Mother Nature is spoiling us with all of these beautiful days. It makes it extremely hard to stay in the house and take care of those menial tasks like cleaning and laundry. It's absolutely gorgeous. Russ went in to work late today, so when he asked me if I wanted to keep him company on his jog along the canal at noon, I jumped at the chance. No, I didn't jog, too. I'd already done that at the gym this morning, so I took my lovely limo (Belgian bike) along for a ride. Sunshine brings the bikers out in droves in these parts. It's quite the social scene. I don't mean one or two bikes, here and there. I'm talking about groups of 15 or 20 bikers, and just about any age you can think of. They travel together, stopping along the way to greet other friends that they run into. They always seem to end up at a neighborhood pub, sitting outside in the fabulous sunshine, sipping a beer or coffee and watching people passing by. Did I mention that this is a VERY social country? (These people never sit home and do nothing. It's just not in their nature.) Anyway, Russ and I were cruising along the canal near our house, with Russ running at a steady pace in front, and me following along on the cruiser, both of us greeting the locals as we pass. A barge was slowly cruising up the water way toward us. We've been here almost a year now, but I still find barges fascinating, so I was checking it out. It was fully loaded, and riding low in the water. The captain waved as he passed by, and I returned the greeting, and then I noticed something very interesting at the back of the boat. These barges are essentially houses on the water. They have little apartments built into them, and it's common to see bikes or small cars loaded onto the back of them. This guy not only had a car on the back, but he was washing it as they chugged down the canal. How cool is that? I knew I should have brought my camera with me. On the way back, we came upon a group of gray haired gentlemen, sitting on a bench near the canal and shooting the breeze with each other. They seemed to find us very entertaining. They tried to tell Russ to trade places with me, and let me run while he enjoyed a leisurely bike ride. They were talking in Dutch, but with hand gestures, we figured it out pretty quickly. Even with the language barrier, they were pretty funny, and had us laughing on our journey home. Just another perfect day in paradise...Hope yours was just as great.
Saturday was one of those days that make you happy to be alive. It was absolutely gorgeous. The family and I hopped on our bikes and took off to our lovely canal, so we could really enjoy it. 
We weren't the only ones out enjoying this fantastic day. There were a couple of antique car enthusiasts out along the canal as well. We always see the most interesting things on our bike rides. Still, we had a destination in mind for this afternoon's jaunt, so we were soon off again. 
I've noticed that businesses don't go in for a lot of advertising around here. It seems that you almost have to know someone who knows someone to find the best places to eat or shop in Belgium. You would think that would hamper business, but that is not the case. When you do come across these little diamonds, they seem to have plenty of customers, leaving you to wonder how on earth they all knew it was here, while you were totally clueless. One example of these hidden treasures is this one. From all appearances, it's just another barn...in a place where there are many, many, many barns. It's tucked away on a side street, about a block or so from the canal. The only thing that might give you a hint as to what's inside is the sign that reads Hoeve Terras. No, that doesn't mean restaurant. It translates to "farmhouse garden." Hmmmm. Just about everyone in Belgium has a garden. 80% of those people have a farmhouse. That narrows it down. Thank goodness there is an ice cream cone near the sign. That's your only clue. 
There are no other signs, and you can't see anything at all from the road. You travel down a gravel road to the right of the barn and then take a left onto this pretty little shaded path. 
Then you see this. Nope. Still not sure what's inside. Once you get a little closer, there is a little sign that says "open" near that door. On the left, you finally see what you came for. There are a big set of windows, and you can see the tables and chairs of the little restaurant inside. (And all of the locals, who are staring at you as you wonder around confused. ) 
Stopping here was our reward for getting out and exercising on our bikes. These kids need incentive. OK, fine. Sometimes I need a little incentive, too, and they have great ice cream here. If you find yourselves in our lovely little town on a warm Spring day, feel free to stop by and have a nice lunch. Or an ice cone. Just don't tell them who told you about the place. It'll be our little secret. 
