A New Year Begins - Family Holidays in Belgium
Thanksgiving is our holiday to gather as a family; Christmas is spent with the in-laws. For the first Christmas after my
mother's death I invited my father to join the year-end holidays with the Belgian in-laws. There were sight-seeing visits in
Brussels, Antwerp and Ypres, and of course several rounds of family celebrations, always involving good food and occasional
dancing. Welkom in België! 2008 got off to a good start, what would prove to be a truly New Year in many ways.
Thanksgiving is our holiday to gather as a family; Christmas is spent with the in-laws. For the first Christmas after my
mother's death I invited my father to join the year-end holidays with the Belgian in-laws. There were sight-seeing visits in
Brussels, Antwerp and Ypres, and of course several rounds of family celebrations, always involving good food and occasional
dancing. Welkom in België! 2008 got off to a good start, what would prove to be a truly New Year in many ways.
59
| 2007 December 22 - |
Christmas Eve dinner in Machelen. Shucking delicious raw oysters. Dad and me. Christmas lights, and pâté and cloved oranges by the fireside.
Christmas Day brunch with the Durieux. Meeting up with our former exchange student in Leuven. Babysitting Océane and Sara.
The beguinage at Kortrijk. Illuminated texts at the Europalia exhibit in Brussels. Atmosphere in Aalst. Nibbling Belgium
Ieper (Ypres), one of the greatest WWI battlefields. The Tyne Cott British cemetary. Canadian Memorial. The Menin Gate, covered with the names of the Empire.
The first party: Yvonne's birthday with the Durieux. The City Hall of Antwerp. No visit is complete without trying the local brew, and admiring the great cathedral spire.
| 2008 January 2 |
The New Year comes in Flemish Style. Life is too short to not wear the occasional silly hat. New Year's Day of fresh shellfish and vintage Bolly. A New Year's walk in the park.