Introduction

A language is not only a vehicle of communication, it is also an important carrier of culture and a social bondage element in our multicultural society.  For the construction of this web site, I had to choose among the five beautiful languages I daily use in Betzdorf.  I list them roughly in descending order of my personal knowledge (this is somewhat hard to judge though; you may sometimes sense less difficulty to express something in another language than the one you think to master, moreover, due to our stay in Luxembourg, our knowledge level of the last three languages is in continuous evolution):

Dutch, the first language in this list, is the mother language of most of my friends and relatives in Flanders.  I expect them to visit this web site most often, therefore the selection of Dutch as a frame language in this site.  Of course, our presence in Luxembourg will lead to an increasing number of friends speaking other languages.  I believe English is then the most common denominator for all of them as well as the easiest one for me to write in.

Family guide

We refer to the Family page.

Our country

, the northern region of

Our family comes from Flanders, the northern, Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.

Flanders counts many beautiful medieval towns, as the country reached its most successful period during the middle-ages, first in the original "County of Flanders", Bruges and Ghent, later in the Duchy of Brabant, Mechelen, Leuven, Brussels and Antwerp. Most towns show exceptionally beautiful medieval architecture, mainly in cathedrals and town halls.  You should definitely visit our country when you have the chance.

From a touristic point of view, Bruges, only 18 km from the Flemish seaside, is probably the most famous and is visited by people from all over the world.

The largest cities, Brussels and Antwerp, have everything to offer, be it on the business or the cultural level.  Ghent is somewhat smaller but the same can be confirmed..

But even more attractive are the smaller towns like Dendermonde (Termonde), where Inge was born and Leuven (Louvain), where Wim was born, but also Aalst, Mechelen, Diest and many more...

Dendermonde lies exactly in the middle of a triangle made by Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp.  The town is famous for its "Ros Beiaard" folklore.  Every ten years, the town is in trance when a giant horse, the "Ros Beiaard" carries four young knights through the streets to bring to life an old medieval legend from the time of Charlemagne, "the four Aymonschildren".  (On your way from Luxembourg to Dendermonde, you will find other references to this legend in the Belgian Ardennes, in the towns of Namur and Dinant.)

In Dendermonde, you should definitely visit the market place, the town hall and the "Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe" (Notre-Dame) church where Inge and Wim got married.

Leuven is a small town about 25 km east of Brussels.  It harbours the largest university in Belgium as well as the largest brewery, a combination that perfectly fits together.  In Leuven, you should visit the town hall, the Saint-Pieters-church, as well as the famous Beguinage.  The Flemish beguinages are now protected as world heritage by UNESCO.

At the end of your tour through Leuven you should taste some excellent Belgian beers on a terrace of the Old Market square.