Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Wallonia, Belgie

Yesterday, Alison and Andrew came over with our wedding photo cd and invited us to go wandering with them ... down into Wallonia, in the south of Belgium, to a Bathtub Race in the pretty little village of Dinant.

I stared in open-mouthed wonder as we drove through Namur and then followed the Meuse River into Dinant. The architecture immediately reminded us all of buildings in Germany but it was all so stunningly pretty ... I never realised.

Nature is alive and well down that way and after the race we did what the Canadian couple do best on a weekend ... we went wandering, choosing to follow random signs in unplanned directions. We picnicked on the side of a small road in a forest, photographed donkeys and generally enjoyed the landscape and architecture of an area of Belgium previously unknown to me.

9 comments:

Manictastic said...

Ahh yes, Wallonia, the part of Belgium that isn't spoiled by industry. It's an excellent place to go for a vacation. Woods as far as you can see, rivers to go kajak on, a foreign languages to speak, skiing when it snows, that much to do, so little time.

Anonymous said...

HI Di, Dinant is a pretty city indeed, as a matter of fact I studied there six years when I was at secondary school. Unfortunately, the people's mentality there is as narrow as the valley... Congratulations for the wedding!

Anonymous said...

Hey! Those guys are dressed up as Marsupilami.

That takes me waaaaay back.

:-)

Di Mackey said...

I was stunned by the Nature in Wallonia ... it was almost like being home :)

Thanks Pascal ... 6 years in Dinant :) I was thinking more along the lines of a weekend visit. Loving the architecture and nature but not sure I could sustain myself.

Thanks for the link mathieu, otherwise I wouldn't have known what you were talking of ... marsupilami huh :)

Manictastic said...

Marsupilami, I loved the cartoon :D

Anonymous said...

wow..beautiful pics you have here...

Di Mackey said...

I had never heard of Marsupilami ... wikipedia informed me, thanks Mathieu.


Cartoon huh manic ... I missed so much, writes the woman who didn't know Tintin was Belgian.

Thanks ladybug :)

Anonymous said...

Next time you travel in that direction,you should stop at 'Redu'. It's a tiny village entirely devoted to books and art.

Di Mackey said...

Redu ... dank u wel! It's so good to know there are places like that in Belgie.

Erin has wandered in from a small village in Wales that was just crammed full of bookshops with an unbelievable range and quantity of books ... I want to go there once I'm working :)