Rachel’s Interrail Adventures

After traveling from Bruges and changing in Brussels, I was greeted with a big smile and a hug from Colette at Gembloux station. Colette is an old friend from Bangkok who moved back to her hometown in Belgium 5 years ago. When she read of my journey, she got in touch and invited me to visit.

**Note to interrail users: I wasn’t sure how long a month long pass would last and it turns out that if you start on the 3rd of a month, it will run out on the 2nd of the next month. I guess that means that technically, you lose out by traveling in February! I hadn’t realised this. **

Colette and Ludo (her husband) were the most gracious and generous hosts! I was very lucky to be treated to wonderful Belgian food, amazing Belgian beer, the beauty of Gembloux and Namur near to where they live, and also an amazing day trip to the Ardennes region in the very south of Belgium.

Namur

On my second day after dropping Ludo at an agricultural fair in Libramont. We had a wonderful tour around the following places in the Semois valley, Ardennes, very south of Belgium:

Le Tombeau de Giant

Almost an island but not quite. Viewpoint in Votassart. Can you guess why it has this name?

Laforete

In Laforete we visited a church with an unusual ceiling, a traditional, communal clothes washing room and the Pont de claies. This last one is a bridge traditionally made from a certain wood and constructed each year for the summer season. Farmers needed a way to transport crops over the shallow river without the crops getting wet. It is now reconstructed every year by the local council as part of cultural heritage.

Curfoz

Here we clambered up the 3 level watch tower to see a birds eye view of the nearby Bouillon town. Bouillon has a castle and is also protected by the river and the mountains.

Orval

Our last stop took us to Orval to see the abbey where the Trappist monks brew their beer and make cheese. The abbey had a museum section showing how they brew the beer and it added to my beer education! Ludo has provided the other 95% of my beer education this last few days!

On day 3, Colette took me to see Gembloux, the town, the university and other places. Colette and Ludo have strong links in Gembloux: her uncle founded the music academy, they were married in the church there, Ludo attended university there and now they are involved in many community groups learning the traditional local language of Walloon and being president of the town twinning committee (Gembloux is twinned with Loughborough in the UK).

Thank you so much Colette and Ludo, for hosting me and being such amazing guides as well!

Belgium watch out – I’ll be back!