Belgium > The Park Abbey

After breakfast, we can leave our luggage at the hotel. We will pick it up later today. From the city center, sounds come from Ladeuzeplein. This afternoon, the Leuven triathlon is being held around this square—a quarter triathlon. We walk the other way. We cross the ring road and arrive at the Park Abbey. The abbey is a former Cistercian monastery founded in 1129 by Duke Godfrey I of Leuven. The complex includes a church, cloisters, chapter house, abbot’s residence, and other buildings. The bells of the abbey church are ringing. A mass is about to start. We quickly slip inside to admire the church. It’s small but beautiful. The altar is especially nicely decorated. We couldn’t book tickets online—the payment process failed. At the ticket office, this is no problem. Tickets to visit the abbey are combined with several religious exhibitions in the Parcus museum. In the cloister corridor hang fragments of the original stained glass windows. Due to lack of funds, the windows were sold in the 18th century. Fortunately, some have been recovered. The refectory, the monks’ dining hall, is impressive. The ceiling contains images including the Last Supper.

Belgium - The beautiful dining hall of the monastery of Park

It’s magnificent to see how the depth is depicted. Using mirrors on the table, this is even better viewed. The monastery library is special—not so much for the books, but especially for the intricately stuccoed ceiling. After the monastery, we look at the exhibitions. One room deals with the question of what God and Jesus might have looked like. Another room explores the boundary between freedom of speech and blasphemy. In the third room, in the attic of the monastery, attention is given to the religious origins of proverbs. We glance through the exhibitions. Around noon, we walk along the railway toward Arenbergpark—a few kilometers away. In the park stands Arenberg Castle, an old manor house from the 16th century. The building is now owned by the University of Leuven. Signs indicate that they are urgently looking for sponsors for restoration, which is certainly needed. The adjacent watermill also urgently needs maintenance.

Belgium - The Arenberg Castle in the eponymous park

We follow the yellow-red marks of a long-distance walking trail back to the city. We walk through the park, pass the cozy streets of the Groot Begijnhof, and follow a path along the Dijle River. A nice route. At a terrace, we order a drink. We can conclude that in the past two days we have visited the main sights of the city of Leuven. Walking back to the hotel via Sint-Donatuspark, we come across the triathlon. The park is cordoned off. We walk along the edge of the park. In the square in front of the library, participants arrive with their bikes and continue running. With our luggage, we walk to the parking garage. The triathlon route runs along the garage. When it’s quiet on the course, we carefully drive to the first side street. Then we head home. On the radio, we hear how FC Antwerp wins against Club Brugge at the very last moment, keeping their lead in Belgium. Near the Dutch border, we pick up the Radio Rijnmond signal for the championship match between Feyenoord and GA Eagles. Without much delay, we are home again around five o’clock.