The history of the current municipality of Oudenaarde starts in 974, when Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany, built one of its three fortifications on the Scheldt at Ename to protect his kingdom against possible attacks from France (the other two frontier posts were at Valenciennes and Antwerp).
From the 15th to the 18th century, but especially in the 16th century, Oudenaarde was a world-known centre of tapestry production. The town's name, meaning “old field”, still lingers on in “outnal”, an obsolete English term for a kind of brown linen thread. Today, Oudenaarde is known as the pearl of the Flemish Ardennes.
- wikipedia
And that's where we were Sunday, visiting a friend who had offered to show us his town. Allowing that said friend might want his privacy left intact, I will give no details beyond the fact that we had a lovely day and that Little Miss Three thought he was quite the lovely person :)
I'll write more when I've researched all that I saw ... there was the famous door in the town hall and the priceless woven carpet and silver collections.
It was a good day.
Said person must have been very charming to conquer the heart of little Miss Three.
ReplyDeleteOh indeed.
ReplyDeleteI heard you had to slap him.
ReplyDeleteHe said you hit like a little girl :)
So maybe not so charming - eh :)
I didn't hit anyone, I merely verbally passed on the message ... !!
ReplyDeleteLol, aye the charm is hidden by a rich and deep vein of mocking.
So I see you learn that Belgium is more than Antwerp this year! I told you so. Enjoy our country, you might find the most charming part of it, and Oudenaarde is a charming place, indeed ... we love it too. And if St.-Peter is in a good mood, we will show you more like that!
ReplyDeleteLut
:) Thanks Lut but I've already fallen in love with the Flanders Fields region, loved the small part of Wallonia seen - Dinant and Namur, hmmm Dendermonde impressed me, Leuven and Lieges, Brugges and Ghent ... in the two years I've been here, I've slowly crisscrossed your lovely wee country, dragging Gert places he's either never been or visited once, a long time ago. :) I've even introduced him to a huge number of new Belgians.
ReplyDelete