Benelux Tour 7: East Flanders

Friday, 05.08.2022
Route: Brussels - Maastricht
Distance traveled: 135 km
Weather: sunny, but chilly

Today is my first solo travel day and I say goodbye to Max and Krissi after breakfast in Brussels. I don't have a precise plan for how long I want to be on the road, but I want to ride the Vennbahnradweg. However, it runs along the border between Belgium and Germany and I have to get there first. So my goal for today is Maastricht.

First of all, it takes me forever to get out of Brussels, to be precise, 17 km. I see many construction sites, industrial areas, and drive right past the airport. Then finally I'm on the Flanders cycle path towards Leuven, which I reach shortly before noon. I have read a lot of good things about the city on the internet, but I'm a bit disappointed. Then I ride along a bike path next to a large, busy road for many kilometers, until I eventually switch to small country roads through the hilly landscape of East Flanders. The cycle paths are signposted (now I just need to know which one to follow), the landscape is great, full of meadows, fields, and fruit tree plantations, and the towns are beautiful again.

In a town that reminds me a lot of the movie 'Welcome to the Stie's', I take a break and treat myself to a waffle with cream. The route mostly continues through fields and really beautiful nature until Maastricht. Unfortunately, due to constantly getting lost, the total distance to Maastricht increases from 105 km to 125 km throughout the day, and I am slightly exhausted when I reach the city of Maastricht in the soft evening sunlight - just as my phone battery dies.

Unfortunately, I didn't arrange accommodation in advance - now I'm paying the price for it. Due to a sports event, there are no reasonably affordable rooms left in the city. I eat at McDonald's, mainly because I can at least charge my phone a bit there. Then I ride a few more kilometers out of the city and look for a suitable outdoor overnight spot, and eventually I find one in a garden. Around 22:00, after 135 km, I set up my camp there and I am grateful that my new sleeping bag keeps me warm.