A Couple of Day Trips around Leuven

This Sunday we heard the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Knowing that, I was intriqued by this beautiful pulpit we saw in the Church of St. Gertrude in Nivelles. The original church was built in the 11th century and underwent a series of renovations over the years. The most recent restored it to its (more or less) original Romanesque qualities. It was quite austere but beautiful in its own way.

I had been noting the magnificent carved pulpits in almost every church we've seen. On our tour of Brussels two weeks ago we learned that this was a response to the Protestant reformation's emphasis on Scripture alone and the critique many were making that the Catholic Church had abandoned the Scriptures. These incredible pulpits were to show that the Scriptures held an important place in Catholic thought and worship. The base and crown of this pulpit are marble and the rest carved wood.

After Nivelle we went to the battlefield at Waterloo. As with so many battlefields you basically can see a field. They did have some good interprative materials including a huge painted panorama that showed the battle from its various perspectives. Fr. Vincent Chavez, pastor of the English speaking parish in Waterloo was our host and provided us a delicious dinner in his rectory after our tours.



This beautiful picture is the sunset I saw from my room window this week. Although it is not all that clear I hope it shows the picturesque quality of what I look at every day. The weather here has been very pleasant in temperature (330s - 50s) although it has been generally cloudy. I have enjoyed the mild temperatures but others in the group from warmer climates have found it a bit cool. Yesterday and this morning have been sunny which makes the whole day seem more pleasant. I have been watching the weather forecasts for St. Cloud and Owatonna and think that I like what I am experiencing here much better.



The final picture is from my weekend trips to Liege and Ghent. Both were very nice day visits. Liege is only 30 minutes by train from Leuven. We saw a beautiful baptismal font and a magnificent Cathedral and Cathedral treasury. Unfortunately, two of the museums we hoped to see were closed for renovations. We also were not able to get an English guide for the tour of the archeological sites under the main square. This is the site of the original Cathedral of St. Lambert which was destroyed. The present Cathedral is dedicated to St. Paul.

In Ghent we had better luck with things being open (except for the belfry which is closed in the winter). Upon our arrival we made straight for the Cathedral of St. Bavo to see the magnificent Flemish altarpiece, "The Adoration of the Mystical Lamb." The church was filled with a large group of students who were in town for some type of youth day. We were still able to look around the church and then enter the area where the altarpiece is kept. Interestingly, we had been studying this altarpiece in one of my classes so I think I had a better appreciation of what I was seeing. Also in the church was a painting by Rubens of St. Bavo entering the monastary.

We then went into the treasury which held many interesting artifacts from the history of the church. Included were vestments, handwritten and illuminated Gospel books and missals and an early Crucifixion scene. From there we headed off to see St. Nicholas church and the castle. The picture is from the top of the castle and shows the city. The spires you see are St. Bavo on the left and the belfry on the right.

After lunch we went to the city art museum. Lots of interesting paintings and scultures there as well. Tired out by our long day of walking we caught the train for the hours ride home. There are other interesting things to see in Ghent so I may go back later.

Yesterday I had a nice restful day of reading and napping. Today I am planning to go to the train station and get my Eurostar train ticket to London for my trip there in two weeks. The train runs right from Brussles (30 minutes away) to London. I will stay overnight in London, take in a show, and then head up to Cambridge to meet my Cathedral parishioner, Ann Nichols, who is there with her husband. Ann has promised a guided tour of the universities of Cambridge - very famous throughout the world. On Sunday evening we are planning to go to Evensong at King's College where we will hear the famous King's College Choir. I am looking forward to that.

This week will find me back in the classroom. My classes are going well. I am sticking them all out so far. Each of the sabbaticals have a different approach to the classes. Some are taking a lot, some only a few. Others are doing independant study. In addition to my classes I am working on learning Spanish through the Rosetta Stone series. I've done a lesson or two and finding it rather fun. They have a voice recognition aspect so they listen to my pronunciation and if it isn't quite right I have to do it again!