Mechelen 'Meh'

Although Mechelen is sometimes overlooked, it is definitely not a boring city. It is a compact, historic Flemish gem featuring an atmospheric medieval center, the iconic St. Rumbold's Cathedral, cozy terraces and plenty of cultural events. Whether the city can turn your "meh" feeling around depends entirely on what you are looking for. I gave it a chance and found a few surprising spots and experiences which I'm definitely promoting to my future visitors.

Historic walks; Stroll through the entire city with a digital map with points of interests ( Download the Mechelen App or the paper versions are available at the Tourist office in town or at your hotel ). And if you are like me, afraid to miss out.. follow through from points 1 to 45. Or do the Femish Masters-Rubens-chase. Seven churches, important landmarks and stately homes signify the importance of this city during its heydays. And yes, lots of instagrammable spots too.

Food and Drinks: Plethora of coffee shops and restaurants, one just don't know where to start. In this blog i will signal the two must try and the one to miss. Accomodation: I will single out my favourite B & B and also advise the plus and minus of a downtown location. Curious about what's happening today and in the near future? Check out the Cultural Center, Tourist Information Office or via the Mechelen Feest. So you really can turn that "meh" into a great experience! Recommendations:

SuPe is a cozy bistro, located on the corner of Bruul (shopping street) and the Grote Markt, serving simple and unpretentious home-cooked German food. What I like about their food is the care and attention to details. Finely chopped shallots are not omitted from the cucumber and tomato salad .. where many establishments would not bother to add. I liked the extra lashings of caramalised onions on the braised Bratwurst and the out-of-this world creamy potato salad,a recipe of the German owner's granny. A perfect sweet ending was two generous scoops of luscious rasberry and gooseberry sorbet. Address: SuPe, Bruul 1, Mechelen

A visit to Het Anker (The Anchor), a working brewery and distillery that has been crafting the finest beers and whiskies for more than five generations. Here, you can join a guided tour of the brewery, try their Gouden Carolus blond beer, check out their restaurant or book a stay. Out of curiousity, I tried the beer infused pancakes and concluded that I will switch to adding beer instead of milk for my next home-made pancakes. The Flemish beef stew cooked in dark beer, a popular favorite of Belgians accompanied by crispy hand-cut fries is definitely a topper. Address: Het Anker, Guido Gezellelaan 49, Mechelen.

Beirut Palace is a Lebanese restaurant, close to the Mechelen train station. Lured by the 4.6 rating readers gave and the pictures on their website, i thought to give it a try. TBH, i've had better Lebanese food. Therefore, I would have given a 3.5 rating instead. The falafel was dry and the Kafta Khishkhash which is grilled minced lamb brochettes, in a thick spicy tomato sauce with pine nuts did not make the mark. Instead, this dish tasted like a singular, flat block of flavor without any high or low notes!

Porta Superia Boutique B&B is classified as a heritage accomodation because of its Art Deco building. Situated about 400 meters from Mechelen train station, it is easily accessible on foot. Each spacious room has its own unique theme, named after someone famous. Here, I praised the owner's attention to detail, cleanliness (freshly laundered cushion covers, cotton white bed linens and plush towels ) and quality fixtures like the bathroom shower. The Nespresso machine, loose tea leaves along with their mesh envelopes added to the gentrified feeling. The bath products were so good that I made a standing order of the same and more! I chose to be close to the train station because I wanted the convenience of walking to and from the station. However, that meant 20 minutes of walking everyday to the heart of the city. Of course, I could choose a hotel right in the city centre and just make two trips to and from the train station.

Finally the shopping which is small in comparison to bigger cities like Antwerp, but it had its own Oliver outlet store, RainPharma store plus three fruit and nut grocers which drove me nuts! I came back with bags of roasted cashews, walnuts and succulent fresh Moroccan figs.

I am sure there are many more experiences to be uncovered and what impressed me is that the city folks are of mixed enthicity and everyone is very helpful. I can recount several instances, but that would take another blog!