely, long umbrellas. For the week of festivities, people dress in bright colors carrying small, colorful umbrellas on long poles. The day we went, the crowning moment was the throwing of herring. For whatever reason, the tradition here is to wait in the town square for them to throw salted fish (now in plastic wrapping). In the minutes before the clock chimes, excitement mounts. The crowd chants ¨LIBEREZ L'HARENG¨ (Free the fish! I could not help but crack up at this). It was then that I figured out why the long umbrellas. To catch some fish! (This isn't the real reason, but seems legit.) This year they threw 500 kilos of herring. And B-man caught one of them! Others slipped through everyone's hands and ended up on the ground. What, nobody wants a stepped-on fish?Family Time
The reason for our visit was to visit our favorite emigrated galega, my sister-in-law, her husband, and our sobriño. He's two and a whole lot of action. I wouldn't say terrible twos. Well, actually, maybe. On Saturday morning I got to go to open swim with him and his mom. And then it hit me: this is why he doesn't care for the ocean when they come to Galicia in the summer. The pool water was so warm! Perfect for a chilly March morning. Again, I can relate to that!
One day we spent the afternoon babysitting. What could go wrong? Nothing went wrong, don't worry. In fact we even got out of the house and went for a walk. Inside we also enjoyed parading in circles with instruments for hours. That night though, we both fell asleep by 9:30 (probably around the same time our sobriño did).
