Limburg Node to Node

Day Six

:: Tuesday, May 24 ::

Pelt to Bree

about 46 kilometers

We headed north today on a cloudy day. 

Near the Netherlands border is the Abbey of St Benedict and the Anchel brewery. In 1871 when the Abbey was rebuilt, it became a Trappist monastery and the monks began brewing beer. During World War 1, the occupying Germans dismantled the brewery. In 1998 the monks resumed brewing until January 2021. The brewery has now lost its Trappist designation since the monks have all retired, however 6 Trappist-like beers continue in production.

Close by, we learned the story of the Dodenraad (Wire of Death). In 1915, the German troops built a 5-10 ft high-voltage electric fence along over 200 km on the border to prevent Belgians from fleeing to the Netherlands.

When the border reopened in 1918, the locals ripped out the fence. We rode along some sections of the fence that have been reconstructed. Interpretive signs explain the tragic history.

Tire foam saved patching a tube. We stopped in a wooden area when Karlyn discovered her front-tire flat. Kristin came to the rescue inserting foam into the tire; after repumping the tire, we headed for coffee in Hamont-Achel. We added a little air to the tire twice in the next 24 hours, but it remained firm for the remaining days of the trip. Hail foam!

A fun discovery at an asparagus farm was a genuine Automat vending machine filled with white asparagus, prepared asparagus dishes, and asparagus soup. The roadside vegetable stand has been replaced!

We checked into our hotel in Bree early and headed off to a pre-arranged tour of the Rijtuigmuseum ( Carriage Museum). During a huge downpour outside, Andre Yonkers showed us and told stories about the historic horse drawn carriages and sleighs ( from 1850-1910) that he has restored over the years since his retirement from teaching third graders.

He told his tales in Flemish; Kristin was our skilled interpreter. Waiting for the rain to end, we drank beer from the KWAK brewery for whom he has restored several carriages. Note the specialty tall glasses and their stands!

It was a game of Bridge before dinner, and a victory for their team when Kristin made a grand slam--unfortunately not bid!

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Nodes for Day Six: 

241-220-564-218-217-36-38-216-

514-513-541-568-542-210-08-211-

263-07-214-197

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 Link to Limburg Day 7