In Limburg, you cycle through the woods… and the water

Before winter arrives and the leaves of the trees start falling, it is still a good time to discover the city of Hasselt and its surrounding. Here in Limburg, you usually take the bike to discover the colourful landscape in green and blue.

The East-Belgian province of Limburg is known as a main cycling region, as it has a network of numerous cycle routes, where people who are fond of spending time in a green environment can enjoy themselves. The network consists of no less than 2000 km of bike routes and lanes, so you just have to get all heart and time to be able to enjoy each one of them.

Impossible to get lost, because there are numerous blue signs along the route to keep you in the right direction. The weather in the morning oof my November trip was rather cold, it came with a clear sky and without any sign that it would start to rain. Although in this country, you never know for sure.

Wrapping up warm when you go on a bike route is important, because even to a sportive one, the fresh morning breeze can make your hands, face and even ankles freeze. I was prepared, because I wrapped myself up enough to be able to enjoy the route and not be bothered by the cold.

We followed the cycle nodes 97–98–243–91–95–96–97 on the network, for a trip of about 22 kilometers. A relatively short but fascinating trip.

By the Demer river, we set off at a good pace, to keep warm. With enthusiasm and exhilaration, I began to enjoy every smallest detail. The color of the sky in contrast to the changing color of the trees, which at this time of year had a wide range of colors, changing from dark green to brown, through orange and yellow, made the journey peculiar and charming.

Gift of the Japanese

Our first stop along the route, near The Japanese Garden, is relatively well known, as it is one of the attraction poles of the city. At the entrance of The Japanese Garden, we stopped to admire, even from the outside, the wonderful park in the heart of the city of Hasselt. I had the opportunity to visit it before and it is really admireable.

The first impression when I walked in was that it looked like it was huge, but once I finished visiting it, the feeling was that it was very small. Despite this, it is an incredible experience since there is great vegetation and very beautiful little bridges and especially because once you enter the park, you immerse yourself in another culture and it transports you totally to Japan.

Alongside the canal

The peace that exists in the place is to be admired, I would close my eyes in some moments to be able to appreciate in more detail the sound of falling water, the leaves of the trees moving and the sound that the huge carps made when they rose to the surface.

The route continued along the Albert Canal, a canal with a curious history and a beautiful connection between the cities of Antwerp and Liège. In loved walking along the canal. As it was early, you could still see the rising sun and the reflection of the clouds in the water as well as at the end of the landscape, a suspension bridge, which accompanied all that journey just by looking ahead.

My legs were already noticing the exercise I was doing with the bicycle and my body temperature had adapted. We continued crossing different landscapes that changed simply by turning the route left or right. We passed through a neighborhood full of beautiful houses that caught our attention since they are totally different from the ones we can find in Spain. In addition, we come to what is known as the Open Air Museum and Domain of Bokrijk-Genk.

Through the water without getting wet

Once we entered in the nature area, the landscape improved more and more. I was riding my bike through the trees and it looked like I was in a fantasy movie. The cool brushing my face and the rays of sunlight that were allowed to peek through the numerous branches of the trees, made the experience of riding a bike much more incredible

Suddenly, we came to a large lake where you could see a panoramic view of the entire landscape. The Cycling through the water was a unique experience. Recommended by the American weekly magazine Time as one of hundred ‘World’s Greatest Places To Visit’ in 2018, it is a passageway across the lake in which once inside it seems that you are submerged and you can see the landscape from a different perspective. In addition to the landscape, the fauna of that area is perfect for the experience to be 100%.

Childlike pleasures

After leaving behind that magnificent landscape, we arrived at the petting farm of Kiewit where what I liked the most was the atmosphere. That place was full of children playing with animals. At that moment, when I saw those children, I became a little girl too and I was able to enjoy that place like a child.

The last stops were shorter but just as wonderful. The way back was already long, I was tired and wanted to get home so I could eat something and rest.

Living the experience as a cyclist is recommended. I had never done it and from the moment I started the route I already knew that I wanted to repeat. Going out in the morning and taking advantage of the day knowing different hideout of the surprising city of Hasselt is something that people who like nature, sports and discovering new things, have to do.

For me, it has not only been a bike ride, it has been knowing how to enjoy every detail, in every nook, every moment, always.