Kalmthout

9 May 2015:  We entered Belgium today in the middle of a long (ca. 28 km) day of hiking from Bergen op Zoom to Kalmthout. (We lengthened the hike at the beginning by taking the wrong trail and shortened it at the end by taking a shortcut.)  We left the dikes of the Delta behind and hiked through forests and beside fields.  One section of the trail runs along the Dutch-Belgian border, but the only indication of the frontier is an old, 19th century marker and the name of a street.

The day was memorable for the people we met:  

On the trail, we met Thomas, a young Dutchman who is hiking the entire GR5.  He's traveling light and fast; to give his feet a rest (he said), he had switched from hiking boots to flip-flops. 

At our B&B, hosted by the friendly couple Jos and Christianne, we met Michael, a Dutchman who is filling his retirement years with lots of hiking.  He had hiked 45 km today!  Surprising coincidence: Michael is a close friend of a Dutch lawyer who is a leading figure in international commercial arbitration and who served as chairman of the arbitral tribunal in my last case before before I retired. 

When entering Kalmthout, we had asked directions from a man who was getting into his car.  That opened a conversation about our hike, the meager selection of restaurants in the town, etc.  He drove off but then found us shortly afterward as we walked on to our B&B.  He invited us to dinner.  What a treat!  We enjoyed a delicious, convivial dinner with Maurice and his wife Ingrid. 

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Beautiful forest trails east of Bergen Op Zoom:

Trekking pole field repair: Mary replaced the rubber tip of a pole that she wore out on the paved roads and paths of the Delta area. 

Carroll is pleased to be back on the GR5:

Neatly plowed and planted potato fields:

Our last Dutch appelgebak met slagroom:

Thomas hikes on in his flip-flops: 

Dutch-Belgian border marker:

"Border street"

Hiking around Essen, Belgium:

Christianne & Jos, the hosts of our B&B in Kalmthout:

Dinner with Maurice and Ingrid: