16 oktober 2019
14 oktober 2017
YENN b&b changes strategy - temporary housing for visiting scholars
After my husband suddenly died end of May 2017, I changed strategy of this house.
No more busy bed & breakfast.
I chose for a life on a slower pace.
The rooms are available for longer term for visiting scholars, exchange students, other guest in need of temporary housing.
See also here for more information.
I'm finding a new balance.
I'll tell you all about my new plans if and when I'm up and running.
18 november 2016
accommodation in Leuven area - Rock Werchter 2017
Dear festival visitor,
YENN has no availability during Werchter festival in 2017.
I have collected here some links to help you out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuven_administrative_Arrondissement.
There is also the Rock Village on site of course, quality accommodation on the venue itself - more on this here http://www.rockvillage.be/home-en.
17 november 2016
YENN b&b gift vouchers available - share Leuven with your friends and family
This gift voucher is an ideal present for friends or family if you want to share your love for Leuven with them.
For all kinds of occasions you're looking for a present: for Christmas or New Year, for this birthday or that jubilee, Valentine, Motherday or just for fun and by way of introducing your friends to a place you've visited before ...
YENN has developed a voucher you can buy and present to others as a gift: give a little Leuven and share your enthousiasm for this nice place.
- free wifi internet for 2 tools
- VAT (6%)
- local tourism taxes
- free bottled water in the room
- free coffee and tea making facilities in the room (and some instant soup in the cold season ;0))
- upon request: free parking space for your car
Families with children are very welcome at YENN.
We hold loads of LEGO ready, there is a basket of comics (Stripverhalen) available and lots of soft toys for the small ones.
Our breakfast is elaborate and healthy, with a focus on local products (cheeses, ham, apple juice from a local fruit farm) and certified organic products (yoghurts, bread, fruit, breakfast cereal, etc...).
2 oktober 2016
Vegan ? Vegan it will be - banana & lemon cake and its variations
This basic recipe is a simple cake in a rectangular tin (or loaf tin) lined with baking paper
If you use this recipe, please let us know the result.
Post a message on www.facebook.com/YENNLeuven or post us a photograph of the result.
If you like us on facebook we'll keep you informed of new developments, recipes, etc...
250 gr flower
2 tsp baking powder
150 gr sugar
75 ml vegetable oil (I use rapeseed oil or corn oil, sunflower oil gives an aroma I'm not too fond of)
2 bananas
125 ml soy milk
zest of 2 lemons (bio ! regular non organic lemons have too much crap on the outside)
juice of (almost) 2 lemons to mix in the soy milk
a bit of lemon juice to finish the cake after baking
Method:
- preheat oven to 180°C
- peel en crush the bananas or mix them
- grate the lemons
- squeeze the juice of the 2 lemons into 2 separate cups
- mix the soy milk with the juice of 1 lemon until it curdles. You know it has curdled when the fat in the milk seems to have separated in small blobs so that when you pour the milk it is chunky. This is essential as this is what makes the cake rise and give it fluffy texture.
- Add the oil, sugar, lemon zest and crushed bananas into a large bowl and mix well
- sift in the flour and baking powder and mix well (not too much)
- pour the mixture into a tin lined with baking paper
- put into the oven and bake for 40 or 50 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.
- drizzle the second portion of lemon juice over the baked cake, use a small food brush if needed (add a Tsp of sugar if you want the finishing more sweet)
- slice the cake into bite size peaces and enjoy
You can easily slice this cake into portions and freeze for later use.
Variants:
1) preparation: slice an additional lemon in thin slices, put this in a pan with some sugar and a bit of water and let it boil softly until the water is gone (lemon slice confit)). Take care this doesn't burn.
After pouring the dough into the baking tin, you can decorate the cake with the slices of lemon confit.
2) you can use tangerines, small blood oranges or other citrus fruit for this.
3) pour the dough in small paper muffin cups for individual portions
- baking time should be watched an might be shorter as with a large baking tin.
This recipe was inspired by the vegan drizzle cake on https://heavenlyveganbaking.wordpress.com
28 juli 2016
YENN b&b welcomes exchange students and visiting scholars from all over the world
want to go local ?
want to hear all the inns and outs of this bustling university town ?
want to stay in a house with history and current day comfort ?
Contact us for more details:
- tells us all about your plans for your visit and studies/research at the University of Leuven
- let us know if you travel alone or with partner/family
- ask us for references in case we can't accommodate you for whatever reason
nadine@yenn.be
www.yenn.be
www.facebook.com/YENNLeuven
@YENNLeuven
16 februari 2015
YENN b&b licenced by the Flanders Tourism Board - a bit of our history
YENN b&b is playing in a "superior league": in the past we were licenced as Comfort category for b&b's (with categories Basic, Comfort and Luxe) and since February 2015 our licence is upgraded to the LUXE category.
A big THANK YOU for this to the inspection division of the Flanders Tourism Board ;0))
In 1996 my husband bought me this book in the Oxfam bookshop in Oxford : "how to start your own holiday accommodation" ...
ever since 1994 we house exchanged for our family summer vacation ...
Running my own b&b seemed a challenge for me ... I would do that after my retirement.
In 1997 we started living here in this beautiful large town house (we = myself, the husband & 2 sons, small kids at that time) at Tiensevest where we rented out 4 rooms to students - a common situation for the university town of Leuven.
In 2003 mom (= me) became 40, with the prospect of having the office job till her 65th and realized that if and when she was to realise her b&b, she'd better get started !
A dream is a plan with a deadline: before my 50th I should be up & running - husband agreed, children OK'd and so I started ...
- for myself professionally (can I, may I, do I want to do this ?)
I was still in an interesting fulltime job and I had never been self employed before ...
I never worked in hotel & restaurant business either.
- but also from a pragmatic point-of-view:
I visited the very first b&b fair in Brussels,
took courses at Syntra (Hotelmanagement, 2 years - still grateful for the inspiring teachers!),
I invited the prevention officer of the Leuven Fire Brigade for advice and
I had a meeting at Leuven Tourism office (I still remember my first contacts with Nancy Brouwers).
By then it was early 2008.
Plans were taking form:
- interior architect was set to work,
- our students were told they could not rent anymore after the summer, etc...
In July the students went out, building contractors came in,
until December 2008 ...
Beginning of 2009 started slow - reculer pour mieux sauter !
If only for the international economic recession and the hotel and travel crisis.
Leuven Hotel managers were in despair.
What did I do ?
But, the point of no return was there.
By Summer 2009 YENN b&b was licenced by the City of Leuven.
Our Fire prevention plan was OK'd and the Tourism office of Leuven started promoting YENN b&b.
However, there were new rules and regulations worked out on a higher level -
Flanders' Tourism Board was developing a new set of rules and regulations for b&b to live by ... YENN still had time to get the files ready.
Finally, November 2011, all papers & stamps collected and and sent to Brussels -
the deadline was very near now.
But yes:
Right now YENN b&b is licenced by Flanders' Tourism Board as a b&b with Luxury label, corresponding to 4 stars hotel services.
And YES, I'm still happy I dived in, planned this dream, and took the chances: hospitality is a nice sector to work in, for business or for leisure visitors, it's a real asset to be able to offer travellers a home away from their home.
4 maart 2014
RAVAGE - Legacy of the Great War in Leuven
The City of Leuven suffered from the start. The historic city centre was burned down already early on in August 1914.
http://www.ravage1914.be/en and on http://www.martyrcities.be
YENN b&b is located in a town house reconstructed after this Great War.
Witness thereof are the remembrance stones in the facade.
There are many facade stones like this in Leuven, very many.
Look for them when walking around in streets and on squares and you'll get an idea of the RAVAGE and chaos in that part of history.
The origings of our house date back to the end of the 1880's, when these boulevards were developed after bulding the Leuven Railway Station.
The boulevards were grand avenues, with stylish modern houses where the grand families of Leuven enjoyed modern architecture and amenities like tapwater and gas lighting, and lived in healthy large rooms with high ceilings and large windows.
This area was burned and bombed right from the start in August 1914 because of its location: pressed between the railway Station (critical for logistics and local opposition) and the University Library (where Nazi leaders thought the local intelligentsia was in hiding).
I checked the archives and found the original drawings for reconstruction in the post-War era.
With a positive attitude en full of courage reconstruction began and rebuilding plans were filed for approval at the city offices.
Watching these drawings in detail, you'll see what corrections were expected, where the architects made changes, and what finally was approved.
At that time in the post-Great War era people didn't realise what was yet to come in 20 years time.
There are so many areas in the world where people still experience RAVAGE and chaos every day.
Let us consider this focus on the historical era in Leuven with respectful memory of every person past or present finding courage to start all over again and again.
How come we can not forget this long Great War ? Some academic approach is available here:
http://disabilityhistorylectureseries.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/disability-history-lecture-3/
3 januari 2014
Diversity at YENN b&b in Leuven - some visitors' statistics from 2013
In 2013 there were
- visitors from 22 different countries
- travelling from 4 continents (Africa was not represented in 2013)
- 30 % of Belgian travellers, 70 % of foreign visitors
- 35 % of Dutch language speakers (visitors from Belgium & The Netherlands)
- 62 % of European visitors, and only a small number intercontinental travellers
- within Europe 85 % travelled from West-European countries and only 15 % from the former Eastern European countries
We had visitors from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, France, Hungary, Ireland, India, Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovania, Spain, the UK, the US, South-Korea and Sweden (alfabetical order).
2014 has started nicely with a check in from a visitor from India ;0))
Why do travellers visit Leuven and stay at YENN b&b ?
65 % are work related visits
30 % are leisure travellers
5 % are conference related visits
Length of stay:
52 % stay for 1 night only
43 % stay between 2 to 5 consecutive nights
5 % stay more than 5 consecutive nights
Single travellers of in company of others ?
58 % are single travellers
32 % are couples
10 % are travelling with family or friends (groups from 3 to 6 persons)
24 december 2013
YENN was the first b&b to join the "regional products & producers' association" Straffe Streek - and we're still happy to support them
When YENN b&b started out in Spring 2009, there was this global ecological Conference in Copenhagen and I started thinking about my own ecological footprint and our USP.
- should I go for Fair trade products ?
- should I go for organic products ?
- how can I manage this small hospitality business with the best possible sustainable approach ?
That's when I approached & joined Straffe Streek Vlaams-Brabant: a non-profit organisation supporting the marketing and branding of our own farm products, locally produced specialties, breads, chocolates, beers, coffees etc...
Apparently my request to join set a trend ... after YENN, so many other b&b's, restaurants, hotels joined in and Straffe Streek has been a succes.
I hope you enjoy this all at http://www.straffestreek.be/information.php and feel free to ask more about regional products when staying at YENN b&b.
Here you can read an article published in Flanders Today on the best of the Flanders provinces
http://www.flanderstoday.eu/living/bite-praise-provinces
To return to my initial questions about how to profile YENN in its own way AND limit my ecological footprint at the same time, I decided to go for a mixture of
- regional and local products
- bio-organic products
- fair trade products
added with home made breads & bakeries for the breakfast table.
I added to this my definite choice for green and sustainable cleaning products for maintenance of the rooms and linen.
We've had enthousiastic responses to this from our visitors. Ask more about this when you visit.