There are places that have started to fit you like a pair of well-worn jeans. The part of Belgium between Philippeville and Givet in France is such a place, about 350 kilometers from the navel of the Netherlands. It is a forgotten triangle of Wallonia that has only been made attractive to tourists with Euro money in recent years. RECOVERY: An attempt has been made to make the area attractive to tourists. In Nîsmes, for example, there is an ecological park where you can tour with rented electric boats. Unfortunately, the electric motors of the boats are constantly breaking down. The park management responded efficiently by also providing the boats with paddles.
The steam train museum in Mariembourg is a winner. The once shabby location has also been given a Euro pimp. But somehow that doesn't matter to the train people, volunteers with hearts full of steam. Because how endearing is it when you see an estimated fourteen-year-old aspiring steam train pilot in greasy overalls cleaning a locomotive with a bucket of diesel and a dripping mop?
Places like Nîsmes, Couvin, Olloy and a few more of those settlements have been empty for years because the youth moved to the city. Double-paid euro officials now have some second homes there to relax after another week of hard expense claims in Brussels. But their weekends are often fully planned and they actually find the region boring as hell.
We come there for that peace and quiet. And of course a visit to the Grottes de Neptune between Petigny and Nismes. The calendar is set to 1960 and the sometimes pungent smell of piss is also inexplicable to the guides. The subterranean boat ride is endearing. You sail part of it in the dark. And then… Then you hear the sounds of Michel Jarre's 'Oxigène' (for further information about this artist, consult the Internet. Or your father or mother), then a stroboscope turns on and…
I won't say more. We prefer to book one of the nine rooms of the Rolinvaux hotel with its eight rooms. The ninth room is the reserve room for regular customers and unexpected visitors. The location is otherwise 'picturesque'. When going up the stairs and balcony to your room, it is useful to walk like a commando in a minefield. We know from experience that very modern people who are used to very modern dining and accommodation options have a hard time. People with a broader mindset think it's great.
Years ago we placed a door under the mattress of the bed in room 6 due to back problems. Apparently that was a great idea. And where can you find a hotel restaurant with a red flag at the railway crossing in the garden? If you wave that, a steam train will stop and you give a friendly cap with a shiny brim some change and then you are a steam train passenger. You can recognize newcomers at the resort because they keep the window open when entering the tunnel. FAIL! And Monsieur Godard, the boss of Hotel Rolinvaux, is a real Chef. It works wonders with cream, meat and cholesterol. And the house wine is great.
The tenor is a bit too negative, “in my opinion”. My experience is that what they do is very benevolent and it is a perfect environment to enjoy your classic car. The weather can be wet, but that has been the case with us lately.
Special, I was there two years ago and the hotel was closed at the time. Apparently the owner's wife had died and he no longer wanted to do it.
Is it open again now that you know?
I think the son took over
Most Dutch people know southern Belgium (and northern France) mainly from passing through it as quickly as possible on the way to the sunny south...
While the corner under Charleroi, but also the stretch between Dunkirk and Abbeville, has its charm...
Yes; They speak French and…er…French, but that doesn't have to be an obstacle.
No metropolitan arrogance, but friendly and helpful 'normal' people.
I come there for the peace, the lovely landscape and the normal prices.
I know, I have family in Le Cateau
In general, Belsen are like Italians; You never know the final price, but you can be sure that it is much higher. Always complicated menus, later it turns out that everything is exc....pffffff, better bring your own ones!;)
Let's keep it quiet!