Tag: Belgium

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Brussels, Belgium – Without Sprouts

Aside from the fact that there are only so many fries, waffles and chocolates that one can eat, we have yet come across the fabled brussel sprout in this capitol city. It’s not like we haven’t looked, but like all other things Belgian, it is mysterious, especially when it comes to cuisine, the city’s signature veggie, or better yet, service.

Brussels

The historic city of Brussels proper exists within what the locals call the pentagon, or the inner loop or road that used to contain the city wall. Within it, the visitor will again experience dramatic shifts between old and new, one with which the Belgians have obviously condoned or perhaps accepted through a complacent myopia. The juxtaposition of some of the most modern buildings one will ever see are here, french provincial alongside gothic alongside some post-modern nonesense is common and most striking, if not down right unpleasant.

Getting There

From Gent we took the InterCity train second class from the Sint Pierre Station, since it offered a direct service with a total travel time around thirty-five minutes. Because of the short distance, second class is more than convenient and you don’t have to drag your luggage up a flight a spiral stairs to get to it, what a poor design!

Hotel Warwick

We stayed at the Warwick on Rue Duquesnoy, very close to the train station, so very convenient for travelers. It is a four star and has very good ammenities. Though the bathrooms seem like they could use some care.

Grand Place

The main square in Brussels is the Grand Place. This is where some of the more important historical buildings will be found. It is flanked on the two major sides by the Brussels Town Hall and across from it the Brussels City Museum.

The other two sides have most of the cafes and restaurants with outside seating.

The Kleine Zavelsquare

A rather equisite example of gardening may be found at the Kleine Zavelsquare off the Rue de la Regence and across the street from Notre Dame Of The Victories Sablon. Also known as the Sablon, it is one of the more expensive districts in the city, with a concentration of antique and other dealers owning shops in the area.

Garden Of The Mount Of Arts

Here you will find different buildings and other architectural elements of interest, including a park and other unique buildings.

Other Areas Of The City

Here are some photographs from other parts of the city, to get an idea of what the overall picture looks like in this city.

Churches And Cathedrals

Saint Catherine Catholic Church

The Church of Saint Catherine is a Gothic church with Renaissance and Baroque elements. It clock tower, the Old Saint Catherine’s clock tower is actually a remnant of the former church which was destroyed. The church sports flying buttresses and gargoyles on the outside and shows heavy influences from churches in Paris, France.

The interior has an enormous wooden pulpit, like other churches and cathedrals in Belgium. The nave, aisle and transept are typical and the glass work unassuming.

Notre Dame Of The Victories Sablon

The one church that should be on your itinerary when in Brussels is Notre Dame Of The Victories Sablon. The interior of this church is just breathtaking. The exterior, due to its proximity to the street, is difficult to get a perception of aside from it beautiful typanum at the entrance.

The interior is complete with wooden pulpit and stained glass. Both aisles, the transepts and apse are all decorated with equisite stained glass, the right transept having a beautiful rose window. This church definitely benefitted from all the rich patrons and nobility whos names are strewn throughout the stained glass and on some walls.

Saint Michael And Saint Gudula Cathedral

Further out from the frantic inner core of the city and closer to the train station is Saint Michael’s And Saint Gudula’s Cathedral. Though we were able to take a photograph outside and few quick photographs of the nave inside, mass was being held at the time and we could not walk freely throughout the church as we normally would.

Restaurants

When eating in Belgiun you must be prepared for the highs and the lows, and then in some cases being frustrated beyond your wits. It may even make sense prior to leaving to sign up for one of the many *A (Anonymous) courses or a therapy session in your area, when you return you may need it.

Just as with other cities in Belgium, restaurants in tourist areas in Brussels offer essentially the same items, all for practically the same over-inflated prices. So try to venture further out and you might be rewarded with other cuisine, though this author doubts it; the food will be the same but perhaps at a somewhat cheaper price. For example, for what we call a simple ham and cheese pannini in the States, they call it something fancy “Croque Monsieur” and charge 25€. Lastly, do NOT leave a tip, for anyone, even if you struggle with your decision. The food is expensive enough and they get paid a good wage waiting tables, as is evident by their dismissive attitudes once you have ordered. Some expect it, to which I say, “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

The Blue Restaurant

Suffering from inflated ratings and not too far from our hotel is the Blue Restaurant, a tourist trap with a wide variety of foods to choose from and an over-priced menu. We stopped for lunch, only because we were still unfamiliar with the city and we were hungry. Our dishes were simple and tasted okay, but not worth the expense.

Lloyd Coffee Eatery

Contained within a hotel by the same name, Lloyd is a pretty reasonable place to get a brioche and coffee. The seating is a bit tricky, since they have separate seating for hotel guests and clientel from outside. But once that is figured out the process is rather straightforward and their pancakes are pretty good.

De Pistolei

This is a sandwich shop and perhaps one of the more reasonable places to grab something to eat, if your are on the go, or just to take back to your room. Not sure I would eat-in, we heard they actually charge more, so if you don’t have to, don’t.

The menu has a good mix of sandwiches and panini to choose from, both hot and cold. However, when we tried to order soup, “No sorry, no soup, not winter yet, next week.”, even though winter is not next week. However it remains on the menu anyway during other times of the year, perhaps as a conversation starter? Then we tried to order our sandwiches, the menu states there are two sizes, Pistolet or Baguette; “No sorry, no Pistolet, come back tomorrow.” Often times I wonder if it wouldn’t be easier, just to ask what they do have on the menu and then start from that point and work Belgian Backwards.

Norma Trattoria

The Italian restaurant Norma Trattoria is a good break from the hectic city center and offers a restricted menu of select items. The Scialatielli and Mezze Maniche were both commendable. It is kind of out of the way, located on Rue des Chartreux, but then there no crowds and it was very quiet.

NĂŒetnigenough

The restaurant named NĂŒetnigenough, which apparently in a wierd twist of Luxemburgerisch and English (or perhaps flemish), means “Good Night Enough.” This about sums it up, Good Bye, Good Night, Good Riddens Not Good Enough! If you are not a Francophone or Belgian, it is not worth the visit. This is the abode of an angry four-eyed francophone troll who behaves as though you do not exist. Upon entering we where explicitly told to sit at a specific table and when I hung my small backpack on the back of the chair, she exclaimed in her broken faulty terrible english. “For everyone’s safety”, grabbed the bag and shoved it under the bench where my wife was sitting in one swift motion. Never suffering fools, I quickly exclaimed, “Excuse me, you do not touch other people’s property!” Then I asked her to retrieve it immediately, which she did. I then politely asked if putting it on the bench next to my wife was okay. To which she retorted, “Yes, I am NOT SERVING YOU!” She spun around like the witch she is and went back to the kitchen. All my wife could think was, Thank God. For some time we looked at each other perplexed and thought, oh well, should we leave? But we waited and got another waiter who was very professional. We order the Beef Stew and stuck it out.

Conclusion

The interchange in the Belgian restaurant above, with the caveat that it is perhaps owned by Luxemburgers, still of sums up our trip to Belgium. I do not know if it is a government thing, an overall perception of Outsiders, a status thing, or most possibly a francophone thing of just having a nasty, rude, dismissive French/Belgian attitude. All I can say is, it infects everyone here and we have found it to be pervasive. They are just very unpleasant, rude is probably not harsh enough. Not only in Brussels, but throughout the country. We traveled from Dinant, to Brugge, to Gent and finally Brussels and found the same deep seated, vile distaste for outsiders.

My recommendation would be, if you come to visit Belgium, visit Brugge and leave, as quickly as possible. Aside from the fact that there is not much to see in this country to begin with, the people do not want you here, they do not want to interact with you, they do not want your business and therefore should not enjoy any fruits of tourism. I think the affects are already being felt in Dinant which appears to be dying, so be it. Let the EU folk keep them alive. We will not be returning, not even to fly through the godforsaken place! I thought France had an issue with outsiders, Belgium has definitely taken first place in my book.

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Gent, Belgium – Flemish Fascination

At the confluence of the rivers Leie and Scheldt is the city of Gent. However, with such an intricate system of canals, it is difficult to denote a river from a canal when walking the ancient city. It is probably only important to note that the system of waterways enabled the city to trade goods all along the northern European continent. At its economic height, the city became rich and an important trading partner with the Hanseatic League, which more or less ruled trade along that same line of coast.

Gent

The contemporary city of Gent is a confusing mix of old and new. It appears that the citizens of Gent do not make building decisions on historical estetic. Therefore, you will often find modern, boxey and bland buildings next to the older architectures, which are a bit bland in and of themselves, but maintain artistic quality to them the newer buildings lack.

Getting There

From Brugge we took the InterCity train to Dampoort train station, a dismal if almost forgotten stop (from the looks of it) on the Flemish rail system. It is actually interesting to note that it is so forgotten, you must use a phone application to call a taxi or use the bus system, since there is no line of taxis outside waiting to help you with your travels. Hence, from there we walked the twenty-five to thirty minutes with luggage in tow to our hotel in the center of town.

River Leie Waterfront

Cutting through the city is the canal of the Leie River. It separates the Kronenlei and the Graslei, the waterfront houses on either side or banks of the canal.

Ibis Hotel Centrum

Situated right next to the Cathedral of Saint Bavo is the Ibis Hotel Centrum. A step above the Flemish Dinant version. Here you are able to get more towels if you so choose and they offer free water each day. The biggest problem with this hotel is they call it a room, but there isn’t any room, it is VERY small.

Gravensteen – Castle Of The Counts

The Castle of the Counts, from the Counts of Flanders building it, is centrally located on the Lieve where it joins the Leie by the Groetenmarkt. It is a typical medieval fortress which contains the usual battlements, parapets and keep. Almost the entire is reconstructed after it was sold and repurposed for other industrial needs in the city. It was later bought back by the city and turned into a tourist item after much work.

It is however sparsely outfitted with relics or exhibits. There is one room that contains period weaponry that was used during those time. But most of the rooms have sketched wall hangings and in some cases flags adorning the ceiling, but aside from those, no furniture or other trappings. It is therefore advised to purchase the headset and indulge in the one hour walk-through tour of the castle.

Graffiti Street

Another narrow street in another city dedicated to the local fauna getting their adolescent artistic urges out. Though a few examples are extraordinary, most of it was just colorful wasted paint.

Other Sights And Monuments

There are many other sights and monuments throughout the city that speak of the city’s history. For example the old Rabot, or ancient gate to the city.

Churches And Cathedrals

There are two cathedrals in Gent, each one has its unique charm. There are also a number of churches that may also be visited, but times are restricted and you must check the schedules.

Saint Nicholas Church

More in the center of town and off the Korenmarkt is Saint Nicholas’ church of Christmas fame. An obviously underused and underkept church in the vicinity which is mostly grey outside and inside. There are many things boarded up when we visited, though no active renovations appeared to have been started. It is actually quite a shame since this is one of the oldest buildings in the city and one of the oldest churches which was built in the Scheldt Gothic style, which is uncommon.

Saint Bavo’s Cathedral

Saint Bavo’s Cathedral is perched on the small hill just off-center to town and across the street from our hotel. It is of typical cathedral design and has a very interest ambulatory and apse, which of course you have pay to go in and see, don’t underestimate the Belgian clergy on how to make a buck.

Saint Michel’s Cathedral

Located on Leie River and by the eponymous bridge is Saint Michel’s Cathedral. Though practically none of the original cathedral’s interior remains, its reconstruction through the twentieth century completely restored the Gothic elements it once had.

Saint Jacob’s Church

An out of the way church beyond the Vrijdagmarkt is Saint Jacob’s Catholic Church and is an example of French Romanesque style. The interior over time has gone through many other styles, including Gothic and Baroque, only to settle on the neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic styles we see today.

Restaurants

I still do not know what it is, but restaurants in Belgium are a hit and miss adventure. Never in our travels have we come across three separate towns or cities in any country where you really have no idea what to expect heading out for lunch or dinner. The most common issue is after walking ten minutes to get there you find it is closed and perhaps not just for the evening, it may be closed for good; it’s often hard to tell some times.

So far our experience with food and restaurants in Belgium is: the service is often lacking, the food is okay, cleaniness, the restaurant itself is often closed (especially in the middle of the week, which of course must be due to some other economic force.)

Trattoria Della Mamma

One of the better restaurants in Gent and it is reflected in the price you pay for items on the menu. It has a modern welcoming atmosphere and they are fairly attentive with the service. The food was tasty and the house wine was enjoyable.

Porta Alta

A non-italian Italian restaurant, that is, it serves italian food but is not run by italians. We ate here for lunch and it was okay, nothing to write home about and the price was fair.

Tashun Chinese Restaurant

A restaurant that has seen better days, though the food is freshly made and remains quite enjoyable. It does not seem to be frequented to often and may be suffering from the same malady all restaurants are suffering from, the price of food. I can commend the Pork with Vegetable dish, it was quite tasty because of the pork and made an excellent sauce.

Da Adriano

We wanted pizza and ended up here because our first choice was CLOSED. The waiter wasn’t not happy to see us, since he was the only one waiting tables and they needed to be cleaned. However, after 10 minutes we were seated (we stood by the table waiting for it to be cleaned as he directed.) After that, it was not too bad, we shared a pizza which was good and some wine and had an enjoyable meal. However, we noticed that when people entered, he was very selective about who he seated, not sure what was going on there, but be prepared if you visit this establishment.

Sorelle

An Italian fusion style restaurant is Sorelle, or the sisters, on Onderbergen. A renovated house with an inviting charm and staff, Sorelle has a short menu which is not short on taste. The tomato soup and baked Italian Casserole with vegetables and tagliatelle is very good. Their selection for house red wine was also very good, a clean crisp taste, not sour with a good finish. They of course have other Belgian leaning dishes and desserts for local tastes, if you choose to go that route.

Luxalad Restaurant

A mexican themed restaurant that specializes in salads and other tasty mexican dishes. We came here to get take-out on our last evening in Gent, since we had a rather heavy lunch at Sorelle. So if you are looking for some a bit less expensive you may want to stop here.

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Brugge, Belgium – Venice Of The North

Commonly referred to as the Venice of the North, Brugge, or Bruges (it also goes by many other names), is riddled with canals and hence bridges to get over them. However, its toponym is actually not derived from a french or belgian form for the word ‘bridge’, but rather more likely a Scandinavian word that denoted a quay or jetty.

Brugge

Tucked into the country, not too far from the coast is the small city of Brugge. Connected to the coast by a canal, which has tendrils all through the city, Brugge is a major tourist spot within Belgium and during the summer can get quite busy. The main throng of tourists seems to follow the Dijver canal from the south where there is parking, up to the Market Square and along to the De Burg and its religious attraction.

Getting There

Probably most people use their car, but to the south there is also a place where we discovered the buses park, so that is another often use mode of transportation. We naturally used the train system, which from Dinant required two changes. The last change to Brugge itself was on the InterCity (IC) line and accommodates both first and second classes, though in a rather strange way. In case, we arrived at the main train station in Brugge, which oddly enough no longer has a functioning main entrance, so you must use the side entrance to the left.

It should be noted that in Belgium, cars marked with a 1 with a 2 below it, indicate the train has first class upstairs and second class below. Others with just a 2 indicate second class only. Still others that appear old and with no markings indicate no ammenities, not even air conditioning. We found this out the hard way, not knowing signage. Luckily the seats were very comfortable and it wasn’t too warm, though I wouldn’t like to repeat the experiment.

Hotel Martin’s Relais

We stayed at a boutique hotel to the north east of the old town and on one of the canals. The hotel Martin’s Relais is a quaint and quiet retreat from the city, though the area in and around it are actually not that noisy. The service is of course first rate and the rooms are cosy and very comfortable, especially the air-conditioning on a warm day.

However, everything in Belgium comes with a strange Belgian twist. We could not determine the function of the door signs until we went to the desk to get our confusion cleared up. Perhaps it was somewhere lost in translation, but one says, “Thank You” in green and the other “Please” in red. You too should not get caught up in trying to figure out why they use Please and Thank You, the conotations are endless and it will just end up hurting your head. They actually tried to explain it to me and I just got more confused. The key is the color, green to enter and do the room up, red do not enter.

Churches And Cathedrals

There of course plenty of Catholic churches in Brugge. However, they all appear to be keen on making money and not very welcoming otherwise.

Basilica Of The Holy Blood

The Basilica of the Holy Blood is a small church stuck in the corner Der Burg plaza and next to City Hall. It is nice inside, but there are better examples of basilicas in other countries. Again, the interior and the establishment seems more keen on taking in as much money as possible, even though entry to the church is free.

To see the holy blood, which frankly cannot be the blood of Christ since there is no scientific way it could have survived two thousand years. Like the Shroud of Turin, someone is pulling another fast one on the faithful in order to make money. So, in order to see it, there is a long procession up a small dias. It is contained in a small glass cylinder, ostensibly blood on a rag containing his blood. You look at it, and then they expect a ‘contribution’. Luckily the red velure rope was put across the stairwell before we got there and we didn’t have to make the decision whether to see it or not.

Canals And Bridges

There are 54 bridges that span the network of canals that invade Brugge. Walking along any one of the canals one would normally come across a bridge within a kilometer. Most are strategically located and about half of them support cars and trucks, even in the center of town. Those that are pedestrian only are obvious.

Gates And Town Portals

The city has several gates around the city, though vestiges of the old city wall are difficult to find.

Windmills

There are a number of windmills that can be seen in Brugge. Most of the ones that we saw were on the north east side of the city along the Kruisvest. At the time, only one was outfitted and functioning. However, it has been noted that all of them are still serviceable. All of them are named!

Great Market Place

The Markt, or Great Market Place, is the center of attraction and noteworthy for the Belfry. The Belfry tower is rather large for the space and for a fee may be ascended. We chose not to, even though the eponymous movie made in 2008 almost beckons one to ascend the stairs.

Restaurants

We made reservations at a few restaurants prior to our arrival, though in both cases they probably weren’t necessary. In most cases you should have no problem finding a place to eat. Wether you will like it or not, well that’s another matter.

@Tattie’s

Don’t let the name @Tatties confuse you, it’s a small coffee and breakfast place with an attitude. These women know how to run a business, and in Belgium too! Not only did they sit us before they were actually opened, they also took our order and served us faster than most places in the States! Not only is the service here great, the food is modestly priced, they have an excellent menu for breakfast and the food is delicious. Highly recommended.

Willa Bruch & Coffee Shop

Another great place for breakfast is Willa’s. Though not punctual as Tatties, they open at 9AM and probably won’t seat or take your order until five or ten after. However, once they do get going the staff is pretty good. The food and prices are also in line with Tatties, though they serve a stack of pancakes, with a sunnyside egg and bacon strips on top that is difficult to beat.

Bella Italia Ristorante

When in doubt, go Italian. This was one of the few restaurants in Belgium which actually had good food and good service. We went here more than once and tried different items on the menu, they actually have five different salads to choose from on their menu. The pita pizza as a side bread basket for ten euroes is worth every penny. It is thin, crunchy on the sides and sprinkled with parsley and olive oil, a great addition to a salad for lunch.

Trattoria Murano

Another italian restaurant, though not as good as Bella Italia, is this trattoria. Here we both had the pasta which was tasty. We just found the poor lady that was serving everyone in need of help, so service was not as punctual as expected, though in line with what we have seen throughout Belgium.

Restaurant Diligence

This place is more like an upscale bar that serves food. The menu is all over the place, but if you stare long enough you will find something to order. The beef stew was good, though I went with the rice option instead of the typical fries option. Again, expect service here to be a bit slow, though not terribly so.

Casa Di Kaspi

The Case di Kaspi was one of those restaurants we actually reserved a place for lunch, though in retrospect it wasn’t necessary. They serve Italian cuisine and for the most part it was okay. Though for the price I would think you could get the same thing at Bella Italia for less, see the menu below. The service was typical of other Belgian restaurants, a bit slow and unattentive.

Frituur de Gentpoorte

Upon many recommendations we were told that the French Fries, or just Fries or Frituur in Belgium, are a must experience. So, we chose one of the more ostensibly good places that people rave about on the internet and went to Frituur de Gentpoorte.

We purchased the small (klein) take-away basket of fries with no sauces, since we thought that if their fries are so good they don’t need sauce. We were WRONG. They are actually not that great, at least not without the sauce they sell, cost: 1-2€ for one of those small little plastic containers. So, the deal really is, they are actually not selling fries, but sauce. The potatoes in the States have them beat by far (think Five Guys Cut Fries). Though it is cheap and filling, you probably will regret later when all those carbs settle in and give you a stomach ache. We threw half our basket out. However, if you are so inclined, Enjoy!

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Dinant, Belgium – Abbey Normal

After a number of other trips this year we finally decided to visit Belgium for two weeks. The weather in Turin has been abnormally hot and humid since early June and like our trip to Poland, we were looking for some respite. Unfortunately, not only did we find the weather a bit abnormal, but a few other things as well.

Dinant

The town of Dinant is a small town located about an hour and a half to two hours away from Brussels to the south east. It borders the Ardennes Forest and has been historically important in the last two world wars.

Getting There

From Turin we flew RyanAir directly to Charleroi Airport near Brussels, Belgium, a flight that took a little less than an hour and a half.

Points Of Interest

The town of Dinant is a bit strange to say the least. Though we arrived on a Tuesday, the town appeared to be the center of activity. Then a little after four o’clock in the afternoon, almost everyone was gone. Of course we put this down to day-trippers who happen to drive or bus in on one particular day, stay for a few hours and leave. This wasn’t the only reason.

The town suffers from macro-economic forces it has no control over. It is underpopulated and young people are going to the larger cities to find employment. This has caused a housing issue and we found a lot of houses for sale here, which has had its own affect on the local economy. Not only was it difficult to find some places open, if was very difficult to find a place to eat on some occasions. So one has to remain flexible when visiting this tiny town that is stretched thin along the banks of the Meuse River and in other ways as well.

We can reinforce our opinion in the fact that we stayed in Dinant for three days, where frankly only one is necessary, or perhaps even a few hours. Though this gave us a better feel for the conditions there, it also gave us a rather poor opinion of the town. Sincerely, there are a few things, the fortress, the Bayard rock and the Church, but that is just about it.

Ibis Hotel

Our hotel was the Ibis Centre along the Winston Churchill Avenue. We found it dated, the rooms on the smaller than small side and the ammenities lacking, we only got a bath towel each, no hand towels nor wash clothes (which are like finding a unicorn in Europe.) The cleaning service was excellent and was perhaps the only good thing about the hotel. Though labeled a three star hotel it is more like two and a half stars, or a motel that you would find in a dusty old town in the States.

Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Dinant

The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Dinant actually has some impressive stained glass. It has the form of a cathedral, but without the grandiosity required for such a structure.

Only one apse has a window, the other is covered up and opaque. The rest of the interior is rather simple and unobtrusive.

Fortress Citadel of Dinant

Purposefully commanding a view of the entire town and Meuse Valley is the Fortress Citadel of Dinant. It is perched on one side of the plateau where an outcropping of rock supports its impressive mass.

After purchasing a ticket there are 408 steps to climb. The first flight is a bit more challenging than the upper tier, since they are more uneven and spaced a bit differently, worn with age and cracked from the stress of movement underneath.

Once the top is reached, there is a main entrance to pass through that opens up into the central courtyard. Off of this courtyard are a cafe, public toilets, open-air museum display and the entrance to the museum proper.

Citadel Museum

The museum of the citadel has a collection of artifacts and other exhibits related to the history of the structure. Some of them are interactive and intended for young audiences. Other parts one can walk through to reach the outside portion of the museum and other entrance to the museum that sits atop the outcropping. There is a great example of a large anti-aircraft gun and old jet airplane, as well as to beautiful view of the town below.

There is also a tricky little tilted room at the end of the walk-through that is rather intriguing. Since all of the normal surfaces are tilted at an angle, your visual perception of what is up gets messed up. After a short while it could definitely give someone motion sickness, if they are prone to that sort of thing.

Leffe Abbey Brewery

From our hotel the Leffe Abbey Brewery was located directly across the valley from us. After a twenty minute walk along the river and over the Charles de Gaulle bridge, the brewery is a short walk up the hill on the other side.

The brewery has a small museum explaining the history of the structure and the monks that had started the tradition of brewing beer.

The tour included a beer tasting and some free glasses.

Rocher Bayard Walk

A fifteen minute walk down the river promenade from our hotel was the Bayard Rock. Apparently split in two by the soldiers of Louis XIV, who conquered the town in order to build a road. Of course, there is also a fictious account of how it was split by the hoof of a horse carrying four sons who were fleeing Charlemagne through the Ardennes Forest.

Today if you hold your head up far enough you will notice how the rock on the top has been fortified and strengthened through the use of steel bands and rods that have been inserted into the rocks.

Freyer River Cruise

There are two cruises that are offered, a forty-five minute and a two hour. We chose the latter and spent most of our time in the Meuse river lock system, which honestly is perhaps the most interesting part of this trip.

Honestly, the length of river that goes to the Freyer Chateau is not very interesting at all, as is the chateau. There are some interesting rock formations in the portion of the river system, but aside from that, it was rather uninteresting.

Restaurants

The restaurants in Dinant a frustrating to say the least, not worth the effort to say the most. Frankly, if the option was open to me I would have gone to the grocery store and bought food and prepared my own meals. The best by far was the Chinese restaurant below. More than one restaurant that we tried to go to was either not open on the day, were supposed to be open but weren’t, or were closed for good, even though their online presences said they were still in business.

L’Inattendu

A very small breakfast place that is uncommonly open when you expect a breakfast place to be open (though not necessarily in Belgium), L’Inattendu is there to serve. We found the food very good and there is enough on the menu to satisfy most people. We went here several times just because the options are limited in this town and the crepes are really good.

Le Cerf Vert

The Le Cerf Vert, or green stag, is one of the few places that is open for lunch that is worth a visit. Though the service is terrible, the food is not bad. I can commend the Tarbaise Casserole.

Le Pavillion de Hong Kong

The Le Pavillion de Hong Kong is a Chinese restaurant and became our go-to place in a town where the restaurants simply do now want to open.

Conclusion

Personally I would not commend Dinant as a destination, unless you truly want to waste your time or have nothing else to do. This happens sometimes. Frankly there are far more interesting places to visit than this town. If you are passing through the area, it’s worth a short stop. But aside from that, it is only a strategic military point between some countries in Europe.

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Lecce, Italy – Trains!

Lecce, Italy – Trains!

Anyone who has ever had an interest in trains, or perhaps would just enjoy a trip down memory lane, the Museo Ferroviario dell Puglia might be the place to stop on a lazy day during vacation or the weekend.

Museo Ferroviario della Puglia

Located in Lecce is the Museo Ferroviario della Puglia, or the Train Museum of Puglia. The museum has an extensive collection of period photographs, models and dioramas which reconstruct the evolution of the carriage compartment and other railroad memorabilia from 1937 onwards. From the first nineteenth century carriages with their steam locomotives, which were very similar to the old stagecoaches, the visitor enjoys a tour through railroad history. With displays on the Trans European Express (TEE), there are not only Italian examples of carriages, locomotives and communication history, but also examples from other European countries. There is also a brief display on the development of public railroads in America, before they were forced to their demise by politicians beholding to the automobile and oil industries, never to recover. The entrance fee is 5€ per person and worth every Euro. It took a little over an hour to complete the tour, stopping for photographs and reading many of the displays.

Warning: The opening and closing times for this museum may vary, so check to make sure you have plenty of time to get there before you try to go. The staff close the doors a little under an hour before the posted closing time and will not entertain any new visitors, so get there early or well within the closing time posted, or you will be turned away!

 

The Building And Sheds

The building where the museum is housed were former workshops of the Squadra Rialzo, or State Railways. These were in full operation until 1992 when their functions were transferred to newer facilities in Surbo Scalo.

In the workshop, customary maintenance was performed on all carriages, locomotives and freight wagons at the time. Its name is derived from the fact that maintenance for the rolling stocks of the trains were actually carried out here for all axles, wheels, in addition to the carriage bodies and their contents. The current facility consists of two sheds, the first erected in the 1930s, the second with the trusses was built later, sometime in the 1970s. Both were used for numerous purposes, including offices, warehouse stocks, carpentry, forge, upholstery and heating systems. The yard had accommodation to raise wheel sets with a hoist, so that they may be reconditioned and maintained.

The Story

There is a long exhibit that details the history promised in the introduction. Taking you through the stages of evolution of the twentieth century train system in Italy. There are numerous boards to read, posters and model carriages to see along the first stage of the exhibits.

The Carriages, Locomotives and other Railcars

There are life size exhibits of some of the carriages, freight cars, locomotives and other vehicles, some of which you can actually enter.

Dioramas and other Models

In the later stages of the exhibits, there are numerous large train models, electrified train sets and other dioramas to enjoy. The scale of some of the train sets is impressive and one can immerse oneself in their activity for quite some time.

Railroad Communications, Equipment and Forgery

There is a fairly large display on railroad communications from the mid to later twentieth century. Multiple versions of telephony equipment, switch control rooms and even maintenance shops with an old forge.

The Museo Ferroviario della Puglia, or Railway Museum of Puglia, is located on Via G. Codacci Pisanelli 3 in Lecce. From the entrance of the castle, it is probably a twenty-five to thirty minute walk along Viale Francesco Lo Re under the railroad underpass and to the right; it is located behind the existing train station of Lecce.