Tag Archives: Cathedral

Mar5

A trip to Leuven – Working out at a cathedral climbing gym

Posted on by
Standard

Friday, 18-April-2025


Our last day in Belgium was unscheduled – we had the whole day to ourselves. Some people made some plans, but I had my own goals for the day… ages back, I’d read about a cathedral in Brussels that had been converted into a climbing gym. I hadn’t had a chance to check it out while I was there in 2024, and so now was the time to make it happen.

I packed my climbing gear into a pack, hopped on a train, and zoomed off on my own lovely little solo adventure.


After a week of classes, negotiations, and socializing, this was heaven for me. Calm, quiet, and blissfully solo. I kept to my own schedule, rented a scooter, and blasted my way around town until I found myself climbing tall routes under beautiful stained glass.

Then, I grabbed a quick snack, and did it all again – scooting my way to the train station, then catching a ride back to Leuven in time to meet the class and get the bus to the airport.

Yeah… I do enjoy planning and executing my own adventures.


(A quick link to a news story about the gym: https://www.brusselstimes.com/1566631/hidden-belgium-climbing-space-in-church)



Sep12

Église Notre-Dame de Laeken

Posted on by
Standard

Friday, 02-Aug-2024

After skipping the Monument to the Dynasty, I actually found myself running a little bit ahead of schedule… which was grand, since it meant that I was able to stop into the church of our lady of Laeken – the Église Notre-Dame de Laeken.

It was, even from a distance, an absolutely gorgeous building. Sweeping spires and minarets, some stained glass… I had time. I had to check out the inside.


At first, it was every other cathedral ever – just a big ol’ building, with a big ol’ empty space in the middle.

I mean, nothing wrong with big ol’ buildings. They’re pretty and have cool acoustics!


As I walked in, though, I noticed the rear area – a semi-museum, dedicated to Joseph Cardijn, a cardinal dedicated to advancing the cause of young workers in the early 1900s. It was interesting – another glimpse into some of the positive work that churches (or more accurately, their people) have done.


It was interesting, some good reading, and a beautiful and thermally-cool area to rest for a little bit before continuing on the adventure of the day…

Link to Joseph Cardijn = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cardijn

Sep9

The Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon (Église Notre-Dame des Victoires au Sablon) & Square du Sablon

Posted on by
Standard

Thursday, 01-Aug-2024


That’s one heck of a name, isn’t it? “The Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon”.

Reading a bit about the church, and the nearby park / square, I… am not quite sure what victories this is specifically referencing. I mean, looking at the article on wikipedia, it… I mean this can’t be right… it appears that the “victory” is that a lady got a vision, stole a statue from Antwerp, and then brought it back to Brussels.

Anyways, I’ll put a link in the bottom. Perhaps one of my astute readers can correct me.

For now – Ohh man the stained glass was beautiful! Seriously – uncertainty about the naming convention of the church aside, it’s an absolutely gloriously beautiful edifice, and hugely recommended to go visit! Especially since it was literally down the road from the art museums, and across the street from a really solid cafe.



Also it has a crossbow on display! I mean, a crossbow! A holy crossbow!

Which… thinking about the word itself… maybe there should be MORE holy cross-bows?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Blessed_Lady_of_the_Sablon