TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

A capsule summary of the history of the Citadel of Dinant and why it came to the Dutch’s hands. William of Orange was then the King of the Netherlands. Trivia: Did you know that Belgium was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands up until 1830 when the Belgians revolted, which was mainly propagated and lead by the French speaking elitists? It is so interesting to learn history and how people lived before and how it came to be now. If not because of the French elitists, the divide in language—French in the south and Dutch in the north, the even deeper divide in religion—the Burgundian Catholics in the south, and the austere Calvinists in the north, and the political factions—sentiments of the southerners being left behind as trade and economy was focused up in the north, Belgium and the Netherlands would have been one single country today. But isn’t it that history can repeat itself? Now, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium wants autonomy from the French speaking part,...

To get a bird’s eye view of Dinant, one must go up the citadel nestled on top of the town’s dramatic backdrop, the rock precipice. There are three ways to reach the citadel: by car through the highway at the back, by foot—walk up the 400+ stairs, or by cable car. Although I would have loved to walk up the stairs—perfect for exercising you know, I didn’t want to lose time. I don’t know the fastest time record going up but I doubt I can make 400+ steps in under half an hour’s time? The cable car ride was quite steep but I’ve done more challenging cable and lift rides during ski holidays in the Alps, so this is nothing to me. You have to pay to go up the citadel. The cable ride, as well as the castle tour, are already included in the fee. On top you can sight beautiful views of the town. The panorama is magnificent!  The cable car ride to the castle. Tip: Take the tour (you paid for it already anyway) and if you have the patience to follow the tour to its end,...

Another gastronomic delight I discovered in Dinant is the trappist beer Leffe—well, not really a discovery per se as I have had Leffe before many times, but I only learned that Leffe originated in Dinant when I was there, brewed in the nearby Notre-Dame Abbey along the Meuse (Maas) River. Beside the abbey is the Leffe Musem. Sadly, I didn’t get to visit the museum but I had a nice Leffe drink—brown please, in a genuine Café Leffe in the center of Dinant. Must confess: I love trappist beers and my opinion of pilsener/lager being water has not changed. Next foto is an old brick chimney inside Cafe Leffe now being used to showcase Leffe bottle designs throughout the years. Having a Leffe and a nice view on the terrace of Cafe Leffe located across the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame (see next foto). Trivia: Churches and monasteries commonly brew ale during the middle ages. This is because water was unclean and epidemics spread like lightning through water contamination. For this r...

When in Dinant (Wallonia, Belgium), one cannot miss the many patisserie shops selling cookies in multifarious designs. They are on every street! The assortment of cookie designs and its complexity blew me away. I found myself trolling from one window display to another searching for the best cookie design in town. What will it be? These baked gastronomic delights are called ‘Couques de Dinant’ and they are made from flour, honey and sugar. It was hard to choose which cookie design to go for but in the end I settled for the safe one, the fish. Jacobs is the name of the patisserie I bought the Coques de Dinant from. Right foto are freshly baked cookies laid out on the counter. Some of the elaborate cookie designs on the window display. The patisserie also sells simple couques and other cookies. I bought the fish cookie, a smaller one than that on the window display. I like how the woman from the patisserie wrapped it, the vintage way. The ...

Trivia: Did you know that the inventor of the saxophone came from Dinant in Wallonia, Belgium? His name is Adolphe Sax and he invented the musical instrument in 1841. So here I am, just recently, having a quickie date with Adolphe Sax 2.5 weeks ago. Behind this bench is the Maison Adolphe Sax, the house where he was born, as well as where he grew up and lived before moving to Paris. Adolphe Sax struggled as an entrepreneur and filed for bankruptcy twice, the latter during the French-German war when production of the musical instruments halted. He moonlights as a music teacher and musical director of an opera in Paris. Throughout his life he never saw riches. Why is it that famous inventors and artists that were born before the 20th century either died as a pauper or with just enough money to carry on a decent burial? Adolphe Sax, the father of Saxophone. There is a family living in the Maison Adolphe Sax building now and I wonder if they are family. Every...