Hiking Small Towns in Belgium

I had planned to explore northwest Maastricht yesterday, but at the last minute, I changed my mind and decided to walk up Mt. St. Pieter. It’s a hill just south of town, and there are ruins of a fortification on it. On top, there is a small nature preserve with some sheep, and beautiful views to the west of Belgian farmland.

Sheep on Mt. St. Pieter

Belgian farm

I at the southern end of the mountaintop, I saw some old farm buildings and I saw a large mine. A tour guide that was walking by said that it was something to do with making concrete.

Mine near Mt. St. Pieter

The farms on the Belgian side looked so pretty, I decided to hike down the western side of the mountain and into the Belgian town of Kanne. Again, there was no border to speak of—the dominant language just suddenly switched from Dutch to French.

A path on the road from Maastricht to Kanne

On my way into Kanne, I came around a bend to see an enormous castle built into the cliff face. There was man taking photographs of it, and he told me that it was open to the public, so I took a little path over a stream and up to the castle. Apparently, this castle belonged to a people who defended Limborg from outside invaders in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

There was wonderful sculpture everywhere. The building is beautiful.

Chateau Neercanne

I ordered an iced coffee at a café, and received a scoop of ice cream with a cup of coffee poured on top of it. No complaints—it was awesome. I chatted briefly with the waitress, who had studied abroad near Chicago and was eager to speak English. She said that there was not a whole lot of sightseeing around, but I was perfectly content to just enjoy the natural scenery.

The new suspension bridge at Kanne

I took the road south of Kanne and came to the town of Eben-Emael. There was an important WWII fort there, but I couldn’t take a tour without a reservation.

Ft. Eben-Emael.

I continued south along the main road to the town of Bassenge, somewhat larger than the others. There was a very pretty church and more cafes. I saw a sign indicating Lanaye, where I had just been the day before.

Church in Bassenge

I then turned around and got back on the road to Maastricht.