Commanster to Ouren: Day 124

A glorious walk in the early morning, a castle, a morning coffee and tart, a campsite where I could wash my clothes with a brasserie where I can buy diner. About as good as I could expect without my wife.

The day did not start so well. Overnight my left knee was complaining if it was not in exactly in the right position and my back had stiffened up. Getting out of the tent was a clumsy and painful experience. It made me wonder how many more years I could expect to be camping, the answer I told myself was "until I stopped trying".

Once on my way at 7:00 am all thoughts of discomfort disappeared, displaced by a magnificent morning in which sheets of mist intertwined themselves with the trees. An orange sun appeared behind the massed trees and then rose to whiten the tops of the strata of mist. Black silhouettes of trees broke through the white, ethereal blankets ahead of me, which looked so solid in the distance but dissolved into nothing when I reached them. Tiny droplets clung to spiders' webs, revealing an astonishing number spun in delicate patterns.

Layers of mist in the morning light, far more beautiful than the photo suggests.

Rising sun behind oak tree.

Most of this morning was on quiet roads among farmland. As the mist cleared the brilliant sun coloured the lush grass a rich, bright green. Cows with calves eyed me as I walked by.

By late morning I arrived at the town of Burg-Reuland. Its ruined castle was blessed with clean toilets (a real bonus after a wild camp). Within its walls medieval themed games had been set up for children. I climbed up the one remaining tower to the sound of a brass band playing in the valley.  They seemed part of an event held this weekend called "Tage des Offenen Denkmals" or "Open monument days". The bakery was open so I bought a coffee and a tart loaded with glazed fruit, thinking there was enough fruit on it for one of my five a day, so I could feel less guilty about the flaky pastry and custard beneath. Everyone I encountered in the village was speaking German, indeed prior the Treaty of Versailles this area was part of Germany. Prior to this trip I had not realised that there were three languages spoken in Belgium, German as well as French and Dutch (not to mention regional dialects).

Burg-Reuland castle.

As always on leaving a town hereabouts, there was a long climb afterwards to regain the plateau. Climbing the narrow path I noticed I was not moving as fast as earlier in the trip, however I had an excuse for a stopping a few times as bikes were racing down the path, and evasive action was essential. 

Walking among the trees I admired their veined greenness when the sun shone through them. I saw a squirrel and almost stepped on a brown snake which was sunning itself on the path, I knew it was alive from its flickering tongue. In time I began to loose height entering a narrow valley with extensive rock outcrops. Maybe a sign of what I will encounter in the next few days as I walk through Luxembourg. 

Sunlight through leaves.

My campsite tonight is beside a river between forested valley sides. I have made use of their washing machine as my clothes have become sticky with sweat and splattered by mud. The lady in reception charged my "power pack", which I in turn use to charge my phone. Now looking forward to diner at the campsite brasserie.