DIAMOND MUSEUM in Nijlen & ABBEY of Tongerlo DAY TRIP with Okra Groot-Bijgaarden

At 7:45 AM we will meet on the Gossetlaan near Brisk (Ex Rest. Michel) Departure: 8:00 AM We drive towards Lier for the breakfast stop: coffee with a pastry. After breakfast, we will visit the diamond museum of Nijlen. The diamond industry was of great economic importance to our region in the past century. De Kempen was known for its cutter villages. Het Kempens Diamantcentrum with the protected diamond polishing workshop Lieckens sheds a beautiful light on this craft. The collection was largely created as a result of the “Schitterend Geslepen” project, a collaboration between the municipalities of Nijlen and Grobbendonk. Afternoon lunch menu: appetizer – main course – dessert (seasonal) After lunch, we drive further towards the Abdij van Tongerlo for a guided visit. Anyone who enters the beautiful courtyard of the abbey, passing under the late-Romanesque and Gothic gatehouse, immediately gets an overview of the most important buildings in various architectural styles. The guides will welcome us at the gatehouse. They will take us on a 90-minute tour of the courtyard, the abbey church, and the Tithe Barn. (The tithe barn in the Abdij van Tongerlo is a historic granary from 1618 that stands centrally in the courtyard. Originally it was used to store the 'tithe' (a medieval tax in kind). Today it serves as a reception center and museum. A real must-see in the Kempen is without a doubt the Norbertijnenabdij van Tongerlo. Included in the price: the coach trip, breakfast, the visit to the diamond center of Nijlen, the three-course lunch menu, and the visit to the abbey of Tongerlo with a guide. Participants other than Okra members of Groot Bijgaarden pay: 79 euros. Payment by bank can be made until August 17, 2026, to account BE30 0637 6175 8011 REIZEN Okra Groot-Bijgaarden. (with refund on the bus according to the number of participants) Refund 5 € if we are 30, Refund 9 € if we are 35, Refund 12 € if we are 40, Refund 13 € if we are 45. Info: Max 50 participants