Writer: Anna Nilsson Spets
In Belgium, the country where I have lived for almost 16 years, the country is divided into ten provinces. I live on the border between two; Antwerp and Limburg.
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Limburg has a lot to offer, both for me as a resident but also for those who want to discover Belgium off the beaten track.
In spring, of course, we visit orchards to see the amazing blossom.
Limburg is famous for its apple and pear orchards. Lined up like proud soldiers, the trees are full of white-pink blossoms, it really is like something out of an Astrid Lindgren book.
April is the big flowering month, when exactly is hard to predict, but the Limburg Tourist Information Centre has an up-to-date flowering calendar. If you travel in the area after dark, you may see small fires in the orchards; on cold nights the buds must be protected.
The best way to get around between the orchards is of course by bike, there are many nice cycle paths. Terrace weather, which we call good weather, invites you to have a good beer at a café along the way.
One of the biggest tourist magnets in Limburg is the transparent church, a work of art located outside Borgloon.
The artwork is named Reading between the lines It is built from 30 tonnes of steel plates and aims to provide different experiences of the surrounding landscape by looking through the church walls. The church itself is only 10 metres long and is a short walk from the designated parking spaces.
The city of Hasselt, the provincial capital, is famous for two things: Spekulaas (a cake similar to gingerbread) and Genever, the spirit drink.
Genever from Hasselt is so well known that it has been given its own museum. The museum is located in what we call a begijnhof, a walled area where women in the service of the church lived.
These buildings date back to the 18th century, and in one of the narrow streets is the old Genever distillery, now a museum.
There are large collections of liquor curios, ranging from photos and films to bottles and old machines.
It follows a route that starts with the mashing process (rye, yeast and maize), then proceeds through the heating, distilling and cooling process.
This is followed by the addition of various flavourings, which is the beauty of the crow song.
All genever producers have their own secret spices, but the most important is juniper.
Junipers don't grow wild here anymore, the berries are imported from the Balkans. Other commonly used spices are wormwood, coriander, cumin and St John's wort.
We learn a lot about prohibition, illegal production and smuggling. There's a whole science to genever, with different names depending on age, flavour and province.
The tour ends ... in the bar where you are offered a borrel, ie a small 4 cl glass with a sip of genever. Lots of varieties are available to try or buy to take home, we tried the non-alcoholic one that tasted fresh of lemon.
A very educational visit to the historic city of Hasselt.
Follow Anna here:
Anna Nilsson Spets
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BP says:
Just think, I've learnt something again. I didn't realise there was a Limburg in Belgium too. I knew about Limburg in Holland, which is famous for its bad-smelling but tasty cheese, but not Limburg in Belgium. I have actually eaten Spekulaas at a Christmas market. Quite okay "gingerbread", and genever I have tried once in Brussels actually, but that was the first and last time. But as you write, if there are so many different varieties/mixtures, then maybe I was unlucky.
If you live in Flanders, do you speak Flemish? I understand that there is a certain "rivalry" between Flemish and Walloons, and that Walloons are considered "nicer" because they speak French. Have you experienced a schism there?
25 March 2025 - 19:04
Anna Nilsson Spets says:
Yes, you are right, Limburg is in both countries. I'm not too keen on Jenever either, but Elixir is very good.
Of course there are schisms, in the French-speaking parts they speak nothing but French, the rivalry is even at government level, who should decide where and how. I speak Flemish, with lots of grammatical errors.
Enjoy yourselves.
25 March 2025 - 19:15