One late April afternoon

playing with the sun...

Brussels and cartoons

You might have to look a bit but you will find them,  they are everywhere..

Mudam, Luxembourg city

                                            photo Peter Saverys
Just on the other side of our Belgium border is Luxembourg city with its relatively new jewel, the Modern Art Museum. 
"The building, by famous Sino-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, is a marvellous dialogue between the natural and historical environment. Standing against the vestiges of Fort Thüngen, it follows the course of the former surrounding walls, and is rooted in the Park Dräi Eechelen (planned by landscapist, Michel Desvigne) which offers magnificent views onto the old town just a short walk from the European district of Kirchberg".. 
more here: http://www.mudam.lu/en/le-musee/

Pancakes in Damme

You can tell from the date of my previous post that it took me a long time to get to Damme.  Did I bike along the canal to get there? Not really!
At "Ter Kloeffe" in Damme tourists  and locals go to watch a variety of pancakes being made  right there and then enjoy them with a glass of cider or local beer.

On way to Damme

Damme about 6 km from Bruges is a magical place! Both towns were linked together in the 13th century, Damme was Bruges' harbor.

Easter holiday

A favorite to many, participants and public,  the minigolf in Duinbergen, part of the commune Knokke-Heist, followed by a warm Belgian waffle on the boardwalk nearby.

Zichem

Zichem, part of the commune Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, is a small village in the plain of the river Demer in Northeast Belgium. There is a lot to discover there, especially for lovers of history, literature and legends.

Zichem is the birthplace of popular author Ernest Claes, 1885-1968, who made his mark with De Witte (1920), a regional story about a playful “white”-haired boy full of mischief. The book was made into a film in 1934 and again in 1980. The statue of Claes and De Witte celebrates the author’s 100th birthday. 

The Maagdentoren (which translates as “Virgin Tower”), a dungeon erected in 1383 and now under restoration, is considered a heritage of exceptional value for the region.

The Saint Eustachian church, 1300 - 1500, is an example of Demer Gothic architecture and a proud witness to Zichem's place in the Middle Ages.

If you are interested in what it takes to maintain and restore buildings made from Diestian sandstone, the typical building stone of the Hageland area that was widely used at the height of its economic and demographic expansion in the 14th to 16th centuries, see: 

https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/401423/1/Verstrynge.pdf/

http://lib.ugent.be/en/catalog/pug01:4111477