Now that my mother has moved from our hometown Poperinge to a farm in the surrounding countryside, Vaughan & I had to find ways to entertain ourselves during our stay other than sitting in cafe's or hanging around town. Luckily his bike survived three years of storage so we took several cycling trips in the area - an excellent way to fend off the fast-accumulating kilos (you gotta love calorie-rich European food!). So what does a non-suspecting cyclist discover along West-Flemish roads?
1. More chapels than you can throw a stick at, often in a run-down state and with a Mary statue inside. I'm not religious in any way but I do find these really charming, the ones located on the crossing of quiet country roads.
2. Weird & wonderful constructions, like this pile of bikes we came across in the tiny village of Roesbrugge on the French border. On July 7th the Tour de France entered Belgium here and the locals obviously got very excited!
3. Windmills... Yep, this isn't Holland but in our area several windmills are dotted around the landscape.
4. Castles in all shapes, sizes and architectural styles, like the ones in Beauvoorde (above) and Wijnendale (below), each in their own way offering a fascinating glimpse into Flemish/Belgian history and the life of the aristocracy. Vaughan loves a castle on any given day so he was a happy camper :-).
1. More chapels than you can throw a stick at, often in a run-down state and with a Mary statue inside. I'm not religious in any way but I do find these really charming, the ones located on the crossing of quiet country roads.
2. Weird & wonderful constructions, like this pile of bikes we came across in the tiny village of Roesbrugge on the French border. On July 7th the Tour de France entered Belgium here and the locals obviously got very excited!
3. Windmills... Yep, this isn't Holland but in our area several windmills are dotted around the landscape.
4. Castles in all shapes, sizes and architectural styles, like the ones in Beauvoorde (above) and Wijnendale (below), each in their own way offering a fascinating glimpse into Flemish/Belgian history and the life of the aristocracy. Vaughan loves a castle on any given day so he was a happy camper :-).
2 comments:
I agree! Who doesn't love a castle? (^_<) Lovely images, inge! You've inspired me to visit Belgium, if I ever get the chance!
Hey Melissa, thanks for the comment. And even better that I managed to make you consider Belgium as a travel destination! Maybe I should work for the tourist board ;-). PS: It's a teeny country so you could easily combine it with a trip to France, Holland or the UK.
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