Camping was good - we basically had a field to ourselves. The condensation was incredibly heavy so our tent felt like it had rained hard in the night.
We left full of plans based on Manuel's recommendations about the route we will be following.
First stop: Veurne. Little did we know, but this charming medieval town is reputed to have one of the most beautiful medieval town squares in Belgium. We came for the special cake Manuel had told us about, but we also got an interesting town to discover.
We couldn't find the special cake anywhere, but the Tourist Office knew what we were looking for. There is only one bakery in town that carries it, and the bakery is supplied with fresh cakes daily by a woman, the fifth generation baker in her family,who knows the recipe and the secrets of making Meringue Tarte.
First off, it is delicious and the detail of its preparation is amazing. Secondly, it is incredibly sweet but light in texture. Imagine, thin layers of meringue with buttercream icing between.
What a treat it is to find a local, like Manuel, who has shared the secrets of his region and has helped us to tailor our route to take advantage of his recommendations. This for us, is travel at its finest.
As is our custom, we made lunch and coffee (in the city park in Veurne) and then each had a piece of Meringue Tarte.
Continued along the trail to Ieper (Ypres) Camping Judgestadion. We had to give up on visiting the Brewery (Saint Sixtus) as we were running out of time and wanted to get to Ieper today. The camping is situated a few minutes walk from the city centre, but we got lost and arrived a bit late. As you may have guessed, that is not a problem as...we checked in via Automat.
Believe me, we are not complaining, but it is pretty hot and windy (however, it is not raining ...yeah!!) and once we get to camp, our first priority is a cold shower. It's good, suddenly you're human again after a shower.
The swimming area of 3 pools is part of the recreation facilities of Kompass Camping.
Kompass Camping is like its own city - caravans, rental mobile homes, hiker huts, teepees, a store, bakery, restaurant. It feels like it could be even bigger than the island where we live.
The route from Veurne has been very pretty but the trail gets pretty narrow. Meeting groups of cyclists (who often need coaxing from our bike bell to give us space) and the occasional car present challenges.
Veurne is known for many things - its town square, a Bakery Museum, a female resistance fighter from the War, artists as well as its confectionaries like the Meringue Tarte and this toffee candy, which was given to us by the Tourist office.
We'll try anything, but these weren't a big hit. The bakery at the campground had freshly baked these round flat cakes, that are good with jam on them. They were good - especially with peanut butter on them, but a bit sweet.
Well, today does seem to be all about the food - and most notably desserts. But Belgium has great pattiseries and as we get closer to France, it does seem to be getting even better. This lemon tart was divine. I wish I could package it up and send it to my mom, as lemon is her favourite.
We love seeing animals and this farm was unique - donkeys, goats, warthog, cows, geese - all cohabiting quite nicely. Donkeys are fascinating creatures.
We spend a lot of time talking to and looking at animals in our day - so we liked this picture. But, this cow was most entertaining as this stationary pose is unusual for this cow. Most of the time, this cow, lifts its tail and them sprints with great joy around the fields. It made us stop and watch in amazement. The other cows watched in amazement too!
We continue to be amazed by Automats in Belgium. Earlier we showed an Automat dispensing fresh strawberries, but this business takes it to another level. It is basically a nicely appointed cafe with all food and drinks available only via Automat. No human contact at all.
Here you could get soup, coffees, cold drinks, beer, pastries, chocolate bars, etc. But what impressed us was that ther are appropriate glassware for the different beers and wine.
