Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 33 Walhain to Chastre

This blog continues the previous Part 32
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/11/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_19.html

Friday, June 29, 2018

“The most beautiful in the world is, of course, the world itself.”

Wallace Stevens, American modernist poet (1879-1955)

   Walking along the relatively flat and very straight Chaussée de Namur I noticed that my shadows on my left grew very long. The sun prepared to set between the fields on my right - time to look for a place for the night.
   I've carried my sleeping bag and the small tent in my sports bag on wheels which I pulled the whole time behind me. So I’ve decided to spend this night besides the road I was walking on. I don't think there would be many hotels around this part of Belgium anyway...So I walked with one eye on the road and the other searching for a nice place.
   Right before a tiny country town, I discovered a wheat field with would be harvested soon. Between the road and this field was a small stripe of green grass, a natural cushion beneath my sleeping bag for the night. But I’ve decided against the tent; I wanted to see what's going on; the air was clean despite the nearby road and, most import of all, no insects were flying around bothering me in the night.
   As I wrote before I am an early sleeper and an early riser. Just as the sun sent its last red beams into the evening sky I pulled out my camera, put it on the tripod and took some last shots of a beautiful sunset literally right out of my sleeping bag...

Sunrise somewhere in Belgium

   It was a peaceful night only occasionally some cars driving by on this main road. After dark the street light got switched on and lit during the whole night. To protect my eyes I pulled my multi-functional neck warmer over them and slept very well...

   The next morning the sun prepared for another show - a beautiful sunset. Again I pulled my tripod and camera out of my bag and took some shots, this time out of my sleeping bag. 

Sunset somewhere in Belgium

   After the excitement of saving the sunset on my memory card through a very cheap 2nd hand lens, I ate and drank something which I would call a 'breakfast'. The main road was still very quiet but the sleeping bag had to be packed. Before I took a picture to record my night camp.

My simple Camp for the Night

   Refreshed and full of energy I continued the easy walking on the Chaussée de Namur until I came to a road sign telling me that I am in the 'Nil-St-Vincent' area which merged with Nil-Saint-Marin in 1812. 'Nil' is the name of a small river just like the more famous brother in Egypt.

   To make my walk more interesting I've decided to leave the main road and to turn right into an small country town near Chastre which is called Perbais. 
   There it became even quieter during these early morning hours. I've noticed some children walking to school through tidy small and clearly marked roads. Even in the countryside, there are clear green road signs for cyclists showing the directions and distances in kilometers. A country like this is a nice place to live and the reason why I visited Belgium in the first place.

(to be continued@https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2019/01/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 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

Bike Tour in the USA (2007), Part 35

Friday, Sep. 21., 2007

Beautiful Sunrise in Monterey

Monterey→?

Distance: 118:30 km, Time: 7:34:14 Std., Total:   1,154.30 km

   When I already woke up at 6:00 in the morning the sun was still sleeping. Not to wake up my roommates I took carefully my camera and locked the door very quietly.

   This early I wanted to check the Cannery Row, the renovated and closely built sardine cannery factories which are lined along the coastline. I wanted to visit the still active fisherman’s wharf and walk until the historical Custom House.

   Chinese fishermen came with their families on junks over the Pacific Ocean and established the fishing industry in Monterey during 1850s. Because the markets for fresh fish were far away they dried the fish in the same way as it was custom at home.

   With the opening of Booth Cannery and the Monterey Fishing & Canning Co., a Japanese-American joint venture, fresh fish could be processed on the spot and conserved in 1902. The demand especially after the American anticipation during the 1st World War (1916-1918) was very high and drew other companies into the area. Because of the rich fishing grounds and industry Monterey was called the “Sardine Capital of the world”.

   To stimulate the economy during the Great Depression (1929-1939) the U.S. government allowed the processing of sardines into fishmeal and fertilizers.

   Joining the 2nd World War (1941-1945) the demand and with it the fishing of sardines was increased to a new level. As a consequence of this overfishing died of lack of fish supply the whole fishing industry of Monterey within the next 5 years. Already in 1945   John Steinbeck immortalized his novel “Cannery Row” the different types of workers and made them famous over the borders of the USA.

   From the Hostel there are only a few steps, therefore I arrived at the 1927 built American Tin Cannery. Today the building, like all other former canneries, accommodates different kind of shops selling clothes, gifts, jewelers and delicatessen. The obligatory restaurants serving fresh seafood cannot be missed.

   Across the road beside the Recreation Trail is the 1984 opened Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA), in which visitor can learn everything about the marine life. Per year 1.8 million visitors discover thousands of plants and animals represented by 623 named species. A high supply of fresh seawater directly from Monterey Bay guarantees the natural development. Unfortunately the doors were closed on this early morning; every adult should expect ticket prices of US$29.95/person (in 2007!)

   I passed the Monterey Plaza Hotel and only a few workers were busily cleaning up and preparing the place for the business of the day. In the yard I could discover a fountain with jumping dolphins over a wave and made a picture with the rising sun in the background.  

   As I walked I heard some seals barking. Maybe they searched for a breakfast or shared with their relatives the best hunting grounds (for sardines?). I don’t know… But as closer I came to the Fisherman’s Wharf as more of the seals I could actually see. They were either active in the water or were lazy lying on some rocks. 

   As the history of Montery is closely knitted with the fishing industry I absolutely wanted to see the Fisherman‘s Wharf. Everything is build on through water driven wooden stakes into the ground, on them were build the simple wooden houses and the gangplanks in between. The predominant fish and tourist shops were obviously closed and therefore a notable morning silence covered the whole scene. I walked until the end and stood there watching the bay. On the way I only met some elderly ladies talking their morning stroll. I stood at the edge of the water and let it all come in me.

   I discovered a statue with which the city honors the fishermen working so hard to build  the foundation the city. I think it’s a great gesture by which the rich and famous recognize the work of the people who actually created the wealth of Monterey with their bare hands!

(to be continued)