We started with some free time that allowed us to do some shopping, or to see how the tourist district prepares itself for a new day.

We hopped on the bus at 11:30 AM to arrive at the Cantillon Brewery 20 minutes later. Since the guide had not yet arrived, we tasted first three of their authentic Lambics. Witnessing the hard labor to get a very heavy piece of a new heating system one floor up in the brewery, and the engineers among us trying to advise the workers, we were in fact standing more in their way, and getting on their nerves. Lucky for them, the guide arrived and explained us how this brewery operates during the winter months. After the guided tour, we had sandwiches with local fare (cheeses, hams, patees, sausages ...) with some more Lambic.

Next was the Payottenland with the Castle of Gaasbeek. One of the most beautiful and completely restored Renaissance castles of Belgium. Parts of the castle are 13th century, but the main buildings are 16th century. The Duke of Egmont, beheaded during the 16th century’s religious was on the Brussels Grote Markt, lived here once. The surrounding park is vast and lush. From the castle we had a beautiful view on the green rural Payottenland, which is only 1O miles from the center of Brussels. In the castle we saw some of the most amazing artifacts, tapestries and paintings, one of them an original Bruegel the Elder! One of his Towers of Babel.

The early 20th century Mistress’ bed had the slogan worked into the wooden frame: "remember and shut up" (Souvenir et se Taire), and yes there was a hidden escape door from her bedroom. Her personal slogan was "Only one thing", and this slogan was painted in many places, carved in many walls, floors and artifacts. We had our own idea about what this beauty queen was thinking of all the time.

t must be said, that the presentation of our guest guide Georges, added a lot to our appreciation of the castle. He did a wonderful job in his own funny way.

Georges our fantastic guide

So much to see in the castle but nothing to drink! The reason being that the castle was opened especially for us, since it is normally closed on Mondays. The advantage is that we had no problems with "loud tourists". But thirsty we were, so Georges guided our bus over some beautiful rural narrow roads to the ‘ Oude Smis van Mekingen’, one of the oldest original pubs still owned and operated by a local family.

You need a guide to find it! It was fun to see how we could only order 2 beers at a time, since the daughter had to go to the back for the bottles and she has only 2 hands, you know. The place is so small that with all of us it was full, especially since 5 locals were already enjoying their Gueuze. Mrs., the owner, in her eighties sat besides the stove and was counting the money! We were able to see some old beer posters and take some interesting pictures. We had a great time. Georges was entertaining our single women with jokes, which we can’t print here. He used more of his hands and facial expressions than his broken English to tell the stories. It only added to the fun.

In "de oude smis van Mekingen"

Next we drove to the Hanssens Gueuze Stekerij in Dworp. John and Siddy were expecting us with a warm welcome of joy and laughter. A "stekerij" means that they do not brew, but buy fresh brewed Lambic from different Lambic breweries. They age this Lambic in their own casks, make Kriek Lambic by adding cherries, and blend and referment the Lambics to some of the most authentic Gueuzes of Belgium. I don’t have to tell you that we tasted several of them, including a new Lambic aged on Strawberries. Real nice. John is an airline traffic controller in Brussels, and Siddy is an attorneys assistant. So, our Joelle of Texas could meet a Belgian colleague. Indeed, the Hanssens Gueuze Stekerij is a hobby for both.

John & Siddy

Our restaurant for the night, ‘t Kriekske, was only a few miles further up a winding narrow road in the woods (Forest of Halle). The branches of the trees were hitting our bus! Again you need to know where it is or you won’t find it. Our bus driver refused to drive back! Luckily there was a wider road out the other way.

Jeffrey, Joelle, Dan and Dave enjoying the beers & dinner

Again thanks to our good connections, ‘t Kriekske opened especially for us, and served us a wonderful beer dinner. The chef is one of the most respected chefs of Belgium, having won many awards in Europe. The food was great and the beers even better. Plenty of time to get acquainted with more of our fellow tour-guests.

Menu Rodenback Grand Cru Appetizers with fresh Nordsea Shrimp Wit Hoegaarden Fried Cheese Croquettes Westmalle Trappist Triple Gentse Waterzooi Typical dish based on chicken and vegetables, originated in the city of Gent. Rice cake with coffee or tea.

Before driving to our Hotel in Brussels, we made a detour to the Atomium, the monument built for the 1958 World Expo. Although the picture of the Atomium is known around the world, the reality today is that the Brussels government is trying to find a private company to buy the whole statue, because it needs a lot of reparation and maintenance, and the city has not the money to do it.

Atomium

Day III