England Belgium Luxembourg-A Great Start!

England has long been one of my favorite countries. It's so distinctive with the double decker buses, the black taxis, red phone booths and infinite pubs. I love the fashion, the British accents and their distinguished manners, the food, the countryside, English gardens and the fact that there are so many really old buildings. I've never been a history buff but when I'm in England I can almost feel the history and I get lost in it. I don't know why it's different for me there than anywhere else in Europe but it is.

When I arrived in Bath a friend sent me a FB message saying he had a friend that lived there and introduced us via FB. Graham is the perfect English host. He loves his country and is very knowledgeable about most things historical and otherwise, around Bath and beyond. He was happy to show me around for a few days imparting his knowledge in an interesting, casual way, not like a boring, lecturing historian. He gave me a great list of must-do's and even joined me for some. The Roman Baths are fascinating. Nearly two thousand years old, I was walking around an incredible piece of history. Quite a contrast from the Thermae Baths which one can actually go in and have a nice rooftop view of the city at sunset. It was a little cold but the natural spring water was warm. On the other levels there were steam baths and a lazy-river pool. It was expensive but totally worth it. I also enjoyed a little mischievousness by teaching an older woman how to spray her friends with water using the noodles. Typical American--comes over and causes trouble. Ha!Ha! My work here was done.

The River Avon runs through the beautiful city with curved buildings built out of the golden Bath stone, cobblestone streets and too many tourists. As lovely as it was, I much prefer the quaint, medieval towns of Tetbury or Bradford-on-Avon with its sagging tea house that dates back to 1502, medieval bridges and quiet charm.

Upon hearing of my plan to cycle through parts of Europe, Graham became very excited and offered to donate a bicycle to the cause. So he got it ready and after a few days I was on my way with a bicycle, helmet, gloves, spare tube and lock. All that was needed now were a rack and panniers which I would buy on the continent as the exchange rate was much better. For the better part of three days in Brussels that's what I did. But first I went to Oxford and spent a day walking around and getting my tire fixed. A really lovely city, I now understand what all the hubbub is about. I could only dream of going to school in such a lovely place. Not to mention, the coolest pub in all of GB is tucked in a little alleyway in Oxford.

Having heard so many nice things about it I was super excited to go to Belgium. I took the Eurostar train to Brussels. It is an incredibly expensive way to travel and cheaper to leave from London than from Ashford which is much closer to the continent. Go figure. They also charged me £25 to take the bike AND took my knife at the boarder. Needless to say I was very upset about that and it put me in a bad mood for a couple days. It wasn't until I went to see the Grand Place at dusk with a group from the hostel that I had a change in attitude. Truly one of the more impressive things I've seen in Europe. The enormous white buildings with gold leaf reflecting the setting sun was quite spectacular. Then the lights turned on and it took on an entirely different beauty. I went back in the morning to take photos but it wasn't nearly as nice. I desperately need to buy a real camera so I can capture these moments. In fact I haven't been taking many photos at all. Sometimes it's difficult because the buildings are so big and close together that I can't get far enough away to get a good photo or more often than not there is fencing, scaffolding or cranes in the way. Plus it's rather a hassle to stop all the time on the bike and to be honest, there are just too many beautiful things. I can't take photos of them all.

Belgium quickly won my heart. The country is clean and beautiful with great food, beautiful fashion and the locals that I met were exceptional (except the owner of the first hostel I stayed at). And as great as the cities were, I enjoyed the journey through farms, fields, pastures and tiny villages even more. My favorite story is about my first day on the bike. A lovely 40 km ride (once I got to the trail head) through small Dutch-style villages with their manicured lawns, linear homes and simple steeples atop small churches. Quite the contrast from the organized chaos of French Brussels with its beautiful building facades designed with curves, countless architectural details and ornate wrought iron balconies. But the panniers were heavy, I was a little dehydrated, it was getting cold out and I'd put on about an extra 30km with all the getting lost so after seven hours of riding I was tired and stopped in the first restaurant I'd seen for a long time: The Boondocks -An American Bar and Steakhouse. I couldn't believe it! Just my luck! The irony! I actually rode past it, refusing to stop but quickly realized I was in the middle of the boondocks- not having seen a village for a while-and didn't know where the next one would be so I turned around and went inside. Turned out to be the best thing I could have done.

I ordered the fish and asked the waiter if there was a hostel or cheap accommodations nearby. He didn't think so but said he'd find out. About ten minutes later the restaurant owner came over and offered to let me stay at his home. Very cheap. Free, in fact! So after saying he cleared it with his wife and has two children, I accepted his kind offer and so glad I did.It was exactly the kind of experience I imagined having. And in this quaint village of beautiful Dutch-style homes, Jurgen pulls up in front of the only large, American-style house. The irony continues! After a shower I joined his lovely and hospitable wife on the patio for wine and conversation. When Jurgen came back from the restaurant he joined us then his best friend came over because he didn't believe that they suddenly had an American guest. Haha! Not too many visitors in the small town of Wichelen, let alone Americans. But it was a fun night and in the morning Isabelle made me a breakfast fit for a hungry cyclist! I was too hungry to feel bad about eating her out of house and home. Seriously though they were incredibly kind and generous people and I'm so happy I stopped in that American Steakhouse. I also had a similar experience in the tiny town of Knokke on my way south.

After two and a half days of flat riding along the river, and about three more to go, I got a little bored and decided to take the train to Luxembourg--another country I was very excited about. If you are into a raucous nightlife, high fashion and gastronomical delicacies it's not the place for you. However they do have a huge Saturday Market with antiques, produce and baked goods. Everything in Luxembourg City can be seen in two days and the 15km of underground tunnels historically created for military defense of the city give a fascinating glimpse into its history. Most of the country that I rode my bike through was pristine: beautiful, green rolling hills with occasional farms and pastures and tiny villages. A very underrated country indeed! I would have loved to stay longer and cycle further but I had to catch a train to Switzerland. My French friend I'd met in San Pedro d'Atacama, Chile was expecting me. And after Switzerland is Nice!!!