On Saturday the 5th of November, we finished La Promenade Verte, the 60 km (37 mile) walk around Brussels. We have been doing this, an hour or two at a time, since summer. We started in Stockel at the Chemin de Fer (Iron Trail, old railroad grade) on the east side of Brussels. We headed southwest towards the Forêt de Soigne. We walked through several beautiful parks with swans, geese and ducks and nice meadows with families playing in them.
We even saw a Green Parrot condo in a pine tree. Some time ago Amazon Green Parrots escaped into the parks and invaded. The condo was like a purple martin house except the parrots made it themselves from twigs and leaves. We made it to the Forêt after a couple of days (remember only one to two hours at a time). We had a wonderful lunch at a sidewalk café and decided that we couldn’t walk across the forest all in one outing. So we got on the tram and returned home to think about what to do next.
We even saw a Green Parrot condo in a pine tree. Some time ago Amazon Green Parrots escaped into the parks and invaded. The condo was like a purple martin house except the parrots made it themselves from twigs and leaves. We made it to the Forêt after a couple of days (remember only one to two hours at a time). We had a wonderful lunch at a sidewalk café and decided that we couldn’t walk across the forest all in one outing. So we got on the tram and returned home to think about what to do next.
We decided that we would head north from where we had started, and then there would be more access to public transportation so we wouldn’t have to keep going for an uncomfortable distance. We did well for the first mile or so and then we lost the trail. There is a special sign for the trail and evidently sometimes a truck would go around the corner too closely and break off the three foot tall post and you wouldn’t have any idea which street to take next.
We pressed on in the general direction until we ran into the outer ring highway, which we followed northwest until we ran into the markers again. This was the newest part of Brussels, next to the airport, and there were very modern buildings for business headquarters. Another day’s hike finished, we rode a bus back to our apartment. The next walk picked up where we left off except this time we printed Google maps and drew in the trail the best we could. The walk was through old European neighborhoods, the green part being play areas for children in large apartment complexes. We lost the trail again and used my phone’s GPS to find our way back to a tram stop. Just next to the tram stop we saw Elizabeth’s likeness immortalized in sidewalk art.
We pressed on in the general direction until we ran into the outer ring highway, which we followed northwest until we ran into the markers again. This was the newest part of Brussels, next to the airport, and there were very modern buildings for business headquarters. Another day’s hike finished, we rode a bus back to our apartment. The next walk picked up where we left off except this time we printed Google maps and drew in the trail the best we could. The walk was through old European neighborhoods, the green part being play areas for children in large apartment complexes. We lost the trail again and used my phone’s GPS to find our way back to a tram stop. Just next to the tram stop we saw Elizabeth’s likeness immortalized in sidewalk art.
The reasons we decided to do the very, very long, sometimes green walk were:
We like to walk and if you like Belgian food you must exercise or you will become very large.
We wanted to know the city better; when you use public transportation you don’t see everything.
We were prayer walking - walking and praying for neighborhoods and people that they would be blessed.
This is going to be a multi-part blog, but we will write it more often than once a month so check back soon!
Dan and Elizabeth
