Autumn in Belgium

We woke up to a thick fog surrounding the van. We were in a campsite near a village called Kemmel. The misty morning had an eerie quiet to it, which made the van feel extra cosy this morning. We stayed in and waited for the fog to lift. Lunchtime came and went and the fog was still as thick as ever. We couldn’t stay in the van all day, so we pulled on our boots, wrapped ourselves up and went for a walk to the nearby village of Kemmel. The country roads were quiet and we strolled past farmhouses and horses, with pastureland rolling away into the mist. The village itself was fairly average, and like most places we’ve been in Belgium, almost spookily quiet. Cafes and shops were closed, no cars were on the roads and no one was on the pavement. It felt like a ghost town. There weren’t even any lights in the windows! So far, Belgium has seemed such a quiet country. Maybe it’s the time of year, but many villages look and feel like a rural version of the Mary Celeste.

We soon spotted a footpath winding it’s way behind a grand country house. As we followed it, we were greeted by a fire-coloured forest, the floor carpeted in orange leaves and the trees all shades of gold. The mist curled itself around the tree trunks and we wandered for a little while in the peacefulness of the wood. It was a picturesque sight,  but it only lead back to a road, so we made our way back to the van.

Tonight is our last night in the campsite. It’s been good to settle down and relax after last week in Bruges and Ypres. The showers haven’t been the hottest, but it’s been good to have a proper wash and be productive for a while. Tomorrow, we head south to Wallonia and the southern reaches of Belgium.