Sint-Truiden and the AGM
It was, of course, the ideal time of year to be visiting Sint-Truiden, which is the centre of the fruit-growing area of Belgium. The apple, pear and cherry trees were coming into blossom and the sun (sometimes!) shone.
Our day began with a visit to Huis Nagels, an amazing house built by Notary Nagels in 1892. He was determined to show off his wealth and did so with an extraordinary mixture of styles, ranging from renaissance to the 19th century, including an Egyptian room – which I’m afraid reminded me strongly of the elephant house at the Antwerp Zoo! The current owners acquired the house in 2002 and have lovingly restored the building room by room as far as the first floor. Their attention to detail and historical accuracy is visible in every aspect.
Our visit to this wonderful house and its enthusiastic owners ended up lasting much longer than planned, so the walk through the town had to be brief, with a knowledgeable commentary by Peter Dufaux, as we hurried to the venue for the AGM in the Speelhof restaurant.
Lunch (in the same restaurant) was a generous portion of meat, with one drink and coffee.
After lunch we got into our cars for a short drive to the Gloire de Duras winery, where we had an interesting description of the work involved in setting up this relatively new enterprise and of the process of making wine. Unfortunately, having been reasonable in the morning, the weather deteriorated and the rain prevented us from visiting the vines themselves.
Altogether a great day, with varied visits and good company. Many thanks to Peter Dufaux and Emile Debacker for organising the event, which I gather had some moments of panic due to last-minute glitches, which we as participants did not notice!
Margaret du Maine
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Heather and I both really enjoyed our day out in St Truiden on Saturday.
Fascinating house and very enjoyable city walks. I’d love to know more about the Sikh community, which is obviously an important part of the community. In my many trips to India we really enjoyed meeting them on, so to speak, home ground.
Hope the wine growing industry prospers.
Best wishes from Nick Fern & Heather Charlton