Dînant is one of the first charming little Belgian towns I visited a few weeks after we moved in. And also one of the last, since within a few weeks we’d all be in lockdown. My parents were visiting and we took the kids to see whatever there is to see in winter in Dinant!
I HATE circling around looking for parking. I would rather park and walk. This really annoys Chris, because invariably I end up parking absurdly far away in sketchy areas, and—he claims—he could have found a parking spot in the time it took me to walk. Never was this more true than in Dinant, where I saw a sign and parked, and then we had to walk a half mile in gusty winter winds along the river to the city center. Well Chris wasn’t with us, and the kids are good walkers, so we walked. We didn’t really know where we were going anyway. All the more reason to drive by your intended destination first! is what Chris would say. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t around to enjoy his correctness. C’est la vie.
Here’s what there is to do in Dinant: you can take a gondola to the top of the cliffs to the Citadel! There are other citadels in nearby cities, so I didn’t know this was something to do here as well. A lot of these medieval towns built high defenses for protection from Vikings?, French, Austrians, Germans, etc. The museum inside the Citadel walks you through a terrifying German invasion in the First World War that resulted in a massacre of hundreds of civilians.
The ramparts offer sweeping views of the rainstorm heading your way from up the river, and also a très charming outdoor cafe with a big fun playground with a fast zip line that was easily my kids’ favorite thing we did all day. But while the playground was open, the cafe was closed (it was freezing and windy, and also about to pour down raining).
I may have mentioned I am afraid of heights. I HATE gondolas. Especially when they’re old, and it’s raining and gusting wind. So I peaced out of the way down and took the stairs while my parents and kids laughed at me and merrily descended. By the time I arrived at the bottom, I was very soaked, and also very happy to not have had to take the gondola down. I know it’s mostly irrational, and I don’t think anyone’s going to die, I just hate it.
Like many souls in times of trouble, we sought the sanctuary of the church. The foundations of Collegiate Church of Notre Dame de Dinant, which stands solidly at the base of the cliffs along the river, date back over a thousand years. A rock slide demolished much of the previous romanesque church in 1227 (which was then already hundreds of years old!), and the townspeople rebuilt it in the gothic style.
Can you imagine being one of those villagers? How crushing to see in ruins the beloved building that defined the town’s landscape and spiritual direction for centuries. How demoralizing. No doubt they were tempted to despair over the effort, time, history and resources lost, and the difficulties ahead in rebuilding. But you can’t build a cathedral alone. So they came together, prayed for direction and provision and behold—the church they rebuilt has now stood twice as long as the ancient church that stood before. I don’t know why I was so taken by the people who lived here at the time of the rockslide, but I find it encouraging to think that—when all seemed lost and hopeless—they were just beginning a renewed testament to their faith even more lasting than before.
When the worst of the storm passed, everyone forgot the intensity of their need for sanctuary and we all shuffled out of the resplendent interior and into the cold gray city again.
Hot chocolate, tea and Leffe beer at a riverside cafe warmed us enough to carry on. So far, I’ve mentioned the citadel and the church. Another thing to see in Dinant is all the saxophones, because their inventor, Adolph Sax, is from here. The tourism lady advised us you could see the free museum in his old house in just 30 minutes. We enjoyed it plentifully in three. The city bridge is lined with enormous decorated saxophones representing different countries.
Something we did not do that I’d like to do if we ever get out of quarantine and can drive the 50 miles to Dinant again is visit the Leffe Brewery! Also the medieval museum that explores some more of the city’s history.
So even though it was cold, windy and raining in Dinant, it’s one of my favorite things my parents and I got to enjoy together during their visit (minus the gondola)! It was fun for the kids and easy to do in a relatively short amount of time. It took us a little less than an hour to drive there and we spent about four hours there (it would have been less if I’d parked closer). It’s also only 12 miles from France, which we will hopefully visit SOMEDAY post lockdown. Today is cold and raining—nice weather for dreaming of Dinant!
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That was my favorite, too, kiddo…I look forward to visiting some day in warmer weather! I loved your apt description of the rebuilding of the church in a time of hopelessness. Very well put!❤️And our strong hope remains as well.