I’ve made the trip to De Dolle no less than four times in the last six months. It started with the excellent beer, but it’s the friendly atmosphere that has lured me back. Brewmaster Kris Herteleer and his wife, Els de Mûelenaere, are always on hand, welcoming and chatting with patrons, whether they are there to buy one beer or several cases.
De Dolle is considered a “hobby” brewery. They only brew during the weekend. This might aid in the establishment’s relaxed ambience, but don’t let that fool you – they produce some serious beer.
And sampling is the name of the game during a brewery tour. This week, we begin our four-part series of articles on brewery tours in Flanders with Cantillon and an old and underappreciated style: lambic.
East Flanders is a recreation park heaven, counting seven. But Puyenbroeck is king, a veritable paradise for recreation seekers young and old.
Located in the small municipality of Wachtebeke, about 25 kilometres northeast of Ghent, this expansive, 510-hectare provincial park has endless entertainment opportunities, including a serious sports complex, a beautiful boating lake, pretty paths, cute animals, inventive playgrounds and magnificently manicured gardens.
KORTEMARK
“Is it the same as Open Monument Day?”
Not exactly. Open Monument Day concentrates on architecture and our immovable heritage. Heritage Day is much broader, covering movable objects such as furniture, paintings, clothes, books, even food and drink, as well as our intangible heritage, like folklore, traditional skills and even dialects.
“So what’s the point of Heritage Day?”
When you enter a wooded area, you can generally count on hearing a limited catalogue of noises: wind rustling through the leaves, cheerful bird calls, droning insects. But at the Klankenbos (Sound Forest), within the Provincial Domain Dommelhof in northern Limburg, this typical soundscape is punctuated by some other, more unusual, forest sounds.
We don’t have to tell you that it’s been a long, cold winter. Now that spring has finally sprung, parents are not hesitating to pack up the kids for a hearty dose of fresh air and vitamin D at the nearest rec park. The parks are run by the provinces, and every province has several to choose from. This week we begin a five-part series on these family recreation parks in Flanders, and our first is in Flemish Brabant, specifically, Provinciedomein Kessel-Lo. From pretty, winding pond paths to endearing barnyard animals, this is a quintessential recreation spot.
The two friends had thought the project – to restore the Brussels townhouse designed by Belgian architect Victor Horta – would take two, maybe three years at most. In fact, it took eight. One of the most time-consuming factors was dealing with the public authorities who were financing the plan.
“They wanted certainty about the materials, the craftsmen, the experts,” recalls Schuiten, a graphic artist. “At times it was disheartening because we weren’t making any progress. But it was great fun, too, discovering the quality of the building.”
Sitting in the front room of the house where Gustaaf De Smet used to live and talking to the artist's old neighbour, I start to piece together a picture of who this Flemish Expressionist was.
De Smet and his wife Gusta built their house on land they bought from Verhegghe's father. It was the last home in which the couple lived and, following their deaths, was turned into a museum, in accordance with their wishes. At the time, the street in the Flemish village of Deurle was called Koedreef; today it is Gustaaf De Smetlaan.
It’s an interesting question to contemplate.
When you really pay attention, you’ll notice how adept we’ve become at tuning out every-day noises: the bell that rings every time a tram passes on a nearby street, the rumbling of cars as they drive by, the whooshing sounds of jet engines from above.
Flanders Today is a 
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