Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
All in Beer
We sipped our meals to their frothy conclusion and returned to the present, outside the gates of Weyermann. Looking back at the towering brick buildings, a sense of fantasy and mystery cropped up in my imagination, and I felt the only thing missing was a golden ticket.
As perfect as a day can be was underway. In periphery, I could see countryside blur: lime-green grass and spring vegetables cracking dirt mounds; shadowy hardwoods budding and tall conifers starting to yellow with pollen; clouds lightly wisping otherwise vacant sky. The Kloster Michelsberg first signaled our approach towards Bamberg.
In route to Antwerp from Brussels we detoured to the Trappisten, a roadside tavern across the street from the Westmalle Abbey. Beneath a cloudless sky on the patio we sipped from chaliced Westmalle glasses: one golden, the other brown. The brown was a mixture of the Triple and Dubbel (called a Trip-Trap), resulting in something between a Tripel, Dubbel, and Quadrupel. Midday sun cut the Spring with Summertime. The buds on leafless branches carried persistent remains of morning condensation. They reflected tiny bulbs rising in columns toward the red-bricked wall surrounding Westmalle Abbey.
Our first full day in Brussels turned into quite a success. It was nice to not rush anywhere or worry about filling up the parking meter or driving all day. The only determined activity was jazz and drinks at La Brocante - an iconic, old Brussels beer bar with a decent breakfast and lunch menu and fairly extensive beer list, long on Geuze and Kriek. Sara waited for a table to open as I went to draw cash from the ATM down the street - long line, getting longer by the minute. I returned to Sara drinking a Saison Dupont. A moderate wind passed through the patio drenched in sun carrying spritz of rain drops from somewhere far away. It was faint but enough for most everyone to look confused towards the bright sky blue. We sat in wicker chairs sewed in a Parisian inspired shape - not surprising for a city speaking French first. A gypsy jazz ensemble strung together from different corners of the street into a band of sorts for the hour.
