The city of green eels

lots of chateaux in Belgium  We were supposed to stop for coffee. Alas not open

Lunch stop in Temse. Did we eat their specialty eels. Not I

the city had lots of cool architecture

loved this door

I liked this public art in Temse. We were to go over that bridge just a few minutes later 

hidden chateau

Julie the ferry. Over the week, we had to make several ferry crossings

snack stop that afternnoon. We were headed for Dendermonde. The smaller blue signs are for bike paths

I've been home now more than three weeks and still I haven't posted all my stuff of which I have shown just a fraction. I've been busy.  I had missed the prime gardening time so trying to make my yard look nice has taken hours. I had to clean the pond out, plant annuals, weed...lots of work

When I had left, my friend didn't think she'd ever see me again. This week was her official 'expiration date'. However, the fast growing tumor that appeared out of nowhere in a month's time either has stopped growing or is shrinking. Symptoms related to it have not gotten worse so she will not die for at least another 2 months, if then. Still on hospice though.

This was our long bicycle day. We started off winding through the streets of Antwerp and then took an elevator way below the streets to enter the tunnel that goes under the Schelde River, which is very wide at that point.  Our first stop was a tiny town of Kruibeke which was having its Wednesday market. The ride leaders bought us some fresh waffles. So good! Belgian waffles (not what Americans can them) are made with a  rich yeast dough, not batter. They also contain sugar pearls which provide crunch and caramelize on the surface. They are eaten as a snack with hands or a dessert covered with sauce. I bought some of these sugar pearls to make them at home  for my Moms' group They are tasty.

Many of the bike paths in Belgium were paved with bricks, miles and miles of bricks. More trees; more castles. We stopped at one for coffee. Alas the coffee shop wasn't open yet but we could walk around the pretty grounds of Wissekerke Castle in Bazel.

On to the pretty town of Temse where we could get eels though I don't think they were on the menu at the pretty outdoor café we stopped at. I opted for a Italian panini. Yeah, not so Belgian. I don't think I even got the bucket of frites that come with everything. We rode through pretty countrysides arriving in time to cross the Schelde yet again in a ferry. We were the last bikes on before the crossing.

We started to have a guided bike tour of Dendermonde but car traffic was so bad, we couldn't enjoy it. Later I went by myself by foot to explore the city. All the cars were gone. On board, we had an official Belgian beer tasting. Ten very strong beers. I liked them all but could barely walk after I was done. I did manage to do the city walk without getting lost.