Friday 9 November 2012

Impressions of Belgium

It's flat and it's wet.

WED_9500

There's a lot of farmland, dotted with small towns with their austere churches.

WED_9505

There's a lot of history here from the past hundred years. Lots of Great War cemeteries and battlefields.

WED_9521 WED_9529 WED_9530

I found a gunner pilbox in the middle of a town.

WED_9063

Everywhere we went, people asked us about the upcoming US election. The opinion all over Europe is very pro-Obama. One guy commented, "Everyone I meet from the states is voting for Obama. So who would vote for the other guy?". We could only conclude that the Other Guy's supporters just don't get out much.

WED_9541 WED_9542

We spent a night in Watou, where St. Berndardus is brewed. The brewery has a really cozy B&B attached to it if you don't mind the smell of malty hops invading your sleep.

WED_9579

Those tall post is where the hops are grown- they are all over this area and they call this the Hop Capital of Belgium. They had just had their hop-harvest, so the hop fields were a little bare.

WED_9577 Watou is right on the border of France, and the Mont du Cats is close by on a hillside, where the monks make cheese and beer. We took the pilgrimage up the hillside in pouring rain, giving the monastery a rather mysterious air to it. WED_9584 WED_9586

Watou also had a fantastic little town square filled with good places to eat.

WED_9562

We had the best dinner of our trip at 't Hommelhof.

WED_9560 WED_9561

It was a fantastic find- they are making fresh, locally derived food in inventive ways, but not too fussy. I love places like this.

WED_9552

No comments:

Post a Comment