Wedding Bells
The
family is beginning to arrive in Belgium. Aliénor and her husband
Trevor have flown in and have been met by the Brussels family. They
are off to Ghent
and the North Sea for several days. They have rented a car which
will come in handy later in the week.
Aliénor and Trevor travel to Namur to visit the boat and town and we all make a trip to the citadel for pictures and refreshments. I think we had some ice cream too.
Late
afternoon, the three of us travel back to Brussels and arrive at my
brother and sister-in-law's house about dinner time. Andrew is traveling with
Christina, a young lady we have never met. She is an accomplished
artist and is a curator at a museum in Pittsburgh.
The purpose of the gathering is to have a family meal with the Belgians and Americans with the bride and groom in attendance as well. After some talk and a visit with the new chickens we have a wonderful meal prepared by Monique and Philippe.
The purpose of the gathering is to have a family meal with the Belgians and Americans with the bride and groom in attendance as well. After some talk and a visit with the new chickens we have a wonderful meal prepared by Monique and Philippe.
Following
dinner, the Americans depart
for the boat and on arrival
we must set-up the sleeping quarters in the wheelhouse.
In the morning we will take a
trip up river to the same gardens and restaurant that Marianne and I
have visited.
Early
in the morning I walk across the bridge to the other side of Namur
to purchase fresh croissants
for the new crew on board. After breakfast I make some instructions
about the boat and how to pass through the
locks and we are ready to push off.
The
trip upstream is uneventful and I think everyone was interested in
the countryside and nice homes that are along this stretch of the
Meuse.
Once again we tie up at a small dock
and make our trip up the hill to the gardens and restaurant. We have
left early so we have a bit of extra time and we all walk through the
gardens before we must walk back to the boat and make way for the
return trip.
Andy
and Christina will remain on the boat while
Aliénor
and Trevor return to a hotel in Brussels. An evening walk through
the town allows us to select a restaurant and I have a nice meal
and discussion with Andrew and Christina.
On
Saturday, the day of the wedding, I send them out into town to
explore and they also manage to sprint up to the citadel for a view.
We
have arranged for taxi transportation to the wedding site which is
close to Namur.
We arrive mid-afternoon
for the beginning of the festivities.
In
Belgium, people who want to get married must have this taken care of
by city administration. Morgane and David were actually married
several weeks prior to today's event
but they wanted to include a great number of friends and have
arranged for a grand party to take place. The setting is an old
farm/castle/interesting spot in the countryside.
Morgane and David have put a lot of time and energy into this ceremony and
they want everything to go perfectly. And it does,
including
an
impromptu
flyover of Belgian jets
just as the new couple are dancing through an
alley created by their friends. A meal followed and
at 11
o'clock the real party began. There is a DJ on hand and we are told
that the celebration lasted well into the following morning.
Andrew
and Christina depart
Sunday morning for Brussels and I am talked into taking a train later
in the day so the family clan can have a restaurant celebration for our nephew's birthday plus a send off for the
kids. I was seated beside Christina and was able to talk to her about
her life in Pittsburgh and in the arts. Morgane and David were able
to attend and we all had a good evening.
