Days one and two

I write this ensconced in a very small (but comfortable) room in the town of  St-Denis, just northwest of Namur. Originally, we had thought we might make it to Namur by day 2, but it soon became apparent that this was a little optimistic.

But let’s back up a bit and start at the beginning.

We landed in Brussels on time and without incident (and indeed after one of the better transatlantic flights I have taken in terms of leg room and sleep). That said, even three hours does not a full night make. After queuing for 30 minutes to get through customs, we picked up our bags and bike (all arriving in great condition) and set down to getting everything ready. We were ready to go by 1 pm — 2 hours from wheels down to wheels ready, not bad at all. Maybe we really are getting better at this...

Ready to hit the road!

Before we left Montreal, I had planned out a route to get us out of Brussels using the marvellous system of waypoints they use in Flanders and Holland. This turned out to be an excellent idea (if I do say so myself). Within just a few kilometres, we were cycling through the farmland adjacent to the airport. Thus far everything, including our bike tires, was running very smoothly.

An auspicious first few kilometres.

Our route took us through some lovely farmlands and park. The weather was ideal, so we didn’t really feel the need to stop, even if, in retrospect, it would have been a good idea. After about 20 km, we were starting to feel the jet lag and the mental stupidity it brings. Our original thought was to try and make it to Rixensart, about 30 south of Brussels, but that appeared to be overly ambitious. So we started looking for somewhere to stay near where we found ourselves (in the town of Jesus-Eik). After striking out with Airbnb, we found a guesthouse on Google Maps in the town of  Hoeilaart. Nothing spectacular, but we were happy to have a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep in.

This morning, we set out at about 9:30. The forecast was for showers most of the day, so we were quite prepared for a wet day. But as things turned out, our weather luck mostly held, and we were only seriously rained on for about 15 minutes. At some point, we had thought we might make it all the way to Namur, but after the first day, we knew that was a pipe dream, so this morning, we booked an Airbnb here in St-Denis, which turned out to be quite a good choice. The room is small, but the hosts are really lovely, and they helped us book a place for tomorrow evening in Dinant (birthplace of Adolphe Sax) where they had stayed previously.

After a lovely morning ride, we found ourselves in Louvain-la-Neuve, we we found a lively little university square with a lunch market. Perfect. We picked up some provisions and picnicked with the students. Then it was time to get Sonia a Belgian SIM card and me some more coffee before heading toward St-Denis.

Belgian cows not following the instructions (French cows say “meu”  not “moo”)

Today’s cycling could not have been more varied, ranging from dirt bike paths to quite busy secondary roads (though with a cycle lane) to very rough cobblestones. Overall, the countryside is quite hilly,  reminiscent of Luxembourg, so it’s a bit more challenging than much of the cycling we have done before. But it’s as if all our previous trips have prepared us for this; cycling on roads is not nearly as intimidating as it once was (though to be sure we don’t really enjoy it), and we’re dealing with the hills pretty well. And after a really good night’s sleep, we really enjoyed the ride today, even if it was a bit moist...