It’s tradition and also simply great fun, so our weekend is certainly worthy of repetition on an annual basis. Of course, that tradition had to start somewhere …
A long time ago, shortly after our group was founded, the idea of a weekend getaway was pushed forward. The first few years, the location for that getaway was Arbre (in the province of Henegouwen). Two dormitories and ‘guards’ at the doors to prevent any mingling between the boys and girls. After a while, other locations were visited as well, but it took quite some time before mixed bedrooms were allowed. That’s something our younger members today can no longer imagine. The chosen period for the weekend getaway varied along the years, but for some time now we’ve been holding it somewhere in April.
But what do we actually do during this weekend getaway?
Every year, our work group of Recreation looks for a nice place to stay where we can all settle down on Friday evening and leave again fully satisfied on Sunday with another happy memory. Those who think we also practice our folkloric dancing over there, however, is completely mistaken. On our weekend getaway, we do everything but dancing. After all, it’s all about togetherness with no focus on our hobby. Just doing fun stuff together.
We go hiking, swimming, we visit cities, museums and breweries, play games, do a quiz, go for a boatride, … every activity available in the area of our accommodation is taken into consideration. It is never a dull weekend for sure, but we also employ the rule “do only what you want to do”. Members don’t have to take part in every activity on the schedule. For instance, if we have to do our own cooking, one could already peel some potatoes instead. And most importantly, we always have enough drinks and snacks for everyone, so death by starvation or thirst simply is an impossibility.
Our weekend getaway is never the same, so it’s a mission impossible to try and give a more detailed description of it. To join in is the only way to really discover the atmosphere during these getaways … and those who are absent are always in the wrong!
