Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 24 - In Huldenberg

This blog continues the previous Part 23,
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_16.html

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

     

   After taking pictures of the statues of bike riders beside the road I turned around and crossed the street to walk into the town of Huldenberg. Before I reached the town I came across a sign showing the direction to the 'Kasteel von Huldenberg' or Castle of Huldenberg. 

   In the Middle ages a castle was standing at the same place as a square with corner towers and surrounded by a fenced wall with watch towers and surrounded by wide canals. Between 1811-1819 the castle was demolished and a new ones built. In 1848 this new castle burned down and was rebuilt in neoclassical style (wikipedia).

'Kasteel von Huldenberg' or Castle of Huldenberg.

 I followed the main road into the Huldenberg with not even 10.000 citizen a good sized Belgian country town. There is one road crossing with this main road I walked on; turning left it would wind up a hill and turning right the road will lead me to Ottenburg, my next destination.

   The whole town is built around round the cross of these two roads. On a mountain overlooking and hopefully protecting Huldenberg sits the Cathonic Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Kerk (Our Dear Lady Church) which was built on the site of an earlier Roman church from the 13th century. The top floor of the tower was built in the 15th century. On the tower is a clock, the dial has Roman numerals with golden letters and dates back to 1764.

Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Kerk (Our Dear Lady Church)

   After shooting the photo I followed the road sign direction Ottenburg. I crossed an empty market place right beside a very small town hall. 

   I also crossed a small river and discovered a supermarket on the left side. There I bought some food and drinks but more importantly enjoyed the luxury of air condition cooling me down because the weather got very hot around noon. I stocked up my supplies in my bags and filled up my drink supply in one stainless steel thermos bottle and took an original French water in a 1.5 liter bottle.

   I continued my trip and stumbled upon a road map beside the road. As a precaution I took a picture of it in case I got lost. All road in Belgium are marked with numbers and if there would be something weird or strange in the numbering I could return back to familiar grounds.

Free Road Map beside the Road

   Not far away from this map I came to a steep hill, as the name Huldenberg itself suggests. The Dutch 'berg' is the same in German and means 'hill'. Some local Belgium bike races include this that same hill. Compared to mountainous Taiwan is seems small and short but for the rather flat Belgium countryside this is rather a steep one.
   Nearly conquering the mountain I discovered a park bench right beside a telephone booth and as it was empty I took it into my possession. The day passed already noon and I've decided to unpacked my food from the supermarket and started to eat. The bench was under a tree which gave me some shadow during my whole lunch. I opened even the laces of my trekking shoes as a sign of relaxing ...

   Eating simple food in an unknown place is an indispensable part of my way to travel, or, as Confucius said:

"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."

   Just sitting there, with fresh food to enjoy with all the time in my hand, drink whatever I wanted, a nice view with a beautiful sunshine - I just felt thankful and glad; that's how travel should and can be done...

(to be continued@

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/10/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in.html)

Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! 
If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel

Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 23 - Leaving Tervuren

This blog continues the previous Part 22,
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_12.html

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

     

   Enjoying the companionship with Rene felt like being with an old friend sharing the good things in life and having a good time. He did not hold back to share his experiences, gave me a lot of advice and I felt that he wanted to help this foreigner as much as he could even we knew only for a few minutes. 

My friend Rene in his Wineyard

   At around 9:00 his wife, a late riser as Rene joked, joined us. I have to admit that her English was much better than Rene's... She helped him to find their hiking maps and Rene was surprised that I did not have any on me. So he opened several maps on the breakfast table and showed me a nice trekking trail to the city of Wavre, the next big city on my way. I took some picture but mainly noted the names of the towns and the numbers of the trekking routes in my small red notebook (no, not Mao's Bible!).

   As I had to leave Rene and his lovely wife made me some sandwiches and crashed some walnuts which he put in a beautiful real waxed paper bag for 'the road'! These few hours were a great experience and restored my faith in the human nature. But I also felt a little uncomfortable because I mostly received but could not give a lot in return.

   Finally I hugged both of them, thanked again and went with my messenger bag, the sports bag on rolls and with a heavy heart on my way...

   As mentioned before Belgium has a nice system of road numbers marking each trail with a number which is clearly shown on the right side of the road. When you know the number you surely find the 'right' way to your destination.

Route Numbers for Cyclists and Pedestrians

    After leaving Rene I headed for the linden tree which gave me shelter during the last night. After greeting my 'old friend' the tree for the last time I followed country roads crossing some hilly terrain with fields as far as my eyes could see. I am not a country boy and therefore can only imagine how much work and effort goes into these fields insuring ample food supplies not only for Belgium but also for the whole European Union and their products are even exported into the world. 

   It felt great walking after meeting great people, sharing a good breakfast and travel with a ton of advice through this landscape crossing smooth hills. There were no cars and only occasionally few bikers. Pulling my bag I sensed a kind of freedom and was very curious what would happen after the next corner.

   After a while I've decided to put on my sun glasses because the sun burned on me and the fields around. I was glad that I wore a long sleeved shirt; I always trek in long pants. For my neck I had a round cloth which could also function as a headpiece, on my head I wore a bright yellow cap for others to see. All this equipment has on this day only one function: to protect me from the sun! Nothing would be more painful than a sunburn during holidays.

Biker passing my Sports Bag on Wheels with the Messenger Bag attached on its Handle

   Sometimes the design of the country road separates the motorways from the bikers and pedestrians. For me this shows how much blood, sweat and tears the various Belgian governments invest into their country for the people to enjoy...

   Belgium is not a big country, on one side you feel a sense of freedom but on the other side you are never too far away from the next town. Following a path downhill I finally left the countryside and came to the main road; turning left will lead me to the city of Huldenberg.

   Not far away from this intersection I noticed a statue of several colored race bikers beside the road. Belgium is a country not only famous for but even more crazy for cycling and this is clearly shown here.

Racing Bike Statue near Huldenberg

   The reason why these riders are here because the town of Huldenberg (berg = mountain) is part of many Belgian bike races. There is a steep mountain climb in this predominant flat country.

(to be continued@

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_25.html)

Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! 
If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel

Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 22 - In Tervuren (2)

This blog continues the previous Part 21,
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_9.html

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

     

"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."

Mother Teresa 

   The advantage of traveling in Belgium in that the summer have long days. The sun rises around 6:00 o'clock in the morning and sets after 9:30 in the evening. There is plenty of time to be active during these long hours, a big plus in Europe.   

   At around 5:30 in the morning I woke up, I know it was much too early. But opening the zippers of my small tent I noticed a very beautiful sunrise in the progress to start. There was no way to get back in my sleeping bag. My resting heart rate jumped up immediately, I had to take my camera and the tripod to record the rising of the sun after my first night in mother’s nature. 

Room with a View

   
   With my equipment I jumped around like crazy, tried different views, different angles and different programs on my new camera. Compared to my older it has a flip-up screen, a big advantage for low angle shots and even selfies, which I am not very fond of.

   For me the most important equipment beside the camera is the tripod, I can use a low ISO with a long shutter time without worrying about blurs. Mine is 746 g light and only 36 cm long folded (incl. the ball head). For a light camera like mine it is sufficient and I enjoy the handling of the tripod. I bought it around 10 years ago, some chipping of the color shows that it had extensive use. It was made by a Japanese company in Thailand; their slogan is, with a hind to its competitors, 'the most copied tripod line in the world!' 

Morning has broken, like the first Morning…

   I've spend around 1 hour being a child with the simple pleasure of soaking up the  magic of this morning; I still could be running around if my stomach would not call louder by every minute. 

   I walked back to my tent and pulled my luggage with yesterday's food out of it. In this moment the benches and the table became hand even some flies tried to get before me at the food. While I was enjoying my breakfast and elder gentlemen rode slowly along the road with his bike and stopped. I looked at him and he asked in broken English: 

"Do you have breakfast."

"Yes, I do..." I answered.

"Would you like to join me for breakfast in my house? I live along the road."

A little surprised I asked: "Which is the number of your house?"

He answered with a smile: "You will find it!" and slowly he rode away.
   I did not know what to make of it but, of course, I was curious. It was already after 7:00 and I had to tear down my tent and pack all of my stuff into the sports bag or 'home' on wheels anyway. I left for the town of Duisburg but on the last corner I turned back to the linden tree and said farewell because it was so kind to give me a rest for the night.

And all I see is just a Linden Tree..'Thank You!'

   I followed the main road into Duisburg and noticed a grapevine beside the road. Even one of the most famous Belgian products is a sweet non-alcoholic products which is named 'champagne' in Taiwan I did not see growing grapes so I took a photo. Just when I was finished the elder gentlemen came from the back of his house and invited me to come in.

   My luggage got pulled up a small hill and we arrived at the backyard of the landlord who introduced himself as Rene. He prepared already a nice table with a cloth, on it everything a trekker's heart desires. 

My Host Rene, a kind Trekker himself who invited me for Breakfast in his Back Garden

   Rene is a retired but a very active person. He asked me if I want coffee, gave me a plate with the silverware, cut thick pieces from his bread, offered me sausage and cheese from the French Dordogne region which he bought on a weekend farmer's market nearby. As I cut a small piece from his delicious cheese he encouraged me to cut a thicker piece to truly 'taste' the French flavor.

   As a trekker himself he had a lot of stories to share. As a Catholic he walked several times the pilgrimage path to Santiago de Campostela which is a very famous destination in Spain. But he told me that he carries a big backpack with all his stuff, not a rolling sports bag like me. I appreciated his openness and I understand that everyone is different...

   He shared some of his pilgrimage travels because at home I had a cross which I fixed on my camera bag as a sign that I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rene mentioned this simple cross twice during this unforgettable morning.
   Full from the offered breakfast he showed me around in his backyard. He had a white hen called 'Blanchette' which comes from the French 'blanc' meaning white. She laid over 40 eggs and Rene bought a 'breeder' for the eggs. 25 of them hatched for them he constructed a hen house made of mesh. He showed me many of his own planted berry bushes and fruit trees, his machine house with a lot of tools, equipment etc.

My Host Rene with his favorite Free range Hen Blanchette. 

The result of the hatched eggs can be seen behind the fence in the background

(to be continued@

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_16.html)

Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! 
If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel

Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 21 - In Tervuren (1)

This blog continues the previous Part 20,

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_5.html

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

     

   Back into Tervuren I still had to figure out my way to continue the walking tour to Namur. 

   As it was already late afternoon I tried to find a shop where I could buy something to eat. I've discovered a Carrefour (super) market (Hoornzeelstraat 12, 3080 Tervuren) in which I stacked up food and drinks for dinner and breakfast. I went to the market place in front of the Sint-Jan Evangelistkerk Church and had a late lunch or early dinner on a bench in the shadows.

   Not far away from the place I have just eaten I've discovered a police station and planned to ask there for my way. When I went through the door into the station there were two windows through which people can talk to the police officer on duty. One lady was in front of me so I put my rolling sports bag in the corner and had to wait for my turn.

   To my surprise the officer on duty could speak English. After I inquired about the way he invited me to come into the police station! It was fun to walk between policemen, he lead me to and typed something into a computer. He showed me the way on a map and explained me how to go there. But somehow he came to an impasse with his English and asked another policeman to joined us. He explained me that I had "to pass one 'arch', turn right, follow the street through a forest until I come to the 2nd 'arch'. After it I had to turn left and on the right side of the road there is a clearly marked walking path through another forest!" Three of us had a small chat and a laugh, finally I left the police station with my sports bag still waiting for me!  

The 1st Arch on my Way to Duisburg

   I followed the advice and passed the 1st arch which lead me to a road named 'Rijkunst' (English: horsemanship), from there I had a nice walk through the refreshing air of a forest. I followed a very old wall protecting some houses behind. As the road name changes to Capucijnenpoortdreef (English: Capuchingatelane). I suppose that these historic walls were originally protecting a monastery or another religious institution of the 'Order of Friars Minor Capuchin' within the Catholic Church. 

The 2nd Arch or rather Gate on my Way to Duisburg

   At the end of the road I came to the 2nd arch. I turned left and crossed the very empty main road, the Duisburgsesteenweg. I could walk into the forest but the sinking sun worried me. In the dark through an unfamiliar forest? Forget it!

   So I've decided to walk into the town of Duisburg to find a suitable place for the night. Shortly before Duisburg the road name changed into Tervuursesteenweg. Upon arrival to the town I turned left to the Sportcentrum van Defensie. I walked until I came to a another forest but did not find a suitable place. So I turned back and followed the main road. After the last houses I turned left and came upon some fresh cut fields. I thought I found a suitable place but after I sat down I got 'attacked' by many flies. I continued and came upon a crossroad and walked straight ahead, later I would turn right.

   There, between fields and the crossing of two rural roads, I discovered a large linden tree with two wooden benches and a table under the tree's branches and a garbage box. There was enough space between the bench and the tree for my small tent; I've decided that this it 'the' place for the night! 

My Camp for the Night!

   First of all I gave a prayer of thanks to our Lord for providing me with such a nice place and asked for His protection during the night!

   I 'claimed' the benches and the table for myself, opened my bag and started building my tent. While I was busy out of nowhere came an old farmer and tried to talk to me in Dutch. He looked a little confused but not scary. I could not speak his native language and even he served in Germany for two years with the Belgian Army he could not speak any German at all! But with good will and gestures with our hands we tried to communicate. In moments like this I was glad that we wanted to communicate and made the same efforts to try to understand each other. Feeling that we do not come very far we said finally farewell to each other...

   Trying to get familiar with the environment I've discovered a map with mountain bike trails around the town of Duisburg which shows me that the Belgians make efforts to invest into their own country and to improve the lives of their citizens. 

Map of the Mountain Bike Cycle Network

   The 2nd discovery was a statue of Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, within a memorial. I am not a Catholic but this showed me that people living in this area have a reverence for their religion beliefs and thus confirming that this would be a safe place for the night.

Statue of Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ within a Memorial blessing the Fields around

   As the sun went down I crawled into my tent and sleeping bag with my sports bag serving as a pillow. I know, my tent is very small but it was my home for the night and provided me  with a simple shelter which I longed for. It is strange but under my small roof I felt very happy and even I was very tired I could not fall asleep right away. Too many impressions, too many things to be appreciated and thankful about during my 1st day of walking. Finally I felt into a good and positive dream only to be disturbed by some cars stopping by and throwing their own garbage in the provided public garbage bin sometimes. But I did not care too much, I slept like a baby...

(to be continued@

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_12.html)

Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! 
If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel

Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 20 - Arriving in Tervuren

This blog continues the previous Part 19,

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in.html

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

     

   Nearly at the top of the hill the convenient bike and pedestrian path stopped and with a traffic light had to cross the busy road. Here there were no more houses but 'only' a shadowy forest. I followed the N3 (National Road 3) on a parallel road, a nice and easy stroll under trees.

My Path in the 'Middle of the Road'

   Even here were only very few bikers and I could take some pictures of a managed forest. The road became flat and even sometimes downhill. Walking several kilometers indulging myself in the nature I arrived at a traffic junction with a traffic light. Here I ran into a group a school class of children with some adults riding on their bikes the opposite direction towards Brussels.

   Where I crossed the road is a tram station called 'Vier Armen' (Four Arms) and I continued with a new road beside another forest. I still went downhill or became flat, another easy walk for me and my luggage I hauled behind me. Only in the far distance were some houses to be seen, the road seemed stretched endlessly.

   Finally I left the main road and turned left into the city of Tervuren. Here the houses were clean and flowers decorated the building, the windows and the many gardens. I could not discover any high or tall construction, a sure sign that I arrived in the countryside. Tervuren is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant in Flanders compromising of the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. There is a total population of 20,636 (Jan. 1, 2006).

   Contrary to the capital Brussels the official language is not French but Dutch. Due to expatriate workers and their families who work for the European Union, NATO for multinational corporations around Brussels many other languages are spoken. The British School of Brussels has been located in Tervuren since 1970.

Impressions of Tervuren 

   I walked along the very quiet main road until I came to a big open market place. Walking for several hours I wanted to buy some refreshments but could not find any shopping mall. So I went into a drug chain store and went in and bought some snacks and refreshment. The  lady at the cash register talked in Dutch to me but I could not quite understand. I explained that I am a tourist and immediately she changed to English. Not many people in the store we had a small conversation. She was obviously from the Middle East which might be one reason why her English was so great. With a great smile she told me that 'Belgium is a small  but beautiful country'; I am sure that the Tourist Association of Belgium could not hire a more convincing representative...

   Leaving the drugstore I walked to the main road I left before turning into Tervuren and by accident I discovered a fountain right in the middle of new road, still under construction. The fountain was made up of a group of animal playing different instruments. I took the chance to walk in the center of the busy road and took a picture for my daughter who likes hippos very much.

Marching Band Fountain 

   Right behind the fountain a building of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA, Dutch: Koninklijk Museum voor Midden-Afrika or KMMA) can be seen. Also known as Africa Museum it is an ethnography and natural museum. It was first built to showcase King Leopold II's Congo Free State in the 1897 World Exhibition.
   From the fountain I walked back into the town and accidentally found the Park of Tervuren. The public park is quite large with tended lawns, tall trees and several ponds full of birds and plants.

   Many visitors come here from Brussels but on this afternoon not many people could be seen. Because of its size many bike riders enjoyed the views and the easy ride. But unfortunately for me and my luggage it became too large. After one hour I returned with great impressions and fond memories to Tervuren!

Impressions of the Park of Tervuren 

(to be continued
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_9.html)

Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel

Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 19 - Leaving Brussels (3)

This blog continues the previous Part 18,
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_31.html

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

     

   I slowly walked through the Triumphal Arch. So close I could have a good look and could not help but to admire the details and work going into the building during these 25 years (!) until completion. I took some photos in the shadow of it and tried to cool down from the burning sun.

   Right after the Arch there is a building housing the Military Museum on the left while the right building houses the Autoworld Brussels. Actually it is not only a museum but also a venue for conventions, events and meetings. The museum displays over 250 vehicles from different time periods and different countries. The museum was inspired by King Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909). One area highlights the Belgian connection to the automobiles.

   All original Belgium car manufacturers like 'Imperia Automobiles' or 'Minerva' closed their doors long time ago but In Belgium there is still an Audi manufacturing plant in Vorst, south-west of Brussels. Volvo Car Ghent is located in the port district of Ghent and Volvo Trucks, though no more affiliated to the car manufacturer, are still produced there. All other automobile assembly plants from the big manufacturers like Renault and Opel have been closed in Belgium mostly due to European overproduction and cost cutting measures of these car manufacturers.

   Near the entrance I took some pictures and moved though the main door and looked inside. It looked all bright in the historical building, more like a clinic than a museum.

Entrance to the Autoworld Brussels (汽車世界)

   With the Autoworld the green oasis of the 'Park of the Fiftieth Anniversary' or 'Parc du Cinquantenaire' (French) came to an end and after a short walk I passed a fountain and the last trees. A fence made of wrought iron with an open gate marked the end of the park! 

   I arrived on the Avenue de Tervueren (French) or Tervurenlaan (Dutch), a major thoroughfare in Brussels. It is a continuation of the Rue de la Loi (Wetstraat) and goes underground below the whole park.

   I pulled my sports bag to the right side of the road and shared my path with some bike riders. Here the building looked very clean, mostly white with some flowers decorating the entrances or the front yards. I also noticed many houses showing crests of mainly African countries, showing embassies. One of the last buildings was the Embassy of Uganda. I noticed it because the tired flag hanging on the pole looks like two Belgian Flags stitched together in an horizontal way. But even this building had no security, on the contrary it looked very empty, without furniture...

Embassy of Uganda

   When the road become downhill there were no more houses, everything became green and natural. I ran into a group of young people trying to hitchhike by stopping cars. It might work when you are alone but four extra passengers in a car sounds too good to be true! 

   Anyway, I passed them with my luggage pulling behind me and discovered some lakes on the right side marking the district of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre (French) or Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (Dutch) or more exactly the extensive 'natural' Woluwe Park. It has many lakes with birds and 170 tree species. Before 1868 this area consisted of agricultural terrains with humid grounds and a forest area of more than 15 hectares owned by the Civil Hospices of Brussels. The park was completed in 1906 and contained rare species of trees like the Japanese sophora, the Chinese cedrela etc. 

   I liked the solitude and stopped several times to take some pictures of 'wildlife' like ducks and swans but more  of the flowers and trees. I already left the city of Brussels and had the first time a sense of 'freedom'. I just leaned my luggage on a tree and ran around like an excited 10 year old; I felt so happy to be alone with nature that I did not give much thoughts on how I might look like...

   But now, as I write this, a Bible verse comes into my mind:

"The Little Children and Jesus

   13 Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
   14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there. (Matthew 19)”

Green (and some white) Impressions beside the Road…

   As the saying goes "after every downhill follows an uphill". Houses emerged on both sides of the roads and without the trees it would get very hot indeed. Unfortunately the Belgians are a very considerate human race and not only beside the road but between the road was a very wide bike and pedestrian path which let me, despite a long but not very steep hill, very comfortable haul my luggage. Occasionally I saw trams passing me but I enjoyed my walk in the fresh and natural air under the shadowy trees...

(to be continued@
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/09/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_5.html)

Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel