Diest

15 May 2015:  We made it a half-day of hiking today.  We decided that we would stop in Diest (about 10 km from Scherpenheuvel), so that we could relax in the afternoon and explore this attractive city.  We enjoyed lunch at a good Italian restaurant (accompanied, of course, by Belgian beer) and then visited the Begijnhof (béguinage).  We are staying at a comfortable B&B in the center of town that we booked through airbnb.  Our hostess, Marthe, is very friendly and hospitable.  She is the first Flemish  person we have met here in Flanders who prefers to speak French rather than English. 

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Potato plants are growing:

We're starting to see poppies – always a beautiful sight with the green grass:

Tri-color landscape:

Diest:

The entry to the Begijnhof:

Decisions, decisions...

Diest after dark:

Marthe and Mary: