Mud and Hills, Hills and Mud

Our first big hike of 2018 took place yesterday - Les Crêtes de Spa in the Belgian Ardennes, where it is hilly, and very muddy at this time of year.   The term "cretes" means "crests" in French and let me tell you, we ascended many crests during this 21 K hike - just when we thought we couldn't possibly get any higher, there was another ascent.  The toughest and more memorable of these was the 650 meter long, very steep ski slope we had to get up - it was grueling but the view at the top was worth it.  

We were extremely lucky with the weather and the beautiful blue skies and sounds of birds chirping in the woods kept us going.  We finished in 5 hours and our legs were definitely feeling it.   

 Thankfully there was a reward after crossing the last bridge:

Now all I have to do is get all the mud off my hiking boots...

Starting 2018 off on the right foot

Quite literally!  That's me with the cap, and my three boys right behind me, crossing the Corrida finish line (you know, that cool race on New Year's Eve in our town where you get a bottle of wine after finishing).  It was so cool to do this with my boys, and a great way to kick off a brand new year.

November thoughts

 This picture was taken on an unseasonably balmy November afternoon last week, while on a walk with a friend I hadn't seen in a while.  It kind of reflects how life seems to me at the moment: bright and beautiful, but fragile, in the foreground (all the good things in life for which I am so grateful) with some threatening dark clouds always just on the edge of the frame (the hard things that have happened this year to so many people around me).

My father passed away on October 2nd.  It's very difficult to get used to the idea that he is no longer there.  We are all working on that.  And continuing to honor his love for the outdoors.

Monthly Hike with Ingrid

We were so lucky with our planned walk yesterday!  It was supposed to rain, it was actually sprinkling as we drove from Leuven to our starting point in Vossem, and the sky was full of ominous dark gray clouds the entire time we were walking.  But every now and then the sun would come out and it felt like spring!

I had planned out a 15 km route, with a 10 km alternative if the weather was bad.  But when we got to the point where we had to decide whether to take the short cut or not, it was still dry.  So we continued on the 15 km route.  Even though the sky still looked like this:

Ultimately the wind began to pick up, and in our last three kilometers it finally began to rain, lightly at first and then hard, so that by the time we got back to the car, it was pouring.  But still, we felt lucky, considering that our February walk was three hours of  non-stop rain. 

Leuven Corrida 2016

I talked my youngest son, Felix, into doing this with me, and it was his first organized race event!  Thankfully it wasn't too cold this morning but there was a nasty wind and a constant drizzle of rain.  At least it wasn't pouring, right?

We walked downtown (the second best thing* about this race is that it takes place right in the center of Leuven - we can just walk to the starting line!) and bumped into our neighbor, Bram, who was volunteering:

 Felix and I were signed up for the 4K.  Maybe you remember that in 2012/2013 I had to stop running for about a year because of a persistent hip injury that turned out to be high hamstring tendinosis...all that time, the one thing I wanted to be able to do again, was participate in the Corrida in my home town.  And this year, after changing my whole approach to running in particular and movement in general, I finally have been able to add running back into my life.  So it was a great feeling for me to be able to do this again, even if it was "only" the 4K distance.  Felix stuck with me the whole way and we ended up finishing together in 26 minutes.  

*And of course, the best thing about this race?  The bottle of wine they hand you after you cross the finish line!

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and all my best wishes for 2017!

Summer recap, part 1: walking weekend in Germany

Despite the fact that we are going to have summer weather at least through the next week, I can definitely feel that summer is drawing to an end.  Felix just started his final year of secondary school this week.  Florian and Charlotte are travelling in Japan, and Gillis is interrailing across Central and Eastern Europe with friends - they'll all be gone for the next three weeks until university starts at the end of the month.  So it's quiet around here but at the same time back to routine.

Which means I have some time to post about some fun things from the summer.  Ingrid and I decided to celebrate ten years of walking together with a walking weekend in the Eifel region in Germany.  We stayed at a bed and breakfast in a very small village.  We were given maps and detailed descriptions of five different walks ranging from 13 to 28 kilometers.  Once we made our choice, the lady who runs the B&B drove us to the starting point of the walk and dropped us off - and it was up to us to find our way back!

We were blessed with incredibly perfect walking weather - bright and sunny and just on the good side of not being too hot.  Our first walking day took us around the famous three round lakes (Maaren) near Daun.  Gorgeous!

Our second day was our longest: after being dropped off by the B&B lady in the morning (with a picnic she made for us), we took the whole day to do the 20 kilometers back, enjoying the rolling hills, forest, and little towns on our way.

Finally, our last day, we stopped on our way home to visit the little town of Monreal (picture below) and the much bigger and more touristic town of Monschau.  Both are renowned for their half-timbered houses and narrow streets, and both boast a castle that sits high above the town center.

 It was a very enjoyable weekend and a great way to celebrate our walking anniversary.

Weekend in France

We just got back from a quick two days in France - my friend Joy, her husband and son (my godson) are there visiting her in-laws and we were invited for the weekend.  Always a treat to be in France, even if it's short.

A walk through the village on Saturday afternoon so the boys could score some pastries:

Fun times with good friends, what more do we need in life?