No visit to the Ardennes region of Belgium would be complete without visiting Dinant, perhaps the most beautiful city in the region. On the way we drove to a spot to view Walzin Castle just south of Dinant, which sits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Lesse River.
The castle is not open to the public, and getting there is a little scary, as it seems like it’s a one way road for about 6km, but it’s not one-way. We had one point where I wasn’t sure we could pass a car, but somehow we both lived to tell the tale. The fairy-tale castle view made it worthwhile, right?
On the way into the town of Dinant, you pass through this break in the rocks. I had to take a shot from our boat ride, as there was nowhere to stop on the roadway. Yes, the road cuts right through that gap, it’s one way, and I don’t see how a larger vehicle could fit.
Here is a shot of the gap from the web, where some idiot did stop in the middle of the road. We can all benefit from idiots sometimes.
Once you make it through and realized you won’t have to pay your insurance deductible after all, you end up winding along a curvy route until you hit the middle of town and cross the “Saxophone Bridge”. First, the incredible view across the Meuse River.
The main bridge in town is lined with saxophones dedicated to various countries. Dinant is the birthplace of the inventor of the Saxophone, Adolphe Sax. This bridge is actually named after Charles de Gaulle, who was a 24 year old French Lieutenant during WWI and was wounded here defending the city from the invading Germans.
The American saxophone is below. In the background is the Notre Dame of Dinant, and the Dinant Citadel above it.
We took the gondola to the top of the Citadel for the view. There are also steps up if you are feeling adventurous. It was a tad warm and the steps were in full sunlight….and we aren’t poor. There is a small restaurant on top with plenty of Belgian beer. My kind of place to hang out!
The view from the Citadel is impressive. The self-guided tour of the Citadel was well worth it.
This is the inside of the Notre Dame of Dinant.
Great views on the previously mentioned boat ride.
They have Belgian beer on the boat, so color me happy!
Our last day in the Ardennes we went to the little town of Durbuy.
Durbuy proclaims itself the “World’s Smallest City”, although it’s not even the smallest town in Belgium. This is for commercial reasons, which we soon discovered. The below is one of several high end hotels in the town. There are restaurants everywhere, and if it was the Worlds Smallest City at one point, it is no more. It was like walking around what was a quaint lovely spot that was transformed by Disney.
There is a beautiful castle in the center of town, but you can’t visit it.
They did have a corner cafe that had Belgian beer, so all was not lost.
We spent a little time in the Topiary Gardens here, as there really wasn’t much else to do. The below topiary had the following description:
After having made all the men dream in the cult series of the 90’s “Baywatch”, the sculptural Pamela Anderson proves that the “bimbo attitude” is still relevant and still makes people fantasize.
Sorry, I don’t get it. Now I didn’t watch Baywatch because I’m not into plastic women, but the least they could have done for the topiary was put fake plants on where her breasts are supposed to be.
This response was best….I pee on you Pamela Anderson!
The Razorback Pig was cool.
As was the Elephant.
Knowing what I now know, would I have gone to Durbuy? Likely not. I leave it to you to decide if you ever make your way here. Now if you do make your way to this region, the hotel we stayed at, Ne5t Hotel and Spa, had some of the best food we’ve had on this trip, both for Breakfast and Dinner. It’s very quiet as well, so a good spot to get away for a few days.
A special thanks to the Chef and staff who made this a wonderful stay!
Next up, we head to Reims, France for the main purpose of the trip, the wedding of Randy and Kari!