This blog continues the previous Part 31,
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/11/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_19.html
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/11/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_19.html
“Hooray! Hooray! The end of the world has been postponed!”
Hergé, Belgian Cartoonist
After leaving the very interesting Musée
Hergé I crossed a small forest belonging to the Parc de la Source with some
children running around and playing or adults reading or watching their
smartphones. The shadows gave a pleasant cool feel under the hot sun which
would be my companion for the rest of the day.
 |
Small Forest
with a Commercial of the Musée Hergé with Herge's Face on the Banner
|
I came to an open space with many fast food
restaurants and shops. Here I had the chance to find a free WiFi and called my
wife and daughter in Taiwan. I let them know what I did and ensured them that Belgium
is a safe place.
What followed was a long walking tour
through the extensive shopping pedestrian area with many activity centers and I
believe classrooms belonging to the University with the L'esplanade, a
large department store, in its center. I went inside and downstairs to visit
the supermarket for some food and drink. It was pleasantly cool and airy
inside, a glass roof gave a lofty feeling.
 |
'24 Hours Velo
30 Years Memorial (1976-2006) with my Luggage and me in the Window
Somehow I got lost in all the corners and
separating roads with handicapped ramps and road furniture and small
sidewalks but somehow still managed to find the main road by crossing some
grassland. Turning back it would be great to be a student here...
Standing on the crossroads of the N233 and the N25 I had to stop a female biker and asked for the direction to Namur, my final stop of my walking tour. She was a little surprised that someone wants to walk this far and suggested to hitchhike which would be must faster. After I explained her that I am on my holidays and that I walked already from Brussels to here she gave in and told me that I should follow the road signs to Gembloux.
After a while, the N25 became the N4 or Grand'Route. The road was still very straight and a kind of boring but I've tried to enjoy the way. There were not many cars and I had a nice sidewalk the whole way, only occasionally surpassed by some lonely bikers. It could not get more countryside than here, beside the road were fielded as far as the horizon would let me see.
Sometimes there were shops, but only a few conveniently located directly beside the main road. I passed 'poils and plumes' or 'Hair and Feathers', a shop for pets. One of their attractions is a purple bulldog and while there was nothing else to be done I could not resist but to take a picture together with the shop attraction.
Standing on the crossroads of the N233 and the N25 I had to stop a female biker and asked for the direction to Namur, my final stop of my walking tour. She was a little surprised that someone wants to walk this far and suggested to hitchhike which would be must faster. After I explained her that I am on my holidays and that I walked already from Brussels to here she gave in and told me that I should follow the road signs to Gembloux.
After a while, the N25 became the N4 or Grand'Route. The road was still very straight and a kind of boring but I've tried to enjoy the way. There were not many cars and I had a nice sidewalk the whole way, only occasionally surpassed by some lonely bikers. It could not get more countryside than here, beside the road were fielded as far as the horizon would let me see.
Sometimes there were shops, but only a few conveniently located directly beside the main road. I passed 'poils and plumes' or 'Hair and Feathers', a shop for pets. One of their attractions is a purple bulldog and while there was nothing else to be done I could not resist but to take a picture together with the shop attraction.
 |
Me and a Purple
Bulldog
|
Walking in nature with passing cars I had a
lot of time to look and wondered why I did not travel like this my whole
life...It was so peaceful that I found myself surprised by a Carrefour
supermarket on the left side of the road. I crossed the street at a traffic
light and went inside to fill up my supplies.
I walked my walk but felt a little tired and
stretched myself on some green grass beside the road. I did not want to sleep
so early so I picked up myself and continued step after step...
 |
A
young Guest at McDonald's enjoying her Meal
|
After
my late afternoon meal I continued the road and came to a brown sign with
stands for 'Tourist Attraction'. On it says 'Walhain, Centre Geographique De La
Belgique'. The Belgian National Geographic Institute calculated that the
geographical center of Belgium is here in this municipality of Nil-Saint-Vincent at 50°38′28″N 4°40′05″E. And they should know...
 |
Reaching Walhain, the
Geographical Center of Belgium
|
After this sign
the Grand'Route became the Chaussée de Namur, a hint to my final
destination of this walking part of my trip. The road itself did not change
(straight and flat) and on a long stretch
I've noticed some police cars passing me, stopping not in a far distance from
me. During the late afternoon traffic
there was obviously an accident. A car did not keep the distance and hit the
car in front of him.
As I came closer there were several policemen
busily controlling the traffic and taking care of the accident. As I tried to
pass the car hitting the one in front of
a female police officer told me something in Dutch. I smiled, looked at her and
said:" I don't understand what you've told me but I suppose I should not
walk on the street (on the outside of the accident) but rather on the grass
(the safer side)." She looked at me and answered with a smile "You
are right..."
The accident was not serious but there was surely some excitement from
the police officers, the drivers and the
traffic. But no argues, no shouting, just mature people solving an obvious
problem...
to
be continued@
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
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