All Good Things Belgium
Day 1- (Saturday- The Weary Travelers Find The Monastery) ~ Meet your guide and your driver this morning at the entrance the Hilton Brussels Grand Place, or if you're just arriving in Brussels, Our coach will meet you at the airport. From there, they transfer us out of Belgium and into Holland to visit De Koningshoeven Brewery (La Trappe), the only Trappist Brewery in the world to offer regularly scheduled tours. After the tour and tasting ends, we’ll enjoy our first lunch together as a group in the midst of the monastery’s beautiful gardens. From there, we’ll transfer to our hotel at the famous Het Anker brewery in the town of Mechelin. We’ll be able to check-in and freshen up prior to our tour of the world class brewery. We’ve made group reservations at their restaurant where you’ll be on your own to order off the menu. The balance of the evening will be yours to explore or rest.
Day 2 (Sunday- Culture and Saxophones) ~ Today we’ll start the day by tasting our way through the world’s chocolate capital on a small group tasting tour in Brussels. We’ll visit 6 of the cities most renowned and elegant confectionaries to sample gourmet Belgian Pralines (Truffles) and learn fun facts of the history of chocolate making from a professional guide.
Next we’ll make our way to the enchanting town of Dinant, internationally known as the birthplace of the saxophone where we’ll make a quick visit to the small Brasserie Caracole. This brewery is as it was 100 years ago and is the only remaining brewery in Europe to heat their mash water with wood fires. Time permitting, you can self-explore this gem of a Belgian town, or tour the Leffe Brewery prior to enjoying our dinner at Le Couvent de Bethleem located at the Leffe Brewery where we’ll be staying. The balance of the day will be at your leisure. We recommend visiting the Leffe Brewing Museum and then walk to find a quiet place to dine. (B)
Day 3 (Monday-Gnomes, Heroes and Sacrifice) ~ Today will be a full day so we’ll need to start immediately after breakfast to make our way further into southern Belgium as our tour takes us to Bastogne and into the Ardennes. This entire area is steeped in folklore, history and WWII events with US tank monuments scattered throughout the region. Upon leaving Dinant, we’ll proceed directly to Bastogne where, upon arrival, our group will be met by a local travel specialist to take us on a partial day tour of the Bastogne area. The Siege of Bastogne was an engagement in December 1944 between American and German forces which greatly influenced the outcome of WWII.
Following the Bastogne tour, we’ll make our way along meandering roads to Les 3 Fourquets, brewers of Lupulus and Ardennes Triple beer. This small brewery with outdoor fermenters will offer a quick tour following by a sampling of their craft. A light lunch will be served after the brewery tour. Next, we’ll meet the gnomes and spend time touring the world famous Achouffe brewery, sampling the beers and exploring the brewery store and local area. We’ll have you back in Dinant this evening to enjoy dinner as a group at our hotel’s Le Couvent de Bethleem. The balance of the night is yours to relax or explore. (B,L,D)
Day 4 (Tuesday-Hops and the Holy Grail)~Today will have us leaving beautiful Dinant for the hop-fields of Poperinge. It’s a several hour drive across the Belgian countryside so we’ll be ready for lunch when we arrive. Our first stop will be at In De Vrede. This cafe is owned by the Sint Sixtus Abbey, brewers of the worlds famous, and possibly the most sought-after beer, Westvleteren 12. It’s a simple cafe, with a simple menu of local ham’s, breads and cheeses. The highlight of the visit is being the opportunity to enjoy the coveted St Sixtus beers by the glass. A quick visit to nearby Deca brewery will also be on the agenda.
After you check into your room and take a little time to freshen up, we’ll board our trusty coach again for half-hour drive to Ieper (Ypers) for group dinner at In 't Klein Stadhuis. Following dinner, we’ll take a short walk to Menin Gate where we’ll be able to witness the Last Post Ceremony. The “Last Post”, the traditional final salute to the fallen, is played by the buglers of the Last Post Association in honor of the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies, who died in the Ypres Salient during the First World War (1914-1918). It is the intention of the Last Post Association to maintain this daily act of homage in perpetuity. Every evening at exactly 8 o’clock, the police halts the traffic passing under the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in the Belgian city of Ieper to allow the buglers to play their simple but moving tribute. From 1 May 1929 the Last Post has been sounded at the Menin Gate Memorial every night and in all weathers. The only exception to this was during the four years of the German occupation of Ypres from 20 May 1940 to 6 September 1944.
We’ll watch this tonight and learn more about it tomorrow during our Flanders Fields Tour.
(B, L, D)
Day 5 (Wednesday- Flanders Poppies) ~August 23~After breakfast this morning, we’ll gather for drive to the town of Ypers for a “Flanders Fields” tour that will take us to several significant WWI battlegrounds and memorials, including: Essex Farm (Advanced Dressing Station which inspired John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields”), Pilckem Ridge (Gas Attack 1915), Langemarck German Cemetery, Vancouver Corner The Brooding Soldier Memorial, New Zealand War Memorial Gravenstafel, Tyne Cot Cemetery (The Third Battle of Ypres aka Passchendaele) and final stop on the tour Hill 62 (Sanctuary Wood) Museum with trenches, returning back to Ieper via Hellfire Corner.
After the Flanders fields tour, we’ll stop at the historic Kazmatten Brewery for a personalized tour by the brewer. This is a wonderful brewery located in what was once a WWI field hospital and printshop.
Our next visit will be the brewery of St Bernardus, the place where the famed Westvleteren 12 was brewed until 1972. Many people compare the two beers and deem them identical. You can decide for yourself. The evening will be on your own. Bar Bernard, with the 360-degree rooftop patio is our suggestion for dinner. Dinner on our own. (B)
Day 6 (Thursday- The Two Towers) ~This morning, after a wonderful breakfast of local breads, hams and produce at St Bernardus, we’ll leave Watou and make our way north for a stop in the town of Kortrijk, where we’ll be joined by a guide for a walking tour of this medieval town. From there, we’ll journey to The Gulden Spoor Brewery for a visit with the owner/brewer who was once the youngest professional brewer in all of Belgium. Lunch will be served in their affiliate restaurant.
Just a short drive away, Rodenbach will be next on our itinerary. The brewery is known for its production of barrel-aged sour beers in the Flemish red style. This is a very unique and one of a kind brewery, registered as a national landmark and is well worth the visit.
Untouched by any of the great wars, Bruges awaits us for the next visit. This living medieval city is called the Venice of Belgium with it’s labyrinth of canals meandering through the town. The balance of the evening will be yours to explore this enchanting city. (B)
Day 7 (Friday- Nooks and Crannies) ~ After a hearty breakfast at our hotel, we’ll meet at the nearby market square and take a 50-minute small bus tour of the beautiful town of Bruges. Shortly thereafter, our coach will take us to Ghent, and to brewery Van Steenberge where the famous Gulden Draak beers are brewed. Sandwiches will be served during our beer sampling. Afterwards, spend some time exploring this medieval town. Our suggestion would be to stop in and see the famous Ghent Alter piece. The Coach will return us to Bruges where you’ll spend the rest of the day at your leisure. (B,L)
Day 8 (Saturday- In Bruges) ~
The morning in Bruges will be yours to explore the town. You can take a cruise through the canals, visit the Church’s, museums, chocolatiers, an interactive brewery museum or visit the Bruges Madonna, the only Michelangelo statue to leave Italy while the artist was still alive. Weather permitting, you can take a boat ride to explore Bruges from the canal used for travel and trade for many centuries. We’ll plan to meet in the early afternoon for a tour of De Halve Mann Brewery, home of the famous Straffe Henrik brand of beers followed by a private, group lunch also at the brewery of consisting of cheeses, sausage, pate, and breads as well as a soup of your choice. The balance of the day will be yours to relax on your final afternoon in this beautiful town. We’ll plan to meet in the evening for a farewell toast as we celebrate the week together, friends made and happy memories (B,L)
Day 9 (Sunday- All good things…) ~ As all good things come to an end, we say farewell to Belgium as we travel to the airport to catch our flight home. The bus will pick those of you leaving today at the hotel.
