Diary of the GR5 Walk in 1999

Well, the promised omelette arrives at 8:00 am accompanied by a huge jug of coffee: a good start to the day. The strong afternoon sun yesterday has dried all my washing and by 9:45 am I am on the road. Less than two minutes later, a small boy comes running after me to give me my water bottle that I have left in my room. It must have slipped out of my backpack when I lifted it off the bed. This doesn't help the paranoia I have about losing things!

Today, I plan to walk 16 km to the youth hostel in Diest. I have already phone ahead and reserved a bed for tonight. The path heads out of town through quiet back streets, past an impressive monument in the middle of a small roundabout. At first look, it appears to be a war memorial. But it is dated 1921-1953. A man passing by tells me that it is a memorial to the miners of Averbode who worked in the mines at Limberg.

Now the path is through farms of wheat, corn, and vegetables as well as pastures filled with contented cows. The path continues long the busy N212 that goes between Averbode and Zichen. The GR5 turns off the road before reaching Zichen and passes a huge tower, the Maagdentoren, a 14th century building.

There is now another new experience: the countryside now has rolling hills. In the distance on the top of a hill is the Basilica of Scherpenheuval. The path will eventually reach it albeit by a roundabout route designed to avoid the main road by heading through farmlands. There is a supermarket in Scherpenheuval that provides the ingredients for a good lunch. After this I go to investigate the Basilica. There is a road that rings the Basilica. Large sections of the footpaths are lined with stall selling all sorts of religious artefacts. The other side of the road is lined with restaurants and cafes. Touts abound trying to entice people passing by. It is very tacky.

The path out of town passes by farms. But now I am walking up and down the rolling hills. The scenery is glorious. After so many kilometres of flat country, this is an exciting new experience. The sun is out and it is hot, but once again there is a refreshing cool breeze. The Basilica gradually fades into the distance, but still coming back into view when I reach the top of each new hill. The farms are a patchwork quilt of green corn, gold wheat yellow harvested pasture and green pasture speckled with white and black cows. Church spires can be seen surrounded by the black and red roofs of houses.

A couple of hours later, I reach Diest by a very circuitous route that avoids walking along the busy N2. Instead, the path goes over the top of a large hill, fully 53 metres above sea level! The youth hostel, next to a sport centre, is an old four-storey building called den Drossard. Unfortunately, it is closed, but a sign on the door states that it closed from 12 noon to 17:00 on Saturdays and from 10:00 to 17:00 on Sundays and public holidays. I assume this means it is open on weekdays! It is only 4:00 pm so I lie on the grass and see what happens at 5:00 pm. Sure enough, the front door opens at 5:00 pm. I have arrived in Diest on a festival day for the city. This means it is a public holiday, which explains why the youth hostel didn't open until 17:00. I am given a room with only two beds. There seem to be no other guests so I guess I will have the room to myself.

Dinner is also possible since the manager had ordered for some people who have cancelled at short notice. The meals are not prepared in the hostel but are ordered in as required from somewhere outside. Dinner is served in the eating hall on the top floor that has a nice exposed A-frame ceiling with horizontal supports just above head height. First there is a gallon of soup followed by a seafood mornay. Since I don't eat seafood, I ask if I can have something else. No problem! The cheerful manager makes me a meal of potato croquettes together with a lettuce, tomato and wurst salad. This all comes from his kitchen. This is exactly what I needed, fresh vegetables. There is a bar in the eating hall and I buy beers for both of us. The beers are brewed especially for the youth hostel, den Drossard.

After dinner, I get a map of the city and wander down with my camera to see the sights. The centre of the city is packed. There is a real carnival atmosphere complete with food stalls, games, rides, video parlours: the works. It is packed with people and the cafes are doing a roaring trade. I wander around soaking up the carnival and taking a few pictures before heading back to the hostel. My feet are feeling fairly good at the moment. Another short day of walking and I hope they will have fully healed.