Some Photos

We are in Luxembourg Ville, taking a lay over day. We decided we needed new boots. Ours worked great until the trails started getting rougher in the Petite Suisse de Luxembourg. We got the shoes and replaced Rhonda's walking poles we left behind at a cafe when running for a bus. This city is a capitol, so it has everything, including Americans. Until today we have met only one American, way back in Maastricht. Tomorrow we will cross into France.

Along the GR5 between Beaufort and Grundhof.

Eating breakfast at l'Erns Nior Hotel. The first real croissants we ever had were here ten years ago. You can tie a string to them and fly them.

Sandstone outcrops and Boulders near Berdorf, lu. We saw more hikers here than anywhere else on the walk.

Poppies in a wheat field.

Natural tunnels in the rock, again near Berdorf.

Overlooking Echternacht, lu.

Looking into a German camp ground along the Sure River in Echternacht.

The Mosselle River Valley. Beautivul views as our route took us on walks through vineyards and through forests on the ridges.

Vineyards that produce very good white wine that cost 1.5 euro per glass. Hard to keep waling after lunch.

Down the stairs, through the vineyard and into the village of Ahn n the banks of the Mosselle

Flowers and flower boxes everywhere. The peonies are fading, but the roses are coming on and lavender, too. Soon we will have cherries. This along the Mosselle.

Troix Frontiers, just outside of Ouren, Be. This bridge crosses the Our River and I am in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany.

Ouren, Be.

A creek crossing near Ouren, Be.

For Surveyors Only

I've been finding lots of monuments. Most are the "punt" monuments, which are like three inch long pk nails. I had one on my desk that was given to me by a German surveying student we had at Caltrans. This is an old point on the boundary between Belgium and Luxembourg, now with a GR 5 way point and a bird bath.

Echternach Luxembourg

I am sitting in Cafe Poste here on the square in Echternach, on a very slow computer, watching Italy play Slovackia. I can use the computer as long as I drink bier. Thank god for the qwerty key board.

We walked from Grufflingen, Be. to Ouren on the Our River and had the best dinner on the trip. Cold and threatening, but that did not stop the band concert in Burg Ruland on the way. From Ouren we crossed the bridge between three countries: Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg. Then on along the river to Dasberg Pont, where we crossed the bridge and stayed in Germany at Relles Muhle, an old flower mill site that now makes hydropower for the bakery we slept over, for 50 euros. the only retaurant was closed so we ate trail mix and beer for dinner. From Dasberg we walked and bused to Grundhof.

Put this on your to do list: The hike from Beaufort to Grundhof to Berdorf to Echternach. It is breath taking. Beautiful streams, sandsone cliffs and grottos, and wonderful beech woods with trees three feet in diameter. We had hiked here before but not the whole route. We stayed again at the Hotel l Ernz Noire. You can do this hike in a day or split it into three very easy days with wonderful hotels in quiet villages for overnights, buses at both ends, and trains from any place in Europe to Luxembourg Ville to begin the trek.

We have seen more people on the trail here than anywhere else. Groups of school children, climbers on the sand stone cliffs, families, old couples in their eighties, and we ran into our Dutch friends Hilly and Jacob, who we met in Spa, when we arrived here in Echternach.

When we climbed out of the forest into Berdorf the church bells in every village rang for ten minutes to celebrate Luxembourg Independence Day. There were festivities in front of the church including speeches by local dignitaries. We went down the street to a cafe and watched the town brass band march by followed by many citizens dressed up in their finest clothes.

Tomorrow we head down the Sure to the Mosselle and on into France for our next layover day. The weather has finally turned fine and we will be in short sleeves for awhile.

Landan Donovan!

We had to comandeer the TV at our hotel to watch the game. After, there were people in the street yelling god save the queen. I yelled god save America.

Copa Mundial

Has anyone noticed that the world´s most popular sporting event is going on right now? Here in Europe you cannot get away from it. In fact we made certain to be in yesterday in time for the US Slovenia match. We got beers from the bar and took them to our room to watch. And were we ever happy we were not in the bar during the first half when the US team played terribly and the Slovenians put on show of soccer skill and team work. I was embarassed to go to the bar at the half to pick up another couple of beers, but we needed them. The US managed to tie, but I am afraid we will be destined to be out in the first match of single elimination until we learn that skill and passing win matches, not hard just hard tackling.

Today we came into the restaurant for lunch and found all the Holland fans and their kids dressed in orange for the match. Everyone watches the matches and when their favorites are playing they meet at the local watering hole to spend the afternoon. The men are still here celebrating and I am hoping their wives come back to pick them up.

The coverage of the matches goes on all day long on TV. You would think that John John´s plane was missing or something.

Happy Birthday to Rhonda

So, today we rest, as that is what Rhonda wanted. She is doing great and I told her the other day that she was turning into a mountain chick. She replied that she didnot want to be a mountain chick.

The day meets one of our other requirements for laying over, it is raining and what is more it is cold. So we watch the rain, old movies and the world cup.

And we have a great place to stay. A suite overlooking a beautiful green valley.

Happy Birthday Rhonda. I do not think anyone would do this with me but you. Thanks.

Stavelot - Vielsalm - Grufflingen

The walk of 16 km to Vielsalm is through the Ardennes and today it was raining.We passed block after block of forest, from recently clear cut, to six inch seedlings, to groves of 6 inch dia trees unthinned and planted so close together it is dark in the forest, to stands of 2 foot firs being selectively cut. And we passed a mill down in a valley that was running on the sound management of the surrounding forest.

We continue to pass monuments to Americans, who died defending villages in the winter of 1944 -45. And there are shrines or chapels at every road intersection, in front of farm houses, at high points on the trail, at stream crossings, and at the entrances to villages.

In Lobierme, a tiny village, we took refuge for lunch in a school bus stop shelter across from a memorial to six fallen Americans, after we found the Amis de Nature lodge closed. The Amis de Nature have lodges operated by members for people to stay and learn about the ecosytems of Europe. We have noticed many exhibites designed to bring city folk closer to agriculture, nature and forest management.

We have noticed hotels closed for a couple of weeks before the main tourist season starts here in the Ardennes. And there are old hotels that have gone out of business or have been bought by chains. It was no different in Viersalm where we settled in a Best Western for the night, our only choice. The old family owned hotels seem to be having a hard time making it.

Between Vielsalm and Grufflingen the language changes again, this time to German. And we descend out of the forest of the Ardennes into a broad valley of dairy farms. It was cold, 12 degrees and mist hung over the trees on the ridges. We got to the village of Commanster, just in time for lunch of apple cake in the Chateau built in 1741 and now owned by a German speaking old gentleman named Roland. His cake was great but the local bier, Cerviose Dieux, was the best we have had on the trip. Roland invited his neighbor who had been to the States in to talk with us. Being German we carried on a welcome conversation with them in English, rather than our pointing, gesticulating, getting louder with every second, 20 word French.It was a cold 20 km to Grufflingen, but a nice walk, except for the last 1.5 km, which was along a busy highway.



A village nestled in the valley.



Rhonda on a beautiful day in a field of wildflowers. Sometimes trail crosses pastures and we have to have good eyes to see the way marks across the field on a fence post.



A memorial to American soldiers.



Us having a nice dark bier at lunch in the Chateau de Commanster.



A typical chapel along the trail in the middle of Ardennes Forest.



The view from the veranda of our room in Grufflingen.

Uncle Gordon

Uncle Gordon Bray is on our minds a lot here in the Ardennes. He was here in the winter of 1944 -1945 trapped near Bastonge during the Battle of the Bulge. The people here still remember and respect what our troops did for them. Aline Jehin, in whose home we stayed at Saive, remembers soldiers handing out candy as they rolled through the town on tanks.

Saive - Banneau Chapelle - Spa - Stavelot

There is another difference that is obvious as we move south. The houses are all made of brown or grey stone. Old farm houses with barns and out buildings all made of stone. And another thing is the number of horses and riding schools. Just down the street (rue) we stayed on in Saive there was a ring with jumps and we watched the activity there every night on our way to dinner. And on Sunday there were carriages of all sorts parading around town pulled by every kind of horse from shetland ponies to huge Belgians.

And we see more hikers every day. Today when stopping qt the bakery for Quisch for lunch we met a Dutch couple. We met up with them again this evening at dinner. They are on a two week trip through Belgium an Luxembourg.

Banneau Chapelle is a pilgramage site like Lourds, only the little girl who saw the Virgin in 1933 did not become a nun, so there was controversy. But the initial controversy is not keeping away the people today. We watched a line of people mostly in wheel chairs going to drink the water from the spring. And our hotel was full of German tourists visiting religious sites.

Spa is filled with nice buildings from when it was a center for the titled and rich of Europe take the baths. This place a short train ride from Maastricht or four days walk is a place we would revisit some day.

We are getting into hills, real hills as we walked from Spa to Stavelot. We had two short climbs of 300 m today through the Ardennes Forest. The trail took us through a Forestry and Water Center(imagine, they know the connection!), with museums, work shops, class rooms, an arboritum, and many walking trails. My friends at CDF have been trying to get funding for such a place forever. The Ardennes is a text book example of good forestry practise. We walked for 17 km through them today with no villages.

Quel le Difference!

We heard that things would change when we left Maastricht and headed south, but we had no idea until we hiked the trail from Kanne - Visé - Saive, where we are doing a much needed two days of off the itinerary R&R.

First the language changes from Flemish to French, not gradually, but all at once. And the number of English speakers drops dramatically. The rest of the trip will be in French, without the help of all the northern European English speakers. Somehow we are managing French better than flemish and find the French speaking Belgians happy to help us out. We do have a phrase book and are teaching ourselves French. We have had help from the wonderful Madam Aline, who made us coffee and served the rice pudding pie from the local bakery to us as she helped us with our French.

Second the terrain has changed from the flat land along the North Sea to hills and vistas of villages tucked into river valleys. We also walk through wheat and sugar beet fields, a change from the dairy farming to the north. It is beautiful country to walk in, even though it is sometimes wet. The trail is well marled but still gives trouble going ijnto and out of towns.

Third we are seeing more hikers. We passed and were passed throughout a day by two Dutch couples who are out doing day hikes. We also ran into a French man on a week trip. And a local hiker gave us a hand with the trail signs. Still no hikers on the tril for the summer.

We are changing our itinerary as needed to get rest and see things. We have taken the last two days to rest. We are also skipping some of the trail going in and out of cities, like Maastricht. I guess this puts us in with the non serious GR 5 walkers, but the Wilson´s just want to have fun.

We are heading out again tomorrow and hope to find a fast computer so we can put up some more photos.

Diest to Maastricht

Davy Leers gave us a ride to Diest and we found another GR trail at the train station. We headed out looking for the junction with the GR 5 and knew we had to cross the river and followed clear trail marks across a bridge. We were happy enough to stop at a huge public swimming area and have a beer before continuing. The swimming park had the obligatory beer garden, three or four different pools and beaches, kids playgrounds and Belgians streaming in on the beginning of a hot day. We followed the markers out of town and things seemed ok until we started to climb a hill and I remembered we should have crossed a RR track. Well, we got to the top of the 60 m hill and I got oriented with the sun and, oops we had missed the trail junction and were heading backwards. After about 2.5 hours we found the junction and decided that it being 3 in the afternoon we couldn't make Lummen, so we took the bus.

We were glad that we got to Lummen because we had a nice dinner in the town square and met a Dutch couple who were day hiking on the Gr 5 that day and had had the same trouble with the trail junction we did. Like most people they are doing the GR 5 in weekends and week vacation chunks. They are planning to spend some in the Jura this summer so we exchanged email addresses. While eating we noticed that a lot of people were walking through the square and heading up a street. So we followed them and found a Catholic Worker Club social event. We joined in and had fun watching the people, the magician, the mime and the live music. We even had a long talk with the parish priest. On the way home the parking lot at the community hall was full and there were people standing at the entry with cowboy hats. We went in and found everyone in western attire line dancing to a country band. Quite an evening.

The next day we got up and hiked to Bokrijk. The trail winds much more today than the old route so we cheated and followed the old route without any trouble. It is nice to have land marks like the Albert Canal to follow. It started hot, about 25 degrees by noon, but then it clouded up and we walked in rain for an hour or so. The trail goes through beautiful nature preserves after leaving the Canal. We stopped in the nature Domein Kiewit for a rest and some frites and watched the kids playing in the playground next to the musem and the beer garden. When we left for the last 5 km it was getting dark and then a thunder storm blew up and drenched us before we had a chance to put on our rain gear. We walked the last 3 km in the rain and took a quick look at the historical architectural displays of Belgian house designs through the centuriesat the Bokrijk park. We were very happy we had made a reservation at a hotel and that it was right on the trail and had a manager that was nice enough to dry our clothes for us.

On the way to Zutendaal we stopped at an old mill, which has been turned into a tavern. the mill has been used for fulling clothe as well as grinding corn and crushing rape seed for oil. It's a beautiful building and will be used to grind flower again later this summer. Cristel a woman eating lunch at the tavern recommended food and took our photo and then asked us to her home and her husband Marc's machine shop. We toured the machine shop, which makes prototypes and hardware for dental implants and had a coffee in Cristel's kitchen. She gave us a ride back to the trail and we hiked on in to Zutendaal.

The trip to Maastricht was a bit rainy, but once again we were in beautiful countryside. We took a break at a fishing club on the way, which was interesting and ate lunch at a large camp ground resort a km off the trail.

Maastricht is a really impressive city. It has only 120,000 people, but the style of the town makes it seem much bigger. It has many wonderful buildings and shops. We spent the day touring the town and doing some shopping. We are staying at a hotel run by a family that is letting us use the computer at the front desk.

The city is draped in Holland Orange and is about to go crazy like the rest of Europe for the World Cup.




GR 5 way mark front breakfast room of hotel in Bokrijk.


Lake on the way to Zutendaal.

A real European buck and doe.

Sculpture in the middle of nowhere.

The mill tavern with gearing behind the old folks.

A very typical childrens playground at a beer garden.

Bridge over the Maas at Maastricht

Maastricht from the window of our hotel room.

Real Maastricht style.

Our Days

We have been walking for 17 days and are falling into a routine that is working for us.

On a typical walking day we eat breakfast at 8, which is the time that most hotels start breakfast. Breakfast that comes with the room is composed of croissants, rolls, boiled eggs, creal, meats, cheese, yogurt, fruit, and tea and coffee. We eat a big breakfast and take rolls and cheese and fruit with us for lunch, in case we don't find a cafe on the trail.

Packing up and spreading out things in the evenings is getting easier and quickers as we find special places in our packs for things and begin to remember which stuff sack has underwear, etc. After packing up we usually hit the trail plus or minus 9:30.

Then we walk from 3 to 6 hours depending on where we can find a room. Hotels are listed in the Guides and usually the propietor of the hotel where we are staying will make a reservation for the next night in the next town. Somtimes we just go to the next place if we think there will be more than one hotel in town. The walks are normally in the country side and through nature preserves or skirting towns. We stop every hour for a break on a bench along the trail if there is one or, if there is one, a cafe. For lunch we stop at a cafe if possible or eat what we have brought along. Many times cafes are closed for one reason or another.

We usually get into the town we are staying at around 4 and walk to the hotel and unpack and and shower, then go in search of dinner. All of the hotels have dining rooms, so if we are tired we will just eat in and go to bed. I usually go into the shower with my clothes on and wash clothes as well as myself. Rhonda frowns on this behavior, but it gives me more time to walk around town in the evening and write in our journal. We are normally in bed at least by 10. Did we mention that it is still light here at 11 at night? At first it threw us off and we stayed up later, but now we are generally tired enough we don't notice the light.

We are home with the Leers familie

We have arrived at the Leers in Hulshout, Belgium. Many things have changed here since our last visit ten years ago. The family has now grown to four generations here on their one acre with the marriage of Davy to Anya and the birth of Arne. And grandfather died a month ago. So now grandmother is alone in the little house, Davy and Anya and Arne are in the remodelled upstairs of the family home and Andre and Annie are living downstairs. It is a typical family arrangement here in Belgium. Each generation has responsibilities and life seems somehow less hectic, with everyone working together.

The land has changed, with the addition of a new terrace and now with grandfather gone, the racing pigeon houses will be removed to make way for a play area for Arne and more gardens for Andre to attend to now that he is retired. And the neighborhood has grown, there is a Construction boom here in Belgium. We are still fairly close to Antwerp and other larger towns and even with high land prices people want to be in the countryside.

We got here the day of Davys production of the play Daughters at his school. He tends the computer system at the school, teaches math and science and also directs the schools theater program. The play by Ameican Maya Levy about womens relationships with their mothers was riviting even though we dont know any Flemish, because of the expressiveness of the 10 young (13 and 14 year olds) actresses, each with a ten minute soliliquay. Davy has a company of actors that he works with and they have produced several of his original plays. We watched dvds of Davys work with his Group and it is really quality work. As with everything else here the whole family helps with the productions – Andre acts and makes sets, Annie makes costumes, and Anya Works with the actors and the staging.

Yesterday Andre and I sat in the garden and discussed the World with an 11 percent beer at 11 am, while Rhonda and grandmother played with the baby. When Davy got home from school at noon he took us to the Hoorst Castle near here, a beautiful example of 15th century architecture set in a lake. After the tour we sat in the beer garden and sampled the local Hoorst brew, still made in the village next to the castle. On the way home we picked up strawberries at a roadside stand – I could smell them as soon as I got out of the car.

And then there is Annies (no attempt at apostrophes on this keyboard) cooking. Belgian endive and cauliflower, and luscious deserts. We have to start walking again, while we still can.




The whole familie, grandmother, Annie, Andre, Davy, Anya, Arne, and honorary grandma.

So go the days

Walking slowly through such beauty each day is an opportunity to rest the mind. We talk to each other for a time and then fall silent with our own thoughts. We are feeling stronger and with little adjustments of pack straps can get rid of most aches and pains. We generally walk for an hour and then take a ten minute break on a handy bench. We try to stop at cafes for lunch, but sometimes they are closed so we take something with us for lunch each day, rolls and cheese and fruit. And we stop at all cafes that we find open.

The cafe at the intersection of two GRs doesnt open until 13:00 so we move on.

And eat on a bridge over the first flowing water we have seen. We can almost see the corn growing in the fields.

Maps and landscapes

The trail guides provide us with our most useful maps. We do Carry a small scale map of the Country, but only use it to get a broad picture of the area surrounding the large scale maps in the guides . In the Netherlands the guide had 1:25000 mapping, which was wonderful. The rest of the guides have 1:50000, that is harder to use, but with the aid of a stop watch works ok. We travel a little less than 5 km per hour and the strip maps have way points with distances between, so we can navigate. Most of the time the white and red stripes of the trail Marks, placed on trees, fence posts, and sign posts are all we need to stay on the path, but I like the maps.

For instance I just noticed that there are now contours on the maps, something not necessary in Holland. We noticed between Brecht and Sint Antonius there was movement in the watercourses and that they had turned into streams. Now we are hearing them gurgle in the woods. And we have been on our first hill outside Bergen – 20 m elevation.

The forests now have bigger trees, oaks, beeches, elms, wild cherry, pink chestnuts, hawthorne, pine and fir with an understory of rhoderdendron, in bloom now, and other unknown shrubs. The wood lots are located between fields and sometimes are managed as single species stands. Trees are cut selectively and we see evidence of timber sales.

Walking from Brecht to Sint Antonius

Here is the trail through Brecht.

And a view of the church and the back yard gardens from the trail


A house boat on the canal. A cloudy day but no rain. We traveled to Sint Antonius by bus from where the GR5 crosses a main road right at a large retaurant run by the Trappist Brewing Company.