SPECIAL MEMORIES OF
BEAUTIFUL EVENINGS
These stately guards welcomed us as we arrived at the
Concert Noble Hall for the Hungarian Ball, which was
touted in the magazines as the "Best Ball in Europe"!
THE CONCERT NOBLE HALL
You may remember from one of our previous blogs regarding the Honorable Ambassador of Macedonia, whom we met when he sat
down by us while attending an event at this Concert Nobel Hall. Several weeks later, Ambassador Lepocov and his lovely wife were guests at our residence for dinner. These five gorgeous chandeliers in this venue are absolutely magnificent!!! It truly is one of the most beautiful Halls in Bruxelles!!
President Janos Ader of Hungary, and also the Ambassador of Hungary, said a few words at the beginning of the program. Hearing that difficult Magyar language brought back a flood of memories. We enjoyed a nice converation with President Ader, and told him of our love for the Hungarian people, which we gained while living there from 2000-2003 as the mission president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It has been so very interesting to meet many heads of state and government, ambassadors, and officials of the European Union, who want to know more about the Church and the Brigham Young University which we represent. We have seen great growth in these kinds of relationships, and the beginning of many new friendships!
The traditional Hungarian dances.....the costumes..... the music, all brought back sweet memories of a special time when we served there. The traditional opening of the Hungarian Ball at the Concert Noble brought a spirited response from everyone, since there is nothing else quite like the fire and enthusiasm of the Hungarian people, when their gypsy violinists launch into the "Hungarian Dances" by Strauss.
The elegance of Old Europe provided a fine prelude to the first dance of the evening, which was fittingly everyone's favorite waltz "The Beautiful Blue Danube." The dashing men in formal tuxedos, and beautiful ladies in festive finery made the room take on an air of magical charm and enchantment. A description we
recently came across captures this feeling:
"It was in 1873, under the sponsorship of King Leopold II, that the Societe du Concert built these meeting rooms in the Leopold neighborhood, where the Belgian nobility tended to have their urban residences. The architect Hendrik Beyaert came up with a unique concept: he created a set of rooms that gradually increased in size, from the gallery to the impressive ballroom, all in a majestic fashion. The eye is drawn to a series of tapestries and a grand portrait of King Leopold II and Queen Marie-Louise, along with furniture mainly from the Directoire style (1795-99)." Secret Brussels" (2008).
These folks added a bit of Hungarian charm in the gallery outside the ballroom. The food was Hungarian of course, and hearing the language again, and seeing the costumes, brought back such wonderful memories of Hungary, and the special three years that David served as President of the Hungary Budapest Mission.
This cute little French lady, who spoke no English, indicated through her husband that she wanted to have her picture taken with me. She communicated that she loved my dress, and all she could say was...."Linda Evans, Linda Evans"! Apparently she was a fan of the old "Dallas" series!! I told her I loved her hat, so she wanted to come and see me at my home, so she could give it to me as a gift!!! She was adorable, and I learned through her friend that her daughter was a top model in Belgium!! She showed me several digital photos of her and she was gorgeous!!!!!!!!! You never know who you might meet and where it might lead.
As we departed, the Hungarian guards bid us "FAREWELL," "BONSOIR" and "ADIEU", and posed with us for one last photo.... and then we were off into the dark and foggy Brussels night. It was truly an enchanting and lovely evening!
A BEAUTIFUL EVENING WITH
AMBASSADOR IVAN KORCOK
OF SLOVAKIA
We had long waited for an opportunity to have the Slovakian Ambassador, Ivan Korcok to dinner, which depended on his busy schedule, as the EU moved from crisis to crisis during the past year. I have mentioned once before, that Ambassador Korcok and I met at the gym and became friends, and it has taken over a year for him to have the time in his schedule to accept our invitation. He told me once that his work keeps him so busy, that he rarely has time for socials outside of his EU commitments.
Having purchased all of the flowers for the evening, now the task at hand was to arrange them, with attention to the colors, in two separate bouquets for the dinner table. This is the point when I hold my breath just hoping that it will all come together, and that the lilies will open during the night in time for dinner the next day! It is not easy making everything as perfect as possible!
My experiences throughout the years have taught me that for a successful event, it is an absolute must to have the flowers arranged, the table set, the dessert made and the cleaning done the day before hosting a dinner. This leaves the event day for preparing the food, and all other last minute items. Finally, the day arrived and with every needful thing prepared, I prayed for a wonderful evening with our friends.
As I made my final run to the grocery store, not wanting to forget anything, the trees along the streets were bursting with their magnificent pink blossoms! Spring had finally come to Bruxelles!
We have become very "Europeanized", and I may make more than one run in a day to our neighborhood "Delhaize", to find that one special item which may have been overlooked.
We have become very "Europeanized", and I may make more than one run in a day to our neighborhood "Delhaize", to find that one special item which may have been overlooked.
With the table beautifully set the day before, I was able to focus on the seating of our guests, and carefully consider where each person would sit, taking into consideration the flow of the expected conversations. I decided to have the Ambassador sit on the side, instead at the head of the table, in order to have the conversations go both ways among the guests. Unfortunately, because Mrs. Korcok was injured on their recent ski trip to Switzerland, she was not able to attend. When I retired for the night, I just kept praying that the sweet smelling lilies would open during the night for our dinner the next day!
The invited guests proved to be a good mix. Seated to David's right is Ambassador Korcok, and to his right is our friend Jayne Hillner, who manages all three of the Bruxelles Marriott Hotels. Her husband lives at their home in Spain, where he spends most of his time on their boat, and then commutes back and forth to Bruxelles to see Jayne.
On the opposite side of the table were Dr. and Mrs. Adrian Sorin, who are a lovely couple who live in our building. His career was as a nuclear scientist and engineer, and made for an interesting perspective on the risks of international politics and related military calculations by world leaders. The Sorin's have attended our holiday open houses over the past two years, and told us that although they have lived in this building for forty years, this is the first time that someone in the building has invited them over. They are wonderful people.
On the opposite side of the table were Dr. and Mrs. Adrian Sorin, who are a lovely couple who live in our building. His career was as a nuclear scientist and engineer, and made for an interesting perspective on the risks of international politics and related military calculations by world leaders. The Sorin's have attended our holiday open houses over the past two years, and told us that although they have lived in this building for forty years, this is the first time that someone in the building has invited them over. They are wonderful people.
We were delighted to visit with these very special guests at our Ambiorix Square residence, and will carry warm memories of that special evening with as we prepare to depart on July 1st for Virginia.
It was very interesting, but yet not surprising, that Ambassador Korcok had done his homework prior to coming, and he was knowledgeable about my husband's education, background and accomplishments. He also wanted to know about the presence of the Church in Slovakia.
It was very interesting, but yet not surprising, that Ambassador Korcok had done his homework prior to coming, and he was knowledgeable about my husband's education, background and accomplishments. He also wanted to know about the presence of the Church in Slovakia.
A grand evening with our new friend from Slovakia
Here David presents Ambassador Korcok with a copy of
"THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD" and discusses our belief that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God, and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."
Not many weeks later, President Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said: "We live in a very dangerous world that threatens those things that are most spiritual. The family, the fundamental organization in time and eternity, is under attack from forces seen and unseen. The adversary is about. His objective is to cause injury. If he can weaken and destroy the family, he will have succeeded." General Conference (April 2013).
It is a great blessing to have strong supporters, like Ambassador Korcok, among the leaders of nations.
I love the tradition of bringing the hostess a symbol of appreciation. In Belgium it is always one or more of the following...... Flowers, Belgian Chocolates, or Wine. The first two are our favorites, of course. We accept the wine graciously, and set it aside. And when they leave it goes on the closet shelf. I am certain that during the evening they must wonder why we didn't open the bottle and serve the guests. We appreciate their thoughtfulness. This beautiful profusion of flowers made us especially happy, and grateful to our guests for their thoughtfulness.
The only time that I indulge in having a dinner "helper", is when we have a guest Ambassador. My friend, Leticia, does a beautiful job in helping facilitate the dinner, so I am not constantly jumping up and down preparing and serving the courses. When all the guests and Leticia had gone, I went into the kitchen ready to do the "dishes and cleanup", but alas!......Leticia has left everything clean and spotless!!! That is the best gift that any hostess could be given!!!!! Thanks Leticia.
"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. She is more precious than rubies: all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Her ways are aways of pleasantness, and her paths are peace."
Proverbs 3:13-17
AU REVOIR
"Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. She is more precious than rubies: all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. Her ways are aways of pleasantness, and her paths are peace."
Proverbs 3:13-17
AU REVOIR
