Weekend Trip Tips

Places we’ve visited last weekend:

Saturday, July 19th: the antique shops in the Kloosterstraat, Antwerp (B). We parked our car between the Vlaamse Kaai and the Waalse Kaai (free parking!). This quarter is also known as ‘t Zuid. The place is packed with art galleries, fashion houses, design stores and museums. It also has some of the city’s most trendy bars and restaurants to offer. The Kloosterstraat is only a few steps away. Here you can find a wide array of antique shops. The axis Kloosterstraat-Hoogstraat also acts as a link between ‘t Zuid and the Grote Markt (main market square). We had dinner at Chez Fred, a cosy little restaurant located at 83 Kloosterstraat. Sandrine had a huge bowl of Caesarsalad and I went for the seared tuna steak with zucchini. Veeeeery nice!

Sunday, July 20th: the Gentse Feesten, Ghent (B). This is probably Belgium’s biggest city festival. We went to see the Dutch group Hotel perform on the Polé Polé stage. They played a spicy mix of African and South American music. After the concert, feeling thirsty and in the mood for some more exotic vibes we went for a Cuban style cocktail at Mosquito Coast, an international travellers cafe and one of our favourite hangouts when in Ghent. Then we joined Sandrine’s parents at Faki, one of many Turkish restaurants located in the Sleepstraat. They serve the best lahmacun (Turkish pizza) I’ve ever tasted. We ended this perfect day sipping fresh mint tea in the Berber tent at the Baudelopark.

Monday, July 21th, Belgium National Day: the Zwarte Beek nature reserve, Beringen (B). It was just one of those typical Belgium National Days, with the rain pouring down for hours on end. Here in Belgium we even have a name for this yearly climatological event: the ”drash national”. Nevertheless, we decided to go for a walk in the Zwarte Beek nature reserve, situated in the little village of Koersel (Beringen). It is managed by Natuurpunt, a non-profit organization active in nature conservation and management. An 8 km footpath led us thourgh the marshy valley of the Zwarte Beek (it translates as “black brook”). Part of it is a corduroy road which seems to float above the wet forest floor. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves…

The banks of the Zwarte Beek

The corduroy road

The Loretten Dig – Part I

Two weeks have passed since our new project kicked off. The Loretten site is situated right in the historial centre of Mechelen (B). Since the 19th century it was part of a larger complex owned by the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy (Zusters van O.-L.-Vrouw van Barmhartigheid, in Mechelen a.k.a. the Loretten).

Overview Loretten site W-E, July 14th

The convent has been deserted for many years, but real estate developers are now planning to breath new life into it by dividing the complex into separate houses and apartements, and constructing an underground parking garage in its backyard. Before the building and renovation works can begin, the municipal archaeology service is conducting a six months archaeological dig.

No extraordinary finds at this stage. The terrain measures about 800 m². My colleagues (the Loretten research team currently consists of one archaeologist, two trainees and four field technicians) have dug their way through a first layer of 19th and 20th century rubble using a crane. They hit solid brickwork foundations at a depth of about 30 cm and are now progressing much slower. Up until now they have uncovered at least four cesspits (see also Medieval Delights), the remains of a fireplace and two red ceramic tile floors, the one on top of the other.

Overview Loretten site E-W, July 14th

Meanwhile, the local media (newspapers, television…) show great interest in our project. In order to keep the public informed of what we’re doing, I’ve hung a few banners on the fencing surrounding the dig site. Later this summer we hope to show our most important finds at the Erfgoedcentrum Lamot™ (heritage centre).

Banners at entrance of Loretten site

To be continued…

Iron Age Log Boat

In 1904, while digging a canal in order to prevent the Dyle river from flooding the city centre of Mechelen (B) time and again, workers discovered a large piece of wood at a depth of about five meters. It turned out to be the remains of a prehistoric log boat, measuring at least 8.40 m in length. As a result an archaeological excavation was organized by baron de Loë, director of the Nationale Dienst voor Opgravingen/Service National des Fouilles.

Along with it the remains of a Late Iron Age settlement were found: the remains of at least five huts (pile dwellings), made from different kinds of wood and constructed on a sort of artificial island, objects carved from deer horn, metal tools (a fishhook and a horse’s harness), part of a wooden ladder, amber beads, a fragment of a grindstone and fragmented pottery resembling the La Tène vessels with sharp angles from the Marne region, France. Also human remains were found (at least five individuals), as were lots of animal bones (dog, pig, wild boar, goat, sheep, cow and horse).

Most of the organic objects were extremely well preserved thanks to the wet conditions provided by the marshy soil at Nekkerspoel, the little hamlet just outside of the Mechelen city centre were they were found. The log boat was taken to the Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis/Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire (Royal Museums for Art and History) in Brussels (B) where it was dried, treated with beeswax in order to conserve it and put on display.

Now, more than a century has passed and the boat is still kept at the museum, but it’s no longer on display because of its poor state. However, the Mechelen board of mayor and aldermen has decided that the city would provide the necessary funds to restore the boat using 21th century know-how, but only if an arrangement could be made to display it in the city’s museum.

The municipal archaeology service was appointed the task of bringing back the Nekkerspoel log boat to its place of origin. You can follow the progress of its homecoming on this blog. So far, in the company of the curator we’ve paid a visit to the museum’s storage facilities where the boat is kept, we sent an official request to the director of the KMKG/MRAH and we are setting up a project team of key people that will make the necessary arrangements, covering paperwork, restoration, transport, display and publicity.

To be continued…

The Nekkerspoel Log Boat in 1904

 

 

Sunday Dinner DIY

Nothing more rewarding after a busy week at work than cooking some delicious food and enjoying it in good company. Sandrine and I asked my parents over for dinner at the start of their long-awaited holiday. In stead of going for a traditional two course meal we decided to just serve some home made appetizers with a glass of champagne, before having the main course.

APPETIZERS:

- olives and feta cheese

- bruschettas with fresh tomato salsa

- mini North Sea shrimp cocktails

- mini quiches à la Sandrine, with Belgian endive and goat cheese

- blood sausage with caramelized apple (see also Bloody Sausages and More Bloody Sausages)

MAIN COURSE:

Guilt-head sea bream à la Bart

 Ingredients (serves four): 2 fresh sea breams (gutted and descaled), 1 lemon, lots of dill (on this occasion I used both fresh and dried dill), white pepper, coriander seed, sea salt (preferably course), olive oil, butter

Make two incisions on each side of the fish, rub in some olive oil and stuff the fish cavity with a mixture of dill, pepper, coriander, salt and the juice of half a lemon. You could also add a few slices of garlic. Place the fish in an oven tray with the rest of the lemon cut up. Add enough butter and season with more dill, pepper and salt. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes at 200 °C (about 400 °F). Sprinkle with fresh dill sprigs and serve with bread, parsley potatoes, steamed broccoli and young carrots.

We drank a white 2004 Crozes-Hermitage AOC (France) with it. Bull’s-eye! They loved it. The perfect way to start your vacation. Bon appétit!

Take Control of Crohn’s

 A few weeks ago a new campaign was launched to make the Belgian public more aware of the discomforts associated with Crohn’s Disease.

Crohn’s is an inflammatory bowel disease resulting in acute abdominal pain and frequent visits to the bathroom. I tell you, being a patient myself, these symptoms can have a serious impact on your social life and your self-esteem. Imagine having to deal with travelers’ diarrhea for days on end and in the meanwhile trying to lead a normal life: taking public transport (more then once I discovered that the only toilet on the train was out of order), going for a job interview (stress can even make it worse) or just a romantic stroll through the park or on the beach. Even the simplest of things, like for instance grocery shopping or walking the dog, can all of a sudden turn into hell.

On the campaign website Controleer Crohn/Controlez Crohn there’s a map showing so-called Crohn’s-friendly places, i.e. shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. where Crohn’s patients are free to use the bathroom. Apart from the public toilets, that is. This should enable patients to plan their trips in advance, making sure that wherever they are going a toilet can be found.

So far in Mechelen (B), the city where I work, there are only two Crohn’s-friendly places registered: the local Delhaize supermarket and Hotel Vé. Since our office (i.e. the municipal archaeology service) is situated in the City Park – Botanical Garden where there’s no public toilet, I would like to add our facilities to this list of Crohn’s-friendly places (provided that the board of mayor and aldermen gives its approval), creating yet another corner of the world where Crohn’s patients can forget their troubles for a while, fully relax and simply enjoy the park.

Also see Crazy Crohn’s

Medieval Delights

 November of last year we (i.e. the Mechelen Archaeology Department) organised a medieval banquet, held at the 13th century Brusselpoort (city gate). The menu was inspired by the results we got from recent archaeological research on 13-14th century cesspit fillings. Sounds tasty, not? In it we found large quantities of leftovers: all kinds of animal and fish bones, stones and pips from fruit, grains of corn… even the tiniest of vegetable pollen. Along with it we dug up lots of (mostly fragmented) kitchenware: jars, ceramic pots and pans, wooden bowls, etc. These remains gave us very detailed information on the citizens’ eating habits.

The banquet was a huge success. The event was sold out more than two weeks in advance. Our cook had the almost impossible task of catering for up to 350 hungry souls in just five shifts. But he got the job done. To give you an idea of what was on the menu, here’s the recipe of one of the dishes:

Grey mullet with onions and lentils (*)

Ingredients: lentils, water, lard and butter, grey mullet, onions, chervil, salt

Allow a handful of lentils to soak in a large pan of water for several hours. Then cook the lentils until al dente and drain. Cut an onion into rings and cook in butter or lard over a very gentle heat for about 30 minutes.

Fry the grey mullet on both sides in a pan with some fat until brown. Add the onions and the lentils and allow to simmer over a gentle heat for about ten minutes. Add salt and chervil to taste.

I guess you could pimp this rather simple dish by adding some exotic flavours, taking into account that in late medieval Mechelen some spices like pepper, cloves, saffron and nutmeg were already available at the grocer’s.

Fish bones from the 13-14th century cesspits

Because of its success last year, we’re now planning a second edition of our banquet on the 14th, 15th and 16th of November 2008. So if you wanna test your taste buds and find out more about the tantalizing flavours of late medieval cuisine, you should really give it a try. When visiting Mechelen as a group, special arrangements can be made for you to be part of this special event, even on other occasions than the ones mentioned above, but only when booked well in advance. Hope to meet you there!

(*) Mechelen Archaeology Department, 2007. More than Bread and Water. A Culinary Journey through the Middle Ages, Mechelen: Stad Mechelen.

Yves and Sofie

 At last, they got married! Last Saturday I attended the long-awaited wedding of two of my best friends: Yves and Sofie. The intimate church ceremony was held in the 13-15th century church of Our Lady, with its cosy, almost dollhouse-like 17th century interior, set in the tiny little polder (reclaimed land) village of Meetkerke, West Flanders (B).

 We’ve all been friends since university (1994-1998), when we studied archaeology together. Yves and Sofie -or [i:f] and [fi:] as we fanatically phonetically call them- were a fab couple form the very start. So, to many this marriage may seem as just the icing on their already very yummy cake. But it sure made them shine as never before!

 Thanks, Sofie and Yves, for a lovely day. We really had a great time: meeting old friends, sharing memories, indulging in great food and drinks, dancing till we dropped and most of all… seeing the both of you enjoying every second of it. Godspeed in all your future endeavours!

VROAAARRR!!!

Language Quilt

In a second hand book store I found this map of linguistic and ethnographic entities in Europe (*).

 Tourists on holiday or people on a business trip visiting Belgium seem amused by the fact that in this little country about half of the population speaks French (Walloon) and the other half speaks Dutch (Flemish). On the Straka map these two communities are divided by a more or less straight line, called the Belgische taalgrens or frontière linguistique belge (Belgian language border). It’s said that it originated during the Late Roman Empire as a result of Germanic tribes invading Roman territory from the north. Clearly, Dutch is a Germanic language while French descends from Latin, the official language of the Roman Empire. The language border marks the southernmost frontier of Germanic cultural influence in this tiny part of Europe. Up until today, this centuries-old border plays an important roll in Belgian politics, fueling (and refueling) the idea of dividing the country into two separate, independent states. And let’s not forget the German speaking community in the east of Belgium!

But if you think Belgium is quite a language quilt, you should take a look at Romania.

Romania’s linguistic and ethnic entities: 20 (light purple/blue) = Romanian, 32 (pink) = German, 33-45 (green) = Slavic, 59 (yellow) = Hungarian, 61-63 (light brown and dark pink) = Altai

(*) Straka, M. 1979. Karte der Völker und Sprachen Europas unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Volksgruppen. Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt.

More interesting maps on http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/

More Bloody Sausages

This is a follow up to Bloody Sausages.

In his book Salt. A World History (*) Mark Kurlansky gives another recipe for boudin. He got it from Ted Legnon who runs a family boucherie in the city of New Iberia, Louisiana. With the European influence still clearly present, his recipe includes ingredients that are immediately associated with Cajun style cuisine. The sausage dough mainly consists of minced pork and rice, seasoned with salt, cayenne pepper and (green) onions. Instead of using pig’s blood (because of food safety regulations?), Ted adds pig’s liver with about the same result: giving these sausages their rich, mineral flavour. Ted uses only natural sausage casings and cooks his sausages on a low heat to prevent them from bursting.

On the other side of the continent lies another place that’s famous for its blood sausages: the city of San Francisco. Recipes vary, but most of them seem to be based on an Italian version of the boudin noir, called biroldo and are made out of pork, pig’s blood, pine nuts, raisins, sugar and spices. The sweetness of the sugar, the raisins and some of the spices should act as a counterweight, creating a perfect balance with the wild, macho flavour of the pig’s blood. Yummy! Can’t wait to taste them. I’ll be in San Francisco by mid-September, spoiling my taste buds. So save some for me!

(*) Kurlansky, M. 2002. Salt. A World History. New York: Walker & Company.

Senzo

 Still recovering from surgery (see Crazy Crohn’s) but hoping to return to work next week, I treated myself to a night at the 18th Festival International Jazz à Liège. Although not feeling so great that day, I knew medicine was on the way. It came in the form of Abdullah Ibrahim.

I got to know South-African jazz artist Abdullah Ibrahim through the excellent documentary Abdullah Ibrahim: A Struggle for Love (cine plus, 2004) and just this one track called Zimbabwe on an eclectic compilation album of African hits. I immediately fell in love with his music, both powerful and sober, and bought his album Abdullah Ibrahim: A Celebration (enja, 2005) with recordings from 1973-1997 as a further introduction to his work. Not only his music appealed to me, but also his strong personality: spiritual, independent, generous, creative, authentic…

His performance last weekend in Liège started with a half-hour delay, giving everyone a change to find a comfortable seat. Then he stepped on stage, sat down at his piano and played non-stop for over an hour. The piece was called Senzo (the Japanese word for ancestor), an intense act of mediation and improvisation. To me it seemed as if he was creating a steady stream of musical landscapes (see Jazz à la Flamande), some as seen from a train passing at tai chi speed, others made out of pictures stitched together to form a panorama, constantly switching between purely abstract sketchings or blueprints and highly detailed, sunlit (I guess mostly South-African) sceneries.

Supremely beautiful! One of the most intense concerts (if not THE most intense concert) I have ever experienced. No need to tell you I felt really invigorated afterwards.