A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Dinant & Namur

On this part of our journey to Namur, I discovered that the Belgian section of the Meuse river offers as many delights as the French. And as the amazing rowing tour I was on had just crossed the border, they began to appear.

An Enchanting Château

The first was the beautiful Renaissance castle Château de Freÿr and its formal French gardens which were designed by Le Nôtre, the designer of the fabulous gardens of Versailles. I would have loved to explore them; to wind my way through their terraced, hedge mazes. And then to visit the beautiful belvedere tucked in on the top of the hillside. Perhaps another time.

Belgian Beer Tasting

Shortly after passing the Château, we came upon the dock at Anseremme. This was our lunch spot for the day and there was a special treat awaiting us. Representatives from Leffe, a well-know local brewery, were set up to give us a beer tasting. Now, I’ve never been a beer drinker, and I mean never! But, I decided, when in Belgium, I might as well give it a try. And while I’m glad I did, it didn’t make me a convert.

It did set me up to try another type the following day though. And that one did put a smile on my face. It’s called ‘Kriek‘ and is made from sour Morello cherries. Very tasty and a lovely balance of sweet and sour. And, I was happy to discover upon returning home that, it is available in Canada too.

Consummate Catering

Lunch this day was another dockside feast prepared by the same catering company that fed us all week. Even when we had to change our lunch location one day, their refrigerated truck, full of tasty, freshly prepared, healthy meals, met us at the newly designated spot. And they provided a variety of food as well. We even had rabbit one evening.

We ate communally, ripping pieces of freshly baked baguette from the loaves our volunteers had placed in a row down the centre of each table. And while lunch was a cold, packaged meal with a piece of fruit, dinner was a piping hot buffet with a delicious dessert. I had hoped to shed a few pounds during this tour but, for some reason, that just did not happen.

The River Widens

A major change that we experienced moving into Belgium was the widening of the Meuse river. As a result, the écluses – locks – that we traversed became much larger. Thus, there was no longer a need to interlock our rowing sculls and oars together to safely pass through. This also meant that we could enter a lock along with other boats, minimizing our wait times significantly. And with the wider river also came larger boats. Much larger at times, as you can see below.

Our Lady and Le Coq

Another of the highlights of this phase of the journey was passing by the magnificent, 13th-century, Gothic cathedral, la Collégiale Notre-Dame de Dinant – The Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Dinant. Its large, bulbous spire, dating from 1697, is a majestic sight to behold. For more than three centuries, it has stood firm beneath the looming presence of the Fortress.  This is another area that I would have loved to had time to delve into further.However, we had a schedule to keep so continued on. Having perservered, Mother Nature rewarded us with the most amazing sunset in Anhee, our resting spot for the night.This beauty was a precursor to our final day of touring. It also brought with it temperatures in the high thirties! So I was very thankful to arrive in Namur by lunchtime. Here we were greeted by le coq hardi – the bold rooster – of the Walloon region.

The Architecture of Namur

After lunch, and a refreshing glass of Kriek, we headed into town for a little walking tour. Here we had the opportunity to appreciate some of the lofty architecture of the former Southern Netherlands.This included taking a peak inside the baroque Église Saint Loup – the Church of Saint Loup – to see its beautiful and intricately carved stone ceiling. And overlooking it all, the last fortress that we would see, la Citadelle de Namur – The Fortress of Namur – standing high on a hill overlooking the meeting point of the Meuse and Sambre rivers.We made our way back up river a few kilometres to the Namur rowing club, le Royal Club Nautique de Sambre et Meuse, where we were welcomed by the flags of all five countries represented on this tour. And after dinner, I took a walk along the waterfront with a new friend. Here another auspicious site appeared: a lunar eclipse of the full moon reflected in the Meuse below the glowing lights of the sprawling fortress. A breathtaking end to this amazing journey!

European Joie de Vivre

I mentioned in my first post of this series, A Rowing Tour of the Meuse: Sedan, it felt like this adventure was an amazing summer camp for adults. And my fellow rowers fostered that feeling throughout the week.  Whether it was spontaneously breaking out into French folk songs while waiting to go through a lock or doing the wave for passing cyclists as we took the boats out of the water, that child-like, European, joie de vivre – joy of life – was a treat to be a part of.  And on our final day, the pretty houses and gardens that lined the Meuse also reflected it.

Les Canotiers

I also found that European charm in les canotiers – the straw boaters’ hats – that several members of our group wore. As it turns out, these jaunty, yet practical, chapeaux – hats – hail from the nearby Vallée du Geer, home to the parents of one of my rowing friends. You can see how these great hats are handmade in this wonderful video: Les Chapeaux de paille de la vallée du Geer.

And with that, my first, but certainly not last, European rowing tour came to an end. Exhausted and elated, I was thrilled with my accomplishment: 170 kilometres, 33 locks and 2 tunnels in 6 days! And so, with the richness of these amazing memories and a collection of new friends, I said goodbye to Namur and headed on to Bruges, the next major stop on this epic European adventure. But not before a visit to Galler: A Belgian Chocolate Factory Outlet to stock up on some fine Belgian chocolate treats.

Experience the adventure of rowing through Spain in my series Adventure Rowing Down the Ebro.