Have a Leffe in lovely Dinant
Another gastronomic delight I discovered in Dinant is the trappist beer Leffe—well, not really a discovery per se as I have had Leffe before many times, but I only learned that Leffe originated in Dinant when I was there, brewed in the nearby Notre-Dame Abbey along the Meuse (Maas) River. Beside the abbey is the Leffe Musem. Sadly, I didn’t get to visit the museum but I had a nice Leffe drink—brown please, in a genuine Café Leffe in the center of Dinant.
Must confess: I love trappist beers and my opinion of pilsener/lager being water has not changed. Next foto is an old brick chimney inside Cafe Leffe now being used to showcase Leffe bottle designs throughout the years.
Having a Leffe and a nice view on the terrace of Cafe Leffe located across the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame (see next foto).
Trivia: Churches and monasteries commonly brew ale during the middle ages. This is because water was unclean and epidemics spread like lightning through water contamination. For this reason people back then never drink water and they rarely wash as well (gasp, lol). Drinks in the form of beer and wine were popular and these were also believed to be good medication against the plague.
Anyway, after the needed Leffe drink, I meandered down the boulevard, happily admiring the old buildings and the terraces along the river, then crossing over the bridge to the other side. I wanted to shoot a picture perfect postcard foto of the town. And voila, right in front of me is a lovely sight—a beautiful panorama of Dinant on the Meuse River with the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame’s spire jutting proudly to the skies and the grand rock cliffs rising in the background capped with the fortified citadel as its crowning glory.
Oh so Lovely Dinant!
Old buildings along the Meuse River in Dinant.
Going north or south?
In my next entries I will post fotos of the views from the citadel and the tour—a walk back in time, during the turbulent Medieval Period.
Travel Period: July 2010
Destination: Dinant (Namur), Belgium
Having a Leffe and a nice view on the terrace of Cafe Leffe located across the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame (see next foto).
Trivia: Churches and monasteries commonly brew ale during the middle ages. This is because water was unclean and epidemics spread like lightning through water contamination. For this reason people back then never drink water and they rarely wash as well (gasp, lol). Drinks in the form of beer and wine were popular and these were also believed to be good medication against the plague.
Anyway, after the needed Leffe drink, I meandered down the boulevard, happily admiring the old buildings and the terraces along the river, then crossing over the bridge to the other side. I wanted to shoot a picture perfect postcard foto of the town. And voila, right in front of me is a lovely sight—a beautiful panorama of Dinant on the Meuse River with the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame’s spire jutting proudly to the skies and the grand rock cliffs rising in the background capped with the fortified citadel as its crowning glory.
In my next entries I will post fotos of the views from the citadel and the tour—a walk back in time, during the turbulent Medieval Period.
Travel Period: July 2010
Destination: Dinant (Namur), Belgium
