The villages become prettier now with a very pointy slate spire on the church in ONZE-LIEVE-VROUW-LOMBEEK. Marshalls and police line the road here to stop all the traffic (2 cars and a tractor) allowing a peleton of racing cyclists to whizz past.
The small town of SINT KWINTERNS LENNIK has a cobbled town square around a life-size bronze of a carthorse. As we hop off the bikes we immediately pick up wifi and then their bank gives me money, after 2 ATMs in Ghent failing to be forthcoming. So we like this place! Our Warm Showers host family live on a nearby farm. We are especially grateful for Julie and Dimitri's hospitality as they have nearly-new 3 week old Colleen, and it is Basile's 2nd birthday. They make us feel part of the family and we particularly enjoy playing with Basile's new train set!
J and D persuade us to visit BRUSSELS on our way the next day, and it was great advice as the historic centre was easy to get to and has a wealth of fine old buildings.
There is a simple way out, south, through a park, with the roads shut to traffic on Sundays, then offroad through beech forests. We come out of the trees and enter the French speaking state of Walloon.
At WATERLOO we stand on the spot where Wellington stared through his eyeglass at Napoleon, then cycle to stand on the spot where Napoleon stared back at Wellington. Amazingly after all these years the farms, that were so bitterly fought over, are still intact. The only change that would startle the generals is the heavy traffic on the Chareloi road.
Crossing the canal at RONFRIQUES we are impressed by the inclined-plane where barges are lifted 30ms to the next canal section. After 60 hilly miles we get lost in an enormous cement factory (Mike excitedly admires the huge kiln!?), but eventually find our way to the municipal camp site at Mons. As the food shops are all shut we prepare our emergency meal of pasta and tuna.
Miles to date 4,190
Location:GHENT to MONS
