Day 4 • Trappist 3 where we drink with Malcolm and the boys.
After a more than adequate breakfast, we say goodbye to our hostess, who gives us two four packs with glasses! My dad gives her a silver and turquoise money clip made by the pueblo Indians of New Mexico.
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Armed with precise directions from Malcolm's friend Ron, we head out to find
the Abbaye of Westvleteren.
In spite of Ron's directions, we arrive at the Abbeye finding no line, and
all three beers being offered. I had to get a case... The cost? 1245
BEF, about $25! By the time we were ready to leave, Malcolm and the
boys arrived... with two vans they came ready to haul! I swapped a few
12's for 10s and 8s after which we headed to café In de Vrede where
I tasted the 6¼ and the 12¼. Though tempting, Malcolm's offer to have
one more, might have left me impaired to the point of not being able to get
to Roeselare.
)
Finally
finding Rodenbach, my daughter Jill's favorite Belgian, we discovered that
the brewery is undergoing major repair and no tours are available. I
humbly begged nice Nancy, an attractive 30ish young lady, for the opportunity
to buy a t-shirt for Jill. She agreed, seeing we had come all the way
from the states. It seems the shirts and glass were in the tasting room,
at the opposite end of the brewery. Due to construction, we were required
to carefully travel through the brewery! We got a modified tour after
all. Arriving in the tasting room, we got the t-shirt and glass, and
spotted a Fat Tire poster... I recall that Peter from New Belgium had worked
at Rodenbach.
)
On
the way back to our base, we had lunch in Tournai, a Roman town from 3c and
the second oldest in
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Belgium. A quick lunch, a beer and a few photos of the Cathedral Notre
Dame and we were on the road spotting this neat old Roman wall over
a river with the church in the background. The evening is spent, once
again, in Mons at the L' Excelsior. This time I try the Super des Fages,
Aldegonde and the La Dragonne Briun, all quite good... I think!
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