Kings adventures: Sunday May 20th 2018 Leuven

On Sunday morning we walked in to Leuven to look round and to have a look at the cycling in the triathlon. We started in the Great Market. It was very busy with lots of people having breakfast.

We went into St. Peter's Church.

The pulpit was particularly impressive. No doubt the priest was conscious of his power when he towered above the congregation in such an ornate pulpit!

In the Pieter de Somerplein square, a few minutes from the Grote Markt is this statue called the Fons Sapientiae (Fonske). It is the figure of a student holding a book in one hand and pouring water(or beer?) into his open head.

The baker statue - Dorre de bakker.

Mayor of Leuven in 1348 and leader of the Leuven Uprising in 1360, in which non-nobles were first allowed a say in the running of the city.

We seated ourselves at a cafe in a square where we had a view of St. Peter's Church and a great view of the cyclists. There were officials of the triathlons about 100 metres apart to ensure that pedestrians kept off the cycle route. To our left, at the back of the Church a very officious man was in charge. He had a whistle and he bellowed what could only have been obscenities (though I could not understand, fortunately) at people who sauntered across the road oblivious that serious cyclists were on their way. His fellow female official was less aggressive but at one stage he came over to berate her.

A few minutes later a cyclist came round the corner. I'm not sure what happened but it was clear from his shout that there was a problem. And indeed there was as he fell heavily! He got up, clearly annoyed and disappointed, and vented his anger in shouts, which were very definitely expletives, and by throwing his bike to the ground several times. I felt really sorry for him.

It was interesting watching the different types of bike and the different speeds and styles used by the cyclists.

In honour of the scholar Erasmus, a reformer of the Catholic Church and lecturer at the University of Leuven.

Following quite a while watching the cyclists we decided to take a walk to the Klein Begijnhof (small beguinage). This involved walking through this street with its colorful murals.

And at one crossing we saw more cyclists.

In 2000 what remained of the small beguinage was thoroughly restored and sold to private individuals. Today about 30 houses in traditional Flemish style remain. It is very quaint.