This morning we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the hotel and then we each went our separate ways. Wim wanted to do some shopping in the many fashionable shops that Hasselt has. I wanted to visit the fashion museum.
The fashion museum is a ‘must see’ in Belgium, so this one has definitively been on my list for a while. The current exhibition was about streetwear. Designers like Kim Jones and Virgil Ablog have successfully introduced the language of streetwear into luxury fashion. And Dirk Bikkembergs is still a fantastic designer. Who could have imagined that men as well as women would wear leggings and still look fashionable?
After that overdose of fashion, I went for a healthy smoothie in the new neighbourhood of Hasselt. The ‘Quartier Blue’. This is a new district on the lively ‘Blauwe Boulevard’. The terraces along the quay, the attractive promenade and the colourful marina radiate a relaxed holiday feeling. Just what I needed 🙂
Next stop on our trip was Herkenrode abbey. It was the first Cistercian abbey of the Low Countries and turned into an important pilgrimage place. This used to be a monastery of Cistercian nuns located in Kuringen, part of the municipality of Hasselt. The historical buildings have been restored, you can enjoy aromatic scents at the ‘herb and inspiration’ garden and buy some delicious abbey products.
Next to the abbey are the lavender fields. It is actually more of a mix between a small farm or a large garden instead of lavender fields. But the aroma of walking between the plantation is blissful. Afterwards we enjoyed a home-made lavender ice cream and continued our journey to Antwerp.
After a nice stroll in Wim’s neighbourhood and a delicious dinner, our Belgium roadtrip came to an end. The most important thing is that we enjoyed it, even if the weather did not always cooperate. But we made some new and awesome memories.
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