Sint-Jan-de-Doperkerk (Saint John the Baptist Church) is situated within the Groot Begijnhof.

The construction of the current Early Gothic church was started in  1305 and was completed between 1421 and 1468. The Saint John the Baptist Church is built in the local Rural Gothic style of Leuven but also has several Roman chatacteristics, such as heavy buttresses, small upper windows and a terraced tower. The lack of spires is reminiscent of the mendicant orders and the convents. During recent restorations, numerous frescoes from the 14th, 15th and 17th centuries were uncovered.*

As I wandered around the cobbled streets of the Begijnhof I found the sound of the carillon’s bells quite charming and delightful.

*From the Out and About in Leuven walking guide

We had another lazy start to the day and after breakfast we decided not to venture into the garden just in case we got locked in again. Instead Mr C decided to walk me to the Botanical Gardens so I could enjoy them whilst he made his way to the station to buy train tickets to Waterloo for the following day. After quite a long walk which he was directing, I said ‘Are you sure we are going in the right direction?’ I thought the garden was not far from the hotel.

During the walk we came across the lovely and peaceful church of St Anthony with the tomb of Saint Damien of Molokai in the crypt below. We also walked past Saint Michael’s Church which is considered to be the main Jesuit church in Belgium. Eventually we got back on track and found the Botanical Gardens (not far from the hotel) which I found to be an oasis of calm contrasting with the hustle and bustle of the city.

When Mr C returned from the station with the appropriate train tickets I showed him round the garden before we went to find a cafe for lunch. After eating we walked to the Small Beguinage which was once housing for Nuns but now after restoration had become homes to private individuals. Unfortunately St Gertrude’s Abbey which is situated next to the Beguinage is only open at weekends so we did not have the opportunity to see inside. We made our way back to the hotel along the River Dijl and stopped off at the Dijl terrace which is a stepped seating area. We noticed an unusual lady who appeared to be sunbathing!

Once back at the hotel we were disturbed by Mr C’s mobile phone. The interruption turned out to be an annoying and disappointing phone call. Once again I got the urge to throw the mobile phone into a nearby waterway!

After freshening up we made our way to the restaurant of choice for the evening where I chose salmon, potato and salad for my main course. For dessert we shared an intriguing sounding dish of strawberry soup,basil ice cream and tiramisu cream. It was delicious!  We then made our way back to the hotel for a nightcap before retiring to our room for the night.

Jacques Francquart and Pieter Husseyns designed this imposing baroque church (1629 – 1647), which reflects the one-time wealth of the Large Beguinage.  The paintings feature several female saints, evidence of the devotion of the beguines.*

*From the signboard in front of the church.

Mechelen is a city of many historic churches, eight are promoted as places worthy a visit. We each picked a church of our wish list, for Mr C it was Church of our Lady Hanswidj and for me it was Beguinage Church and between us we decided to include Church of Our Lady Across the Dyle.

After breakfast our first port of call was Church of our Lady Hanswidj.  From the outside it doesn’t look much because it is surrounded by buildings.   The inside is spectacular  and we felt blessed that we were able to visit.  The church is closing for restoration at the beginning of April.  It will be closed for four years!

We then strolled through the botanic garden and saw the church from the other side.  We gradually made our way back to the town so that we could visit a chocolate shop to buy some gifts.

The lady in the chocolate shop was very helpful and she guided us through the differences between the boxes and chocolates within them.  All the boxes looked beautiful but the ones described as gift boxes held less chocolates.  She also helped us to choose a bespoke box of chocolates for someone who has nut allergies.

She asked how long we were staying and if we had seen the carnival which she explained was a local custom (mainly for the children).  She then went on to tell us about an excellent magazine (just published) that covered the places of interest and the history of Mechelen.  She regretted not being able to give us a copy because they had all been taken during the carnival.  She showed us her copy and it was the magazine I had picked up from the toy museum the previous day.

After dropping the chocolates off at the hotel we had lunch and then walked to the Beguinage church.  It is currently covered with scaffolding and not very inviting from the outside but inside it is full of amazing artworks and treasures.  As in the previous church the custodian was very proud of the church and keen to explain a few features in English. The literature only comes in Dutch (Flemish) and French.  We got by with the French version.  In both cases they were pleased to see us, they don’t get many English (British) visitors.

We then visited Church of Our Lady Across the Dyle.  We picked up a French leaflet to guide us round the church and I asked the custodian (who didn’t speak much English) if it was alright to take photographs.  He said yes and then rushed me across the whole length of the church at great speed.  I wondered where he was taking me…  A nice view perhaps? No… he took me to a place where I should not use flash and then he indicated that flash photography was allowable everywhere else.  For various reasons I never use flash for my photographs in churches and cathedrals.

We then made our way back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner, visiting a book shop along the way.  When I was back at the hotel I packed my case ready for departure the following morning. As I left the hotel for my evening meal a small bear hitched a ride in my bag…

After our evening meal we had the obligatory nightcap before retiring to bed.