Extratrail Series #3 Spa

 We left early with Florian this morning to tackle our third Extratrail route - and we were all levelling up today - Florian was planning to do a red route, and Stefaan and I were going to do a blue one, in Spa.  Also, all of the Extratrails have a nice amount of snow on them, which was going to be an additional challenge for all of us.  I was a bit apprehensive about how slippery the trails were going to be - so much so that I didn't sleep very well!  Boo!

We decided to go to Spa for several reasons, the biggest being how busy it has been in the Haute Fagne area of Belgium lately, lots of people driving in to remoter villages and recreational areas to sled, ski and walk in the snow for the past couple of weeks.   They actually closed access to some of these areas, because the crowds of people had become unmanageable.  We felt like Spa, being a bigger city to start out in, would be more accessible, a little bit easier to drive into (big national road) and to find parking, and we were hoping the tourist office would be open and have public toilets.  Also, I am fairly familiar with Spa, having done their big trail/walking event "Les Crêtes de Spa" twice now with Ingrid.  

Florian's route, which was about 20 km, was going to roughly follow where Ingrid and I had walked on that organized event.  The route Stefaan and I were going to do, which was going to be about 10 km, was on the other side of the town, which was completely new for me, and which I was looking forward to.

We got into Spa with no difficulty and found parking right in front of the Radisson Hotel, near the base of the funicular (the only funicular in Belgium, it takes people up 80 m to the Thermes de Spa above the city).  The Extratrail routes start at the Tourist office, so we walked over there and luckily it was open and had nice clean bathrooms!  Score!  Once we got our pit stop taken care of, we all headed out.  The four different Extratrail routes start out together for the first couple kilometers, but Florian's pace is about double ours, so he got ahead of us right from the start.

The trail takes you up through the town to the steep hills on the north side, a pretty spicy winding trail up to the Thermes, where it took us right past the top of the funicular station and wound us down again, one part a quite challenging descent (especially with all the slushy slippery snow on the trail) which brings you out at the far end of the city park that started from where our car was parked.  Then it wound us right back up again, on another side of a side valley, through the woods, and then down again, and then up again - it was relentless and our first three km took us an hour to complete!  By then we finally got to the split in the trails - red and black continued on to the other side of the town, towards the ski piste and the fagne, and the blue and green continued north towards Theux, through a beautiful forest and with some welcome

respite from climbing, before winding us back around in a big loop up and down towards the town again.  

I have to say, all the climbing was totally worth how beautiful it was to hike in the woods there today - the nice layer of snow made it a true winter wonderland, and at certain points it was so quiet and peaceful.  Once the sun came out and started shining through the trees and glittering on the snow, it was breathtaking.  We really enjoyed ourselves and were happy we had come out for the day.  It took us a good three hours to finish the route.  We met Florian at the car (as per usual he got there about 15 minutes before us), but not before we stopped in at the tourist office for another pit stop and a lovely tea room patisserie right on the same square, to pick up some coffee and hot chocolate and some cake to take home with us.  (Another reason for choosing to start in Spa today - we had high hopes we'd be able to get a hot drink afterwards and thankfully, it worked out!).  All in all it was a great day and we really felt like we were on vacation.  We definitely recommend the Spa Extratrails!

Extratrail Series #2: Theux

This past Saturday the weather forecast was great - one of those perfect fall days with mild temperatures and a glorious blue sky to contrast with the fall leaves - so we decided to tackle another of the Extrail Series, this time the network of trails in Theux. 

 

We were not sure if we were going to be able to go, with an impending second lockdown, but it turned out that the new measures still allowed for non-essential travel around Belgium, so we were able to go.  Florian wanted to run the 18 km Blue Route, while Stefaan and I would walk the 8 km Green Route, together with our middle son, Gillis, which was great because we haven't seen much of him since he and his housemates had to quarantine twice in the past couple months.

 

 

The trails start out in the busy little town of Theux.  It was Saturday morning and people were out getting all their shopping in (masked of course).  It was a bit confusing at first to figure out where best to park the car and get started but we finally found the car park along the river at the cultural center and library and Florian got us pointed in the right direction before taking off for his run.

 

 

The Green Route started out with a pretty spicy climb right away once we got out of Theux, and wound us through fields with beautiful views (including the Franchimont Castle ruins), forests with crackling leaves, and along a little stream called the Wayai.  It was a lovely route, and aside from the tough climb at the beginning, we felt like it was a bit less challenging than the one in Stoumont.  It also felt like the route in Theux was more suburban, not taking us as much into the "wilderness" as the last one we did.

 

  The final big climb on the route took us up to a high meadow, where we could really enjoy the beauty of this area of Belgium as we rounded the top and headed back down into Theux. 

It took us about two hours and 15 minutes to finish the route and when we got back, Florian was waiting for us.  Had it not been for Covid, we probably would have hung around the town and had a drink, but given that all the cafés were closed we decided to call it a good day and head home.

Extratrail Series #1: Stoumont

 

My oldest son, Florian, used his time during lockdown this year to start trail running.  We've already been to one race with him in the Belgian Ardennes as his support team, and while he was running we got a short hike in, making sure we were back at the finish line around the time we thought he was going to come in.  It was a great day and the three of us really enjoyed spending time together as well as running and hiking.

Recently, looking for trails to run to train for some upcoming races, he discovered a really cool concept around the city of Spa: Extratrail.  In Spa and each of six neighboring towns, there are four trails of increasing distance and difficult that start and end at a common central location.  All the trails are really well marked and easy to follow and are intended for trail runners, nordic walkers and hikers.  Additionally, there are linking trails that connect the trails in one town with the trails in the next town and it is even possible to do an entire loop of 157 km!

Florian asked us if we'd be interested in joining him for the trails in Stoumont this past weekend.  Stefaan and I decided to give it a go and try out hiking the green route (7 km), while Florian would run the blue route (14 km) figuring that our times would be similar enough that whoever got in first wouldn't have to wait too long at the car.  

The drive out to Stoumont on a Sunday morning took about an hour and was relaxed.  The weather report was good.  We found the Tourist Office in Stoumont easily and parked the car.  The Tourist Office here is closed on Sunday but there was a little bakery/café open just down the road in case we needed the loo or a hot drink.  It was cold to start out so we were eager to get moving and warm up - Florian was off pretty quickly and Stefaan and I followed, at our much slower pace and directly uphill and into a forest, as we passed a big group of people who were out on a mushroom picking tour! 

 

The route was varied and at times challenging (forest, field, ravine, steep inclines and declines, including some pulling ourselves up on rocks which reminded me of our hikes in Norway) and really pretty with the fall sunlight coming through the trees.  There were several points where we crossed over or walked along little gurgling streams and baby waterfalls, which was wonderful to listen to.  The end of the hike wound us back up from the Amblève River valley into the village of Stoumont, another steep climb but with this breathtaking view as a reward at the end:

It took us about 2 hours to hike the green route and Florian finished the blue one about 15 minutes before us.  An bonus to the way the trails were laid out, was that we bumped into Florian twice along the way - once when his trail crossed ours, which was totally unexpected - we stopped for a minute or two and compared notes about how it was going so far - and a second time towards the end, where all the trails have merged again on the same path, when he caught up to and passed us.  When we got back to the car, he was waiting for us and had already freshened up!

We were all really happy with our first experience of Extratrail hiking/running and on the way back we decided we'd like to try the other six towns' trails as well - and I immediately thought it would be fun to blog about the series. So this is the first in hopefully a series of seven. 

25 KM Trail in Woluwé

Aisling, Ingrid and I signed up for the 25 km trail walk that was held last Sunday in conjunction with the more well known 15 km of Woluwé, a community on the southeast side of Brussels.  As you can see above, there were less than 20 people at the start of the walk!   (There would be about a hundred trail runners that would pass us a few hours later.)

The trail itself was a great course - who knew there was so much green surrounding Brussels!  From the start, we followed an old tram track that had been turned into a walking and biking path, then we were led into the park around the Red Cloister which is now a museum and cultural center, and then into the Sonian Forest, more than 10,000 acres of winding trails and greenery.  It was beautiful.

Ingrid and I walk slow, we are well aware of that - we both have short legs and we also talk a lot while we are walking.  So we were prepared to be out for 5-6 hours (we also take breaks and try to sit down for 10-15 minutes every two hours or so - it really makes a difference in how our legs feel).  And Aisling was willing to adjust to our slower pace.  Which meant most of the other walkers got ahead of us pretty quickly.  And then the trail runners started passing us, and it was sometimes challenging to stay off the path to let them pass.  But we weren't too concerned - there was no time limit set for the trail, and we were having a good time, enjoying the perfect walking weather and gorgeous scenery.

However, we never expected that we would be going so slow that the organizers would start pulling up the trail markings before we finished - but that is exactly what happened!  To be fair, they did warn us at a certain point that that could happen, and the young man on a bike who was taking the markings away did stop when he caught up to us and made sure we had a map (he gave us his and helped Aisling download a route on her phone).  He was apologetic and friendly, and dare I say cute (even though he was probably as old as our own kids)?  So of course we forgave him. 

And luckily Aisling had a cycling map of Brussels with her, so we were able to navigate our way back out of the forest without getting too turned around, and made it back to the finish in 6 hours, as foreseen.

Luckily, they hadn't yet taken down the tent with the drinks, so we were still able to have a beer and toast our accomplishment (and get our friend above to take a nice group pic for us, which he said was the least he could do after leaving us behind in the forest, LOL!):

So if the organizers do decide institute a time limit on the trail walk next year, we might just be to blame for that.  

24 Hours in Reykjavik

Last November I had a ticket on Icelandair to go visit my mom in Texas.  A couple weeks before I was supposed to leave, the airline contacted me to tell me my connecting flight from Iceland to Texas was cancelled, and gave me the option of spending the night in Reykjavik and going out the next day (and they would reimburse my hotel).  I was a bit nervous about spending 24 hours on my own in Reykjavik, but excited as well - my husband had been there for work and it always sounded like an interesting, as well as safe place to visit.  So I started researching what all there was to do and see, and what would be feasible for such a short visit.  I quickly stumbled on this lady's blog about nearly the exact same situation, which was a big help.

The city center of Rejkjavik is about a 45 minute drive away from the airport, and is actually pretty scenic in the sense that you get a view of the desolate rocky Icelandic landscape. I took one of the airport shuttle buses (I booked my ticket online ahead of time), which was quite easy and was dropped off right in front of my hotel at about 3 pm.  I had chosen a hotel just across from the Harpa opera house (I'll explain why in a moment) so I checked in, pleased with the view out my window of the Harpa and the water, and then decided to take a quick walk down the walking path along the seaside before it got dark, to get my first glimpse of the Sun Voyager sculpture.

When I learned about Harpa during my research I decided to see if there were any concerts or performances on the night I would be there, in order to have something to do in the evening.  As it turned out, they program several English language shows specifically for tourists and the night I was there it was a two-person comedy show about the Icelandic Sagas.  So I booked a ticket and after a nice dinner (it is surprisingly easy to eat vegan in Reykjavik!) in the hotel's top-floor restaurant (with fabulous views of the Harpa and its exterior light show) I walked over to the venue.  I was surprised to see about 40 other people in the hall - it seemed like a lot for a cold Sunday evening in November - and it turned out to be an enjoyable way to spend the evening.  The two performers were funny and engaging as they took us through a quick overview of several major Icelandic sagas, performing all the different roles as they went along, as well as using volunteers from the audience.

 
I was especially inspired by the fact that the blogger I mentioned above used some of her precious time to go swimming, so I decided to plan to do that while I was there, and along the way I learned a lot about Icelandic swimming culture.  Reykjavik has several public swimming pools, so there was plenty of choice as to where and after looking at all the options, I decided to go to the Sundhöllin pool after breakfast.  When I woke at 6 am and looked out my window, I saw it had snowed quite a bit during the night and was still snowing - I only had one pair of light shoes with me (because who needs winter shoes when your final destination is Texas, right?) and wondered if I was going to be able to manage the 1.5 km walk to the pool without falling.  I decided I would have breakfast as planned and then give it a go.

It was magical walking through the dark, quiet streets at 7:30 am with snow still softly falling, and thankfully the sidewalks were okay to walk on. I got to the pool and paid for my swim and rented a towel, and ventured down to the dressing room.  One of the aspects of Icelandic swimming culture is that, since the pool water is geothermically heated and not treated with chlorine, it is essential that you wash thoroughly before putting your bathing suit on, and you are expected to do so.  Once I did that, and got my suit on, I headed out to the outdoor lap pool...and it was still dark and still snowing.   To this day, I still think back to how it felt to get into the warm, silky water and do my 40 lengths with the snow falling and the steam coming off the surface of the water.  It was an amazing experience.  After my laps, I installed myself in one of the hot pots (large hot tubs) and watched the sun start to gradually brighten the sky.  I was there for a good two hours and it was incredibly relaxing.

After the pool, I had several more hours before I had to get back on the bus to the airport, so I walked up to the main church and visited the interior, which was surprisingly plain and subdued and took the elevator up to the top and saw the sun rise even further over the city, which was beautiful.

  

Then I walked through the main shopping street (went in lots of cute little shops but did not buy anything as the myth that things in Iceland are expensive is actually true), visited the neighborhood where the city hall and government buildings were located, and treated myself to a hearty vegan lunch at Gardurinn.  Then I headed back to the waterfront for one last view of the mountains and the Sun Voyager before collecting my luggage at the hotel and posting myself at the bus stop for the airport shuttle.  I have never felt so relaxed and rejuvenated before a transatlantic flight before in my life.

How lucky I feel to have been able to experience this little taste of Iceland...  I would love to go back someday, preferably in the summer, to see some of the natural features of the island and get out of the city.  One thing is for sure -  I would certainly plan to swim again!

Bucket List Worthy Hot Air Balloon Flight

My walking buddy Ingrid received a gift certificate for a hot air balloon ride for two people for her 50th birthday (a year and a half ago).  Apparently I was the only person she could find who was adventurous enough to rope into doing it with her!  I'm not a hero when it comes to heights and so part of me was dreading it.  After many weekends where we thought it was going to happen and then have the weather foil plans at the last minute, yesterday we finally got the definitive go ahead by text and were told to meet at a location not too far from our town. 

When we got to the location, a big field, it seemed like there were an awful lot of people who had showed up but then we learned that there were going to be 20 people in the basket for the flight!  It was really fascinating to see the set-up of the balloon - from unloading the basket, unrolling the balloon, and then filling it, first with cold air via two huge fans, and then hot air from the burners just above the basket.  The basket was huge, rectangular like a bathtub and divided into five sections: a middle section for the pilot and on each side, two longish rectangular sections, where five of us were going to have to climb in.  They had all our weights ahead of time and had spaced us out to spread the total weight out evenly, all while keeping groups together as much as possible.  We shared our section of the basket with a grandma and her grandson who must have been about 10, and a tall guy who belonged to five other people right next to us.  There were two "steps" to help you climb in (square openings in the side of the basket) but it wasn't obvious to get in, I was glad I was flexible enough! It was pretty tightly packed and I was kind of stuck in a corner, looking right out over the side.

Lift off was almost imperceptible, it happened so quietly and then we were up in the air, gliding along with the wind with Leuven in the distance.  I did feel scared at times, but if I kept myself from looking straight down I was okay.  When the pilot ran the burners to make us go higher, it was really loud and exteremely hot!  But thankfully he didn't run them the entire time.  The weather had cleared and the view was amazing - not only did we have a great view of Leuven, we could even spot the Atomium in the Brussels skyline in the distance!

It was fun to see how many people out in their yards stopped to watch us float past and wave at us, and Ingrid and I enjoyed seeing the areas we have walked in so many times from above.  After about an hour of gliding and going higher and lower (we even brushed the tops of corn in a field at one point, we were that low!), the pilot looked for a field to land in and then radioed the van that was following us, and then we had to brace ourselves for landing, by holding onto a strap on the inside of the basket and bending our knees slightly, all facing the same direction.  The landing was easy, one bounce, and then we had to stay in the basket while they opened the top of the balloon to let the hot air out and then bring it down to the ground.  Then we could climb out  and we all helped roll up the balloon into a sausage, which they then rolled up mechanically and got everything back on the trailer.  After which they treated us to a glass of sparkling wine and then drove us all back to the original field in their van.  It was such a cool way to spend an evening, and Ingrid was thrilled with her gift.

 I have never made a bucket list, but a lot of people have told me that a hot air balloon flight is on theirs.  So I guess if I had one, I would be able to cross this off!   I'm curious about what kinds of things people have on their lists - do you have one?  If so, I'd love to hear what you've got on it!

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...