First day

So, here we go. We met in Wiesbaden at the train station, full of gas and plans as we start our journey towards Brittany. We have 7 days and want to see a lot. First, we are heading to Namur in Belgium. That was a recommendation from a friend.

Have you ever been to Belgium?

Yes, once. I was 15 years old. My brother visited a Belgian friend and took me along. I remember two things: Belgium was very flat, and the beer menu in the pub was very, very long. Now I'm curious if there's more than flatland and beer.

There are definitely Moules frites, which are mussels with fries. I think every tourist knows that. I was also once in Belgium, in Ghent. I went there with the Green Party group. They have a pedestrian zone there and a special last-mile delivery with small electric vehicles. And there is an outdoor piano under a canopy. I really liked Ghent.

We are now driving through the Ahr Valley.

Carola, do you actually know how long we have known each other?

Let me think. Since 1975.

Yes, that’s 50 years now. You were probably six and I was eleven. We’ve known each other for 50 years, that’s amazing. And we are actually making this trip for our 50th anniversary, very nice.

Now we have arrived in Namur. The Hotel Mademoiselle Citadelle is very beautiful, located within the walls of the citadel. A dentist and her husband run the hotel. The husband is very, very nice and explained everything to us, showing us on the map how we can reach all the sights. We just couldn’t find his recommended fries stall.

Above Namur stands an impressive citadel. Namur has a lot of potential to be a tourist highlight. The layout of the city is very beautiful. The old streets and houses are preserved and complemented by some very interesting new buildings. Namur isn’t overly polished; there’s decay but also some lovely shops and buildings. Towards the train station, it gets a bit poorer.

Now we are sitting in Lloyd Coffee, because all the fries stalls we were recommended online are either permanently closed or closed on Mondays.

We are now sitting here at the citadel. The sun is shining, and it is very, very warm. Carola has noticed that Googling consumes a lot of power, so we have decided to continue our journey with a map tomorrow. Today, we are first in Namur, where the Maas and Sambre rivers converge, and there is a restaurant. We will go there.

So here you can see both rivers from the terrace, kind of. We are having a beer and enjoying the evening. Then we will head back to the old town where there is currently a national festival, but it wasn’t very attractive, as there was a lot of loud music. However, we still find a snack bar and eat fries. On our rooftop terrace, with the citadel behind us and a view over the rooftops, we conclude our first day of travel.

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