European Adventure Day 14–North to Flanders with a stop for Le Tour

After a much needed recharging of the batteries in Dinant, Susan and I departed mid-morning on a local train headed north.  Our train ride was only about 30 minutes to another small (albeit much larger than Dinant) town called Namur.  The area of Wallonia we had been in the past couple of days was actually considered part of Namur province, so we were entering the “capital” city and one of the northernmost in the French-Belgian Wallonia region.  As we continue north, Dutch influence takes over in Flanders where most of the population and notable Belgian cities are (i.e. Antwerp and Brussels).

The reason for stopping in Namur was the Tour de France.  The first couple days of the 2012 tour have been in Belgium and today’s stage (stage 2) ends basically right at the France/Belgium border before the remainder of the race takes place in France.  Today’s stage is a long, flat stage covering about 140 miles east to west across Belgium.  Susan and I noticed the route went through Namur which was right on our return train route to Brussels station, so a good place to catch the race in passing (about 50 miles into the stage).  What we didn’t realize until today though, was that the only categorized climb (a small Cat 4) of the day was also in Namur when the riders ascended the cobbled streets up the Namur Citadel.  This provided an opportunity to slow the race down for us to get more viewing opportunities…perfect!

Such a fitting street name

Off the train in Namur we made our way to the river and the Citadel, stopping at a grocery to grab food for a picnic lunch at the top.  We arrived almost 2 hours before the race to scope out good spots and to witness the caravan which comes through before.  The caravan is essentially a huge parade of sponsor vehicles, team cars, press vehicles, and police that precede the race.  Many of these vehicles have young volunteers strapped to harnesses hanging out the back or side of the vehicle throwing out free goods.  Some of the swag we collected includes 2 Vittel pocketless bike jerseys (which were clutch in the hot sunny weather), Haribo jelly beans, a large waving hand, a collapsible fan, a French Disney Tour comic book, 2 key chains, and a reusable grocery bag.  Susan intercepted a water bottle (filled) intended for a security guard before her conscious got the best of her.

The caravan, both on the bridge (upper left) and the winding road (lower right)

Some of the many vehicles in the caravan

Jeff, the superfan & Susan grabbing shade under the Vittel jersey

About an hour after the caravan, the racers followed.  At the time there was a 3 man break, but I couldn’t identify any of the aggressors.  About 6 minutes later, the peleton (main pack) came up the snaking climb.  With us being on a Citadel overlook we were able to catch the race switching back the lower slopes, then again crossing a bridge just above us.  Still they had come and gone in an instant, but the anticipation and excitement of the race passing was awesome to witness.  Since my favorite rider (Fabian Cancellara) also happened to be the current race leader, his yellow jersey (maillot jaune) stood out and made him easy to spot among the 110 or so others in the main pack.

After the race we were worn out from the heat and the excitement, so we walked back to the train station to finish the days’ travel.  We continued north through Brussels to the smaller medieval town of Bruges (or Brugge, pronounced Broo-gah, more correctly in Dutch).

The Vittel shirts were more suitable for this hot, sunny stake-out

The trip north to Brussels was smooth, but the train from Brussels to Brugge was packed with commuters and arrived late.  Still, the hassle was nothing compared to the turmoil we dealt with in Paris.  Off the train we walked to our B&B (Het Witte Bittje…awesome name I know).  It sits on a dead end street outside the canal loop and old city gates that separate “cute old Brugge” from “normal residential Brugge”.  In terms of its exterior charm and architecture, it’s nothing to write home about.  However the host is very friendly and speaks English with a fun Dutch accent (adding V’s and Z’s everywhere).  The rooms are private and include a clean modern bath, a TV, plenty of space, and even a painting of a leopard at the foot of the bed…who could ask for more.  Also, being a B&B breakfast is included.

After a short pit stop to wash up and watch the finish of the Tour stage we witnessed earlier, Susan and I wandered into town to find dinner.  At the suggestion of the B&B host (and the use of common sense we have developed along the trip), we tried to avoid eating in the city center and instead explored back streets after making our way to the famous Markt square.  Unfortunately we had no luck finding a small local restaurant in our wanderings so settled for a slightly less expensive place on one of the outer squares for dinner since it was getting late.  The food was only so-so, but I guess I at least got some mussels while in Belgium…they are just coming into season now for July and August so I figured I needed to take advantage.

Markt Square

Belgium Mussels

With dinner completed we were beat…so returned to the B&B fairly early.  Tomorrow we will take in as much of Brugge as we can in a half day before moving to our final destination on the mainland portion of our journey.