The Ardennes

Well, what an active weekend I have had!  I was driven to the neighbouring city of Mauberge by Danielle to meet up with the AFS people I was going with, at about 3pm on Saturday. I was disconcerted to see them load up their cars for our hiking expedition as they were positively bristling with Nordic walking poles, tramping boots, backpacks and first aid kits! I wondered what on earth I'd let myself in for! I definitely knew then that there would be no shopping! These guys were not shoppers! There were fourteen of us altogether, including a 16yr old AFS student from Sicily, staying in the region for three months and a 16yr old Japanese student here for the same time.
We headed off to our first destination which was to be Fumay, in France, but the quickest route was through Belgium so we spent the first hour or so travelling through belgium villages and countryside. The houses here changed in that they were built of natural looking stone instead of the red brick that is so evident in my area. The countryside was no longer agricultural as we were climbing up into the hills. The sky was striped with white jet trails just to remind you that the sky above is a very busy motorway in this part of the world.
Fumay is an old mining town where they used to extract schist/slate from underground. The museum was fascinating. I discovered that all the old houses here have slate tiles on the roof so there was great demand for it. The schist was extracted and then shaped into the various styles and types of tiles needed. The mine is now closed and the tiles are made out of the country. The hillsides and paths though still have slate shingle on them.

We were to stay the night in another town which is at the heart of the french part of the Ardennes - Montherme. We arrived and headed to a camping ground on the outskirts of the town. It was huge although only had half a dozen caravans in it. Apparently it is full in the summer months. It is alongside the Meuse river and quite picturesque. We were in a large building with a central dining area, big kitchen and then half a dozen bunkrooms off that. I shared my bedroom with the couple I had travelled with - Patrice and his wife Helene and the obligatory little dog! Very cosy! I'm certainly finding myself out of my comfort zone on numerous occasions!

Our digs in the camping ground

 

 

We had a fun meal that night with everyone bringing something to contribute. Once again I found myself enjoying local specialities. To go with our aperatif, we had braun (?)  - simmered pig's head which is then put into a mold to set - on fresh bread and then a white sausage cooked in the oven then sliced up - both delicious!

By 9am this morning we were off on our hike. We walked through the town and then up into the hills. I had been told to keep a lookout for wild boar as they were plentiful in the forest, as are deer.  So... I was pumped, so to speak, with the possibility of encountering a wild boar! Luckily none passed our way and we had a very pleasant, and scenic four hour hike through the hills above Montherme!

 

                                                      Looking down over Monterme

The forest is very different from that in New Zealand with it being deciduous and more sparse. It reminded me a bit of 'Robin Hood' type forest!  We could still hear the bells ringing from the church below every now and then and the men occasionally burst into song and whistled as we walked along! At times I almost felt a bit like Julie Andrews! It was fun though and the walk not too arduous. I do feel knackered tonight though and I'm sure that the walk up the narrow, steep flight of stairs to my bedroom is going to feel a little uncomfortable for a day or two!

Overlooking the river Meuse

 

Montherme with the Meuse meandering around it.