5/21. Noorderwijk to Westerlo

We scheduled a late breakfast so as to sleep in anticipating a short day. So Tammy woke me at 8:10 from a deep sleep. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast which included a skillet of bacon and eggs. Fed and watered we finally departed and made it about a quarter mile when I realized I had left my camera at the B&B . "Rookie" mistake as they would say on Ecochallenge !
I figured no problem I dropped the pack and left Tammy under a shady tree and hobbled back. Problem ! Our hosts had left! So back to Tammy and back to B&B with her. We sat on our packs on the entry threshold as an elderly neighbor eyed us suspiciously before surrendering inside to the growing heat. We tried calling without luck. Uncertain of what to do we relocated 200 meters down the street to a restaurant where we cold sip cold drinks in the shade.Tammy ordered a caprese salad while I had a croque Hawaiian sandwich. The waitress tried calling for us without successes. We were developing plans B&C none of which seemed good. But then I called and success with the waitress's translation help earning her a good tip.
I got the camera bag and we started out again into the warm day. We moved pretty fast for an hour and covered some ground - dare we think the foot pain was behind us? We saw a California car import dealership with top condition '60s Mustangs, old 50s pickups a Plymouth Duster 440. You never know what you'll see!
In the heat our feet became increasingly sore. As so it was we hobbled along shady lanes into the Tongerlo Abby . Founded in 1128 and part of the Norbertine Catholic order the brick looked and felt old. We took turns going into the Church then went to the museum. There is housed a remarkable painting full sized on velum of the "Last Supper" painted it is said by a student of Leonardo da Vinci. There was an excellent English narration explaining the remarkable survival of the painting and it's restoration. This was quite a treat to see.
Tired and thirsty we made our way into Westerlo now about 17:30. We stopped for some food at a street side cafe but unfortunately it had no major food. Hungry we had a glass of beer and pancakes with chocolate ice cream. Though refreshing at the moment this was the wrong move as we both felt full in an unhealthy way. This led to us forgoing- again- a formal dinner.
We shortly arrived at our B&B Carpe Diem and after a brief wait we were greeted by our hostess Chantal. The attic space was renovated into a wonderful breezy and cozy guest room. We instantly relaxed with our feet once again soaking in cold water. It was still light out when I fell asleep.