Fries, waffles, and Jenever

Erik and I are currently in Mechelen. It's a beautiful little Belgian city directly between Antwerp and Brussels. We are here until Thursday morning, where we'll be heading to Brussels for an additional five days.

We are currently staying with Luk and Wendy. Here is where I would typically describe them, namely, by their profession. I can't do that with these people, because they are probably some of the coolest people I've ever had the opportunity to meet. How about this: we're staying with Luk, a man who has hiked to the base camp of Mount Everest? Or, we're staying with Wendy, who has done a camel safari out into the Indian desert. Or, we're staying with Luk who took a motor bike across vietnam. The list goes on and on and on....

So, Mechelen it is, with Mr. and Mrs. Most Interesting Couple, and it's wonderful. We spent the day in Mechelen, mostly exploring. We went to a Jewish museum, where we learned about the fate of thousands of Jews of Belgium. I was astonished to learn about the large percentage of Jews in Belgium (many fled here as it was one of the last countries (after France and Holland) to allow the Jews to be taken to concentration camps). Mechelen is not a large city, yet due to its convenient location, was a prime gathering spot for the German army. They 'made' their numbers quickly here, having a great deportation spot perfectly situated between two heavily populated cities. The pictures, records, and graphs of people deported and their post war status was absolutely heart breaking.

After the museum, we needed a change of pace. Belgians are well known for their waffles, and there are waffle vendors everywhere. What a better thing to do than find the BEST WAFFLES IN ALL OF MECHELEN?! This was how it started. I'd ask a local, who would send me to a certain spot. On the way there we'd ask a different local, who'd give a different location. All of these different places, it was one big wild goose chase.

Our final waffle vendor was the one who made waffles to order. We had ours traditionally, with sugar coating the outside, and the batter put into the maker in front of your face. Their trick is that the batter is considerably sweeter, and they don't leave them in long enough to bake entirely through. Two delicious, piping hot waffles handed to us. We each bit in and let the warm batter and sugar/butter/heaven hit our tongues. We'd been freezing all day, so this warm treat couldn't have come at a better time. Of course, we didn't talk. There is no need to speak when we both had a clearly identified mission. We conversed while licking our finger tips. How was yours? MMMMMMMMM, good. Yours? MMMMMMMMM, good.

On the way home Luk told us what was for dinner. Belgium's other must have. FRIES. At this point my belly was a little full from the mammoth sized waffle I nearly swallowed whole, but hey!.... bring on the tradition. It turns out that Luk and Wendy live next to a FRY STORE. I was as surprised as ever to realize they have stores just for fries, but it's the truth! We got inside and there was a wheel barrow size amount of fries waiting to be fried, with 20 different types of sauces, meats, and extras. I ordered a small fry for 1.70 Euro, and I was given a basket the size of my head. I could've fed an army with all the fries I had. Part of me was just looking at this woman who handed me the basket. Am I not being honest? Was something lost in translation? She did ring me up? I have about 13 potatoes here, ma'am? All of my questions fell to silence when I saw this was the case for every order.

We ate dinner, salt with a dash of potato, and talked about our evening options. We decided to go to Leuven, their college town, and check out the Christmas market.

The Holidays exploded!! We arrived, and despite the cold, there were an overwhelming amount of young people out. The streets had garland and tassels, and lights were hung on every lamppost. Roughly 40,000 people attend college there, so the school and its facilities were enormous. Some buildings dated to the 1500's and other buildings had statues so delicately created one would think the building took over a hundred years to create. All of their buildings were well lit, with soft blinking cascading lights in all the windows. We walked through a few cobble stone streets, and peered into the college bars and restaurants.

The winding streets eventually opened to their market. The entrance was a series of garland covered arches with lights to adjoin each arch. Once through the arches there was a huge stage and a live band playing Christmas music. THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. HAPPY HOLIDAYS. I felt it, I finally felt it!!!!

Each vendor has its own flair. They all sell something different, a million things you didn't realize you need until you saw them. The vendors that had food all had samples which made looking all the more fun. Would you like a waffle cookie? Well, of course I'll try one!

There was one huge vendor with a giant sign on the top that said Jenever. The line was easily the longest, and people hung out next to this vendor like there was some invisible glue attached to their mid-sections.

Erik and I had no clue what Jenever is, which was met with a gasp that could've quieted the earth. Jenever is only the most awesome, best, strongest, and most traditional Belgian Holiday liquor EVER. Duh.

Well, it sounds as though the decision is already made! Jenever it is! There were about 20 different kinds, some fruity, some grainy, some chocolate- whatever your taste they had your flavor. It was served in around a 3 oz. glass and just the smell of it sent shivers down my whole body. Both Erik and Luk got traditional old grain Jenever while I opted for the most fruity and hopefully tasteful kind, banana. HAHA. Ya, right. It is still just as strong, it just has a banana label! So, I'm sipping this stuff and every sip sends a colossal shiver to every appendage in my body. I wanted to slam it, or set it down, and neither option was available. Alright, well... bring on the shivers.

For the rest of the evening we just walked around and talked. I kind of fell into my own world and just enjoyed. There was real, live Christmas music playing in the background and people were dancing and singing. All of the Belgians, so beautifully dressed, coming out on a Wednesday night to have the celebration of great music, hot waffles and strong alcohol.