I arrived home from Belgium and although the trip was wonderful, the citizens of Belgium are some of the most gracious people I have met, it is good to be back in the good old USA! In her book,
The Not so Big House, by Sarah Susanka, she writes about the philosophy of many of us who want to build a "new" house and not one that is handed down through the generations. "It is the exception rather than the rule for people to stay where they are planted." We do not tend to build homes for permanence in the states, but the opposite of that was what I saw Belgium. The buildings, many hundreds of years old, stood in all their grandeur for our enjoyment.
This is now a small restaurant I went to for high tea. We almost missed it while we walked back to the hotel it is quietly tucked among the larger buildings. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside and Spring flowers were breaking through the soil in the many gardens that surrounded the home.
I couldn't resist posting this shot of one of the gardens.
This is why we love Europe! These building have stood through world wars and are still as beautiful and vibrant as ever.
This is a square in Antwerp.
These shops and homes above are in Gent.
You always know what time it is!
And how would you like to live here? This castle has stood since the middle ages. I hope this gives you a little taste of Belgium. Tomorrow, we will visit some cathedrals.
