5/22 Extra rest! In Diest.

We were quite footsore when we arrived at the Carpe Diem the previous night and despite cold soaks, arnica foot rubs, and blister care it was clear these blisters needed time to heal especially with the perspective of an entire summer of walking stretching before us. So I asked out hostess Chantal about bus options to Diest, our destination for the day. She discovered there weren't such good options and offered to drive us there! We didn't want to be a bother yet the offer was hard to refuse. And so after a hearty breakfast, we did a small walking tour to see the castle of the family Merode as well as the town proper. Then at 11, Chantal drove to Diest which also provided further opportunity to find out more about life in Belgium. We have found the people overall to be quite friendly and open about their lives in a refreshing way. Children here study 4 years of English and French so many are quite conversant. On a final note about the Carpe Diem - it's close to the GR5, food and places of interest and quite welcoming to walkers.
Chantal managed to drop us quite close to our lodging called "The Lodge" which I had arranged some time ago via booking.com. We were able to check right in. It's somewhat upscale in a 13th century Dutch style building. Tam opted for a nap while I went out with the camera. My impression of Diest is of a town of old Europe with its great restaurant ringed central square, city hall and dominating cathedral. I ducked into the latter seeking respite for the thickening heat as well as curiosity. In the cool filtered light of the massive interior I was simply stunned! This is a Gothic cathedral of detailed elegance. A collection of art and a work of art all at once. I had a difficult time remembering to work the camera so amazed by the detail- the photos hardly do it justice.
Squinting back out on the street, I stopped by the Post to purchase a couple boxes to sent home some pack weight. Rousing Tammy we got to it and easily filled both boxes. I hope we purged enough!
We went out for a stroll back to the cathedral of course. This time soft Gregorian chants were playing and the sun had moved so that in places dramatic rays entered. Unforgettable!
We went enjoyed our dinner on the patio of the Lodge Brasserie. And it was indeed enjoyable. Accompanied by some house red wine, Tammy had a wonderfully seared steak and the sample she shared was as good as any I've eaten. For me I had a Scampi salad with melon somehow lightly cooked with honey perhaps? Plate licking good! As the meal progressed so did the sky- darkening with intermittent then continuous thunder. It finally cut loose and we stepped inside to enjoy it along with a chocolate mousse we shared for desert. Quite satisfied we retired early.

5/23 Housekeeping in Diest

Like the title says, we spent the morning off to the laundromat.passing through town a large street fair was on. The central square was jammed with long low slung trucks which opened up as shops mostly for clothing. On the way back through they were quietly packing up and leaving and by noon they had moved on.
We labeled our boxes and took them to the Post and sent them homeward. We finally had a forgettable lunch of tasteless sandwiches then walk over to tour the Beguinage of Diest. A Unesco world heritage site it was a movement for pious women spanning 8 centuries.
Tammy wanted to experience massage here so we scheduled and took a taxi to a nearby spa. I blogged while she enjoyed ( with caveats) her massage. Later we had dinner back at the Beguinage where there was a restaurant Gastof from 1618.
I had a traditional dish- beef stew. It was a little sweet ,cooked in beer. Tammy had fajitas! Superficially the were like the fajitas in the states- except no wraps, or anything remotely spicy. There was extensive seasoning with paprika which seems common here .
Home and off to bed early!

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.

5/20 Zoersel to Noordwijk a long hot day.

Got up still bothered by blisters with Tammy in the same boat. After breakfast we started out with our Dutch friends but it became quickly clear it was going to be a slow go and they had a train to catch. So we bid them adieu and soldiered on at our own pace. We passed more beautiful horses and stopped at a horse arena for a refreshment. The horses seem much taller then the US equivalent. We started the morning with a light shower and warm muggy air with haziness looking across the landscape. Very much like a cooler summer morning in the American Midwest. Moving through a wooded area we saw some gigantic intensely fragrant honeysuckle ? As we reached and slowly worked our way around the town of Grobbendonk the heat soared as the sun burned through. At 2 pm and we were famished and thirsty so we dove into the first place we came to which was burgers and fries (the meat was odd -almost like sausage- horse I suspect). We gobbled them down and then continued on crossing another shipping canal and a freeway. Before the trip I had attempted to break up a long segments of walking and estimated we had about 2 hours to go. I was wrong - it took 3.5 more as our feet hurt and we slowed down. I didn't have a handle on the route and at one point flagged down a biker who then conferred with another to direct us on our way. Off course, no GR signs to be seen, exhausted - it wasn't a confidence builder for Tammy who suffered in silence- but clearly suffered. We eventually collapsed into our B&B Het Wouwe which was great. Near the trail, this is  a good walkers lodging with gracious hosts. We obtained a basin and soaked our aching feet in Epsom salts and did blister maintenance . Trashed completely,too sore to go out to eat we made do and dropped off early.

5/19 Brecht to Zoersel on a warm spring day!

We walked out the door into comfortable spring weather. We traced the route through the town of Brecht.Poorly signed and losing our way at one point I thought Tammy was going to have a word with the mayor! We took a shortcut to a bakery and bought some great sweet rolls and water and reconnected at the Albert canal - a big working waterway between Antwerp and Holland. The morning warmed rapidly and we zipped off our pants. Eventually we arrived at a bridge crossing and a patio cafe/bar where I had some beer and Tammy a latte. As we were preparing to leave a couple walked in and a conversation ensued. They had just day hiked up from the the town we were headed for. We got around to discussing their upcoming trip to US as well and finally gave them the blog card.
On we went through the rural countryside. We saw beautiful large horses. As we went along suddenly a car pulled up- it was the couple we met earlier and they invited us to dinner at their home near the hostel where we were eventually staying - of course we said yes! How wonderful! We walked along into the woods where a jogger slowed down to walk with us. The was from Ghent and had been to the US, and was employed in forest management. We had a great discussion but distracted lost the trail. Rescued by the GPS and not the first time either. Eventually we arrived at a huge brick complex which turned out to be the Abbey of Westmalle known for its --yes--beer! We strode down the lane
to reach the cafe packed with tourists. We tried the Trappist dubbel and tripel along with cheese, a chocolate pancake and ice-cream. Yes we were hungry.
We saw another couple coming in and waved them over. They were avid Dutch walkers and were doing the GR5 in chunks. We had a great talk with them and after the beer was gone we walked together to the hostel where they too were staying. They were fast - or we were slow but arrived in no time!
We cleaned up, did some laundry and then our dinner lift arrived. The dad and his son rode over each holding and extra bike! ( How did they do that?) So we biked to our dinner- saw the neighborhood and met our host family. We had a great meal of soup, turkey and gravey with potatoes. For desert their youngest son had made essentially apple cobbler which served with local dairy ice cream was awesome! What a wonderful home-made feast! We talked abut their travel plans too and gave some tips on places they were excited to see. They then returned us to the hostel which finished our long day of new acquaintances.

5/18 Kalmhout to Brecht - crossing the schijtenveld

Greeted by a pleasant morning, our wonderful hosts  and a beautifully laid out breakfast there was no incentive to leave. But we finally gathered our things and walked off to face the day.
We walked or perhaps I should say hobbled off into our 3rd day of walking. Hobbled from a nasty blister on the bottom of my left heel while Tammy had comparable hotspots. The raininess didn't happen and the warm sun with mildly humid air circulated across the Belgian pastoral landscape and the delivered to us the wealth of smells which rivets ones attention the way ripe manure certainly can. Our pace quickened. Finding refuge in some woods we stopped for a breather - a finer appreciation now for that term. Then onwards eventually dropping off the GR to enter the town of Wuustwezel for some lunch. Really I couldn't just pass by a place named Wuustwezel without stopping by. We found tea room and had some beer and sandwiches. Belgium is famous for their beers and neither I nor Tammy are really beer drinkers. But we have been surprised. I have enjoyed one called Hoegaarden while Tammy found one brewed from cherries called Kriek. Rested and fueled we walked on and finally reached our destination, a lodging called Residentie Boshoevejust outside the town of Brecht. Very adequate for our needs.
The wife of our host prepared a delicious home cooked meal of soup, pork chops with potatoes peas carrots with gravy. A nice tiramisu with ice cream for desert .