Day 3Today we are off to Ghent which is the second oldest city in Belgium. Our guide for the day is Erwin Van Durme and his significant other Tania Genetello of Belgium VI. We stopped at their home in Gavere on the way and guess what, we were offered a beer. Erwin had completely rebuilt the home from the inside out because the exterior could not be changed due to historic reasons. Of all the cities we visited if I had to pick a favorite I would have to say Ghent.

Once in Ghent, we had to stop in for a beer.

These Belgians are serious about their beer. This place had so many they put them in a four ring binder. (pictured L-R: Koen, Erwin, Chris and Doug).

Pictured L-R: Tania, Erwin Raqui, Koen, Susan and Doug

Continue reading day 3b.

Day 2
Up and at it to see the sights; we headed into Brussels to see the city and meet up with Peter “Madnick” van den Block of Belgium VI, who was our guide for the day. Madnick is also the European Conference Safety Officer.

We had a slight delay due to a fatality accident on the Autoban. It would have been nice to already have our rental motorcycles so we could split lanes like the rest of them, at least until Susan beat me to death.

The electronic direction board is almost as big as the car.
Once we arrived at Madnick’s it was the customary beer before we headed out. He took us on a driving tour and Chris did a great job keeping up especially since Madnick was on a motorcycle.

A great day to be a motorman, but then every day is a great day to be a motorman riding in front of the King’s residential palace, the Royal Place of Laeken.

In the next picture you will see some traffic cones next to Madnick, which is a restricted parking area in front of their Chamber of Representatives. Madnick spoke with the guard and the next thing I know, he is moving cones for us to park. Talk about VIP treatment.

The 61 cm tall bronze statue on the corner of Rue de l’Etuve and Rue des Grands Carmes was made in 1619 by Brussels sculptor Hieronimus Duquesnoy the Elder, father of the more famous François Duquesnoy. The figure has been repeatedly stolen: the current statue dates from 1965. The original restored version is kept at the Maison du Roi/Broodhuis on the Grand Place.
There are several legends behind this statue, but the most famous is the one about Duke Godfrey III of Leuven. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen, in Ransbeke (now Neder-Over-Heembeek). The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung the basket in a tree to encourage them. From there, the boy urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost the battle.
Another legend states that in the 14th century, Brussels was under siege by a foreign power. The city had held its ground for some time, so the attackers conceived of a plan to place explosive charges at the city walls. A little boy named Julianske happened to be spying on them as they were preparing. He urinated on the burning fuse and thus saved the city. There was at the time (middle of the 15th century, perhaps as early as 1388) a similar statue made of stone. The statue was stolen several times.

Another story (told often to tourists) tells of a wealthy merchant who, during a visit to the city with his family, had his beloved young son go missing. The merchant hastily formed a search party that scoured all corners of the city until the boy was found happily urinating in a small garden. The merchant, as a gift of gratitude to the locals who helped out during the search, had the fountain built.

Another legend was that a small boy went missing from his mother when shopping in the centre of the city. The woman, panic-stricken by the loss of her child, called upon everyone she came across, including the mayor of the city. A city-wide search began and when at last the child was found, he was urinating on the corner of a small street. The story was passed down over time and the statue erected as a tribute to the well-known fable.

Another legend tells of the young boy who was awoken by a fire and was able to put out the fire with his urine, in the end this helped stop the king’s castle from burning down.

Next we went to a Candy Factory Outlet store to get some Belgian Chocolate. Good thing out space was limited or that stop could have been all bad.

Guy made it back and we met back up with him, Valerie, and their son Gyel to go to Koen Huste’s home in the village of Zottegem for the next two nights. Koen is a member of Belgium VI and the European Conference International Representative.

After the customary beer at Koen’s house upon arrival we traveled into the village for dinner. He took us to a gourmet hamburger restaurant. Their version of a hamburger is different than I am used to but it was good.

Then from there to a pub that Koen frequents. You would have thought it was Norm walking into Cheers. That ended our first long day of sightseeing.

Continue reading Day 3.

On Saturday, November 29, 2014, members of the Blue Knights along with the O’Fallon Police and City Hall joined in the MO Vets Holiday Decoration at the Missouri Veterans’ Home. The Veterans’ home is home to 300 veterans. We decorated the cafeteria, foyer and hallways. This community event was sponsored by The Mission Continues. “The Mission Continues empowers veterans facing the challenge of adjusting to life at home to find new missions. We redeploy veterans in their communities, so that their shared legacy will be one of action and service.”

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The Missouri Veterans Homes manage a total of 1350 beds that provide long term skilled nursing care in compliance with 157 Federal Department of Veterans Affairs regulations. The Homes are located in Cameron, Cape Girardeau, Mexico, Mount Vernon, St. James, St. Louis, and Warrensburg.