Thursday, 3 October to Monday 7 October 2024
We left the ship after breakfast and had a short walk to the train station for the trip to Leuven. Amsterdam has a fantastic biking culture as evidenced by this underwater bike parking garage near the train station with room for 4 thousand bikes!
The train ride was very comfortable, 3 hours with a transfer at Mechelen.
We arrived in Leuven to discover set up for the weekend’s Gravel World Championships well underway. The finish line was next to the station and trade displays were already taking shape at the fan zone near the presentation podium in the centre of town. As we walked to our accommodation, we were impressed with the beautiful old buildings in the centre square.
Our accommodation was the beautiful Martin’s Klooster a short walk from the centre of town. Built in the 16th century, the building has a rich history including as both a convent and a hospital for knights.
After getting the washing done it was time to explore this university town. First up was a visit to the botanical gardens started by the university in 1738 for medical purposes.
Next was a guided tour of the town hall. Built between 1439 and 1469, it is famous for its ornate Gothic architecture, crafted in lace-like detail. We were lucky to enjoy the informative tour as the building was to be closed for major renovations in November.
In the afternoon we decided it was time for a bit of culture with a visit to the M Leuven Art Museum.
On Saturday morning we decided to climb the 74m bell tower in the Central Library of KU Leuven. The university was founded in 1425 and is the oldest in Belgium. The library had an audio tour that gave us a great understanding of the history of this beautiful building.
There were 289 stairs to the top balcony with beautiful photo exhibitions at each level to let you catch your breath!
The library was destroyed in the first world war with the loss of 300,000 books. The rebuilding was completed in 1928 after donations from around the world but especially the USA. Unfortunately this building was also destroyed in the second world war with the loss of 900,000 books. Repairs started as soon as Belgium was liberated in 1944 and resulted in a new building modelled after the old one (again with significant donations from the USA).
In the afternoon we found a good vantage point to watch the Gravel Worlds. The event was bigger than we expected with 2613 riders from 49 countries on the start line – 253 in the Elite Men’s category, 109 in the Elite Women’s and 2 in the Over 80’s Men’s category!
The elite Women’s event was won by the Netherlands Marianne Vos in a sprint finish with Belgian Lotte Kopecky, two of the biggest names in women’s cycling.
Sunday morning we walked out to Arenberg Castle and park. Built in the 16th century, it was extensively renovated in neo-gothic style in the 19th century. In 1916 the Duke of Arenberg donated the park and castle to the university where it is the science and technology campus.
In the afternoon, it was a Dutch double when the Men’s event was won by Mathieu van der Poel, with Belgian riders second and third.
Highlight for us was seeing our favourite GCN presenter (Si Richardson) competing in the Men’s 40-44 years category.
Our short stay in Leuven was fantastic – great walks, buildings, history and excitement.