Knowing that their past actions may try to overwhelm them, the devotees must be prepared to combat them. God will give them the strength: His Name will be an impenetrable armor.
Swami Brahmananda
8 Comments CherryPie on Jul 5th 2015
Once again we were offered Champagne for breakfast although on this occasion there were no strawberries so I opted for mixed fresh fruit instead. We had packed our cases before breakfast but before returning to our room to collect them we asked the hotel receptionist if he would book a taxi to take us to the train station at 2 pm. As we walked away from reception back to our hotel room I glanced out of the windows and commented that I thought it was going to rain today:
Mr C – No it isn’t.
Me (as we arrived in the room) – It Is going to rain today.
Mr C – No it isn’t.
Me – The weather has other ideas, look behind you!
Whereupon he looked behind and noticed the sudden sharp downpour much to the amusement of both of us. We took our bags to hotel reception (left luggage) so that we could enjoy the morning in Leuven and as we left the reception desk, the receptionist amusingly quipped ‘Enjoy our Summer’. Luckily it stopped raining and the sun started shining just as we were leaving the hotel.
We eventually (Mr C ignored my three tried and tested route directions) arrived at the Large Beguinage which Mr C missed whilst on his adventures in Waterloo. When he had finished exploring the Beguinage it was time to make our way back the Grote Market for an early lunch. I chose a waffle with fruit and when it arrived I pleased to see it was the waffle of the week, it was covered with mixed fresh fruit. It was delicious! After lunch we still had a little time to spare before we had to return to the hotel to catch our Taxi, so we returned to the botanical gardens for a short walk, enjoying the tranquil setting and the sunshine.
Once back at the hotel our Taxi was a little late arriving but it got us to the station in plenty of time to catch our connecting train to the the Eurostar in Brussels. On this occasion there were no delays, the Eurostar trains were running on time. During our journey we were served with a late lunch of lightly poached salmon followed by a chocolate dessert which I suspect was rather calorific and I regretted eating.
When we arrived at London station and looked at our tickets back to Stafford Mr noticed that they were first class tickets. He had forgotten he had booked them at a cheap price due to advanced booking. A first class ticket guarantees a seat and more luggage space, it also meant we were entitled to a meal which after breakfast and two lunches we did not need. We need not have worried because we soon found out that the meal option was a ‘Sunday Snack Service’. A box was placed in front of us and we were asked ‘would you like an apple’. On opening the box we found; a tiny bag of pretzels, a tiny bag of crisps, two half size crackers, a small foil wrapped soft cheese and a bite size chocolate crisp bar. Welcome to England!
As the train was cruising into Stafford station Mr C received a text message saying that our Taxi had arrived. We found it little odd that our Taxi had arrived at the station before we had. When we arrived home we quickly unpacked our cases and freshened up before walking round the corner for a late evening meal with Mr C’s Mum and Dad. The meal was delicious; beef casserole, cabbage and mashed potato followed by creme brulee. There was a cheese course but I declined.
Now back to my diet 
12 Comments CherryPie on Jul 4th 2015
We were even later for breakfast this morning but when we arrived we were greeted with ‘Good Morning, would you like a glass of Champagne, it is a Belgium custom’. It would have been rude to refuse such an offer, and as luck would have it, strawberries were also available on the breakfast bar. Their tastes complemented each other perfectly. After the strawberries, I had cheese and continental breads. What a great start to the day 
After breakfast we made our way through ‘De Langste Dag 2015′ street fair (which were told, whilst dining the previous evening, is a festival with shops displaying bargains on street stalls and artists performing in street theatre) towards the train station to visit Brussels for the day. Buying a return ticket from the machine was quite simple and we were even recommended a cheaper option, weekend ticket for consideration.
Once in Brussels we took a few minutes to get our bearings and make our way to the Grand Place. On our way there we came across the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula so we spent some time inside. We then continued to the Grand Place to try and locate a waffle cafe that we had enjoyed on a previous visit to Brussels. During our search, we ended up by the Mannequin Pis who was dressed in a Napoleonic uniform quite fitting for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. We located the waffle outlet and found that it had changed from the quaint cafe we had found on our previous visit to a fast food (waffle) outlet. The waffles were excellent although there was a bit too much chocolate for my taste.
After lunch, we headed back to the Grand Place where we lingered to take a few photos. As we did so we could hear music and banging of drums. We thought it might be some sort of demonstration marching just outside the square. As I waited for one last photo of the entrance to the town hall without people crowding in front of it, the sound of music and drums entered the square behind me. I noticed they were re-enactors of the Napoleonic period. They proceeded to march round the edge of the square and through the town hall archway. I suspect they may have been part of the official 200th anniversary celebrations, especially as there were a few police officers nearby moving some daft members of public out of the way of the procession.
After this unexpected bonus we made our way towards the Royal Palace, taking in several viewpoints along the way. These included The Albertine, The Musical Instruments Museum and the Place Royale which we initially thought was the Royal Palace. On closer inspection we found the Place Royale building was the church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg in front of which is the statue of the first king of Jerusalem setting off on the first crusade. We then located the Palace which was just around the corner. After viewing the outside of the palace we made our way back to the station through the Royal Park and, as we neared the Cathedral, I enjoyed the sound of the Cathedral bells heralding the start of a church service.
We didn’t have to wait long for our train back to Leuven. We were able to enjoy Leuven’s longest day celebrations (‘De Langste Dag 2015′) as we walked from the station to the city centre. We really enjoyed the street artist entertainment which included two strange pseudo-strippers wearing skin coloured body suits with accompanying hair; they were darting through the streets pretending to be embarrassed by their ‘nakedness’. However the stars of these shows were the fabulous dinosaur puppets strolling through the streets, feeding from the trees and bending their heads down to engage with the crowd. At one point a dinosaur head bumped against my head so I bent down to let it pass by. The dinosaur had other ideas and put its head on top of mine so that I could not move. The operator of the dinosaur head was grinning at me. At this moment Mr C’s camera decided to have a flat battery so there are no photographs of the moment.
We stopped in the square for a drink and soaked up the lively atmosphere and enjoyed a bit of banter with the proprietor of the beer shop whilst purchasing Waterloo beer and a commemorative Waterloo chalice, before returning to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We chose to return to a restaurant that we had previously dined in and it was just as good as the first time we ate there.
4 Comments CherryPie on Jul 3rd 2015
After such a long day at Waterloo the day before, Mr C overslept a little so I got up quietly and read my book. Our plan for the day was to visit Abbey Park which is on the outskirts of Leuven. My plan was to go to hotel reception and ask about the travel options but this was vetoed so we headed off to the bus station to catch a bus. Just after we arrived at the bus station, a bus to our destination arrived. We didn’t get on it because Mr C was unsure whether you should have a bus pass or if you could pay per journey. After a bit of a kerfuffle (which I won’t go into) and after waiting for the next bus (30 minutes later), we got on the bus after working out that we could hop on and pay.
I was aware of but didn’t mention the next problem that could potentially arise… Would we know when to get off the bus? I kept a watch on the street names and luckily was able to see the street name as it arrived at our destination stop. I announced we are here and we very hastily got off the bus. We then had a momentary dilemma concerning the direction we needed to go to find the Abbey Park. I (unusually!!) suggested that Mr C used a location widget that he has on his mobile phone, which he did successfully.
As we arrived, we walked up the long drive way to the Abbey Park and were surprised to see a heron in the stream next to the pathway. Walking towards the buildings, we noticed that everything looked closed, despite the promotional leaflet from the tourist information office and the Abbey Park’s website, saying it should be open! We found that only the museum was open and were informed, ‘You know the Abbey is closed don’t you? There is a guided tour on Sunday afternoon’. We were disappointed to learn this because we were particularly looking forward to seeing the Abbey’s library. However the museum was very interesting, telling the history of the Abbey, the Norbertines and St Norbert. When we had finished in the museum we made our way back to the bus stop so that we could have lunch in Leuven.
After lunch we browsed around a few book shops before pausing for refreshments. I had a mint tea which was presented in an interesting way, with mint leaves steeped in boiling water before leaving the customer to add the teabag. Since we were in the pub next to (and supplied by) the local brewery Mr C tried a taster of three of the brewery’s beers. As we made our way back to the hotel in order to freshen up before dinner, the Hush Puppy shop called me back and I made another purchase…
Our chosen venue for dinner provided excellent food and service and the wine selected to go with my meal was a perfect match. The one criticism I have of the restaurant was that we were not asked if we would like a dessert or coffee so, passing on dessert, we made our way back to the hotel for the evening.
12 Comments CherryPie on Jul 1st 2015
…From Mr C’s perspective
Waterloo 200
I was lucky enough to be able to visit the battlefield of Waterloo on the 18th June 2015, that date being the 200th anniversary of one of Europe’s most important battles. Waterloo, for those unfamiliar with the battle, saw the end of Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign as Emperor of the French 1st Empire and led to far reaching political changes throughout the continent.
The anniversary was marked by a re-enactment which that took place over two evenings (the 19th and 20th June). This evening arrangement did not fit my itinerary so I elected to be present on the anniversary day itself.
Initially, I had some trouble getting on to the battlefield because official ceremonies were taking place. However, this was not a complete disaster because at the site off the battlefield, the Scots Greys re-enactors were doing a film shoot which I would not have seen had the battlefield been open.
I found my way (circuitously) to the Lion Mound, which is the main memorial to the battle and encountered many re-enactors in the cafes and bars and in the tented market that was there to tempt the public into buying books, mugs, games, models and re-enactment equipment including muskets, leather riding boots and even reproduction saddles.
The battlefield opened to the public at 3pm and I walked along the ridge that the Duke of Wellington’s forces had defended arriving at the chateau of Hougoumont which saw some very heavy fighting throughout the battle, until the French eventually withdrew. It was interesting to see the terrain and to note how close the two armies would have been to each other. Napoleon’s headquarters, the coaching inn called La Belle Alliance, was clearly visible as I passed along the British position.
Hougoumont is not as large as I thought it would be but I was still impressed by it and gained a good appreciation of the difficulty the French would have had trying to assault it through awkward tree lines and up steep slopes. In my mind’s eye, I could imagine the heroic efforts of soldiers on both sides as they struggled for supremacy at this key site.
The photographs are of various re-enactors I encountered whilst at Waterloo on the 18th June and also, obvious from the building and cobbled streets, of some additional re-enactors that happened to march past as I was sightseeing in Brussels next day. I was amazed by the historical accuracy of the costumes they wore and equipment they carried.
Guest post by T.A.G.
I have only included a few of the photographs so I recommend you look at the full photo gallery here. Just click on any photo to enlarge it and scroll through the gallery.
16 Comments CherryPie on Jun 30th 2015
…From my perspective
Today was the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and Mr C planned to spend the day on the battlefield. I was disturbed out of my sleep when he woke up earlier than usual and started to get things ready for his day out. After breakfast Mr C caught the train to Waterloo and I set off on a short walking tour to take in a few points of interest in Leuven.
The first stop on my route was a visit to St Anthony’s Church again, hoping to experience it alone in silence. The church itself was empty so I sat a while in the silence but the crypt had other visitors so I departed and made my way to the next place on my itinerary, the River Dijle Park. On my way to the park I came across the Dijle Duck fountain which is supposedly a good luck charm! If you rub your hand over its back three times, grab a hold of its tail with your little finger and then walk around the fountain until you reach the black button on the ground and the press the button and make a wish you will activate its powers.
Before you ask, no I didn’t…
I couldn’t quite figure out where the entrance to the park was, so I stood and pondered over the map for a few minutes. A lady stopped to ask if I needed help (how kind) ) She was able to point me in the right direction to the park entrance and I soon found the small iron bridge that was the point of my visit to the park. I wandered through the park to the Large Beguinage and on arrival I found it to be lovely and tranquil with lots of photo opportunities.
I spent a long time in the Beguinage before making my way back to town for lunch. After lunch I retraced my steps to visit both Saint Michael’s Church (the Jesuit church we walked past the previous day) and also St John the Baptist Church which is situated within the Large Beguinage. After enjoying the interior of both these churches I spent more time in the Large Beguinage before making my way back to St Anthony’s Church. I knew that on this occasion that I would have the crypt to myself. It was so peaceful
After my visit to the church, I made my way back into town and visited the Hush Puppy shop, in which I had been window shopping each evening as we walked back to the hotel after dinner. I came away with a pair of sandals and headed back to the hotel to drop them off in the hotel room. By this time my feet were rather sore from walking all day on the cobbled streets so I elected not to go back out.
I researched restaurant options for dinner, then freshened up and went down to the hotel bar with my book in order to wait for Mr C’s return from Waterloo. When he arrived he joined me for a drink before we made our way into town for dinner. The restaurant we chose had good food but towards the end of the evening the service was lacking in due care and attention.
10 Comments CherryPie on Jun 29th 2015
We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
The Buddha
16 Comments CherryPie on Jun 28th 2015
