It looked like rain and it seemed we were all going to get a bit wet. But no problem, since we were first in the bus, and then in the caves of Kanne. Kanne is a very small village located just above Wallonia in Flanders against the Netherlands and the Maas-river. Pierre Celis, the most famous Belgian brewer in the USA, was waiting for us, and invited us into the caves.

These caves are man-made. The first tunnels were carved out in prehistoric times. The rock is soft enough to be carved away very easily, but becomes very hard once exposed to the open air. You can very easily lose you way in these pitch black caves, and many have done so in the past. The local guide told us that his insurance policy permits him to lose ten percent of his group! We all stayed very close to him, and he did a wonderful job in explaining the why’s and the when’s of the history of the caves.

Today in these caves, they grow Champignons (mushrooms) and store potatoes and age beer!

Indeed, Pierre Celis, 75 years old now, has been involved in a new beer venture for a couple of years: Grottenbier or Cave beer. Beer brewed at the brewery is aged in these caves for several months. The temperature in these caves is ideal, about 50 degrees and is absolutely constant. The bottles lay semi flat in special wooden holders. Every week a workman turns all the bottles a quarter of a circle. We emptied several bottles on the spot and had some fine photo-opportunities with Pierre. On our way out, we learned why and how the cave-men had invented television many thousand years ago.

Pierre Celis

We had again a "Belgian" lunch: delicious warm dishes with plenty of cold beer. This time it was in the Malpertuus restaurant in Riemst, where we met Mr. Molenaars, champion of cycling in the early 60’s. Some of us, cycling fans, didn’t miss this photo opportunity either. Before lunch we made a pit stop to load up on several Belgian beers at a well known local liquor-warehouse with a wide selection of Belgian beers.
We even found some of the last Alexander Rodenbach, much to the delight of the famous Dr. Beer of Massachusetts.

Menu Creamy Watercress Soup Undercut of Pork with fresh Mushrooms(raised in the caves), Carrots and French Fries, and a creamy Sauce Ice Cream with chocolate Sauce Grotten Bier All the way

Heading for Antwerp, the weather changed again to beautiful. Bye, bye rain. That was the last rain of the entire tour. In Antwerp we found the small Antwerpia Hotel, which surprised us with large beautiful rooms.

A half-hour rest, and there was our friendly city guide, Suzy, for a tour through the center of Antwerp. Starting at the Van Dijck statue over the Meir to the Rubens-house, where plenty of explanation was given about the way of life in 16th and 17th century Antwerp. We got our lesson in Barok, Renaissance and classic architecture at the same time. We saw plenty century old examples, made by the master himself, of why some women are called "Rubenesque".

Continuing along the Boerentoren, stopping at a small chapel (what do you expect, we are in Flanders, chapels everywhere, some to pray, some to get a drink.), over the Groenplaats with its many pubs and bars next to the Cathedral. Admiration of the outside was followed by a visit of the inside, where we saw three large Rubens paintings and so much more.

From the Cathedral we walked to the Grote Markt in front of City hall, with the Brabo statue and the many rich guild houses. Here was a good place to have a beer, served out of the window of a pub. Yes, you don’t have to go inside to get a beer in Belgium. The guide had so much more to tell and to show, that we continued soon to the Jesuit church and the city library, to stroll through some more narrow streets back to our Hotel.

Townhall

One hour rest, and we got ready for our beer dinner at ‘t Waagstuk. A historical pub in a historical square. Hans, the owner, proved by pointing out several symbols on different houses that Jesus was born here. ‘t Waagstuk is famous for its beer selection and its excellent food-beer combinations. Later that evening we had the opportunity to meet Mr. Carpentier, president of the Objektieve Bier Proevers (OBP), associated with CAMRA in the UK. Dr. Beer was of course most interested to hear how OBP defends and promotes good beer in Belgium.

Menu Creamy Bell Pepper Soup Faro PerTotale Lambic ~ Shrimps in Saffron Sauce De Koninck "Bolleke" amber ale Piece of Salmon in Dill Sauce Poperings Hommel Ale ~ Ice Cream with warm Cherries and Rodenbach Alexander Ale ~ Coffee and Tea

After dinner, most of us crossed downtown to the other famous beer heaven, the Kulminator. The walk helped digest the beautiful dinner. Here we had to choose from several hundred Belgian beer brands, offered in several vintages. Mark felt so good that he bought a 1975 Rochefort 10 %! Unfortunately for him, we all wanted to taste a sip. Well, being all beer-lovers together, we all returned the favor, bought us something really exceptional and let our friends taste a sip.

Day V