Back at Tour de la Warche with renewed boardwalk

At the Mother Day's weekend we finally returned to the east of Belgium and it did me so well. The children knew I had really looked forward to this since we had cancelled coming a few times last minute.  Therefore they were diplomate enough to join me for a walk when Jan needed a nap. 

They negotiated to do their favourite Tour de la Warche and I negotiated to complete it with another loop to extend it a bit and make it more in a decent walk that I had envisioned.  Off we went under the blue sky and some sunshine. 

The lake was filled as we had not seen it in a long time.  

We progressed very slowly as I took pictures of every view as always and they were busy digging and exploring ...and why would I want to stop them exploring and discovering bugs etc?  We all breathed the time available and the nature around us. 

At the Warche, they were stirring and throwing rocks etc and I observed their activity and also the first signs of spring finally breaking through here at Belgium's roofheights. 

Last time we were here in winter, the boardwalk had impressively deteriorated to a piece of rotten wobbling wood, but much to my surprise it was entirely renewed. 

When we were done stirring we climbed up the steep hill. Some other walkers warned us "it's steep".  "Yep, we know"...I refrained myself to add "we climb it every 2 months or so".  

With some more posing the clouds had changed from a friendly fluffly white to a dark grey and wind was picking up.  The predicted thunderstorms all of a sudden were one hour in advance on the radar, when I checked again and I realised that my negotiated extension of our walk would fall down into the water. Literally.  

With some first drips we started speed walking and I calculated how much time we'd need on the last part to return home. On our climb up the road to the village, Jan called with some worry to check our whereabouts.  I explained we were rushing as much as we could and we might just make it...or we might just be washed down when we got home.  

Hup hup hup, I kept calling the boys to keep walking top speed in the wind when Jan showed up by car to pick us up for that last km. What a sweetheart.  With pounding hearts and sweating limbs we climbed in to watch the rain at home.   It never came very much...this was more of a threatening thunderstorm than one that came down on us. Ha, you never know, do you. Sure I was glad I missed out being out in the pouring rain with the children. 

But I felt unsatisfied. Finally I was back here after weeks of absence. Finally I felt a bit of energy again which hasn't been the case since early April again. I was here to walk and now my walk had been cut off so abruptly.  So when the rain seased and sun came back after more than an hour...I simply left again to pick up my walk (this time without the children...they could not get motivated again) and went on on my own to the next part along the Warche. 

It was thrilling to be out and alone, all quiet, just my own pace as slow or swift as I felt like it. 

90 minutes later I had really really deserved those appetizers.