Hi, Let's take a look at Mechelen in Belgium on a trip organised in association with Visit Flanders and Visit Mechelen.
Our little road trip to Flanders, that's the northern part of Belgium if you didn't know, features a look at Ghent, Mechelen & Leuven.
The ranges on our trip make it easily accessible with an electric car.
Or if you want to travel by rail, all three cities can be reached via Brussels.
In this video, we will take a look at the fabulous city of Mechelen.
And within the historic heart of the city, everything is within a 10-15 minute walk of the central Grote Markt, or great market
and you'll find the tourist information nearby
So without further ado let's discover Mechelen
On the sign we have the tower, the town hall, the museum Hof van Busleyden and the salmon, we'll get to that later.
Now we loved Mechelen, It's a bit of a hidden gem. There's plenty to see and do, but also loads of places to eat and drink.
I think the Belgians have been keeping it a secret.
It was heavily damaged in the first world war, as was a lot of Flanders, but it was restored to its former glory.
Look for clues by checking out some of the date stones on the buildings.
We are heading towards the old fish market and the River Dyle.
That to our right is the old fish market; we'll be back a little later to take a look.
This waterway will take us to Antwerp in the north and provided a vital trade route in the middle ages.
It also fed a series of canals that run throughout the city, most have now been lost, but they are marked if you know what you're looking for.
Some have also been revived as part of the European project 'Water in Historic City Centers'. You will discover them as you explore Mechelen.
But the best way, of course, to explore Mechelen and the River Dyle is on a boat trip.
It would be fair to say we could have been blessed with better weather, but that wasn't going to spoil our enjoyment.
You pick up the electric boat from Haverwerf, opposite the old fish market, and proceed towards Antwerp.
The trip allows you to enjoy the mix of the historic and newly developed as you pass by Mechelen's Yachting club.
As we reach the Van der Valk Hotel, which I think was the old public swimming pool, it's time to turn around.
Heading back, you'll notice the "Kraanbrug", or Crane Bridge. You are going to need to watch your heads as we pass under it.
But once you pop up check out the three 16th & 17th-century buildings on our right.
They are one of the highlights of Haverwerf, which I should have mentioned means oat yard, where all grain had to be unloaded for market.
Next, we pass the old Lamot brewery on our right.
The brewery was acquired many times, but brewing finished here in the mid 90's. It's now a conference and heritage centre.
And on our left it's the old fish market again, now home to many bars restaurants & cafe's
And now we're passing under the “Hoogbrug”, the oldest stone bridge in Flanders, bating back to 1230
On either side of the river are buildings of the tradesfolk for whom the Dyle was their lifeline
Our next bridge is the Fonteinbrug, or fountain bridge,
and if you'll following the Dijlepad footpath on our right, you cross over the bridge to rejoin as it makes it way through the botanical gardens.
On the next bridge is an old wooden water mill, one of a series that used to help regulate the water flow of the Dyle.
This is the last remaining one, and is a free-to-visit museum piece.
Our journey on the water continues a little further, but this is where we'll turn around.
Once under the water mill, we get the best view of the stunning Basilica of Our Lady of Hanswijk
This is one of many fine places of worship within Mechelen that are home to some amazing art which we'll take a look at a little later.
Once again there's the mix of the old and the new.
The Mechelen boat trip lasts about 40 minutes, and gives a unique view of the city,
for example you get to check out the buildings known as the sturgeon, the scale, and the salmon. Guess we're heading back to the fish market.
Did you spot the extra arch on the Hoogbrug on our right? Well it provided access to the fish market.
Another benefit of the boat tour is that the audio guide provides you with tons of facts on the history of Mechelen and the River Dyle.
Now let's take a look at those merchant's houses. This is "De Zalm", the Salmon
And these fabulous buildings can be found on the Salt Wharf, or Zoutwerf
It's only a few steps from here to the Vismarkt, or Fish Market
But we're not eating there, instead we're going to "De Vleeshalle", the meat hall
This repurposed Butcher's Market is now a food hall providing fresh fastish food and drink.
It looks quiet now at around 2:15, but when we arrived at 1:30 it was bustling. We'd highly recommend it if you're visiting.
There's a bewildering array of options from around the world. I opted for the traditional croquettes though.
Fully fuelled, we were ready to discover more of what Mechelen had to offer.
and that meant enlisting the help of Visit Mechelen, and heading out on a walking tour.
The first tip our guide, Marie-Louise, shared with us is that some of the finest Flemish renaissance art is not found in galleries and museums.
It is found in churches.
Take, for example, the beautiful Church of Our Lady across the river Dijle
We were amazed to find 'The Miraculous Draught of Fishes' by Peter Paul Rubens, painted in the 17th-century
There are many other fine features inside the church, such as this amazing fresco
And then there's the ornate wooden pulpit, highlighting the skills of Mechelen's woodworkers
Our next discovery is at the church of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist.
And it probably won't surprise you, but it's another Rubens. This time we have the 'Adoration of the Magi' hanging over the altar.
Regardless of your faith, this is a truly stunning sight.
I should have mentioned that this is part of Mechelen's Burgundian Walking tour.
The links to this, and all the other sights and attractions we visit, will be in the description below.
And again, Mechelen's woodworkers are showing off with another fantastic pulpit.
For more art we have the Museum Hof van Busleyden, which as you can see was under restoration when we visited.
There is a permanent collection as well as visiting collections, so check out the link in the description for more info.
Now we have Mechelen's municipal theatre, which was originally part of the vast palace of Margaret of York.
Margaret of York was the sister of Edward IV and Richard III, Kings of England, and the third wife of the Burgundian ruler, Charles the Bold.
The palace of Margaret of Austria, her step-grandaughter, sits across the road, a fine piece of renaissance architecture.
From one period of history, I need to take you to an altogether darker one.
The Kazerne Dossin Memorial to the holocaust
Mechelen's was a thriving transit hub linking Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp.
That made it the unfortunate choice to transport those selected to concentration camps in the east.
As a result, 25,274 Jews and 354 Romani people departed here, only 1,395 of them survived.
We did not have enough time to visit the museum, which was a shame,
but visiting Dachau, and the documentation centre at Nuremberg, has taught us about the rise of National Socialism.
Events, long before the outbreak of World War II, long before the Nazi swept to power in 1933, sowed the seed of hatred.
It's a chilling place to visit in Mechelen, to see the railway wagons that transported those poor souls and the former barracks,
to understand what happened here, but it must never be forgotten, or hidden.
We now need look at a story of love and compassion.
The Grand Beguinage of Mechelen
If you saw our video on Ghent, you may already know about the Beguines
A group of single women who remained unmarried and dedicated their lives to god, but did not take vows.
They supported those women who had fallen on hard times through no fault of their own and provided a safety net.
They would create institutions such as hospitals, and this story leads to an interest of mine.
In treating the sick, they boiled the water, then they added flavouring to make it taste better.
And you guessed it, one thing led to another, and they started brewing.
This provided some additional revenue to allow them to support their projects in the community.
And that leads me nicely onto a tour of Mechelen's last remaining brewery, who can trace its heritage back to the Beguines.
The Het Anker brewery
I loved this experience, sure I have been on other brewery tours, but this was special.
The Het Anker Brewery is home to the Goulden Carolus beers, the Maneblusser larger, and another little surprise too.
We were met by Rudy, our guide, who explains the brewery's origins.
And then he takes us inside and runs through the ingredients;
hops, malted barley and then the optional orange peel, cumin, coriander & star anise
As well as yeast and water; all mixed in large copper tuns.
Rudy takes us through the entire brewery process. Switching seamlessly between Dutch & English.
Next, we discover the timeline; In 1872, the family Van Breedam bought and modernised the brewery.
In 1904 it became the Het Anker brewery we know today.
In 1990 Charles Leclef, 5th generation Van Breedam, took over the running of the brewery,
and in 2013 they diversified and released their first single malt whisky.
This became our first tasting session, but we're not really whisky drinkers, so here's Janis's tasting notes.
"It burns"
Thanks for that Janis
But what we really want to try is the beers, and the good news is that is next.
The tour continues, and we discover that the Goulden Carolus is named after Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, who was brought up in Mechelen.
He enjoyed the local beer so much in later life he had it shipped to his seat of power in Spain.
We start with a chalice of Gouden Carolus Tripel, 9% alchol, but wonderfully smooth
Next, it's the Gouden Carolus Classic, a mere 8.5% but the tastes of Toffee, cocoa and dried fruits sing through wonderfully.
I just need to secure my lifetime supply.
The tour concludes with a Rudy handing out a Guilder token for your complimentary beer glasses
Now it's time to look at Mechelen's wonderful St Rumbold's Cathedral and climb that tower.
The cathedral started life as church just after 1200
Work continued over the centuries and it was completed in the 16th century, becoming a cathedral in 1559.
Again, the pulpit is a display of the local woodworking craft.
Pope John Paul II celebrated mass at St Rumbold's Cathedral in 1985 to celebrate his 65th birthday.
It has to be said it is an impressive place of worship and, as you would expect, has a wonderful collection of religious art.
As well as some fantastic stained glass windows. Time to be quiet and enjoy the setting.
As beautiful as the cathedral is, there's no putting off what comes next. The 538 step climb to the Skywalk at the top of St Rumbold's tower.
And check out those organ pipes, we next see those 160 steps later in the Crane Chamber
It's 73 steps to the next level, and in total there are 6 floors where you can stop to grab your breath.
It's also one way up and another down, so you're not trying to pass people as you make your way up and down the tower.
After 413 steps we arrive at the Carillon Chamber, with two sets of 49 bells
In 1999 the tower was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the significant Belfries in Belgium and France.
The next level is the Clock Chamber at 423 steps, and prior to the 1930s, the clock would have been wound manually every 24 hours.
We now get to see the massive church bells and you fell the end of the climb is now in sight.
When you reach the top and climb to the Skywalk, you are greeted with views for miles over the low countries.
On a clear day you can see both Antwerp & Brussels which are both roughly 14 miles away to the north & south.
After taking in the views, it is time to head back down and grab that well earned beer, you've deserved it.
And the obvious place to come is the Grote Markt, and pick a bar that suits you.
I choose a Goulden Carolus Classic and Janis a Maneblusser from the Het Anker Brewery.
So are people from Mechelen called Maneblussers, which translates to moon extinguishers.
Well, legend has it that on the night of the 27th January 1687 a man steps out of a bar and thinks St Rumbold's tower is ablaze.
He raised the alarm and the towns folk come to the rescue, creating a human chain feeding buckets of water to the tower.
Then low clouds in front of the red moon started to shift, and it became clear they were trying to extinguish the moon.
Sounds like a grand story to me.
Anyway, to present day Mechelen. I really feel like it's a hidden gem. It's a friendly, warm city, with plenty of places to eat and drink.
Just a short hop from Antwerp or Brussels, it's the perfect size to explore on foot.
Remember, everything we have seen has been a 10 to 15 walk from this spot.
We discovered plenty more as we strolled around, but I couldn't fit it all in.
The Schepenhuis is where you'll find the tourist information, and they are really helpful, we have had such a good time in this city.
I am now leading you back to the Vismarkt, and this is where we had had two of the best meals of our Flemish trip.
Lam'eau under the old Lamot Brewery, and the exquisite Emiel, first-class food and service.
So the million dollar question, is Mechelen for you? Leave us a comment, we'd love to know.
And now it's time to wrap up; thanks so much for watching, stay safe, stay well and happy travels.