Dinant, Grotte de Han, and Durbuy

I need to update this a bit more often, huh?

Saturday the 13th, our ISA group (ISA = my study abroad program. There are 11 students altogether) went on a day trip to Dinant, Grotte de Han, and Durbuy. It was a rainy day and terrible for pictures, so I'll describe the day!

We rented a shuttle bus to take us around for the day. It was so wonderful to get out of the city and into the countryside. The south of Belgium is hilly and green and full of cows, and I was just ducky (or peachy...you pick!). The absence of buildings was refreshing - I really am a country girl!

At Dinant, we stopped into the cathedral at the foot of a hill. It was a cathedral - stained glass, Jesuses on crosses, high cielings, statues of important people, etc.. The confession booths were a bit out of use - they seemed to serve as the closets to throw everything in. That was funny. But the highlight of Dinant was the citadel up on the top of the hill. The original structure was built in the 11th century, I think, but was rebuilt after conquests in the 19th century. It would be such a gloomy place to be fighting from - the central courtyard was made of grey stone, and with rainy weather, there would be grey around and grey above. It's perched over the River Meuse, into which during one seige peasants were thrown into. In World War I, the place was seiged, as well, and down one particular hallway they found the bodies of 70 soldiers - French and German - who had duked it out. Also included were torture chambers, prison cells, and a crazy room that was hit by a bomb in WWI. The entire room rolled over and is really bizarre to be in. The floor angles down by about 45*. As a reference point, there was a pool of water in there. Just...dizzying.

Anyway, after the citadel we got back onto our shuttle bus and headed to Grotted de Han - 14 km of caves that we were led through. It was beautiful! I felt as though I was in an underground cathedral, actually, only much prettier and natural. An underground palace of stone and crystal!

We wrapped up the day by going to Durbuy - one of the smallest towns in the world. I don't think the people who come up with these titles have been to Mid-Michigan, though. Merrill is definitely smaller. Don't even get me started on Brant (an intersection with a store, gas station, and bar).

I should be getting along now, though. Thanks for reading and sorry for the lack of pictures! Hopefully, I can get some good ones in London on Saturday!

Gracie