Europe on 500 Steps In a Day

Just north of Brussels is "Mini-Europe," a family park featuring dozens of buildings, all at a 1:25 scale. Each of the European Union's 27 nations has at least one structure. Many are famous; some are a tad less thrilling (Luxemburg, for example, is represented by a single highway bridge - I have to believe that this cute little country has something a bit more interesting than a bridge!). There are also other features, such as the Chunnel (with a high-speed train passing through), Mt. Vesuvius (which blows its top when you push a button), airports, harbors, oil rigs, and the world's largest duck (look closely for the enormous avian beast, threatening London's Big Ben and Parliament!). In the background is the famous Atomium, part of a 1959 Brussels world exposition.

Dinant: Miniature and Gigant

Head 30 miles north-west of Waterloo and you can see a mini version of Dinant, a beautiful city on the Meuse. Head 50 miles in the opposite direction and you will find the real thing. The mini-city is part of "Mini-Europe Brussels," a park with dozens of famous buildings from every EU country, all at a 1:25 scale. I'll post pictures of the park separately.
Dinant itself is situated on the Meuse River, near the border with France, at the foot of a steep ridge of cliffs. High atop the city (408 stairs atop, to be exact; those stairs have been there since 1577) is the 600 year-old citadel, site of fortifications, battles, destruction, and rebuilding many times over. There is a small French military cemetery nearby, honoring the dead from both world wars. The citadel itself was the scene of vicious hand-to-hand fighting between German and French soldiers just days after WW I began, in August 1914. Much earlier, Louis XIV spent time here and his famous military engineer, Vauban, is responsible for much of the present layout.
On a more peaceful "note," Dinant is famous for one more thing: the home of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone.
On a sunny fall day like today, this is a marvelous get-away, with few tourists, little traffic, and enough chocolate and beer to satisfy anyone!

A Lot More Than Candy and a Coke

In both of the largest train stations in Brussels you will find the largest vending machine I have ever seen. Why stop with just candy and Coke, when you can add milk, massive bags of potato chips, 5 or 6 different beers in all sizes, and, my personal favorite, bottles of wine (look near the top left), selling for only 3.95 Euros each (about $6), which tells me all I need to know about the quality of the swill. Who needs a fancy-schmancy restaurant for fine European dining? Just visit your local train station!