Belgium
A beautiful 2nd week with many experiences, so sit back and have a cup of tea or a glass 🤓
In Tongeren I passed through the old beguinage. At its peak in the early 18th century, the beguinage had more than 300 beguines, women who chose neither marriage nor monastic life. This picturesque 'mini-town within the city' is rightly a Unesco World Heritage Site.
While here, a woman walked up behind me and said "I see your shell, are you walking to Compostela?"
She said that she gave tours of the beguinage and always told how pilgrims used to be sheltered in the court. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case today.
I was able to spend the night in what they call the 'regular house'. Very nice people, but the stay reminded me of the Anne Frank house. Very narrow stairs to a room with sink and toilet in one. Luckily I only had to stay one night.
On Easter Sunday I left Tongeren and the owner of the regular house asked me to say hi to Jacobus when I arrive in Santiago.
From Tongeren I walked on day 8 to a village called Berloz. Near Waremme. I couldn't find any (pilgrim) stays in this area via the apps. The churches were closed in all the villages, so I couldn't ask for help there either. Luckily the weather was nice, so I decided to find a spot for my tent. There were neither campsites and the surroundings I walked through were mostly open fields that I did not really consider suitable for wild camping.
In the meantime I was quite done with walking after 29.7 km and I told a lady who was standing in front of her house with a dog that I was looking for a place to put my tent. Oh yes, just put your tent in the field here, that's no problem, she said.
Et Voila, a place to sleep.
On day 9 I continued to Merdorp, 22.8km. In the meantime I was pretty much out of water after a night of camping. Less than half an hour after my departure that morning, I went to cross a bridge and saw a man filling water bottles at a tap along the river below. This turned out to be drinking water, just what I needed!
'The Camino provides', they say.
In the morning the route went along the Geer river. In the afternoon I walked between the farmfields on an old Roman road. Strange to think that people traveled this road so long ago by horse and carriage.
That night I slept in my tent, in someone's backyard. This time with all the clothes I have on, because it is still quite cold at night.
By now I had walked out of the province Limburg, Belgium and I was greeted everywhere with a 'Bonjour'. I had walked into the French-speaking province of Belgium, Wallonia.
Day 10 took me over 32 km to Namur, the capital of Wallonia. A lot of km's, but it walked very smooth that day, as if I'm already getting into the walking flow.
Halfway through the morning I came to the end of Via Limburgica, this is the route I followed from Thorn at the Dutch-Belgium border. In Eghezee I switched to Via Monastica, which I follow to Rocroi in France.
During my lunch break I ran into fellow pilgrim Anne. She was just like me, on her way to Namur, so we walked together for the afternoon. On the way a woman on a mountain bike came by and stopped to have a chat. She had cycled to Santiago herself. She gave us her address and telephone number, tomorrow afternoon we where invited for coffee. She lived 8km behind Namur. (Unfortunately, it turned out that we were already well past that in the afternoon)
Anne, like me, also left home on April 2, which is Nijmegen for her. Arriving in Namur, we first went looking for a stamp for the pilgrim pass and then a well-deserved glass of wine on the terrace.
In Namur I slept in the attic of a large house with a beautiful view over the city.
On day 11 I walked in the rain along the Meuse towards Dinant. Fortunately I also got some sunshine in the afternoon and after 23.9km I arrived in the village of Anheé where I had a pilgrim shelter by people at home. The lady of the house, Madame Christine, was a busy lady. She arranged a reservations for the next 2 nights.
There was very little available in the area and the locations on my app no longer existed, so it was very nice that this madame was so well organized. Despite the fact that she spoke little Dutch/English, and I even less French, we could understand each other somewhat.
This was my first overnight stay with half pension, received a nice dinner and was accompanied by Anaïse. A fellow pilgrim from Liège. She does the walk in stages and had this time she goes from Namur to Couvin in 4 days, largely the same route as me and Anne.
Day 12 we walked together from Anheé to Hermeton-sur-Meuse in 19.6km. A pleasant distance to be a bit of a tourist in Dinant. A picturesque city with a citadel above it. The city is colored with artful saxophones, because the inventor of this instrument comes from Dinant.
It was the first stage through the hilly landscape of the Ardennes, wonderful. With rain, wind, sunshine and even hail.
In Hermeton-Sur-Meuse we were spoiled by Madame Marie-France, a very lovely lady. We were served a delicious 3-course dinner with a glass of wine. All 3 of us girls had their own room, the shower was amazing and she has a sweet dog to cuddle with.
Day 13 took me from Hermeton-sur-Meuse to Mazée in 20.8km. The 3 of us had decided to walk alone and meet again in the evening. I enjoyed walking together the past few days, but today I realized again how much I love walking alone. And how nice it is to be able to share our stories in the evening.
From Mazée we walked on day 14 to Oignies-de-Thierache in 23.8km. Fantastically beautiful route these past few days through the Ardennes. The weather was lovely and in the afternoon we enjoyed a nice lunch in the woods before we said goodbye to Anaïse.
It's wonderful to meet different pilgrims along the way, who all become a small part of my Camino in their own way.
The mini meetings along the way from people who react to the St.Jacobus shell are also very sweet.
Belgium was interesting and beautiful to walk through. I passed through a lot of small villages where you actually expect that no one lives anymore, but people do. Dilapidated and poorly maintained, but also characteristic and charming.
The Ardennes are fantastic to walk through. I have therefore deliberately kept the km's a bit lower so that I can take my time and not have to rush through it. The hill training is already a good exercise for the Pyrenees.
In terms of temperature and weather, it is still really April. Great walking weather. The nights go back to 3°C, so decided to wait a while before camping. Although I would have loved to put the tent up in the Ardennes.
Physically I'm fine. My feet(s) and especially the tendon plate that bothered me is 85% over, luckily. Every evening and morning my feet and calves receive a loving treatment. Shoulders also carry the backpack very well. Every day I walk with hikingpoles and this suits me very well.
Mentally I really enjoyed this week 😀👣
On the way to Rocroi, into France!
The largest country to cross.
More of that next time 😘🙋
Thank you all for reading and for the comments on my previous story, really lovely to hear from you 🙏
