Here it is… my usual ten things I learned post. I like to do these lists after I take a trip, to remind me that travel isn’t just about changing scenery; it’s also about making discoveries and becoming smarter. I also find that people tend to like these more concise posts about my travels. So, here goes… ten things I learned in Belgium and The Netherlands!
10. There’s some really good food in Mons, Belgium. Bill and I were pleasantly surprised by the number of good restaurants in Mons, as well as the variety of different cuisines. They had everything from sushi to cous cous!
9. Delhaize– a grocery store in Belgium– owns Food Lion in the United States. When we were in Mons, I noticed a grocery store called Delhaize, which had a logo that looked like the one used for Food Lion grocery stores in the United States. Well, it turns out Food Lion was purchased by Delhaize in 1974!
8. Germany shut down all of its nuclear power plants as of 2023. This tidbit came up as we were passing what appeared to be a functioning nuclear power plant in Germany. I took a picture of it and included it in one of my posts. A German friend explained that nukes are “out” in Germany. I’m not sure what was going on with the place we passed, though. It sure looked like a nuclear power plant that was functioning. And it was located in Germany.
7. There is a concentration camp near the Dutch town of Den Bosch. I found this out as I was writing about our visit to Den Bosch and learned that from 1943-44, the Germans ran a concentration camp there known as Herzogenbusch.
6. Tipping is not much of a thing in The Netherlands. I probably knew this after an earlier visit, but it became clear again when we visited this time. Bill tried to round up a bill at a restaurant and the lady who took his money asked him if he was sure. Same thing when we checked out of The Duke Suites. There seemed to be no expectation of a tip. It was quite nice.
5. Some businesses don’t take foreign based credit cards in The Netherlands. This issue is slowly being resolved now, but we did run into a business that couldn’t take our American credit cards. If you don’t have an EU issued credit card, you may want to carry some cash with you, just in case. Mastercard/Maestro seems to be the preferred card in The Netherlands.
4. Facebook ads can lead a person to beautiful places… I found The Duke Suites through a Facebook ad. I’m so glad I did. We had a fantastic time there, even though we aren’t golfers.
3. Dutch beers are tiny. Okay, so I kind of knew this, already. But when you live in Germany, where you can buy draft beers by the half liter or more, it can be a shock to order one in The Netherlands and have it come in a .33 liter glass!
2. If we ever go back to Mons, we’ll stay in a different hotel. Self-explanatory.
And finally number 1… Sometimes visiting lesser known places can turn into unforgettable experiences… I had never heard of Nistelrode when I discovered The Duke Suites. It’s certainly not a place that is high on most Americans’ radar. But I’m glad we did visit there, because that place made our 22nd wedding anniversary very special and unforgettable. I hope we can spend more time in Holland. It is a very beautiful country with wonderful people!
We didn’t have any big plans for Monday, November 18th. Marco, the butler, told us that a lot of shops in the area near The Duke Suites are closed on Mondays. We did have nice weather, though, so after yet another sumptuous, languorous breakfast, we decided to head out and explore the area. I wish I could say that we saw and did a lot during our car ride, but the drive mostly consisted of killing time.
I love the beautiful tree lined roads in Holland…
There are a couple of cities near Nistelrode, namely Oss and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, which is locally known as “Den Bosch”. Den Bosch’s official name translates to “the forest of the Duke” in archaic Dutch, referring to Henry I, Duke of Brabant. It’s funny, because when I was growing up in Gloucester, Virginia, the “Village Secretary’s” last name was “Brabant”. Every time I see a place in The Netherlands referred to as “Brabant”, I’m reminded of her! I guess her husband was of Dutch descent.
Anyway, we drove around both towns and I got some photos, but we didn’t really see a place in Den Bosch that invited us to stop and walk around. Or maybe I just didn’t feel like it… According to Wikipedia, there was a German concentration camp located just a few kilometers south of Den Bosch. It was known by the Germans as Herzogenbusch, but to the Dutch, it was called Kamp Vught. I didn’t know about this history last week, as we were driving around the town.
After awhile, Bill said he needed a potty break, so we stopped at a gas station. When we went inside, we found the toilet, which required 80 cents. However, it could only be paid for by card. This was actually a good thing, because we had been fretting a bit over the denial of the Visa card Bill tried to use at the first restaurant we went to upon arrival. It worked at the bathroom at the Shell station. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me, the toilet I used was clogged. I just managed to escape the stall before it came close to overflowing!
We decided to drive to Oss to look for lunch. We ended up parking at a very large public lot and walked into a “Walkplatz”, where workers were starting to put up Christmas decorations. I spotted a nice looking restaurant on a corner called Brasserie La Colline. It turned out to be a great lunch stop. The food and service were very good, but so was the music. I ended up downloading a lot of it!
Bill had a cheese toast. And non-alcoholic Trappist beer.I liked my lobster soup, tuna sandwich, and shrimp croquettes.I got a kick out of this in the menu.
I found myself wishing we had a restaurant like this one near us. I really enjoyed the atmosphere.
After awhile, we decided to head back to The Duke Suites and enjoy our final evening in our very unique lodging. We decided to have a relatively small dinner at the Clubhouse restaurant again– lobster soup for me, and venison for Bill… The service was, again, excellent. We were the only ones in the dining room. The night before, there was one other party, but they appeared to be businesspeople. On Monday, night, a man in a suit who spoke excellent English took care of us. He gave us some of the history of the property. We found out The Duke Suites was built just a few years ago.
Apple tart for Bill.Peanut butter, chocolate, and banana parfait for me.Excellent frites!Lobster soup is always a treat!
When we went to bed later, we discovered that the bed was actually adjustable! The head and base could be raised or lowered with the push of a button. I would love to have that bed in our house! Marco, the butler, told us he would not be working when we checked out on Tuesday. I was sad to say goodbye to him, but it was such a pleasure to meet him. He was really cool. He cracked up when he asked us if we were going back to the USA for Christmas and I said I hadn’t been back there in ten years! 😉
There’s one last entry to go before this series ends… Stay tuned!
After a peaceful first night at The Duke Suites, Bill and I had a breakfast date at 8:00 AM in the Clubhouse restaurant. The night before, the butler had asked us when we wanted breakfast. We kind of shrugged and said “8:00 AM”. We were told they would escort us to the restaurant, which is right next to where The Charles Restaurant is.
Breakfast at The Duke Suites is a lavish affair. They brought out coffee, fresh squeezed orange juice, yogurt with fruit and granola, Eggs Benedict, bread, cold cuts, vegetables, smoked salmon on whole grain crackers, and pastries. It was quite a feast. Naturally, we couldn’t eat everything they brought out for us. But compared to our breakfasts in Mons, it was really very decadent.
There was one other couple having breakfast. They had been in the restaurant the night before. We later saw them checking out, after we went for a walk in what had started out a sunny day and then turned into a stormy one. We got pretty wet in the sudden hale storm and I had neglected to wear a jacket. I did manage to get some nice photos on the walk, before it got rainy and haled all over us. The rainbow photos alone were worth getting caught in the weather.
We had a couple’s massage appointment at 1:00 PM. At The Duke Suites, guests can reserve the spa room for two hours, so it’s totally private. They have a Finnish sauna and a jacuzzi, as well as an outdoor lounge area for when the weather is nice. I brought my own robe with me, because I’ve found that hotel robes don’t always fit me right, and I know that when I bring my own, it will be clean and cover everything. Bill used a hotel robe.
A very friendly lady named Tina greeted us and gave us each massages individually. There are two tables, but I guess Tina was the only therapist on duty on that day. I went first, and really enjoyed the hour of attention to my sore muscles. Tina did one thing that blew my mind. She pulled my legs gently, which felt almost like aligning my spine. I mentioned to her that I liked that, and she made sure to tell Bill.
While Bill got his massage, I enjoyed the whirlpool and the sauna, and once I got good and wrinkled, I sat and waited for Bill’s session to end. I brought a bathing suit with me, because I didn’t know what kind of facilities they had and I wanted to be prepared. It turns out the bathing suit wasn’t necessary. The spa truly was totally private. So, if you go to The Duke Suites and use the spa, just know that all you really need is your robe and maybe some slippers… and if you get a massage, a pair of underwear. I was actually relieved that she didn’t ask me to don a pair of spa panties, because again, they don’t always fit properly.
After our spa appointment, we went back to the room and enjoyed the delightful chocolate cake the restaurant gifted us the night before. There was a bottle of champagne in the minibar, which was included in our room rate, so we drank that…
Since it was later in the day, we decided to have dinner in the Clubhouse at 7:00 PM. The Clubhouse is a much less formal setting than The Charles restaurant is, although the suggested dress code is business casual. It occurs to me that jeans are usually not kosher in golf clubs. I don’t remember if Bill wore jeans, but no one said anything about it if he did.
I had a steak sandwich for dinner. Bill had truffle linguini with shrimp. We shared water and a rather expensive bottle of wine. Yeah… lots of drinking on Sunday. But at least we got a walk in, right?
Another fruit cocktail waited for us after dinner…
After dinner, we stayed up a little bit later so we could digest things. The TV was controlled by a tablet, which also controlled the lights and curtains. It was all very high tech. We had programming in Dutch, German, French, and English!
The remote control for… everything.
Soon enough, it was time to go to sleep. Mondays can be pretty quiet in The Netherlands. We were told a lot of shops are closed on Mondays there. That’s true in Germany, too. But we had plans to drive around and see the area. More on that on tomorrow’s post.
We arrived in the village of Nistelrode, North Brabant in The Netherlands at some point around lunchtime. Because we didn’t know much about the policies at our next stop, we decided to have lunch at a little restaurant in Nistelrode called De Eeterij (The Eatery). It was pretty novel, because it had its own parking lot with free parking!
We went into the place and had a rather large lunch, coupled with tiny Dutch beers. Seriously, it was interesting to come from Belgium to The Netherlands, where draft beers are served in much smaller glasses. But it’s probably just as well, since I ended up drinking Heineken. I used to like Heineken when I was younger and less of a beer snob. Now, I find it pretty skunky.
I had spare ribs with fabulous frites. Bill had chicken satay, which seemed to be a common offering in The Netherlands. The only thing that would have made my dish better, is if they’d offered ketchup for the fries, instead of mayo. I remember in the early 90s, meeting a Belgian guy who played tuba for the “Boogie Band” at Busch Gardens. He ate mayo with his fries, and everyone thought it was so weird! Of course, over here, a lot of people think eating ketchup is weird. I will admit, it does have a lot of sugar… but if you grew up on it, it’s definitely a comfort!
I was amused by the faucets in the bathrooms. They had installed what looked like Heineken beer taps as faucets! However, the rest of the bathroom looked like it could use refurbishing. A new toilet seat would be a step up, at the very least.
Bill went to pay the check, but his Visa cards didn’t work. It turns out that many businesses in The Netherlands don’t take Visa. They prefer MasterCard. Fortunately, he had enough euros to pay for the meal. The lady who took the money asked him if he was sure when he told her to keep the change (about 2,50). Tipping doesn’t seem to be a big thing in The Netherlands.
After we ate, it was closer to the customary check in time. We decided to head to our next lodging, the magnificent golfing resort called The Duke Suites. I found this wonderful spot on Facebook, of all places. I got an ad for it while I was looking for places for us to stay for our anniversary. Although Bill and I are not interested in golf at all, I was intrigued by how beautiful the place looked. It appeared to be a perfect spot for a short (and expensive) rest.
I sent a booking request weeks ago, and it was promptly answered. I didn’t even have to submit a credit card, although the rate was a princely 550 euros per night– more than the monthly rent on my first US based apartment. But, for that, we got a gorgeous room, butler service, included minibar, and a bathroom a person could live in.
A couple of days before we arrived at The Duke Suites, I got an email asking for final details, such as when we would be arriving. I had also booked us a couples’ massage in their spa, and The Charles Experience, which is a six course tasting menu in their restaurant, offered only from Wednesday to Saturday each week. It was lucky that our anniversary fell on Saturday. The email also had instructions about what to do when we arrived. We pulled up to the covered area by the entrance and were met by Marco, who was our butler for most of our stay.
Bill and I are not fancy people, but we do like to splurge sometimes. We once stayed in another golf property, in Hilton Head, South Carolina, back in February 2012. I remember it distinctly, because it was when Whitney Houston died, and she was all over the news. That property also offered butlers, but I don’t remember them doing anything but checking us in. The room we stayed in was beautiful, but it was very much an American resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The experience we had at The Duke Suites was very different… and vastly superior.
Marco offered us coffee, tea, or champagne. We had some champagne, since it was our anniversary, and because I am a lush. He showed us our room, explained almost everything (he forgot to tell us the bed was adjustable), and left us there, mouths agape, as we took in the absolutely beautiful accommodations. Then he offered us more champagne, which we declined, since we would be having a lot of wine at dinner. Below are some photos:
Charming Nistelrode.The road leading to The Duke Estates.The lobby at The Duke Suites.Checking in.A welcome snack with fizz.The bed.I loved the fireplace.The curtains were remote controlled!I loved these chairs. So comfortable, and wide enough for my butt.Our terrace!Bathroom and dressing area.Huge tub. I never got to try it.Minibar. It was included in the room rate and stocked with a bottle of red, white, champagne, and beer…I want one of these wine fridges for my house!SShower
We’ve stayed in some very beautiful hotels, but this one just might be in a class by itself. There were very few people there during our stay, so we pretty much got the place to ourselves. The staff was absolutely wonderful and low key. We never felt awkward or weird, even though we aren’t used to such great service.
After a couple of hours of enjoying the much improved lodging, it was time for dinner. We got showered and changed and called Marco, who escorted us to The Charles Restaurant, which is the club’s “fancy” restaurant in the Clubhouse. The Clubhouse is actually in another building, but The Duke Suites and the Clubhouse are connected by an underground tunnel that make them seem like the same building. If you look at the buildings from the outside, you don’t know that they’re linked, and when you are moving between them, it doesn’t seem like they’re separate. But we later found out that the Clubhouse has been around longer than The Duke Suites. After a couple of days, we realized that a lot of people go there to make business deals. 😉
The Charles Restaurant was a wonderful treat, and to be honest, I don’t know if I can name everything we ate. They did give us cards with the names of the food… You can see it all below. Dinner went on for four hours, but each course was small, so we weren’t stuffed. I think there were three or four other couples there besides us. Fortunately, some of the staff spoke English, so they could describe everything. The only low point of the meal was the foie gras… but I understand that some people love it. Bill opted for a cheese course instead of dessert.
Foie gras!
The price for The Charles Experience with wine was 300 euros for both of us. It was expensive, but not the most expensive meal we’ve ever had. And I’m really glad we got to try it, because they even gave us a little cake for our anniversary, which we enjoyed the next day. There was also a little glass of fruit cocktail waiting for us at our bedsides each night… We were way too full to eat it on Saturday night, but it made a nice prelude before breakfast on Sunday.
Each night, they left us fruit before bed!
To say we were delighted by The Duke Suites’ first impressions is an understatement. It really was wonderful. More on how wonderful it was in the next post!
There was a wine stand last night, but Bill and I almost didn’t go because it looked like it was going to rain. However, because I’ve been way too cooped up lately, we decided it would be a good thing to attend and support the hosts. So we went and enjoyed the somewhat agreeable temperatures, even if the sun was behind clouds. I didn’t even bother to wear a sweater. I didn’t get many photos, because it was a relaxed gathering. We could have brought the dogs with no problem.
Last night’s wine stand was a fairly low key affair, as I think a lot of people are either on vacation due to school holidays, or they had the same idea that it might rain. Nevertheless, we ended up meeting an interesting person last night. She heard us speaking English and came over to ask us if we knew any lawyers who could help her with a problem her “niece” was having. I got the sense that maybe she was actually the “niece”, given how urgent and personally invested she seemed about the issue… which I seem to recall had to do with money, the US military, and local taxation. Bill spoke to her longer than I did, since he knows more about military policies than I do.
In the end, we told her there’s an American lawyer who lives in our village and works in Frankfurt. Maybe she knows someone who can help her with her problem. In fact, she even got up and went to their house last night, but they weren’t home. My guess is that the lawyer and her spouse took their kids on a trip somewhere. We were trying to tell us who the American lawyer is, and another German lady sitting with us spoke up and told her about her in German.
What was especially interesting was that the woman, whose name I didn’t catch, though she gave Bill her former business card, spoke absolutely flawless English. She said she had lived and worked in Washington, DC for a long time. She even knew about Fredericksburg, Virginia, and we had a good laugh, because Bill and I used to live in Fredericksburg 22 years ago, just before and after our wedding. And then I told her that I grew up about 90 miles south of Fredericksburg. Then we had a chuckle about how redneck parts of Virginia still are.
I sensed that maybe she’d married an American and they were now having issues with taxes… or maybe she really does have a niece with that problem. I don’t know. The wine might have made things less clear. She said she no longer works, although she still has business cards. I noticed that it looked like she was wearing a wig, but who knows why… She did say that Breckenheim started the local wine stand tradition some twenty years ago or so.
When it started getting darker and we both needed to pee, we went home to the dogs, who were very excited to see us. Charlie even pulled his bed into the dining room so he could hang out with us in comfort.
We have a short break coming up at the end of the month in Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria. After that, Bill has to go to Mons, Belgium for work. Since it’s right before our 22nd wedding anniversary, and about a four hour drive, he invited me to go with him. So that’s what we will do this year. Go to Belgium so he can work and I can enjoy some museums and beer, then afterwards, book at stay at a nice hotel in Belgium or The Netherlands and celebrate our anniversary.
Facebook has already suggested a lovely looking hotel in Nistelrode, The Netherlands. The hotel is on a golf course. We don’t golf, but we can appreciate the beauty and quiet of golf courses. Maybe we’ll go there, or maybe I’ll something even better. I’ll keep looking.
It’s hard to believe we celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary in Armenia last year. The year has flown by, and a lot has happened. I’m glad we got to go there last year… I’d love to go back again sometime, if the opportunity presents itself. I had meant for us to visit Spain for our anniversary, but Bill’s work schedule won’t accommodate that this year. Maybe we’ll go sometime in the winter.
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