We slept wonderfully in B&B Sabbajonnear the Lakenhallen in Ypres. Hostess Jo served us a beautiful breakfast so that we are strong for our new day in the city. We have parked our car on the market and I feel that we will not need it soon, because everything is really close to the center. So we also walk to our next activity: De Kazematten brewery.
We find it near the monumental Menin Gate. The girls are impressed. I tell them about the Last Post that is blown every evening at 8 pm, a tribute to all deceased soldiers of World War I. They would like to see it tonight, so we know where to go at the end of the day.
But so first the casemates! Those are a kind of cellars, under the fortresses. On the website of Tourism Ypres I read this: “They served as a military bakery for the garrison of the various armies from around 1680. The spaces were so well protected that they were even able to withstand the modern artillery of the First World War. That is why in October 1914, when the registry of Ypres began, the Kazemats focused the troops and bazemats focused and the bazemats focused and bazemats focused and bases troops and bazemats focused and bazemats, the troops and basins were the troops and bazemats and bazemats. As ‘Mess’ for the officers, commandoste, dressing post and resting place. ”
And now there is a brewery in it. Rudi Ghekiere receives us warmly and immediately immerses us with an introduction film in the history of the casemates. Marie-Lou and Julia are also impressed that they are in a ‘bunker’ where the soldiers used to be stored and ammunition.
It is clear that Rudi has fallen into a kettle of beer, he knows an incredible amount of brewing beer and tells us very passionately about the Wipers Times. That was a newspaper for the British at the front during the war, so that they knew what happened in ‘Ypres’, Wipers pronounced in English.
And now, more than 100 years later, I drink a Wipers Times that Rudi serves me perfectly. To be honest: I prefer to drink wine than beer, but this blonde beer is really tasty. Very soft and refined. And not bitter at all. “That’s the art of brewing beer,” says Rudi. In the brewery we also get to know Koen, De Brouwer. He is busy brewing, and we smell that! The scent of beer brewing is intense.
After the beer brewery we visit the Mergelynck Museum briefly. A beautiful, stately mansion that takes us to the time of the rich nobility. The house is very chic, we walk through the many rooms and different spaces and thanks to the temporary exhibition, we discover how people used to go to the toilet and the intimate zones washed. A bit of a funny subject, but Julia and Marie-Lou explore the GoPro camera and find nice stories. For example, that people used to be dining and that there was a ‘convenience chair’ in the corner of the room, where the guests then did their needs. In the same room as where the others were eating. Very strange idea!
We close the day as promised with the Last Post, but there is so many people that we can only hear the Klaroenblazers. But it is a nice ending to another nice day in Ypres!
Do you want to discover the casemates beer? You can find more info here!
And one You can reserve a visit to the Mergelynck Museum here.