Het Anker brewery enjoys world fame for its’ ‘Gouden Carolus’ or Golden Charles beer. Founded in 1369, Het Anker is one of Belgium’s oldest breweries. The three copper brew kettles in the brew room date from after the Second World War. Jan uit den Anker started the brewery in 1369. Later on his son Matthijs bought up the municipal brewery and started brewing the amber-coloured ‘Mechelschen Bruynen’, which was popular with both the bourgeoisie and the nobility. The beer was also to Charles V’s taste and now, six centuries on, ‘den Bruynen’ is still brewed.  These days it is called ‘Goulen Carolus Ambrio’ and is slightly stronger than its predecessor.*

*From Hotelmagazine 2014-2015 Welcome in Mechelen

After a good nights sleep we ventured downstairs for breakfast. The breakfast room is quite stunning. It is situated in what was the choir of the church.

The breakfast buffet was one of the best I have ever seen. There was a decadent option of having a glass of Cava to put you in the mood for the day ahead. I chose not to indulge so early in the morning After the refreshing breakfast we ventured into to town to find the tourist information office. We failed and as it was raining we moved onto plan B.

We visited St Rumbold’s Cathedral with its wonderful architecture, artworks and stained glass windows. I found it a little sad to see that parts of it are crumbling and in need of a little TLC.

When we left the Cathedral the rain had stopped so we went for a stroll to find the Beguinages. We managed to miss the Beguinages too and ended up by the kazern Dossin museum and military barracks where Jews were held awaiting deportation during WW2. The museum was excellent and thought provoking. It invited the visitor to ask questions and look for answers.

After our visit to the museum we strolled back in the direction of the hotel and we managed to find the Beguinages that were being illusive earlier in the day. The Beguinage Church was shrouded in scaffolding rather spoiling the ambiance. Several other buildings in the city (including the Cathedral) are also currently subjected to portions of scaffolding.

After exploring the Beguinages we made our way back to the hotel to freshen up before venturing back out into the city for another excellent dinner. Our journey took us past the brewery.

After dinner we retired to the hotel for nightcap in the hotel bar.