My dear friend's friendly Entourage
Few years ago I honoured my former classmate, Roel V.R. and his family with a visit by myself. To refresh your memory, just click on the below link :)
It was such an extraordinary and wonderful experience that I made it a point of visiting them with the two ladies of the house when we were back in Belgium for the holidays.
The family Van Roosbroecks are not exactly natives of this quaint little village, set in the rolling hills and fields of Hageland, Flanders, far enough but still conveniently close by to the cities of Tienen and Leuven.
They actually moved from an urban environment, forsaking all the convenience that a city offers and escaping to a small little village where they had to start from scratch....which is no mean feat.
They actually moved from an urban environment, forsaking all the convenience that a city offers and escaping to a small little village where they had to start from scratch....which is no mean feat.
But that hasn't stopped them from becoming an integral part of the local community in no time. Largely thanks to their open and social attitude, and I'm referring to every single family member of the 'household'. Their door is practically open to everyone of this little town, people dropping by to have an impromptu chit chat, neighbouring kids jumping into their barn and back garden to play with the 3 children of the household.....quite lively indeed. And even hitting the headlines of the regional newspaper when Roel placed a parking meter in front of their house and that in a village devoid of any parking meters.....;-p (just ask him why he did it, his explanation made some solid reason)
I knew what to expect of course, having known Roel, sharing joy and grief together since high school. Ofcourse years down the road, everyone living their own lives, we kinda lost touch with each other, but I still fondly remember the good times we have had at and outside school.
I knew what to expect of course, having known Roel, sharing joy and grief together since high school. Ofcourse years down the road, everyone living their own lives, we kinda lost touch with each other, but I still fondly remember the good times we have had at and outside school.
Jess and Laetitia were not too sure what to expect, so great was their surprise when we were welcomed with genuinely open arms and affection. The kids of the family, ....showered my two lady companions with so much attention and love that it almost made them blush...
The ice was quickly melted and despite the language barrier, both our families warmed to eachother :)
The ice was quickly melted and despite the language barrier, both our families warmed to eachother :)
Jess was positively awestruck during the inevitable tour around their house and surroundings......I'm quite positive if we have had the financial means at that moment, any real estate sales man would have scored an immediate hit on this particular day of our visit ;-)
And the lady of the house, Inge, created a mean, delightful dish of Belgian specialty.....'witloof'....chicory, wrapped within bacon rolls....Us, more accustomed to Asian and South Asian cuisine, having multiple dishes on the dining table, we were already wondering whether the 'witloof' dish and mashed potatoes were sufficient enough to feed so many mouths, but much to our very surprise it was packing enough energy and nutrients to make us feel bloated after just a few bites.....definitely an eye-opener for us in terms of cooking.
By the time dinner was finished, a common universal theme is that every member of the household would retreat and settle in front of the television but in today's world, each and everyone is occupying themselves with their own electronic gadgets.......watching television has taken the back stage, that's for sure.
Everyone jumped up though at just the notion of all of us going out for an evening walk down the well trodden path among the dark farm fields, heading to the village center, burning some calories and having a fresh breath of air.
And the little hike wouldn't be complete without stopping by at some of the Van Roosbroeck's friends, ....which in this case, was conveniently a pub :)
The pub or cafe hasn't officially opened its doors yet (still undergoing some minor renovation), but nevertheless, Bart the pub owner, was so kind enough to treat us all with drinks and a local speciality dessert, Limburgse vlaai.....cheers Bart!!!
Everyone jumped up though at just the notion of all of us going out for an evening walk down the well trodden path among the dark farm fields, heading to the village center, burning some calories and having a fresh breath of air.
And the little hike wouldn't be complete without stopping by at some of the Van Roosbroeck's friends, ....which in this case, was conveniently a pub :)
The pub or cafe hasn't officially opened its doors yet (still undergoing some minor renovation), but nevertheless, Bart the pub owner, was so kind enough to treat us all with drinks and a local speciality dessert, Limburgse vlaai.....cheers Bart!!!
Top that with a quick visit to a friend's place for some good banter and a drink....
Life's beautiful indeed.....
Life's beautiful indeed.....
Now I fully understand how they manage to integrate themselves so quickly into the social fabric of this little town. Their social attitude is an example, not only for us, but I reckon for most of the folks too, be they living in this part of the planet or on the other other side of the globe.
Thanks a lot to the Van R's and their treasured friends for the generous, genuine hospitality....:) It was "keineig"
Thanks a lot to the Van R's and their treasured friends for the generous, genuine hospitality....:) It was "keineig"
