Belgian monks are the best monks
Today we got to cross another country off our list….hello Belgium! For our final day we took an excursion to the Orval Brewery and cheese shop, managed by Trappist Monks in Belgium. Katja drove some very narrow rural farmland roads to get there. I was basically expecting a church and a tasting room, along with a hiking trail. 
But when we got there we discovered there are ruins to explore, modern art to experience, a history of the current and past lives of the monks to take in, and much more. It was really a museum. And the funny thing is…the one thing we expected..a tasting room…wasn’t there. You had to go off site next door to actually taste the beer and cheese made on site at the monastery.
A view of the old apothecary.
Some modern statues…with ruins of one of the original abbeys in the background. (The campus was destroyed twice…once during the French Revolution). It was rebuilt between the 1920s and early 1940s, and partially supported by the beer and cheese making.
The symbol of the brewery is this fish with a wedding ring - there is a legend of Queen Mathilde who lost her wedding ring in a pond. A fish retrieved it for her and in gratefulness she built an abbey here.
I didn’t try it out with the fish I saw - I’m sure Rich and our insurance company are grateful.
When we finally figured out where to actually taste the beer and cheese we learned about, we were very happy. Orval is good stuff.
For our final night in Luxembourg we visited and had dinner in the Grund, an area in the alley on the river below Luxembourg city known for its restaurants and nightlife.
Then a sunset walk and final free tram ride home.
Goodnight Luxembourg and thanks Janka and Katja for showing us around this little corner of Europe. The Kalwaks Take you Places! We had a wonderful time!
But when we got there we discovered there are ruins to explore, modern art to experience, a history of the current and past lives of the monks to take in, and much more. It was really a museum. And the funny thing is…the one thing we expected..a tasting room…wasn’t there. You had to go off site next door to actually taste the beer and cheese made on site at the monastery.
A view of the old apothecary.
Some modern statues…with ruins of one of the original abbeys in the background. (The campus was destroyed twice…once during the French Revolution). It was rebuilt between the 1920s and early 1940s, and partially supported by the beer and cheese making.
The symbol of the brewery is this fish with a wedding ring - there is a legend of Queen Mathilde who lost her wedding ring in a pond. A fish retrieved it for her and in gratefulness she built an abbey here.
I didn’t try it out with the fish I saw - I’m sure Rich and our insurance company are grateful.
When we finally figured out where to actually taste the beer and cheese we learned about, we were very happy. Orval is good stuff.
For our final night in Luxembourg we visited and had dinner in the Grund, an area in the alley on the river below Luxembourg city known for its restaurants and nightlife.
Then a sunset walk and final free tram ride home.
Goodnight Luxembourg and thanks Janka and Katja for showing us around this little corner of Europe. The Kalwaks Take you Places! We had a wonderful time!
Comments
Post a Comment