Yeti-ing across Europe

So I drove my Skoda Yeti from Frankfurt to Nijmegen, a charming little university town in the Netherlands, where my friends live. I had the car, they had the camping gear, and the weather forecast for our destination -the Ardennes in Belgium -was smashing. We headed south down the A2, a major motorway, which took us from Nijmegen across the German border and then into Belgium.



We were headed towards Houffalize in the Belgian Ardennes that lies inside a national park called Parc Naturel des deux Ourthes in the Wallonia region of Belgium. Plenty of campsites here; some that can easily be mistaken for a city block, with rows of motor homes and tents. Camping is so popular in Europe that most cities have sites on the outskirts, located either near a bus stop or a station so that you can conveniently use public transport to get to the city.



A few kilometres down road N860 from Houffalize to La Roche, we found ours: a grassy knoll by a stream. We set up the tents and fired up the C.

Dinner was sizzling steaks and fresh beer, with a bubbling brook for company.

Life felt good.


The next morning, after a breakfast of sausages and eggs, we set off. The plan was to explore La Roche-en-Ardenne, 18km from our campsite and a pretty town. During the Second World War, though, both Houffalize and La Roche were theatres of war, where the Battle of the Bulge (also called the Battle of the Ardennes) played out. This was the last serious Nazi offensive in Western Europe and the fighting reduced most of La Roche to rubble.



But walking through the town, which lies besides the River Ourthe, on a sunny day, you wouldn't know it. We had to park a considerable distance away from the centre of town since there were so many tourists. Cafes spilled onto the road, and all we could hear was the tinkling of glasses and happy laughter. Belgium simply loves its beer; almost every village has a favoured brew. This region's favourite comes from a little village called Achouffe, home to the La Chouffe brewery.




There is also the Museum of the Battle of the Ardennes, a must-visit for anyone who's interested in history and the Second World War. If you want another take on the past, visit the town's main castle and catch up on some urban legends: local residents swear to have seen the long-dead Countess Berthe de la Roche gliding through the ruins of her castle on a gloomy night.



The next day, we headed west towards Bruges (or Brugge in Dutch) in the Flemish region of Belgium, the picturesque city which was the setting for the Colin Farrell film In Bruges. It was declared a Unesco World Heritage Centre in 2000; most of its medieval architecture is intact. The most notable is the Church of Our Lady, whose spire reaches up to a height of 401.25 ft, making it one of the world's highest brick towers. The sculpture of Madonna and the Child, which can be seen in the nave of the church, is believed to be the only Michelangelo sculpture to have left Italy in his lifetime.



Without doubt, the most popular hangout in Bruges is the Markt (or Market Square), which buzzes with Disneyland colour and noise. Since 1995, it has been a pedestrian-only area. At the centre of the market stands the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, a butcher and a weaver respectively, who led a battle against the French in 1309, and whose heroism is still remembered.



Besides the beer, Belgium is famous for waffles and biscuits. And they live up to their reputation - fresh waffles are chewy like toffee on the golden-brown outside and creamy as custard on the inside. You can have them topped with cream or caramel or with hot chocolate sauce. No better way to end a holiday.



Getting There

Jet Airways flies daily to Brussels from major Indian cities and is quite simply the most convenient connection to Western Europe.



Camping is very convenient all over Europe and the internet is a great resource to search campsites. At some you can even book in advance and it is advisable to do this during summer because they can be booked out for days together. If you don't feel like camping, there are bed-and-breakfast Inns in Houffalize, La Roche, Bastogne and Bruges. The average cost is about Euros 60 per person per night.


,img src="http://stbjp.msn.com/i/E1/2A5C8C9B63F88EC6894B221FCDEAF.jpg" alt="Yeti-ing across Europe" />


Do try beer as well as the waffles. Another incredibly tasty street snack is the pomme frites. Thick slabs of potatoes are freshly fried and served in paper cones. They are offered with a variety of toppings, the most popular being mayonnaise. `Frietkots' or `fritures' are small food joints -sheds, caravans, shacks and quaint chalets -that specialise in fries.

Source: Indian Express