Extended Memories - Charming Dinant

What can be better than a long weekend, warm weather and sunny skies for visiting some of the most charming locations in Belgium? Ofcourse, nothing more was needed for two restless souls searching for the perfect sites to visit in this miniscule country in the heart of the European continent. Plan, plan and plan ahead was the buzzword for filling up the Easter weekend. I decided to scour the web for interesting places to visit in Belgium.

Belgium is immersed in history and littered with battle grounds ranging from Napolean's Waterloo to the World Wars. This is a 'must-see' country for history buffs with many heritage sites worth visiting. The monuments and remnants in Belgium entice visitors with its saga of constructions, conquests and subsequent rebuildings.

My husband and I decided to visit some of the historically significant cities in Belgium for some serious soul-searching. Little did we realize then that the stories we had learned through text books would come alive for us in these few days. We decided to visit a small town called Dinant, 65 km south of Brussels, on the banks of the River Muese on saturday. We charted our iteniary well in advance so as to maximize our time spent in Dinant.

We caught the early morning train to Dinant from Brussels. The somber Brussels landscape quickly faded into calm, scenic country-side. After winding its way through valleys, mountains and canals, the train pulled into the small railway station in Dinant. One look at the town from the railway station assured us that the place was indeed tiny.

The Citadel and the Notre Dame Cathedral are two prominent landmarks in Dinant located close to the railway station. These two monuments are located so close to each other that they look like one on top of another. The Cathedral has an onion-shaped dome that is often considered the symbol of the Dinant skyline. The structure dates from the 12th century but was oft destroyed by invaders. Inside the church, there are many religious objects including decorated candle-stands, ornate altars and iconoclastic paintings.

The Citadel is perched on top of a rocky cliff and overlooks the Cathedral. There is a steep train of 420 steps to climb to reach the fortress for those who are adventurous. For lazier creatures like us, there is a sky cable car ferrying passengers back and forth. The Citadel was mainly used to protect the city and as a storehouse for armaments. It houses war memorabilia from from the medieval times upto the world wars.

We saw a museum of armaments, dioramas depicting life during medieval times and a collapsed bunker from World War II. This bunker was damaged during the bombing and is preserved in its original form. It is hard to pass through the bunker without feeling dizzy due to the gravitational pull. After touring the Citadel, we decided to climb down the steep, narrow stairway. There are over 400 steps to this descend and is certainly not recommended for the faint-hearted.

After a quick lunch, we started exploring the town again. This time, the cruise boats taking tourists for an hour long tour on River Muese caught our imagination. We were soon inside the boat wandering along the Muese River. We saw architechurally important buildings and a grand casino supposed to be one of the oldest in Belgium. The recently renovated Casino on the river bank looked splendid from the cruise boat.

It was soon time for us to catch our train back to Brussels. We left this charming town with fond memories of a day well-spent. A magnificient fortress, a gigantic church and a scenic river are the ingredients to the success of this incredible tourist town. This is one many get-away locations in Belgium far from the bustling Brussels city-life. Dinant offers visitors pristine country-side, abundant waters and spectacular monuments. Moreover, the town has centuries worth of stories to showcase to the world.