Weekend in Belgium~ Brussels~ chocolate and so much more~

 Last October, my sister Debbie, Tom and I took the Eurostar to Brussels for a long weekend in Belgium.  Our destination was Brugges with a quick stop in Brussels for the night.  

Eurostar map from London to continent

each tall building housed a different guild

   We only stayed one night in Brussels so after we checked into the hotel, we headed for the Grand Place which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful squares in the world. It was started in the 10th century as an open-air marketplace.  The Grand Place is the central square of Brussels and is surrounded by guildhalls.   In Belgium and throughout the other Low Countries medieval guildhalls were built in every city for each trade.  They were elaborate buildings demonstrating the guild's status.  Each guildhall was marked by the coat of arms of that guild, and hung from the outside of the  building.

Swan Guildhouse

This is  the front of the Swan guild house . In the 15th century a cabaret group was established here.  It was demolished in 1695 when French troops of Louis XIV bombarded the Grand Place.  One third of the buildings in the city were destroyed. It was rebuilt and in 1720 was sold to the butchers guild for their guildhall.  It became an inn in 1830 and this is where Karl Marx wrote his 'Manifest'.  

This is the House of the Dukes of Brabent in the Grand Place.  It never housed royalty but is named for the busts of the Dukes that decorate the outside.  Inside are six separate guild houses.

Town Hall with Guild buildings to the left

Brewers Guildhouse~L'Arbre  d'Or (The Golden Tree)

No visit to Brussels would be complete without lots of stops in chocolate 

shops.  Here are just a few samples of the amazing chocolate selections in Brussels. 

Chocolate shop in Brussels

After we toured the Grand Place, the rest of our time in Brussels was consumed with chocolate shopping, moules frites (mussels and fries, popular in France but originated in Belgium), sipping some Stella and checking out the lace stores.  

shopping for chocolate on the Grand Place

Great selection of beers!

Lace was in all the stores but most of it is now machine made

Our final stop was to see Manneken Pis.  It is one of Brussels more unusual attractions.  It's high on the list of tourist attractions but it is a very small sculpture (only 2 ft tall).   The sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy was commissioned to make it in 1619.   Manneken Pis literally means Little Man Pee in Marols, a Dutch dialect spoken in Brussels. It's easy to see why it attracts tourists!

They'll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover.....

Although I'm not familar with the World War II song, (They'll be bluebirds over) The White Cliffs of Dover,  it seemed an appropriate title for a blog on our day at Dover Castle.  

Last September, when Barb and Marty were in London, we saved a visit to Dover Castle for a sunny day.  Dover is especially beautiful on a clear day when you can see to Calais,  France.  Because of it's location looking over the English Channel, Dover has always been a strategic sight in England.  

By 150 A.D., the Romans had begun to develop Dover as a port and naval base.  This castle and its fortifications protected the English coast for over 2,000 years.  Henry II built the present castle in the 1180's.  It was a palace designed for royal ceremony and to house Henry's travelling court.  Henry could welcome and impress visitors coming from Europe  to England.

Dover Castle is located a mile or so from the train station in Dover.  It's situated on a large hill (long climb!)  and the view into the village of Dover and then to the English Channel is spectacular. 

Constable tower and gateway

Entrance to the Great Tower

In the middle of the castle is the Great Tower.   It was during the reign of Henry II that the castle began to take shape and today when you visit, you can imagine what it might have been like at King Henry II's medieval royal court.  Lavish interiors, furnishings and over 500 objects have been made to recreate a medieval palace.  We even had some kings and things to make our visit authentic!

                                 

This Roman Pharos (lighthouse) is believed to be one of only three surviving Roman lighthouses in the world today.

Roman Lighthouse (Pharos)

Beside the lighthouse is a small stone church, that dates from 800 to 1000AD. It is still used as a place of worship and in the summer of 1940 services continued despite almost constant disruption from air-raids and anti-aircraft fire.

One of the most interesting parts of the compound were the secret wartime tunnels. From the Napoleonic Wars through the Cold War, these tunnels have served as a strategic military role in providing privacy and protection from enemy fire.  This is also where the evacuation of 338,000 stranded British troops from Dunkirk was planned and executed.  Over nine days privately owned pleasure ships, fishing boats, cabin cruisers  sailed from England to help in the rescue.

Looking out from the castle to the Port of Dover

We were a little surprised to see sheep grazing in the moat area of the castle.  This is a deliberate effort by the Kent Wildlfie Trust and English Heritage to restore and maintain the biodiversity of chalk grassland (wild plants and animals) through re-introduction of livestock grazing.  Historically, livestock would have grazed the Castle grounds as part of the local economy. Sheep grazing promotes grassland species and inhibits tree and scrub re-growth.

sheep grazing in a former moat

view of the Port of Dover

This is the view from the top of the hill near the war tunnels.  Cruise ship harbor in the distance. 

Although our trip did not include a walk over the famous White Cliffs, it was a beautiful day out in the countryside of Kent.  History, spectacular views, history and more history!   A perfect day trip from London.  

Barb, Marty and Tom ready to  head back to London

The White Cliffs

I have loved England, dearly and deeply,

Since that first morning, shining and pure,

The white cliffs of Dover I saw rising steeply

Out of the sea that once made her secure. 

I had no thought then of husband or lover,

I was a traveller, the guest of a week;

Yet when they pointed 'the white cliffs of Dover',

Startled I found there were tears on m cheek.

I have loved England, and still as a stranger,

Here is my home and I still am alone.

Now in her hour of trial and danger,

Only the English are really her own.

~Alice Duer Miller (1940)