Our last day here in the Ardennes.. Unfortunately that means extra work in the morning: pack everything, tidy the house and load the car. We drive off around ten with a full trunk, but are by now smart enough to keep the hiking stuff on the back seat, we'll need that soon! This morning we… Continue reading Squirrel!
The cell phone alarm starts ringing at seven and when it wakes me, I realize today is a day off and we don't actually have plans. So I stay in bed, reading a book. After Arne also opens his eyes about an hour later, we get up and discuss the entertainment options for the day… Continue reading 101 Waltzes and Polkas
When we get up this morning the sun is shining and there's not a cloud to see in the sky! We decide on a 15 km walk right on the border with Germany, once again from the 'Pleasure Walks' book/website. We drive through Eupen (listening to ancient Pure Music cd's - or rather the Spotify… Continue reading a beautiful day
We're getting used to having nothing to do but walk, cook and eat! We're going through the books and TV entertainment quickly, but luckily we came prepared with much to read and watch, so we're not worried that we'll get bored. After the usual morning routine (with some leftover chicken berberé for the sandwhiches today),… Continue reading not fens, bogs!
Today is predicted to be the rainiest day, so we decide during breakfast to do a woodsy walk in the hope that the trees will protect us a bit. We pick a walk from the flyer of the OstBelgien tourisme office, it's a bit further away - about half an hour by car - but… Continue reading Rainy..
elegant crack fix Up at eight, can you imagine! We sat in bed reading, cozily warm, for an entire hour before that. During a leisurely breakfast we negotiate which route to hike today, still with the eighties disco music list. It's supposed to remain dry until the late afternoon, so plenty of time to roam… Continue reading windy!
I wake up a few minutes before the alarm goes off at seven. This is a trick I only manage to pull off on holidays, so I suspect it has to do with active days and better sleep. It's pretty chilly in the house: there's no central heating and it takes a while for the… Continue reading settling in
No rush today, so yesterday evening I set the alarm at eight. It's a bit surprising when it goes off at seven instead, but as breakfast is only scheduled at eight thirty we kill it and sleep another hour. We spent half of dinner last night talking about the new COVID-19 counter measures: less social… Continue reading A significant navigational error
We have planned a short getaway: we have this Friday off work, will go for a walk or something and will sleep in the Voeren area of Belgium. Saturday more walking, something cultural or a movie, doesn't matter as long as it's relaxing! I have spent an hour or two in the evenings earlier this… Continue reading Mushroom Central
Ow my muscles. I underestimated the impact of using a different bike, it seems. It's a great bike: smooth, silent, sturdy, but the configuration takes a bit of getting used to. I'm much more inclined forward, supporting part of my weight on my arms and though this allows you to put greater strength through your… Continue reading Walk + Movie
Up at 8, breakfast as usual, Arne searches for the name of the birds we saw yesterday on the higher snowy slopes, turns out they were bullfinches. They were too quick to photograph, but we remember the distinct coloration. Some doubt about what to do today.. we could go to one of the official winter… Continue reading lots of trees
Alarm at 7, but we snooze until 8: it's raining and we're not in a hurry to get out there. Breakfast with champagne - the last of the bottle we opened two days ago - and then the usual procedure to start the hiking day. We decide to do one of the official winter hikes… Continue reading some snow after all
I wake up thinking it must be time to wake up, though there was no alarm yet. Turns out I turned it off yesterday, but indeed it is exactly 7 am. The morning proceeds the same as yesterday: healthy breakfast, lunch prep and pack the two backpacks. Today we even remember to take the thermos… Continue reading a bit of unexpected danger
Up at seven, it's still dark but we can tell it's no longer raining. The weather is supposed to be mild and dry, not very promising for snow.. One of the reasons we took a studio this year is to have better food. Not better as in more tasty, but as in healthy and in… Continue reading green!
well, not quite a week. It feels like longer though because I've been so busy. The keyboards don't make it any easier: during the day I'm docked and typing on a local qwerty, but right now I'm using my laptop azerty keyboard. Don't think this is a small detail, I can type blind on both… Continue reading a week in Skopje
The weather continues to be cold and sunny, we want to spend time outside and so a walk is planned for the morning. I use the same website to investigate some options and we decide on a loop from Comrie (see Wikiloc trail here). It's a nice drive by car, the last kilometers are through… Continue reading more Highlands
Today is supposed to be the finest day of the week meteorologically and we've planned to do a small hike. Yesterday evening I used the website https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ to search for the best trail for our varied family group and used parameters like grade (meaning difficulty), ascent (meaning how many meters will you climb and descend)… Continue reading Highlands
It's famous for its natural beauty and popular with hikers, so today we take some time for hiking. I had investigated some trails online and made a short list of options, the final decision is taken with the eggs and sausage at the breakfast table. We take our hiking stuff to the car and drive… Continue reading around the Lake District
Some frost on the car this morning, though it's sunny. We're sleeping in an inn, so we feel it's a good occasion for an English breakfast. Besides, we'll be doing a hike this mmorning so we can use the extra calories. At the car park near Broadway tower we put on our winter hiking gear… Continue reading AM nature – PM technology
early out of bed, we want to take advantage of the mild morning temperatures to take a walk through the Wilhemshöhe Bergpark. there is an app that has all the info, though we get mixed signals about whether the impressive waterfall system will be operational. on the website it says there is maintenance, other sites say… Continue reading home!
we're visiting the island today. sounds simple enough, but it has a surface area of 1342 km² so we'll have to make some choices if we want to make it out before dark. we set off for the northernmost point and first visit Långe Erik, one of the many light houses on the island. we don't… Continue reading Öland
