Orval Abbey

On September 2nd I traveled with a group of Miami students to the Orval Abbey, a catholic abbey in Belgium. I  could not stop singing "The Sound of Music."

It only looked modest from the outside. Once you got past the main gate the abbey transformed into a huge, well manicured courtyard. It was very impressive, but not very humble for monks oddly enough.

Anyways, as the tour continued we were brought to a small spring. Legend has it that the Queen dropped her wedding ring into the well on accident. She went to the church to pray for a miracle, and when she returned a fish jumped out of the water, the ring in its mouth. The well was then dubbed sacred and is now the water supply used to make the beer.

The abbey is from the medieval times, with the ruins of the first abbey crumbling near the newer abbey. The old abbey was destroyed in the French Revolution, when the French peasants thought the abbey was hiding an important official. It actually wasn't, but it was destroyed nonetheless.

After getting to see all the cool ruins of the abbey, we were taken through the beer museum. The monks brew beer as a way to make money, and all of us were given a bottle of free beer. Be jealous.

Wellenstein Winery

The last stop of the day (8/27) was the Wellenstein Winery in Luxembourg. The winery is located in a valley shared by Germany, France, and Luxembourg. The whole valley is covered in vineyards and is one of the most scenic parts of Luxembourg. The style of the buildings changes instantly as you cross the border into France or Germany.

Such an awesome view! :D

 After our lovely photo stop, we arrived at the winery and was given a tour of the facility. It was really interesting and the whole place smelled of wine!

Here is a few of the machines used in the brewing process.

At the end of the tour we were taken to the tasting room. All of us got to sample four types of wine brewed in the area. It was extremely delicious and I enjoyed every sip! The pinot gris was a little strong for me, my hands-down favorite was the grand premier cru.

 This is the cremant. It was my favorite!

After the winery we headed to a fun fair in Luxembourg City, where the bus didn't pick us up and we were 2 1/2 hours late to get home. Fun times...