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 12 - In Brussels (5)

This blog continues the previous Part 11: https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_6.html

   

Monday, June 25, 2018

   

   During my travels I am an early riser and early sleeper; this has also something to do with safety in a foreign land and a foreign environment. I advice my wife and daughter to do the same. Therefore I woke up 'naturally' around 6:30. Walking to the bathroom I've noticed that I had actually two roommates sharing the same hostel room with me even I've heard only one female voice last night. Both of them were covered with their blankets...

   After a shower and my morning toilet I went downstairs to the breakfast room which is rightfully praised in all forums online. Passing the reception desk I came into a very empty room with only one Belgian waiter still preparing the food and drinks. I took my plate and the silverware and started to stock up. There was a nice selection of sausage and different cheese, with some fresh vegetables; there were different kind of cereals with milk, different kind of bread, coffee & tea etc. to choose from. I felt like in breakfast heaven and choose a seat from which I could oversee the whole room.

Clean & Nice Breakfast Room of the Hotel I had the pleasure to stay

   As I ate I had a great feeling about the day, the excitement to discover a new place let me feel 'high' naturally, without drugs. I wanted to discover Brussels without my luggage, even with the wheels it felt quite cumbersome sometimes especially when crossing the cobbles. But today was my day off from this bag! I thanked God for the breakfast with a long prayer and gave the day in his hands....

   Eating through my blessings the others guest arrived slowly and followed roughly the same procedure to get their breakfast. Before I left there were still many unoccupied tables  due to the fact that the holiday season had not started yet.

   Back to the room I've noticed both roommates were actually female, roughly in my daughter's age. I've tried to make a conversation but the current generation is even on their holidays preoccupied with their cell or smart phones. I don't quite understand why people can't enjoy a new environment with their own senses but rather rely on their phone. What is the reason to travel anyway?

   I left the hotel at around 9:00 and, with the aide of the free map, I did not turn left to the Lift des Marolles or Elevator Marollen-Poelaert (see my "In Brussels 3") but turned right walking undiscovered territory. I passed small lanes until I reached the Boulevard Anspach (French) or Anspachlaan (Dutch), a major boulevard in the city center of Brussels. North of the Brussels Midi Station there are still many historic buildings which became shops on the first floor. Even these buildings have been a kind of modernized you still can feel the time, from the 2nd floor upstairs the buildings did not change a lot on the outside. Later the same road gets a major overhaul and becomes a broad walking pedestrian area. 
   Walking with my camera I took same shots of the views in front of my eyes. There were not many people on the road but glimpses of their lives could be clearly seen. Even coffee shops and restaurants have not been open yet so I had the road nearly for myself.

Boulevard Anspach 

   The Boulevard Anspach was built between 1868 and 1871 over the river Senne, covering it up. Prior to 1879 it was named 'Boulevard Central' until it was renamed after Jules Anspach (1829-1879), the former mayor of Brussels who instigated these works (wikipedia).
   As it is not far to the Midi (South) train station I thought to go there and have a look. Brussels is located in the heart of the small country of Belgium and therefor nearly all trains from and to all four cardinal directions must pass the three main Brussels train stations which are:
- Brussels-South (Brussel-Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi)
- Brussel-Centraal/Bruxelles-Central
- Brussel-Noord/Bruxelles-Nord.
   Stepping into the Midi station I came to a wall decoration of Comic country Belgium's icon Tintin riding on a locomotive. 

Tintin Riding a Train

   Instead of the colored comics this picture is in black and white showing the movement of the train with a determined looking Tintin hanging on the outside of a steam locomotive. Judging from the clothes I believe the scene is probably from the comic 'Tintin in America'. Later, during my walking part of the trip, I would visit the museum of Georges Remi (1907-1983), more famous under his synonym 'Hergé'. He is the artist, creator and mastermind behind the young reporter and adventurer Tintin.
   Within the train station is a station for bike rental. Contrary to Taiwan the local bike rental system 'U Bike' was implemented long after the city has been built, therefore it is rather added to the already existent system. People have to understand that In the Far East bicycles have been a part of the past when people could neither afford motorcycles nor a car. As soon as the income rose bikes were treated as obsolete and were discarded.

Bike Rental within the Midi Train Station

   This changed only a few years ago when the Taiwan government decided to implement the 5 days working week and people stopped to work Saturday mornings. In their leisure time they discovered cycling and somehow 'forced' the governments to build bike lanes. Therefore all bike paths are not this old and, in my opinion, built as an alibi. This means that the government builds them but does not want to spend money to maintain them. Most citizens still don't respect cyclists's rights and treat them as 'necessary evil'. On the bike my paths are permanently cut by motorcycles and cars alike, I got permanently honked at and seen as a traffic obstruction; cars park on or even block bike lanes without any sense of guilt.   
   Belgium has, like their Dutch neighbors, a long history of bike 'culture', bikes are a part of everyday life. Not only racers are living the bike life style but everyone from children to the old aged, female and male, single people and families are living with and on their bikes. There is a mutual respect between cyclist and motorists. This habit I can, unfortunately, not import to Taiwan!

(to be continued @ 
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/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

Bike Tour in the USA (2007), Part 5

Monday, Sep. 10.2007

Finally on the Road!

Hollywood → Coastal Highway 1

Distance: 107.42 km, Duration: 7:51:28 hours, Total Distance: 181.63 km

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” Ernest Hemingway

 

Today I finally left the hotel after an acclimatization time of two days. My pulse increased due to the very noticeable joy, clear symptoms of travel fever.

Already at 6:30 I stood beside a telephone booth on Hollywood Boulevard to call my wife and daughter in Taiwan. She was happy for me that everything went smooth and wished me good luck on my tour. It's a pity that she could not be with me...

Back in the hotel I showered extensively, organized my things and packed them into my bags. The waterproof duffel bag with my tent and sleeping bag was still untouched; obviously I do not need either of them... The reception opened at 7:30 so I went to a nearby Mexican restaurant and ordered scrambled eggs with bacon and a good mug of coffee ($3.50). In this early hour I was the only customer.

The time of my finished breakfast coincided with the opening of the reception. The lady was not quite awaken yet but everything went smoothly. With the check-out she returned my $40.00 'security deposit' something I've never heard of. Because this 'hotel' did not give me any key so I did not have to return one.

View of the Hotel

Back in the room I said goodbye to my German friend who woke up in the meantime. I wished him good luck for his time in the US and send him my best wishes from the heart.

With full hands I hauled my bags to my bike already pawing with his hoofs (or wheels). On the handlebar I attached my handlebar bag, on the rear carrier two saddlebags and the duffel bag I fixed on the top of the rear carrier with an elastic cord. On the empty carton in which I sent the bike to the US I wrote 'Do not discard before Oct. 05'. But, as it later turned out, I did not need it due to a miracle in San Francisco.

Full of high spirits I left the hotel and cycled passed the friendly Toyota Dealer and the breakfast Mexican restaurant along Santa Monica Boulevard until I arrived Beverly Hills. Here lives, as portrayed by young Will Smith in the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air', the High Society. Lavish houses with well looked after gardens are dominant, European and predominantly German cars are parked on the driveways.

I cycled under comfortable shady trees when I notice a middle age lady jogging. She stumbled and seemingly hurt her ankle but obviously could hobble back home.

Beverly Hills

I continued and discovered the 'Church of the Good Shepherd'. The parish was founded on December 12, 1923 and is therefore the oldest church in Beverly Hills. From the architectural point of view the church is build in Mission Revival architecture, the stained glass was  originally shipped from France, Germany, the British Isles and the US. Most Catholic movie stars who live or lived in Beverly Hills, from Rudolph Valentino to Bing Crosby attended Sunday Mass here (wikipedia).

Church of the Good Shepherd

Not far away I've discovered the Electric Fountain Beverly Hills on the corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards. In the center is a statue of a North American Indian kneeling in prayer. The sun stood so that the water broke into a rainbow in the moment I took the photo. This peaceful picture should served as a symbol of my upcoming bike tour unfolding right in front of my eyes.

Electric Fountain Beverly Hill

I cycled along the same part of Wishire Boulevard like yesterday. My next destination was the Statue of Santa Monica who gave the name to this district of Los Angeles. Also known as Monica of Hippo (322-387) she was an early Christian saint and the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo. She is remembered and honored in most Catholic denomination, albeit on different feast days, for her outstanding Christian virtues, particularly the suffering caused by her husband's adultery, an her prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son, who wrote extensively of her pious acts and life with her in his Confessions. Popular Christian legends recall Santa Monica weeping every night for her son Augustine. He was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy.

(to be continued)