Leuven – BabyPenguin

A Bit About Belgium (or is it België/Belgique/Belgien?)

A convoluted history has led to a country with three official languages (Flemish Dutch, French, and German). In practice, there’s a tiny community of German speakers on the eastern border, and the rest of the country is divided more or less in half. In the north, one could be forgiven for thinking that the only official language is Dutch, and in the south, the same is true of French.

Brussels is an island of its own, being officially bilingual, but heavily dominated by French. A mind-boggling 70% of residents are foreign born, and the subjective experience on the street is perhaps hearing Turkish and English more often than one the official languages. This melting pot is a fitting location for the European Parliament and the nearby UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe.

On to Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium

That’s not a list of places, but the municipal hierarchy. Leuven is the provincial capital of Flemish Brabant, and a part of Flanders, the northern, Dutch-speaking region. No, there will not be a test at the end.

Enough facts – what’s this place actually like? Beautiful, from top to bottom. It’s such a peaceful place, yet also bustling with activity. Okay, one more fact: there are only 100,000 permanent residents, but KU (Catholic University) Leuven has over 50,000 students. The result is a small, tranquil city that’s bubbling with activity. Around every corner in the city center, there’s a good chance that you’ll be checking over your shoulder for bicycles zipping by as you reach for your camera.

Bring your walking shoes. After already trekking nearly five miles in Brussels early in the day and arriving in Leuven just before 3pm, the appeal of the city encouraged another 7.5 miles before retiring to an AirBnb by the train station to prepare for a 9am departure.

The Photo Tour

Bondgenotenlaan – street leading from the train station into the historic center

Statue of Justus Lipsius, a Flemish Catholic philologist

On the left is a bus station – How’s that for a view while you wait?

in Grote Markt (“Big Market” / a main square)

“Lunch” – Nutella, cream, and even a sprinkle of hazelnuts

St. Peter’s Church + a clever statue befitting a university town

another view of Tafelrond – The Fourth (hotel, left), and St. Peter’s Church (right)

Groot Begijnhof

The uncaptioned series of photos that follows is from the round-trip to Groot Begijnhof. Today it’s but a nice place for a walk with aged, red bricks and gardens, but it was once a beguinage (residence for pious women who wanted to live somewhere between secular society and a convent).

Dijlepark – a tiny park along the way with a metal bridge over a pond

Dinner at Notre Dame

This place would normally get a hard pass given the location in Grote Markt. Tourist centers usually aren’t the best bet for a good meal, but when asked about where to find good Flemish dishes, the AirBnB host responded immediately with Notre Dame. The location affected the price, but it was a delicious meal.

Almost every scrap of what you see disappeared to refuel after walking most of the day. The unfortunate exception was the fries, which were out-of-place given the delectable dish they were served with. It’s not that fries don’t belong with the meal, it’s simply that they should have been the delicious, twice-cooked variety that Belgians are so proud of.

Kaaskroketten (cheese croquettes) and salad – Though there’s a bit of cheesy, fried goodness here, it’s notable that they tend to serve vegetables everywhere. Some of the greens were unfamiliar, but it was fresh, and the blend was delicious. Even the tomatoes went down the hatch – why are they so awful (personal opinion here) back at home?

Stoofvlees (traditional dish, literally “stew meat”) – This establishment used Leffe Bruin, a dark, Belgian beer, for their recipe. The salad made a return visit and was once again devoured. A small cup of mayonnaise at the back of the plate was intended for the fries. It was sampled before deciding that the fries weren’t worth eating, and it’s shockingly different, in a good way, from what’s labeled as mayonaise in our grocery stores.

The sun set during dinner, and it was sadly time to depart, but not without snapping a night photo of the town hall!

Westward to Ghent

More about this lovely city is still to come, but here’s a teaser from the first look last night: