FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. After the last eventful week, this week was very calm. On Monday I didn't move at all and spent the day between some household scores and updating my blog.

2. The weather was nice and I could sit outside and take a last sunbath and also work on our terrace.

3. Our city administration had the excellent idea to repair the main street in Waterloo and at the same time also the side street which could have been used to avoid the main street's traffic, which is completely stuck every day as it only goes one way. With the speed of a snail you finally reach the center.

4. I was quiet busy to create a wedding card which should look a little special and bought some scrapbooking things to make it nice. That took me almost the whole day !

5. My son is getting married in Amsterdam this weekend, which doesn't change very much for us, as he and his girlfriend are living together since about 8 years and  they have a little son, almost 3 years old.
But still I had to think about what to wear (very important) and prepare a little suitcase. It is a civil marriage, but lots of people are invited. I certainly can tell you more on Monday ! I didn't have to rake my brain for a wedding gift, as they have already everything, so they asked for an "envelope" ! That's not heavy to carry !

ORANGES AND ITS HISTORY

more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

One day Mr. Pomelo and Mrs Mandarin married and the Orange was born and became a tree. In general, it is believed that sweet orange trees have originated in Southeast Asia, or southern China, and that they were first cultivated in China around 2500 BC.



This proves that even before Jesus Christ we had already products produced in China. Today we get them mostly in form of toys or textiles. 

In Europe, the orange was  introduced to Italy by the crusaders in the 11th century and were grown widely in the south for medicinal purposes, but the sweet orange was unknown until the late 15th century or the beginnings of the 16th century, when Italian and Portuguese merchants brought orange trees into the Mediterranean area. Shortly afterward, the sweet orange quickly was adopted as an edible fruit. It was considered a luxury item and wealthy people grew oranges in private conservatories, called orangeries. By 1646, the sweet orange was well known throughout Europe but only by the rich !

Spanish explorers introduced the sweet orange into the American continent.  Spanish missionaries brought orange trees to Arizona between 1707 and 1710 at least they did one healthy thing.

When Mr. G. and I compare our childhood, he in Italy had eaten oranges, figs, grapefruits, dates, pomegranates, etc, all things which I had never heard of as a child in Germany. I ate appels, pears, cherries, and berries.

I always remember the very first time I had eaten an orange. It was on a 6 December, at St.Nicholas when I found an orange together with sweets in my little boot I had put outside my room. I must have been 9 years old in 1952. It was something very special and hard to get in the after war times.

Of course that changed and from the 60th/70th on oranges became a common fruit just like an appel. Everybody today can afford to buy oranges. Even worse, Belgium's city Binche, (I wrote about it here ) is famous for its carnival where the "Gilles" march through the town with baskets of oranges.  .



These oranges are thrown to, and sometimes at, members of the crowd gathered to view the procession. The vigour and longevity of the orange-throwing event causes sometimes injuries, blue eyes and – some residents choose to seal windows so that they can't be broken. The oranges are considered good luck because they are a gift from the Gilles and it is an insult to throw them back.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

more participants here

OUR WORLD - VILLERS ABBEY

 

Villers Abbey is an ancient Cistercian abbey located in the town of Villers-la-Ville in the Walloon Brabant province of Wallonia, one piece of the Wallonia's Major Heritage. Founded in 1146, the abbey was abandoned in 1796.

Meanwhile the Province of Wallonia has realized that they have a hidden treasure here and started to renovate and made a real tourist site out of it. Read more here ....

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of August 17 . If you participate please put the little logo on the top of your post and leave your link.

The weekend was wonderful until Sunday, when I had to take Claudie to the station and she returned to France.

We went to Villers la Ville an ancient Cistercian abbey located near the town of Villers-la-Ville in the Brabant province of Belgium. Founded in 1146, the abbey was abandoned in 1796. The site today contents only the ruins. (I wrote about this abbey here).
 


We walked around and through these beautiful historical site, took a lot of pictures



There was a group of young students who played a game in the ruins, and we watched them and found them also a little everywhere. They had hidden little papers in between the stones to continue their play.



To rest our hurting legs we had a drink in the ancient mill, which is now a restaurant. Claudie loved to try out all the different Belgian beers and this one she loved really very much it was raspberry beer.
On the way back we stopped at Nicole's and stayed for a while with her on her patio.

The next day it rained ! We hoped that the rain would stop, but unfortunately it didn't.



We finally stopped at the The Église Notre Dame du Sablon (Church of Our Lady of Sablon). It is a pretty Late Gothic church, built in the 15th and 16th centuries, Notre Dame du Sablon is noted for its four-fold gallery with brightly colored stained-glass windows (illuminated from the inside at night), which makes a striking contrast with the gray-white Gothic arches and walls.
Also worth seeing are the two baroque chapels decorated with funeral symbols in white marble.

On the "Place du Sablon" is an important antique market each Sunday. But this time there was also a music festival going on, so we had music, ate the good Belgian chips in a paper box and had a drink in an old Brasserie. Unfortunately now they keep the outside of the buildings but the inside had again been changed in black and white modern furniture and looked like a Sushi Shop. Instead of keeping the old cozy wooden furniture !

On the way back we stopped at Ilona's and had a coffee together. 



Quiet tired in the evenings after supper, we were watching little crime stories on TV. My cats were also very happy about her visit !

On Sunday morning I went with her to the South station and while she took the train, I made my shopping on the market.

The 5 days  flew by so quickly !