Scherpenheuvel

14 May 2015:  Today was fun!

We hiked from Westerlo, via Averbode, to Scherpenheuvel (ca. 22 km).  The sun shone brightly during most of the day.  (Clouds, and then rain, rolled in during the last hour — a foretaste of the predicted weather for the coming days.)  Most of today's hike was on dirt paths in pine forests, a great improvement over hiking on paved bicycle paths or beside roads across open farmland.

We were not alone on those paths!  Today is Ascension Day, a national holiday in Belgium.  We found ourselves joining a multitude of walkers participating in the "Abdijentocht", an annual walk between two abbeys: from Tongerlo Abbey to Averbode Abbey (16 km).  The walk was well organized, with abundant sign posting, stewards assisting the passage across busy roads, and a refreshment stand at the halfway point.  And this being Belgium, the refreshment stand served beer on tap — with a choice of blond and dark beer!

I couldn't resist:  We paused at the refreshment stand, and I drank a delicious dark beer.  We stood out in the crowd, with our big backpacks, and we eventually attracted the attention of a TV reporter who was preparing a report on the Abdijentocht.  We chatted with him for awhile, describing our hike (which generally amazes people).  He then interviewed us for his report.  The report has been posted on RTV's website (www.rtv.be), and it includes part of our interview.  Here's a link to the report (the interview with us begins around 1:25):

http://rtv.be/artikels/adbijentocht-beleeft-recordeditie-a8417?_vac=BF32165C-6466-7376-A57D-49A3ED9F862F 

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A curious structure, serving as a home for various creatures, from bees to hedgehogs:

Forest trails:

A pause for refreshment:

Mary with Joris, the RTV reporter:

Multiple trail markings – GR5, Camino de Santiago, and Abdijentocht:

Averbode Abbey:

A group of riders with American western saddles arrived in Averbode:

Mary was excited to see evidence of quarter horses in the area:

Final stage of today's hike:

The basilica in Scherpenheuvel:

Our room at De Zwaan Hotel in Scherpenheuvel: