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...

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.