A few weekends ago, Koen and I happily accepted a large amount of wild boar from a friend of Koen’s father. I had only had boar once before in a kroket form, so I was excited to try it in other ways.
First night:
Slowly roasted wild boar marinated in Norton Privada wrapped in prosciutto, served with green cabbage/potato mash and roasted chestnuts
Sinterklaas in the Netherlands is celebrated the 5th of December (and the 6th in Belgium) but because my sister-in-law Nikki was in Pakistan, we celebrated a bit later. There are a few differences between the Dutch Sinterklaas and the American Santa Clause. Although the Sint brings gifts to the “braaf” or good children, he is much more strict than my dear Santa. If you are bad, not only do you receive a “roe”, or a cane to be whipped with, but also you will be taken from your parents and home in Sinterklaas’ bag and brought back to Spain, where the Sint lives!
Also, Sinterklaas does not have elves to help him with the days up to Christmas, instead he has Zwarte Pieten, black companions that arrive with him on his steamboat from Spain to help distribute treats. Although originally black to represent the Moorish people who once occupied the Netherlands, they are now black because they are covered in soot from the chimneys! But as an American here, I don’t think I will ever get used to seeing so many people in black face with huge red lips, afros, and golden hoop earrings!
Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet
The Antwerp Christmas Market has begun! The Christmas market is spread out around Antwerp, and you’ll find cute wooden stalls with a variety of vendors. A trip to the Kerstmarkt isn’t complete without first sampling spekpatatjes met looksaus (bacon potatoes with garlic sauce) and Glühwein (“glow wine”, mulled wine). Koen and I ventured into the huge crowd the opening night, Saturday the 8th of December. Unfortunately I didn’t check my battery level and could only take 2 photos! But I went back Monday to take more photos!
Me enjoying spekpatatjes met looksaus and Glühwein the first night of the Kerstmarkt!
4 years ago today I married the love of my life! It is unbelievable how quickly the years have flown by. In celebration I am making a wedding post! A special thank you goes out to Ian Aleksander Adams and Beth Heppenstall for the beautiful photos!
The wedding party
The Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst (Museum of Contemporary Art) featured the work of Jimmie Durham with the exhibition A Matter of Life and Death and Singing. Jimmie Durham is an American artist, essayist, performer, and poet. I think because of his background as an essayist and poet, I really enjoyed viewing his work. The pieces are thoughtful, reflective, and usually have a bit of humor thrown in. If you are in Antwerp, I really recommend this exhibition!
The quotes that are captioning the photos of his work are taken from M HKA’s other website ensembles.org.
M HKA
Our home for the week in Blowing Rock!
Koen and I were in America for 3 weeks, but I think it’s easiest to post photos by state, beginning with North Carolina! Growing up, my family always vacationed in the mountains of North Carolina. This was Koen’s second time coming up with my family!
My parents’ new house in Macon, Georgia!
Last fall my parents moved from Savannah to Macon, Georgia. So when Koen and I went in September 2012 to visit, we stayed in a new city. As sad as I was that my parents moved, I discovered Macon is a beautiful city with a musical history (Otis Redding, Little Richard, Allman Brothers).
For the second part of Barbara and Sofie’s visit, we visited the Museum aan de stroom (MAS) and then after Barbara and I went to Lojola for coffee and cake.
Museum aan de stroom (MAS)
Museum aan de stroom (MAS)
Wednesday, August 15th, was a national holiday in Belgium. Because I am also off on Tuesdays, I invited Barbara and Sofie (2 of my sister-in-laws) to come to Antwerp and visit museums and also Rubensmarkt, a special market in the Grote Markt that always takes place on the 15th of August, where the vendors are all dressed in 17th century clothes. During the 2 days, we visited the Fotomuseum (FoMu), Sofie’s choice, and the Museum aan de stroom (MAS, featured in this post: Part II), Barbara’s choice. We also had time to visit a couple of cafés and make a delicious dinner!
Fotomuseum (FoMu)
Fotomuseum (FoMu)
An American in Antwerp 