Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 38 in Namur (Part 1)

Saturday, June 30, 2018

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

André Paul Guillaume Gide (1869 – 1951), French author and Nobel Prize winner

 

As the reader might understand after some days on the road it took some time to get used to the number of cars and people in this city; after my arrival in a ‘new town’, in his case Namur, I needed some time to get used to it.

My first concern was obviously to find a suitable hotel or hostel. Preparing the trip I remembered that Namur has one youth hostel within my budget but unfortunately I did not bring the address with me.

For non-Europeans, most cities in this continent are built around the train station and the same building represents commonly the city center. Namur is not built differently... Still on the N4 (National Road No. 4), I’ve passed the rear of the train station (or Gare Namur). I’ve passed a bus terminal and turned right over a wide multi-lane bridge which led me to the roundabout ‘Place Léopold’. Along this circled road there are many historical three and four storied buildings, witness to a rich past.
From the roundabout, there are several roads leading to the river Maas (or the Meuse in Dutch) which gives the city its distinguished location and view. I chose the Rue Lucien Namêche which, after passing the 'rich' buildings on the front, became quite ordinary.

Renovating a historical building, Belgium style

(Taken the following morning)

On the Rue Rogier, I've turned right and came after a short walk to the Hotel Ibis Namur Centre, right across from the African Museum. On this Saturday early evening, there was a big wheel, roller coasters and other amusement attractions behind this museum. For now, I passed because I still thought about finding this youth hostel…I followed the road and finally, the river Maas unfolded its beauty right in front of me.

African Museum with Big Wheel in the Background,

taken the following morning

I followed an easy and flat walking path beside the river banks. It is really amazing how a river can transform a view or a scenery wherever you go. I had to cross the river La Sambre which flows here into the Maas and followed the road parallel to the river until the Grand Casino de Namur. But even asking some locals they could not help me to find the youth hostel. I did not want to camp 'wild' in a city so I went back and decided to stay in a hotel for the night after paying a hefty price for a simple bed and a shower. But I do not want to complain, sometimes it does not work out how you planned it.

My most expensive Bed during the whole three weeks in Belgium

In the evening I took the chance to wash some of my clothes (underwear, socks, shirt and trousers) to be prepared for the next morning. I also called my wife thru the free WiFi of the hotel and let her and my daughter know that I am all right.

In my bed I was surprised how smooth the whole trip went. My sports bag, which I never used before, worked as planned, my tent was small but light, my new sleeping bag was comfy. Furthermore the weather was very great, I had lots of sunshine and even got a tan. My feet did not get hurt in my 'old' trekking shoes' which accompanied me already in Australia three years ago. I've met some great people and had a very interesting time in Belgium.  

My plan for the next morning was to take a train ride to the north coast of Belgium, a contrast program to the fields and hills I passed walking the last few day. At that time I did not know that I will change my plan the next morning.

Life felt great and with a smile I went to sleep!

(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!

Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 27 - Arrival in Wavre

This blog continues the previous Part 26,
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/10/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_8.html

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

   

'The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes,

but in having new eyes'

Marcel Proust

   After nearly one day walking from Duisburg (Belgium, not Germany) I arrived in the province of Wavre, named after its capital. As the mother tongue is French, the citizens are called 'Wavriens' and 'Wavriennes'.

   Following some smooth hills i finally arrived at the first houses of the city of Wavre, with over 34,000 citizens some of the larger urban areas I would passed on my trekking part during my trip in Belgium. 

Reaching Wavre City Limits...

   Historically a Roman villa has been found in an area close to the city but it was first officially mentioned as a dependency of the County of Leuven in 1050. Located conveniently on the crossroads of Brussel-Namur and Nivelles-Leuven a town grew in this place which have been granted its city charter by the Duke Henry I. of Brabant, "The Courageous" (1165-1235) in 1222. 

   Between the 16th and 18th century the city suffered from many disasters like retaliations, wars and two major fires. Wavre had its share of the 'Battle of Waterloo' (June 18, 1815) during which the French General and self-proclaimed Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by the British-led Allied army under the command of the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. The outcome of this battle ended the reign of Napoleon in Europe and changed the political situation in the old continent.

   I did neither come to invade nor start a war but rather came in the peaceful mission of a tourist looking around, breathing its air and try to learn something about this town. After walking from 9:30 in the morning to the late afternoon (5:30 pm) my first priority was to look for a hotel. I did not want to sleep in my tent which is not very convenient in a city. My friend Rene told me about a church in which I could stay but checking out the map beside the Town Hall it seemed too far for me to handle today.

Town Hall of Wavre 

   I walked thru the sometimes narrow streets and found a hotel and asked for the price. Before deciding I found a chain hotel a little outside beside a freeway which was priced higher and already fully booked. I left but discovered an industrial area with a large supermarket across the street. I went inside, bought my dinner and something for the road tomorrow. I returned to the first hotel and checked in, the price included a breakfast. The hotel had a distinctive Middle Eastern flavor, a surprise for me and a sign of the international openness of Belgium.

My cozy Bed for the Night 

   The first I did is to plug in my phone and camera to charge the batteries. Then I washed my clothes, underwear and socks which would be dry the next morning. I took my first extensive shower within two days. After all was done I made myself comfortable on the bed to have my dinner while I was watching TV, a time I enjoyed tremendously.

   The bed was great and, needless to say, together with the room, much more spacious than my one-man tent. I was glad that I decided to take off some time of my 'adventure' part of the journey... At around 10:00 I went to bed and, after some minutes, I longed for the fresh Belgium air. I closed the air condition and opened the window wide; afterwards I felt much better and had indeed a good night's sleep. 

(to be continued@
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/10/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_17.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 16 - In Brussels (9)

This blog continues the previous Part 15,

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_17.html

Monday, June 25, 2018

  

   Leaving the Grand Place and the many visitors I found the Manneken Pis (little pee man in Flemish), the statue of a young boy urinating into a basin of the fountain, not far away. Already designed in the 17th (!) century by J. Duquesnoy the Elder (1597-1643), the statue became an institution, a 'must' for every visitor. 

   When I arrived there were some people so I took the obligatory picture but mounted my telephoto lens first. The little man stands only 61 cm tall and all photographers zoom in to let it 'grow' for the photo. As some might know there is a different costume for every day or occasion, there is even a museum showcasing the clothes of the original naked boy. Why the boy was dressed in obviously Dutch clothes was beyond my knowledge...

   Beside the fountain are different waffle shops showing the small boy seemingly made out of chocolate in larger sizes. For anyone disappointed about the original statue can take photos of the models in front or in the shops. 

   I walked back to the Grand Place and enjoyed some quiet moments there. It is amazing how much work and money goes into the buildings to keep them for the world to see...

   From there I walked to the Boulevard Anspach, the main road between the Place Rogier in the north and the South or Midi train station. The road was still rebuild when I walked along and came to the Brussels Stock Exchange or 'Bourse De Bruxelles' in French. Behind the dry word 'stock exchange' stands actually a quite stunning building erected from 1868 to 1873; mixing elements of the Neo-Renaissance and Second Empire architectural styles. It has an abundance of ornaments and sculptures, created by different famous artists of this time.

   Beside the fountain are different waffle shops showing the small boy seemingly made out of chocolate in larger sizes. For anyone disappointed about the original statue can take photos of the models in front or in the shops. 

   I walked back to the Grand Place and enjoyed some quiet moments there. It is amazing how much work and money goes into the buildings to keep them for the world to see...

   From there I walked to the Boulevard Anspach, the main road between the Place Rogier in the north and the South or Midi train station. The road was still rebuild when I walked along and came to the Brussels Stock Exchange or 'Bourse De Bruxelles' in French. Behind the dry word 'stock exchange' stands actually a quite stunning building erected from 1868 to 1873; mixing elements of the Neo-Renaissance and Second Empire architectural styles. It has an abundance of ornaments and sculptures, created by different famous artists of this time. 

   Covering a large distance on my 2nd day in Brussels I've decided to head back to the hotel. There were still many things to discover beside the road, some buildings were decorated with large sized famous Belgian cartoons which caught my attention.

   Back to the hotel I've discovered that all beds with all furniture of my room were dismantled and my luggage in between. I went to the reception and they told me that the room will be redecorated and they arranged a new room for me. So I went back, packed my things and moved into the new room.

   It had true bunker beds with curtains like on ships which gave the room a very comfy and private atmosphere. I choose a bed on the 1st floor, bed no. 6 on the picture. The pillow case, the sheet cover and mattress cover all were prepared, so I started to work on my bed. It was a little awkward to get in but I had a 220 V outlet right beside my pillow which I used for charging the batteries of my cell phone and camera.

   I felt great in this bed but decided to a nice shower first. Later I would meet some other roommates but, as mentioned, I have the experience that this generation is very interested in their smartphones and neither want to communicate and nor reveal much about themselves. 

   Tomorrow I will start my walking part of the trip. Originally I planned to take my bike on a nice tour to Namur, a beautiful city and great destination south of Brussels. But the bike did not work out so I decided to make the same tour but to walk instead. Some people might wonder why to bother but Belgium is a very reasonable place, there are not many mountains on this tour and the route seemed to be manageable. I planned to see the country side while walking step by step to discover new places and people. I did not have a map but rode some name places in my notebook which would be enough...

   For today I would sleep early and prepared myself for a trip covering roughly 5 days with around 100 km by foot starting tomorrow.

   But first I closed my curtains, put my head on my pillow and had a good night's sleep. 

(to be continued @ 

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_23.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