Of all the chocolate shops in all of Belgium…

Last weekend we went to Bruges for the day. A self professed chocoholic, one of the first places we hit was the chocolate museum. All in all, it was worth our time. It was very comprehensive and top marks for high production values. It explained the history of chocolate from the time of the Aztecs and Mayans up to present day Belgian chocolatiers. There was even one room dedicated to statues made out of chocolate.


Naturally, we ended our tour in the gift shop perusing for chocolate souvenirs. Meandering down one of the lines, I looked to my right and I saw a middle-aged man with khaki shorts, white T-shirt with “Autism Run 2008” on it and a fanny pack with a Canadian flag on it. Typical tourist uniform. But in the millisecond I had to look at him, one thought flashed into my mind: Man, that guy looks like Howard Hampton. As I was surrounded by mostly friends from British Columbia, no one could confirm my sighting. Even my friend from York University was unsure. The man had a few days beard growth and besides, what were the chances of seeing Howard Hampton in a tiny town in Belgium?

Well, apparently very good as it was Howard Hampton. Turns out he was visiting Bruges with his wife and kids and assorted family members. They had come from Vimy Ridge the day before and were staying in Bruges. He was a very nice man. He asked us what we were doing in Belgium and how we were liking it. He didn’t even object when we dragged him out of the store for a picture. I’ve lived in Toronto for 18 years and Ontario for almost 22, but it takes leaving Ontario for Belgium for me to meet an Ontario politician.