A Day of Visits

One of the goals of the Belgium trip was to study the situation and challenges of entrepreneurs in this country.  Tuesday has been by far the busiest day for us.

It started with breakfast at the Unizo office in Verne.  The customary breakfast was served of course; bread, cheese and jam with tea or coffee.  Then was the formal business of learning how each group operated.  It was a healthy discussion that felt a bit short.  We were on a tight schedule and we were already running late.  We had to start the enterprise visits.

First stop was a cheese shop.  Well, they sold mainly cheese but also carried fruits, wafels and wines.  They told us the story of how the shop was begun by the grandparents and how it grew until the time that the husband and wife took over.  We took the opportunity to load up on some take home stuff.

An interesting note was mentioned by one of the Unizo employees escorting us, Evelyn.  She pointed out pictures that were displayed in the shop windows.  They were pictures of other entrepreneurs in the area.  The business owners who participated took two pictures, one of themselves and their product and the other was a photo of a fellow Unizo member.

Next stop was lunch near the coast.  We had lunch at Resto Real.  It was a sumptuous lunch.  Enjoyable as it was, again it was big portions that we could hardly finish.  This was almost a fine dining restaurant.  The place was spacious and bright with glass walls on three sides.

Next, up was a graphic artist who just happens to be a city councilor as well.  That is a good point because being an entrepreneur, he understands the needs of the sector so he can consider these when he is helping to formulate regulations.  He was prepared for our arrival.  He had arranged glasses on the table and three bottles of a local apple juice were on the ready.  He also gave away copies of the magazine his company produces in which he writes 80% of the material.

We next went closer to the beach.  There was a shop called the Black Sheep.  The owner showed us how he makes ice cream.  We also saw how his wife prepared waffles and pancakes.  Of course, we sampled their cuisine on their terrace on the beach.  He was a jolly old man and that was most enjoyable.

From the Black Sheep, it was off to more animal products at the Fur Shop.  We saw how they repaired fur coats.  The shop actually started as a dance studio before the family dabbled in selling stuff for those who came to dance.  The surprise of the visit was that some of the stuff sold there was imported from the Philippines of all places.

Finally, it was off to dinner at the Tapa Tapa.  The owners told us how they were inspired by the Spanish tapas.

And then finally we went home, tired but happy really.