Couque (Cookie)

Dinant has several claims to fame.  First, it's the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone.  Second, it was known for its intricate metalworkers and copper artists in the middle ages.  Fourth, as the copperworks diminished in  importance, the artists started making intricate cookie cutters.  Dinant has many storefront bakeries holding these huge artistic cookies.  And they actually do taste quite good!

Here is Dubby holding one.  If you look closely, you can see it is an airplane.

Sand People?

Inside the citadel in Dinant (see below), in the dungeon, there was an exhibition of sand sculpture.  The artists had sculpted almost 100 Disney figures.  here are a few of them. 

Dinant sur Meuse

May 9, took the train south past Namur to another Belgian city that has been occupied since before Charlemagne. 

The town of Dinant is on the river Meuse, in a strategic location, and has a very checkered history.  The city's rcords date from the 700's.  The citadel on top of the rock overlooking the valley was built in the 1100's, and the church was rebuilt in the 1200's on the foundations of the church destroyed by falling rocks from building the citadel.

We walked around the southern part of the town, ate lunch, and encountered a most grateful resident who gave us her St. Christopher medal and other precious's as thanks for U.S. assistance in WWII, which she vividly remembers. Afterwards we took the cable car to tour the citadel. 
 Below:  view from the citadel looking south up the Meuse.

Below is the view from the citadel looking north down the Meuse towards Namur..

Looking westerly.

Dinant is the birthplace and home of a guy named Adolphe Sax.  Guess what he invented?

They have turned his home and workshop into a museum to his many inventions.  His house is about a block north of the citadel, down in the village.