- Get excited about a new location, plan a route
- Leave later than recommended
- Turn around at between 20-80% the journey
Yesterday's trek was no different. This time, we headed to Mechelen at about 4pm.
This ride was really nice. It follows the canals all the way up. It greets you with beautiful scenery, such as ducks, swans, and geese; farms upon farms; quaint cafes on the waterfront (seemingly only serving bicycle traffic); fishermen casually fishing; and cute villages.
The only break from this beauty is a smelly, oppressive Cargill factory that actually forces a short detour around it. Feels like Mr. Burns coming to kill the mood.
We got here before turning back, which was pretty darn close. The clouds really opened up at this point, and it was getting dark. Interestingly, if you look at the route and zoom out to view the whole of Belgium, you see that we biked a non-trivial portion of the country :)
It was a really fun trip that we'll have to prepare more for next time, especially by leaving earlier and packing some snacks! We'll had back to Mechelen when it gets a little warmer (and when Golden Carolus reopens).
You could have gone all the way, and taken the train back. That would have saved you some miles on the bike.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, what's the point, right, if Gouden Carolus is closed?
Fun times! I did this exact ride last summer with Nico's sister. We rode to Mechelen, had lunch at her place, and rode back to Leuven. My butt was hurting by the end! But it was totally worth it. It was warm, sunny, and the canals were pretty. And of course, I was the only non-roadie dork wearing a helmet..
ReplyDelete