Davis Family Belgian Tour

Thursday – Awake and Moving
Steve and Janet arrived in Brussels at 8am on Thursday, whereupon Chana took it upon herself to help them to beat jetlag using her tried and true strategy: walking, walking and more walking. She took them on a marathon tour of Brussels’ parks, including nearby Bois de la Cambre and Etangs d’Ixelles, and not-so-close Park du Cinquantenniare, with great city views from its replica Arc de Triomphe. On the way home, Chana bemused Janet with her inefficient grocery foraging – stopping at not one, not two, but FIVE stores for ingredients. Steve and Janet were also treated to Chana’s break-in technique (oops, forgot the key!) which involved slithering through the air tunnel into the ‘Jardin d’Hiver’. Steve stared in amazement and remarked “I’m so glad I was here for this.”

Friday – The Standard
Jerel was working on Friday, thus Chana took Janet and Steve on the “Standard tour” of Brussels. This included the happening Chatelain neighborhood, the Grand Place, and numerous irresistible choclateries and patisseries in the Grand Sablon. Jerel joined in the evening for a home-cooked Italian meal accompanied by Chana’s (still) favourite Belgian beer – Raspberry Lambec.

Saturday – A Tour to Remember
Saturday, we drove to Bastogne, the epicenter of the “Battle of the Bulge”, and a town with something of a family connection. Toward the end of the battle, the need for more medics became critical. Janet’s father, a medic in the war, volunteered to help and was flown in via a silent glider. We poked around downtown Bastogne, where a restored tank sits in the central square, then visited to the very impressive war memorial and local museum outside of town. On our way home, we stopped in Liege (a first for both Jerel and Chana) for diner, ironically settling on a quaint café that specialized in Flemish cuisine.

Sunday – Market Madness
While most of Brussels is all too calm on Sundays, the markets really come alive. We started at the Gare du Midi (train station) market, which feels like a slice of Morocco, and is a great place to stock up on fresh, inexpensive produce, which is exactly what we did. We then headed to the two antique markets, including the rather raw ‘Jeu de Balle’ open market (can you believe Chana actually purchased something for once?) and the more refined antique booths in the Place du Grand Sablon. Along the way, Janet and Steve finally had a chance to sample warm Belgian waffles (two thumbs up!).

Monday – Medieval Times
We finished our Belgian tour with a trip to Ghent. The highlights were: (re)visiting the Belfry with its amazing views, lingering in St. Bavo's cathedral decorated with Reubens’ paintings and exploring quintessential Gravenstein Castle for the first time.

Janet and Steve left early the next morning. We were sad to see them go, but grateful for the few days that we were able to spend together showing them our latest home-away-from-home.