Abbaye d'Orval

I recently came back from an amazing honeymoon and it inspired all sorts of ideas for travel blog entries. I figured I would start with one of the most beautiful sights on our trip. While planning our trip, there was no question that we would be visiting all 6 Trappist breweries in Belgium. The first one we visited (and my favorite) was the Orval Abbey, or the Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval.

 See what I mean? The photos don't even do it justice. This monastery was constructed between 1926 and 1948. After reading in our trusty guidebooks, we learned that we would not get to visit any of the actual breweries. Most monasteries don't even let you step inside, except to attend services. Orval was different, because the new monastery was built next to the ruins of the old one, and the ruins are open to the public.

       The old monastery was destroyed by fire in 1252. We easily spent hours here, looking at the ruins and touring the small brewery museum as well as another museum chock full of artifacts located in a cave.

 

It was amazing how much was still standing after all these years. This was the chapter room where the monks would hold daily meetings. After spending hours at the ruins and the gift shop, it was time to sample the beer. Down the street from the abbey was a hostellerie that served the lovely Orval beer. Words cannot express how beautiful the surrounding area is. I could not stop taking photos at everything around me. 

Breathtaking. 

What a way to finish the Orval tour. You get to sample the beer. I love that they served celery salt with the cheese. I never would have put that combination together, but it worked with the cheese and the beer. Heaven in my mouth. For those of you not in the know, Orval has a unique flavor. It has been described as having a complex aroma of leather, spices and other earthy components. We also realized the difference in the taste from having had the beer in the U.S. By the time we drink it at home, it is usually at least a year old. The beer we had here was around 6 months old. If you have ever had Orval, you might have noticed the label: a fish with a ring in its mouth. There is an interesting story behind this: A widowed woman named Mathilde was visiting the site when she lost her wedding ring in the spring. As she was kneeling and praying for the return of her ring, a trout jumped out of the spring with her ring in its mouth. She exclaimed, "Truly this place is a Val d'Or (Golden Valley)," which is where Orval got its name. She also supposedly funded the construction of the original monastery. Whether it's true or not, it still makes for a good story...and a great beer.