Today did not wind up as we had originally planned. I have never really trusted weather forecasts, but in Belgium, there is even less of a reason to believe them. The original plan for today was for a day trip to either Namur or Antwerp for an afternoon of sightseeing. The forecasters were predicting a beautiful, crisp afternoon, so it seemed like a good plan. Of course, when we woke up, it was raining. Hard. So we opted for plan B. First order of business, was shopping for food. It is a three day weekend, this week. Monday is All Saints day. So shopping must be done. Everything except a few small package stores will be closed until Tuesday. Errands completed, we spent the afternoon building a wardrobe from IKEA. Here in Belgium, very few homes have built in closets. Ours, amazingly has them in our bedroom, but this does not compare to the walk in that we enjoyed in the US. So, for extra space we needed the wardrobe. Predictably, about an hour into building the wardrobe, the weather cleared and the beautiful afternoon arrived. Too late now though to stop, we pushed through with only a few expletives and tears. Wardrobe mostly completed, we broke around 4, to enjoy an afternoon stroll through the square. The square has been taken over by a small carnival with the typical assortment of games, rides and food venders you see at similar carnivals in the US. There are two main differences that I can see as compared to the US variety. Soft core airbrush work on the sides of some of the rides and escargot. Both make sense in the context of Europe. I do find it interesting though that there are only three food vendors and two of them would serve escargot. Not that I am complaining. I happen to like snails. I just think it is an interesting choice juxtaposed against the hamburgers and hot dogs also available. One thing that we could definitely learn from in the US is the placement of the carnival. By putting it in the middle of the square, it was possible for parents to get a table at the local public house, enjoy one or several adult beverages while their spawn spin on the merry go round.
Following our walk, I was a desiring a refreshing beverage myself. Not usually being a fan of fruity beers, I have not logged any time with the many fruit based options here in Belgium. I thought today would be a good time to expand my horizons a bit and was quite surprised with the outcome. I cracked open a Mort Subite Xtreme Framboise. Mort Subite means sudden death and it takes its name from the bar in Brussels called A la Mort Subite which was not far from our former apartment.. As I opened the bottle, I was hit with a strong scent of raspberry. I was prepared for the sourness that lambics are known for but was pleased with that firs sip. Very crisp, somewhat sour but actually quite refreshing. I can easily see sipping one of these on a hot afternoon. The sourness is definitely there, but it is really well balanced. The color is strikingly red and clear with a pinkish foam. Not the most butch beverage in the world, but I don’t care what you may think. Overall pretty tasty. I give it two and a half drunk monks.
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