We all needed a hearty breakfast and plenty of coffee to prepare for a busy day. At 9 AM our bus was already on the highway to the proud city of Gent.

Corner of City Hall Gent.

Our city guide was expecting us at the Belfry. What a passionate young woman, Ann was! She took us first into the cathedral and its crypt to explain us the early history of Gent and its cathedral, and to explain the marvels of the "Lam Gods", the world famous painting of the brothers Van Eyck. You can and you should ‘read’ such old Flemish paintings as a book. Lucky our guide could point out several figures and tell us their individual story. Amazing. After the cathedral, Ann took us on a walk for 90 minutes. We didn’t have time to make a pitstop for a beer. So much she had to tell us while walking past churches, theaters, the belfry, city hall, the castle, and many old guild-houses and other famous buildings. For every building she had a most interesting historical story to tell.

We had our first beer lunch at the Hopduvel (The Hops Devil), one of the oldest and most famous beer restaurants of Gent. The selection of different Belgian beers, coming in different vintages, is unique. The lunch was splendid, and the beers well matched. Armand De Clercq, Canadian author and beer brewer, born in Gent, paid us a visit and joined us for lunch. His father was a brewer in Gent until WW II. Several of us bought plenty of souvenirs and more beer to taste. We had to take our dessert in a hurry to be able to follow our strict schedule.

Delicious Beer Lunch at the secluded patio at the "Hopduvel"

The bus took us through the narrow streets of the center of Gent to our hotel for the check-in. 30 minutes later we were all back on the bus, stuck in one of these narrow streets, where a German Mercedes, wrongly parked, was lifted on a tow-a-way truck by a mobile crane to clear the way for us. Poor German fellow who didn’t find his car back at the place he left it, and who certainly had a fat fine to pay. We had no time to lose to get to the Van Steenberge brewery in Ertvelde, where we arrived 30 minutes late. It would be the only time that we would arrive somewhere later than planned. The courtesy of all the guests and the ability of our driver must be thanked for that.

Arriving at the brewery, a beer for all in their own cozy pub was the appropriate way to start the tour. Paul Van Steenberge, owner, and Andre Van de Velde, commercial director, welcomed us. Geert de Smet, head brewer, took us then on a tour through the whole brewery and was proud to show us his sophisticated all automated brew-house, the lagering tanks, the keg-room, the warehouse and the bottlery where hundreds of Corsendonck bottles were filled before our eyes.

Thousands of bottles passing our eyes

The brewers in our circle got all the answers they wished. But, you get thirsty from such a tour, and thus we were offered more beers to taste. Beers, like the Cherish Lambic, the Bornem Triple, the Flemish Bourgogne (Old Brown), and of course the Piraat and the Gulden Draak. We don’t have to mention that the noise-level quickly soared in the bar.

Time to go to the Philippine, a small little village just North of the Belgian border in the Netherlands. Philippine is the capital of the Mussel, and we ate plenty of them, all we can eat, while washing them down with Cuvee Philippine, a crisp Belgian triple. Some of us, from deep in the Heartland of America, tried mussels for the first time in our life. Some of us didn’t want to try and ate good old steak. No worry, that left more mussels for the others. We don’t have to tell you that everybody had a great time, and SO MUCH FUN!

It wasn’t over yet. Andre Van de Velde jumped on our bus, and was supposed to get us to the ROSTE MUIS, a typical old smugglers house on the Belgian side of the border, that is renovated into a nice bar-restaurant with plenty of antiques. We can’t reveal how this place got its name. Children might read this. You will have to come with us on our next trip. It’s quite a story! On our way to this famous place in the bus, Andre was entertaining us singing Flemish folk songs. Almost all of us joined in. Drinking plenty of Belgian beers helps ‘speaking’ or at least ‘singing’ Flemish. Anyway, Andre told us that the road was blocked at a certain point, and that’s why he took us on a sight seeing tour in the middle of nowhere during a very dark night. Indeed, he got lost for a minute.

No problem, the mood on the bus was excellent and Br. Van Steenberge paid us a round of beers (or was it two?) at the Roste Muis. We all had plenty to check out, especially a statue of mother and child in a very peculiar position. (Isn’t that right, Bruce?)

Late at night we arrived back in our hotel, where young Jef, the next generation at the Van Steenberge brewery, invited us for a pub crawl in Gent. Only a few of us felt strong enough for two more hours beer & fun. They told us the next day they had a great time.

Day III