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A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Dinant & Namur
On this part of our journey to Namur, I discovered that the Belgian section of the Meuse river offers as many delights as the French. And as the amazing rowing tour I was on had just crossed the border, they began to appear. An Enchanting Château The first was the beautiful Renaissance castle Château de Freÿr and its formal French gardens which were designed by Le Nôtre, the designer of the fabulous gardens of Versailles. I would have loved to explore them; to wind my way through their terraced, hedge mazes. And then to visit the beautiful belvedere tucked in on the top of the hillside. Perhaps another time. Belgian…
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Galler: A Belgian Chocolate Factory Outlet
I could smell the chocolate before we even opened the door. Its luscious scent wafted around us as we approached the entrance of the Galler Chocolatiers Factory Outlet. It gently guided us inside, we willing participants in this little shopping spree. My companions and I had just finished a week-long rowing tour of northern France and southern Belgium. And now we were being shuttled by one of their fathers to his home in Liège. Here we would spend the night before going our separate ways. But first, it was time to partake in what I gathered was somewhat of a local family tradition: chocolate shopping at the Galler factory outlet.…
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Belgian Bobbin Lace: A New Family Heirloom – Part 2
Having refreshed my bobbin lace-making skills by creating a sampler using various combinations of the three basic types of stitches, it was time to choose a pattern for my niece’s wedding garter. The type of Belgian bobbin lace that I make is called Torchon. It is made up of motifs such as spiders, fans and hearts. I decided to choose a pattern that would embody several motifs that would represent my niece and her special day. So, if you look closely, you will see hearts (in white) for her beloved, pine trees (in gold) for her second love, the Ottawa Valley, and spiders (in white, silver and gold) for her…
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Belgian Bobbin Lace: A New Family Heirloom – Part 1
My favourite (and only) niece celebrated her first wedding anniversary last month. This momentous occasion, along with my recent trip to Bruges, reminded me of a gift I made for her wedding. While I completed it during the summer of 2017, I actually started it in 1995, during my first Bruges visit. That visit was part of my first trip to Europe which included stops in Paris and Amsterdam. I spent the most time in Bruges though. This was due to the fact that I had registered for a week-long lace-making course at the Kantcentrum – Lace Centre. My goal was to learn to make the beautiful and delicate Belgian…
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Market Day in Bruges – French Pastries
My final stop in Bruges’ Grote Markt area on this wonderful market day, after picking up some delicious chocolate treats at a local artisan chocolate maker, was the elegant French pâtisserie Aux Merveilleux de Fred. I had been eyeing the stunning crystal chandelier and enticing French pastries in their window since I had arrived. My eyes grew even larger as I entered their beautiful boutique. The chandelier twinkled in the summer sun and those pastries, the fluffy Merveilleux, called my name. At this point I had no idea what a Merveilleux was. All I knew from a sign in the window was that they consisted of meringue and whipped cream…
