A Fact Finding Mission to Belgium

I love that poem "In Flander's Fields" and reposted it last Memorial Day. Until recently I didn't really know what "Flanders" was. We never covered it in any of my high school or college courses. However, when in Amsterdam, we took a day tour of Brussels, Belgium and there I learned what it is. Flanders is the region of Northern Belgium; the Ardennes is the Southern region.

Canadian troops fought in Flanders during World War I, and that's the origin of the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" by Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D.

The Ardennes is where the Battle of the Bulge was fought in Word War II.

Brussells was lovely. They are very proud of their statue of "Mannequin Piss," a young boy urinating in the center of town. After hoisting a few excellent Belgian beers in the local Brasserie, I could appreciate the feeling.

We enjoyed local brews at the Brasserie and the stoic young bartender, Jerome, warmed to us slowly. We eventually won him over with sincere appreciation of his beer and by including him in our conversation. I told him he spoke excellent English. He proudly replied that he had perfected his English by watching the O.J. Simpson trial on television every day. I told him, "You must have learned a lot of bad words" and we both laughed.

He then grabbed a beer glass with the bar's logo and gave it to me as a memento. "Quick, put it in your pocket!" he whispered. I did. It survived the trip home and now serves as a Badge of Beer and Brotherhood and Brussels and Belgium and Brasseries. (Burp.)