{"id":1192,"date":"2011-04-28T12:40:42","date_gmt":"2011-04-28T19:40:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rayivey.com\/wordpress\/?p=1192"},"modified":"2011-04-29T01:54:19","modified_gmt":"2011-04-29T08:54:19","slug":"spring-forward-day-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rayivey.com\/wordpress\/spring-forward-day-40\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>

Leuven, Belgium
\nApril 21, 2011<\/h2>\n

Distance Traveled Today:\u00a0 40 miles<\/p>\n

Distance So Far:\u00a0 7376<\/p>\n

Bah.\u00a0 Lots of downtime today because of a nasty keylogging Trojan that attached itself to my profile like a facecrab in an Alien<\/em><\/strong> movie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The old abbey is in a very peaceful setting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tonight, they guys are taking me to Leuben, the small and historic Flemish town where Jan, the IT boss, lives.\u00a0 Looking forward to that!<\/p>\n

Last night I got my Mexican Food on.\u00a0 It was just Chi Chi\u2019s, but it was acceptable.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure there is better Mexican here in the city somewhere, but it\u2019s not easy to find.<\/p>\n

Must remember to get to a movie next week!\u00a0 I\u2019m hoping some new things open tomorrow, as every English film showing here is one I\u2019ve already seen.<\/p>\n

\/\/\/<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Pulpit<\/a><\/dt>\n
Pulpit in the abbey church<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/h3>\n

Excursion to Leuven<\/h3>\n

Our excursion to Leuben was relaxing, entertaining, and informative.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s always best to get a tour of a place from a native, and my tour guide Jan is not merely a native, but a pillar of the community.\u00a0 His family has lived in Leuven for nine generations.<\/p>\n

\"Townhouses<\/a>
Townhouses at sunset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jan is a great raconteur and bon vivant, and he is attached to his home town by his very chromosomes.\u00a0 He first took us through a set of old abbey buildings that date from the seventeenth century.\u00a0 He sings in a Gregorian choir there, and in fact was missing rehearsal for our tour.<\/p>\n

One of the most interesting artifacts in the abbey was near one corner of the cloister.\u00a0 At first glance it looked like a series of coats-of-arms, but it actually was a history of every abbot that had presided over the abbey since its founding.\u00a0 The line of abbots was unbroken since inception, with the single exception of the period of time during the French Revolution.\u00a0 (Jan knew the most recent three abbots on the display.)<\/p>\n

Leuven is home to Catholic University, an enormous institution that was founded in 1425.\u00a0 It is very much a university town, crawling with students and youthful energy.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"You<\/a><\/dt>\n
You gotta ring them bells!<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/h3>\n

Jan\u2019s Notorious Family<\/h3>\n

Jan comes from a family of seven children, all of whom currently live in the Leuven area with their families.\u00a0 While the family\u2019s history in the community gives it prominence, their reputation is not untarnished.\u00a0 This is largely because of the actions of Jan\u2019s father and uncle, Henrik and Joseph.<\/p>\n

During WWII, Joseph, an impetuous hothead, ran away to join the Royal Air Force.\u00a0 He became a bomber pilot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Remember,<\/a>
Remember, tread lightly. In fact, tiptoe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we walked through the center of town, Jan pointed out a beautiful red brick tower.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s the post office.\u00a0 It was bombed during the war.\u201d<\/p>\n

By his uncle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Oopsie.<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a>
Not all of the art in Leuven is a million years old. This is the top of a giant sewing needle in the town square. The impaled fly is about the size of a shetland pony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Actually the bombing was deliberate.\u00a0 You see, the headquarters of the Gestapo was in that building, and Joseph knew it.\u00a0 The problem with his decision to bomb, however, was that he did it on his own volition \u2013 he had received no orders to consider it a target.\u00a0 And while the bombing was certainly disruptive to the Gestapo, there were local people in the building at the time he dropped his bomb as well.\u00a0 What\u2019s worse, in reprisal for the bombings, the Nazis rounded up a dozen or so random locals and executed them by firing squad in the middle of town.<\/p>\n

\"Abbey<\/a>
Abbey window<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jan\u2019s father Joseph was still living in Leuven during this time of Nazi occupation.\u00a0 He was a respected surgeon, but like his brother was a bit on the rash side.\u00a0 And so when he formed an anti-Fascist political group \u2013 not the smartest thing to do in occupied Belgium in 1944 \u2013 he was sent to Buchenwald.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lucky for Joseph, it was late in the war and he survived the death camp.\u00a0 Barely.\u00a0 When the Americans liberated the camp, he weighed 36 kilos.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A mural inside the abbey. This is probably the only photograph I have ever taken of a work of art and the artist in the same picture! The painter is my colleague and tourguide, Jan Vanmolkot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After his liberation, Joseph was taken in by a rich Swiss dude who was working out a little of the guilt many Swiss felt when they realized how much their neutral stance during the war ended up helping the Nazis.\u00a0 He took care of a number of survivors of the camps.\u00a0 He was fond of Joseph, and when Joseph was well enough to attempt to resume his former life he sent him packing with a little gift:\u00a0 A small Rembrandt etching.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jan grins broadly at this point in the tale.\u00a0 \u201cAnd who owns that Rembrandt now?\u00a0 Me!\u201d\u00a0 Wow.\u00a0 A Rembrandt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The steeples of the gloriously detailed Leuven Town Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joseph was so shattered by his experience in the camp that he felt he could no longer continue his work as a surgeon, so the rest of his career he spent as a local family doctor.\u00a0 The artistic gift he received had a lasting impact:\u00a0 He became a lifelong collector of fine art.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I have the Rembrandt, \u201d says Jan with a sigh.\u00a0 \u201cBut two of my siblings got the Breugel and the Cezanne.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our tour of Leuven went until late in the evening.\u00a0 Nights like this are exactly why I wanted to come to Europe.<\/p>\n

Memorable Personal Tour Guides I Have Had<\/h4>\n