There is barely five kilometers between Hoegaarden and Tienen. A quick bike ride, but that would be a shame because the landscape in this part of the Hageland is stunning. With vast fields, deep hollow roads, rich nature spots and - around mid-April - seas of budding fruit blossoms. So take your time and make a detour with the Beer and Beet Route.
Tax-free white beer
You can't miss your starting point: you can see the white tower of Hoegaarden's St. Gorgonius Church from afar. It is the largest and most beautiful rococo church in the country! Want to explore the village? Let yourself be guided by a Hoegaard Greeter; just like in New York, locals love to show you around. They know the region's stories and that involves a remarkable amount of beer. At the time, Hoegaarden was a Liege enclave in the Duchy of Brabant, beer brewers did not have to pay taxes as a result. The brewing business flourished and the Hoegaard white beer is still world famous today.
Orchids and palloxes
Through deep hollow roads you pedal to the village of Nerm and the Rosdel nature reserve, known for the rare wild orchids in the limestone grasslands. In June they all bloom. Beyond Meldert - another charming village - the blossoms gradually take over. The best view is atop the Pallox tower, inspired by overgrown fruit boxes - "palloxes. Smell the fragrance of those millions of delicate blossom blossoms. Pink blossoms become blushing apples, white blossoms elegant pears.
The Romans
As you pass under the E40, another bizarre structure pops up among the fields. The landmark Hypocaustum, a Roman heating system with typical wall and floor heating, stands on the site where archaeologists found a Roman bathhouse. That belonged to a villa-rustica, an agricultural farm some 2,000 years old. Could they have been growing sugar beets even then?
Do you see the two towers in the distance? Tienen announces itself. The tallest tower is that of the gothic pilgrimage site the Our Lady of the Pool Church built in 1358. In the "grotteke" at the side of the church you can see the miraculous statue. A small place of silence in the city. Just like the ruins of the beguinage church. The remains of the walls now enclose a subdued walking park. And nearby, between the houses, you bump into three striking little mounds or tumuli. Not play mounds, but a tomb of a certain Marcus Probius Burrus, a Roman resident from the 1st or 2nd century.
At a gallop
Houses thin out and, along with the village of Hakendover, the blossoms are there again. Peaceful, but that is a little different on Easter Monday when hundreds of horsemen gallop with their horses around Tiense Berg. The horse procession is a spectacular tradition that attracts thousands of spectators each year. But now silence reigns as we bulldoze through villages such as Overhespen, Wange, Laar, Goetsenhoven and Outgaarden. Until the white tower of St. Gorgonius Church appears on the horizon.