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Park the car in Dendermonde at junction 91, right on the bank of the Scheldt. Dendermonde is world famous as the Ros Carillon City with a history going back to the 15th century. Once every 10 years, the steed with the four heemschildren on its back travels through the streets of the city. When you are ready, the adventure can begin and you climb on your own steel steed. You keep the river on your left and in one of the meanders you suddenly find yourself in a wonderfully quiet green oasis. It is the Vlassenbroek polder also called Baasrode Broek. The quiet artists' village of Vlassenbroek is located in this diked area. The Romanesque-Gothic church, the Scheldt dike, the art galleries and the terraces are popular with many passers-by. Characteristics of this piece of polder and trousers are the inner and outer dike areas with many creeks and ditches, meadows lined with Canada poplars, unique freshwater marshes with reed beds and willow thickets, and the former marsh area also known as wheels. Due to the diversity of structure and biotopes you will also encounter different animals. Typical bird species in this nature reserve are the Reed Warbler, Wood Warbler and also the rarer Bluethroat and Reed Bunting. If you listen carefully, you will hear the call of the cuckoo and if you really go deeper into the polder, you can also observe a kingfisher or a blue heron that skims above the treetops. The rare Oriole and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker are also found in the polder. Dendermonde has a beautiful market square in the center, but also worth seeing is the St. Peter & Paul Abbey, which you can cycle past. The original Capuchin monastery from 1625 was re-established as a Benedictine abbey after the First World War. In 1939, the church of St. Peter and Paul Abbey was elevated to the status of basilica. The abbey is only open to the public on Whit Monday. The liturgical center of the Benedictines can be visited all year round.