Before I tell you about Olen, let me tell you about Jef Theys.
The nicest host in our book. I got acquainted with Jef in an online community called Couchsurfing.com. Couchsurfing.com’s mission is to connect travelers and local communities so that both can learn and experience each other’s culture. Here is how it works. If you’ve got an extra spare room or a couch in your home, and you’re willing to host travelers abroad at no cost, then be a member of couchsurfing.com. I, myself, have hosted several people since I joined and I enjoyed it. Not only, I made new friends across the borders, but in a way, I also discovered more about the home I grew up in as I learn to educate myself with the history of my home and my culture so I could share it with my fellow couch surfers. So, when we were planning for our trips to Belgium, I posted a thread in the website’s forum to seek advices on Belgium’s weather, must-try local delicacies et cetera. The next thing I knew, I got myself a tour guide and a host for the four days and three nights we would spend in Belgium. No guessing who my host was.
After walking us around the town, Jef treated us to a nice drink in one of the local café. I ordered Hot chocolate while Jef and Oliver had coffee. We talked for a bit. Jef continued to tell us interesting stories about the town and also about this old little thingy.
It was supposed to be a jug that was once used to serve drinks when the King visited the town.
After our drink, Jef drove around for a bit to show us the oldest windmill in Olen and a wide canal where big ships carrying hundreds of sheep still pass through every other day.
The Oldest Windmill in Olen
The Wide Canal
We finally reached Jef’s place at close to six in the evening.
Jef welcoming us to his home
Although he was already running late for his dance class, he still insisted on fixing us dinner and promised us ice creams when he gets back from his dance class. So, there we were in his place, being treated to beyond the hospitality that we were accustomed to. True enough, that very night, after he got back from his dance class, he served us vanilla ice-creams sprinkled with coco-rice. Oh, and just in case you’re wondering what we had for dinner, we had, for me, the most delicious home made tomato soup ever and also sandwiches with ham, cheese, and pineapple filling. Delicious!
T’was a good dinner and a perfect ending to our first day in Belgium
As mentioned in previous entry, Jef fetched us from Leuven and drove us back to Olen. Once in Olen, Jef brought us to a place where there stood five miniatures of different characters; each has its own story.
The Stupid Farmers of Olen
The story tells about the farmers of Olen which is known for their act of stupidity so much so they were hailed as ‘The Stupid Farmers of Olen’. All five stories are quite hilarious in fact. But it’s too long to tell it here. So I will just tell you my favourite one. This one in particular was about a church in Olen. Once upon a time, one day, the locals noticed that there was grass growing on the church’s roof top. So, they were thinking how to get rid of the grass from the rooftop. One farmer suggested, “Cow eats grass, so why not, send a cow up there to eat the grass from the rooftop” The locals thought it was a brilliant idea and so they did. Over time, the grass began to grow lesser and soon enough, there was no more grass on the roof top. The end. Come to think of it, it really was a good and practical idea.
