z e e b o d e m

The most horrible thing that i’ve ever eaten in restaurant was served in Le Mascaret in Normandy. Usually i order things that i know i might like but in this particular restaurant i chose some local specialty for starters without knowing what it was. The only two words i could understand from the name of the dish were feuilleton and pomme and indeed i could find these normally delicious items on my plate. Only this time they were floating in brown sauce with chopped pieces of l’andouillette. It looked like layers of colon pressed together but i was not sure if it really was what it looked like and i didn’t want to know the truth then. Focusing on the fact that a lot of people in this world don’t have food at all i managed to eat one third of my l’andouillette – oh, the smell of it! – then S helped me out and emptied my plate as if it was not that bad at all. Never again.

After two episodes of Bergerac we both slept well last night on our new (mémé’s old) mattress and bed bottom. R&N passed by yesterday evening to bring them to us. And because of the weather it was a mighty sweaty job for us four to carry/drag the bedware upstairs. Gelukkig it rained almost all night and now it’s fresh and sunny again. I can hear the wind shuffling in the treetops behind our house. (They’ve stopped making extreme noises in the toilethouse.)

I went biking behind Blaarmeersen – followed route 67 across the countryside landscapes. Crossed the highway twice; first underneath then above. We should go to Sauna-O soon again.

Now that we’ve been to Sauna-O for the first time it’s immediately become one of our favourite bathing places. The harmonious (plain & zen) interior alone was relaxing – designed by the same guy who also designed Aqua-Azul’s interior, Jan Vandendorpe. (He’s currently living in the mountains – a bit too far to get there in one day with a car.) Hij heeft “oog voor detailj” zoals S zei. Some of the items / ideas we saw there would be welcome in our home as well. For example the low tables cut from one thick tree trunk. And the simple relax blocks with thin massage mattresses.

We were the first customers yesterday and got to enjoy our first moments down in the sauna-underground with just the two of us. It didn’t get too busy all evening; there were other people but we hardly run into them. And the woman at the reception said it was actually quite busy then! The steam sauna was big enough for both of us to lay down because there was no one else. The inside surfaces all around were covered with tiny white squeares. Golden squares as decorative detail lined up the bottom of the wall. Everything was rounded.. Time passed without you noticing that time existed. It was sleeping time for me when we got home – on bikes, of course.

[Added some old archives on the history pages during last weekend.]

We both woke up to the arguing of our neighbors – and there was an hour in between! The red-head and mama’s girl – their relationship sure doesn’t sound sweet.. but until now we have been able to cover it with good music. Later on, when we were unfolding our bikes on the street, we saw the concerned mother drive in as so many times before.

Since we’ve now become a Brompton couple we headed out of town on Leiestreekroute. The route goes all the way to Deinze but we chose the shortest option which is only 37 km long. We stopped once in een kroeg in Deurle to drink and eat. S had TW with boterham met Gentse kop (suomeksi “gentiläistä päätä” eli päästä tehtyä lihaisaa aladobia eli tytinää). I had Geuze (St. Louis) with Croque Monsieur. Got a plate with 2 croqueskes with home made mayonnaise en kleine ajuintjes. It was a bit fancy place but idyllic. Just like all along the whole route; enormous fancy villa’s with air of wealthiness hanging around. Lots of green. It used to be countryside and i guess not so long ago.

Lots of fancy animals too, like blue peacocks.

Towards the end we made wrong turn and got off the route but we deciced not to return because it started raining lightly. Instead we took the shortest way richting Gent.

Sauna-O is not so far. We discovered that we could easily go there by bike.

S is downstairs busy with paperwork. Balancing bill of electricity & gas was about 400 euro’s. I guess we need to put a timer in water boiler and only heat it up during the night or once in a while..

It’s time for bubbles.

We drove to De Pinte to check if there were any Bromptons for me. I was thinking of getting a red one but the only color available of the model i wanted was ivory. I took it cause i didn’t want to wait for x weeks. S got a Brooks saddle on his.

No time for macro. Before our eveningprogramma started we had croques met garnituur in more than 100 years old bruine café called De Herder. Gk’s dancing was cute but the rest of the show was lame. That’s why we escaped during the first and only break..

..then got our Bromptons out from the back of the car and drove from Wevelgem to Lauwe. My ivory’s virgin trip dus.

Home just before midnight.