Chapter 2: Belgium
The EuroVelo 3 Bike Route: Wallonia, Belgium to the French Border - Following the Meuse River
Biking Belgium
Introduction
Although it is hard to leave the biking cocoon of The Netherlands, it is time. We are warned things will never be the same once we leave, but the risk must be taken.
Crossing into the small, but powerhouse, country of Belgium (pop: 11.7 million; GDP between 15th and 19th in the world, depending on how it is calculated), one immediately senses that biking will take at least some extra level of attention in terms of cars, curbs, and signage. But, to be fair, only marginally. Belgium, as far as our experience is concerned, provides excellent cycling, even if a little rough around the edges at times. The Netherlands clearly stands apart in terms of biking culture and infrastructure, and it is probably not fair to compare it to other countries; it is like apples to oranges.
My original plan in writing this section of our ongoing European bike excursion was to fold Belgium into a longer piece that included Northern France and Paris. But, on second thought, little Belgium, as the starting point of our post-Netherlands pedaling, deserves its own explanation.
Meeting the Walloons
It takes only a few days to cross Belgium, hugging the EuroVelo 3 along the Meuse River most of the time. This incredible bike route (about 3000 miles all told; we are doing just a small piece of it) leads us from Liege, Belgium to the industrial city of Charleroi, Belgium, and then on to the French border.
This is central Belgium, far from the political and economic hub of its capital to the north, Brussels. It would have been nice to visit Brussels (ranked #1 in the world for medium-sized cities by peopleforbikes.com) but, alas, choices must be made, constrained as those choices are by time and routing. We are already beginning to feel the pinch of the Schengen Zone (comprised of most of the EU) 90-day visa-free time limit (citizens of the US are permitted to stay in the Zone for 90 days within any 180 day period) and need to proceed with at least some sense of exigency.
In any event, Liege is quite lovely. It is an important economic hub with a world-class university. It is part of Wallonia, the French-speaking southern region of Belgium. People who live in Wallonia are known as Walloons, and some people in this region also speak “Walloon.” Just to keep things interesting, Dutch/Flemish is spoken in Flanders to the north; the central Brussels-Capital area is officially bilingual French/Dutch, but French is dominant. Wallonia covers over half of Belgian territory, and it is the area where we will be spending our time.
Indeed, immediately upon entering Belgium/Wallonia, the language changes very abruptly from Dutch to French. I am a bit sorry about this, as I have at least some rudimentary knowledge of German, a linguistic cousin to Dutch. Aside from Pam’s 7th grade French class, however, we are functionally French-less, and proceed to communicate at about that level with the assistance of Google Translate.
A lively bike culture percolates in Belgium, both in terms of touring the countryside, and racing. The Tour of Flanders is one of the racing world’s most iconic events, known for its challenging cobblestone sections and steep hills. We experience the cobblestones in Liege, and they are every bit as uncomfortable as the endless skull-shaking cobbles we experienced in Mexico. It is hard to imagine racing over large sections at 25 - 30 MPH.
We leave Liege early, near sunrise, which is rather late at around 7:30. We usually like to bike 5-10 miles before coffee and breakfast and this day is no exception. After some research we head off-route by about 4 miles into the small industrial steel city of Seraing. In addition to its steel industry, Seraing is known, to a certain small, but rabid, segment of the population, as the finish to Stage 1 of the 2012 Tour de France.
We encounter an outdoor market (it is a Monday, so this strikes us as a little unusual) as well as several open shops, including a bakery. The outdoor market is busy and sells inexpensive clothing, jewelry, chotchkas, and some food. Seraing is home to a sizable Moroccan community, and we hear Arabic being spoken in the bakery and the market.
My impression is that not many white, American cyclists have stumbled into Seraing lately. People are very friendly in the busy bakery, and we strike up a conversation with a woman who happens to be from Kenya, an English-speaking country. She has a son in New York, and we talk about the City and what he is doing there. This happens over and over again - so many people have connections to the US. Another woman, from North Africa, comes up to Pam and says simply: “you are welcome here.”
We find our way back to the route and continue the trek across Belgium. It is not an overly laborious ride, but after a few hours we determine that another coffee break is warranted. We eventually hit upon a small town (Huy) right on the river with a coffee/sandwich shop popular with bikers and owned by a former professional cyclist from the UK. It is our first fully English conversation since leaving The Netherlands.
During this period of our riding, we are averaging about 40 miles/day, perhaps a little more. We are beginning to feel quite a bit stronger, and the longer days in the saddle reflect this. The overall flatness helps.
Arising around 6:30, it is still dark. We get up early because we fall asleep so early, usually by 8:30 or 9:00. Packing up in the morning has become somewhat ritualistic, but I find myself (to my mild chagrin) still lagging Pam’s quiet and efficient routine. I am working on regularizing the process.
Nukes
We are surprised to see in the distance what appear to be a couple of nuclear reactor cooling towers looming over the river, as well as the cycle path. This will not be the last time we encounter such a sight. Nuclear power is big in Europe (particularly France), and Belgium has two plants, one near Huy (the Tihange station), located for all practical purposes on the Meuse River, and one further north near Antwerp. We have never been in such close proximity to an operating nuke, and it is a bit disorienting. They are so incredibly huge. Although there is fencing, and menacing signs warning passersby not to take pictures or enter unauthorized areas, an overwhelming security presence is not felt as the bike path slowly winds around its perimeter. The juxtaposition with the next-door pastoral countryside is pronounced.
I later learn that although there are three reactors at the site, only two are operational. One was recently decommissioned. The two remaining reactors provide 25% of Belgium’s electricity needs. The Doel nuclear site near Antwerp also provides about 25%. These are big numbers.
A Once Thriving Industrial Area
The EuroVelo 3 continues along the Meuse through Charleroi, Namur and Chimay, small cities/towns with industrial pasts, that now see their fair share of bicycle traffic.
Charleroi was a very consequential city in Wallonia/Belgium and a major coal mining and steel production hub in the 19th and early-20th centuries; indeed, I later learn that Wallonia as a region was highly industrialized due in part to the vast river and canal system in place. As a consequence of these strategic industries, the city and surrounding towns of Belgium were occupied and brutalized by Germany during both World Wars I and II, and its industries harnessed and put to use as part of the German war effort. Wallonia was the subject of relentless bombing during both wars (mostly WWII) by the Allies in order to disrupt the German war program. The devastation wrought during those years has had lasting economic effects across generations. Memorials and war monuments are found in virtually every Belgian town we enter, and in rural areas and fields. 88,000 Belgians were killed during WW II, including 25,000 Jews sent to concentration camps.
Random Thoughts - Leaving Belgium
Today, Wallonia relies economically on high tech, agriculture, transport/logistics and tourism to support its citizens. The University of Liege is an important driver and incubator of talent. Wallonia, however, while not poor or really distressed by any stretch in relative terms, is not as wealthy as the still highly industrialized regions to the north (GDP per capita is lower, as is average income) and unemployment tends to be higher. Hence, tourism plays an important role, and I suppose that’s how we fit in.
We are not alone, even during what is considered the off-season. It is estimated that the EuroVelo network in Belgium (totalling 1400 km; all bike paths combined: 14,000 km!) sees around 500,000 cyclists annually (both local and international). Although not as widespread as The Netherlands, there are bicycles everywhere, and we encounter in both directions dozens of cyclists doing what we are doing. Notably, Belgium also has its own national cycling network (note the 14,000 km figure, above) that makes city to city travel quite doable.
Most cycle tourists we meet are on one or two week holiday rides, but a few are traveling longer distances. The “tell” regarding distance is usually the amount of gear carried. The predominant nationalities are German, Dutch, and Belgian (probably in that order). Many are using E-bikes.
Despite having our fair share of gear, including a tent (MSR three-person) and some camping items (sleeping bags, small pillows, sleeping pads, small stove), we have camped in our tent exactly once so far - in The Netherlands. There are a number of fairly valid reasons for this, but a big one is the easy access along the EuroVelo 3 to inexpensive and nice B & Bs and hotels. They are everywhere. Campgrounds are also around, but often not right on the route, and often catering primarily to camper vans. They are also not much less expensive than indoor accommodations. It has, in addition, been on the cold side. But I am glad we have the tent as a back-up, and hope to use it more as we move further south (really, I do). We have also not yet used Warmshowers. While a number of Warmshowers’ hosts are sprinkled along the route, it takes more in the way of planning and being persistent to access them. Ok, I have been lazy in this regard, but do hope to use this resource more in the future.
One wonderful aspect of the Eurovelos is that the routes cross borders freely, without patrols, fences or passport examinations. This is subject to some qualification; while we are in the region, Germany reinstates passport controls at all of its land border crossings. As we are not going to Germany, this is not a concern. Neighboring nations have taken issue with the German move, but none (as far as I know) have followed suit in retaliation.
We do not know exactly when we cross into France. The language does not change fundamentally, and a cow is a cow and a tree is a tree. We roll into France in the middle of a forest. The Meuse River continues to flow towards Paris, and we follow along its windy path.
NEXT TIME:
Northeast France - Paris
Belgium is a great place to bike, I literally just got back from the country, toured around Blankenburge, Bruges and Ghent.