I was thinking originally of going to Brussels or Luxembourg or Ghent today, but I am too tired,
I “slept in” a little later than usual and then tried to catch up on a couple of things this morning, my blog being one of them. I enjoyed living with the two kitties here, even though I am turning out to be very allergic to their presence. Perhaps this is a good thing, “preparing” my body for living with my parent’s kitty for the next 6-8 weeks. I will consider it as a form of micro dosing in preparation for the future. After a catchup with one of my hosts, I decided to go for a little (longer than expected) walk around Geel.
It is not a large town, but there are plenty of places to pop in and have look around. The churches and cathedrals here are also still very impressive, even in a small village like this and it was nice let my hosts explain some of the history surrounding Geel and it’s unique take on assisting people with mental illness, dating buck to the 13th century. You can read a little more here: “The Belgian town where families take in people with psychiatric conditions.” In a weird and wonderful way, my hosts joined this tradition for a couple of days, allowing me to stay in their home on my journey this year. I was so humbled to read up about the story.
On a side note, as Clint suggested, it was such a great idea from Geel to put up decorations and a celebration just for me arriving in town. LOL (But honestly, I forgot to ask why the town center streets were so nicely decorated.) Listening to the church bells in the town center (on the hour) was special and is like a kind reminder that I am still in Europe, even if for my final day this year.
I returned home after a couple of “wrong” turns, through some corn fields, the community veggie gardens and past too many small public places of worship to keep count of. This was followed by a quick drive to check in on the workspace of one of my hosts and then to see the proud final product of her efforts, developed land and completed houses, so proud. We ended the evening, back indoors, winding down with bubbly, dinner and a “kuier” that started around the kitchen table and ended in the living room. I felt so at home in the 2 short days I have been here, it is almost unthinkable. It just goes to show that even if our bodies age and our location and circumstances change… our spirits will still remain connected. Time to pack my bags in preparation for my travel(s) tomorrow, ugh, not looking forward to it.
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43.5323 – 172.5567
20 August 2024
FP-222
2 responses to “Taking it easy in Geel today.”
Geel “sounds” and from the pics looks like a very quaint little place ..
A beautiful history behind Geel – got a bit teary eyed reading about this special history ..
Glad you had a good time with your hosts “-)
I need to remember to trust in the universe… and thank it for a great time with my hosts in Belgium.