A Broken Cable, a Lost Paradise, and Good Friends

Day 54: Rest Day in Wemmel

We had a wonderfully slow morning, staying in our private little loft until nearly 10:00. It felt good not to pack our bags, rush through breakfast, or worry about reaching another destination. We enjoyed a casual breakfast and more good conversation with Luc and Manou.

Before beginning our adventure for the day, I decided to take care of a little bicycle maintenance. Just as I shifted Lisa’s right lever to work on her chain, the shifting cable broke. If it had to happen, this was the perfect place. I had a spare cable, and with Luc’s help and access to all the proper tools, we had everything repaired surprisingly quickly. Better in the garage on a rest day than somewhere along the road!

Around noon, we headed to the Botanic Garden Meise. With more wind and rain in the forecast, it was an ideal destination. We could explore the enormous outdoor gardens when the weather cooperated and escape into the greenhouses and other buildings whenever the rain returned.

We enjoyed lunch together at a restaurant in the middle of the garden and then continued exploring. The grounds cover two former castle estates, with Bouchout Castle sitting beautifully beside the water and autumn colors filling the surrounding landscape.

One of the highlights was the Plant Palace, a massive complex of 15 connected greenhouses covering nearly an acre. Walking through it felt like traveling around the world as we moved from tropical rainforest to desert, savanna, Mediterranean, mangrove, and misty cloud-forest climates. Each doorway seemed to transport us somewhere completely different.

We also visited the special exhibition “Paradise Lost?” about Alphonse Balat, the Belgian architect known for combining glass, iron, light, and plants. Balat served as architect to King Leopold II, designed the famous Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, and helped inspire the work of Victor Horta. His historic glasshouse at Meise was one of his earliest major projects and helped shape the spectacular conservatories that followed.

We stayed at the gardens until nearly closing time, then made a quick stop at a Proxy grocery store for Belgian chocolates and a few Belgian beers to sample. We returned home around 6:30, relaxed for a while, and then enjoyed another wonderful dinner together, this time spaghetti Bolognese.

Dinner ended with our own little Belgian chocolate tasting. We also listened to some of Manou’s music. She has sung with a gospel group for about four years and had a recording session scheduled for the following day.

It was an absolutely perfect and relaxing rest day, made even better by the company. Conversation with Luc and Manou always feels natural, interesting, and easy. I told Lisa that if Luc lived closer to Iowa City, I’m certain he would be a regular member of our coffee group. We would gladly see both of them much more often if only an ocean didn’t separate us.

Some friendships begin in unexpected ways. Ours began with a free walking tour of Brussels nine years ago, and we are very grateful it never ended.Read more