Category: 3. Report: Day 1

Day 1 | Eupen

16/9/2017

10-9-2017
A bit tired, but safe and sound, we arrived at Eupen, capital of the German speaking part of Belgium.
The evening meal was free, so most of us went into town in little groups. As Eupen is not that big, quite a lot of us ended up in the Rathaus. Realizing that we had two birthdays to celebrate the next day, we (= Pauline, Colette, Sabine et co.) invented an instant birthday canon on the melody of ‘Frère Jacques’. We tried it out on the way back to the hostel. It sounded quite nice in the quiet streets of Eupen.
Emmanuel, Mikko, and Edward were waiting at the hostel. They took showers before going out to eat, so they missed the crowd and ended up at an Asian restaurant where they purchased takeaway meals. It was a nice walk, so they said. They almost lost Emmanuel. He had forgotten to order a beer, missed out and was a bit put out on the walk back.

We finished with a late night briefing, rehearsing the programme for the next day.
All night long there was a quite heavy wind and lots of rain. Anyway, that’s what we had more or less expected (and feared), as the weather forecast for the next three days was rather bad.

Un très bon gîte. Chambre spacieuse.
Maya

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Day 1 | Waimes - Eupen

15/9/2017

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10-9-2017

Beautiful landscapes on this part of the RAVeL, especially when crossing a stretch of Hautes Fagnes (High fens), one of the most spectacular and largest natural reserves of Belgium.

ahrrr, encore une montée rude !!! et qui dure... et cela - à la fin de la première journée. après 93 km !!!!!! :)))))
Maya

At the end of our Ravel-trail, Annemie was waiting for us with a little surprise, to give us some courage for the remaining kilometres. Unfortunately, we missed the appointment - so we had to wait to Eupen to taste the chocolates. A welcome reward after a long day of cycling!

Cycling is physical exercise, and physical exercise is supposed to warm you up. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work like this. At least, that's what Edward experienced:

At one point I got chilled, and never did warm up for the rest of the day.
Edward

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Day 1 | Waimes

15/9/2017

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10-9-2017
Our colleagues from Waimes and Malmédy had prepared us a picnic with delicious regional dishes and local specialties. What a treat! It was served in an old railway station along the ravel.

Un endroit très sympa, mais ils auraient dû installer la table avec le picnic un peu différemment pour qu'on puisse circuler autour et ne pas faire la queue. Mais peut-être ce n'était pas possible, car il y avait une expo.
Fromage local et miel délicieux !!!!!!!!!!!!
Maya

Every stop gave us the opportunity to check our bikes. Tire problems, saddle problems, gear problems, but also quite a lot of ‘sound problems’:
Like this one:

I discovered a noise coming from my bike just before we arrived. I spent most of my time after lunch trying to pinpoint it, I never did and eventually it went away, never to return.
Edward

On a été trois - moi, Rasmus et Stina - à manger dehors sur la cape militaire de Rasmus étalée dans l'herbe. Mariël nous a appelés par la fenêtre du premier étage en nous invitant de rentrer et en nous disant qu'il y avait encore des places libres.
Finalement, j'ai eu froid et suis rentrée et ... ai pris l'unique place dans le fauteuil. C'était la meilleure place :) et j'étais étonnée pourquoi personne ne l'a pas prise. J'ai trouvé la réponse : c'est parce que on y restait seul et tous les participants profitaient de tous les moments pour discuter et échanger :)
Maya

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Day 1 | Malmédy - Waimes

14/9/2017

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10-9-2017
A rather short track with a promising and inviting perspective: food!

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Day 1 | Public library Malmédy

14/9/2017

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10-9-2017
Our colleagues from Malmédy were waiting for us at the entrance of the Malmundarium, the local museum of Malmédy. We were welcomed by the warm sound of a violin and an accordion. The folk duo Jovano played some catchy folk tunes for us. After the welcoming speeches the music took over again and we were invited to join the circle and dance together. Cycling librarians becoming dancing librarians! A nice and very spontaneous way of getting to know each other!
Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the musicians lured us into the Malmundarium and guided us through the collections. Work of Magritte and of some local surrealist painters and an impression of the carnival of Malmédy. Masks, carnival and surrealism: this must be Belgium! There were also interesting rooms about the production of paper and leather.

Warme ontvangst met muziek en dans. Een spontane manier om kennis te maken met de deelnemers.
Marthe

Dancing for libraries: the movie!

The museum is connected to the library building. We received a nice drink (red or white, sweet and tasty) and were introduced to the collection and the many activities of the library.
It was an nice combination of a cultural centre, an exhibition space and a library. Lots of things going on here – the visit was too short to see and hear it all!

Je commence à découvrir que les bibliothèques municipales proposent non seulement les livres, mais aussi les jeux et même le projet de prêt des déguisements.
Maya

Good ideas

A musical act is an excellent way to welcome a group. It immediately creates a positive feeling among the participants.
And yes: why not let them dance!
A musical guide is a very efficient way to bring a group of people from one point to another. No need to explain too much: everyone has the chance to look around. No danger to get lost: just follow the sound…
I liked the idea of the seed library (grainothèque)
Discussion tables with patrons to practice foreign languages.
The services of a 'public writer' are available on some days of the week.
The library has the atmosphere of an attic, with lots of small rooms, excellent for creative activities.
Another nice idea: inviting the patrons to empty their bag. Make a picture of it and exhibit it at the library. The result: surprising arrangements of the most diverse objects.

Thank you, Malmédy, thank you Frédéric and Matthieu!
We'll remember the warm and musical welcome, the interesting museum; the inspiring library and the enthousiastic library team!

Malmédy | Bibliothèque

Contact

Bibliothèque
Monastère
Place du Châtelet, 7A
4960 Malmedy

080 / 799 930 - 080 / 330 061
malmedy [at] wamabi.be
www.wamabi.be

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Day 1 | Trois-Ponts - Malmédy

13/9/2017

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10-9-2017

On this first an longest trail we'll follow the Ravel L45 and then Vennbahn. This sunday is also Heritage Day. The theme is "Water, land and iron paths". Happy coincidence, as we'll follow an old railroad transformed into a cycling path.
The short climb to get to the level of the ravel was probably one of the steepest of the whole tour. Afterwards it was a long but rather easy road: no cars and enough space to cycle, to chat and to get to know each other. Excellent 'Cycling for Libraries' trail!

... et moi qui croyait que la Belgique c'est plat...:)) 10 minutes après le démarrage il y a une montée rude...:(( j'ai dû mettre les vitesses aux extrêmes pour monter, mais j'ai réussi. J'ai espéré qu'il n'y en aurait pas d'autres, mais... cf. plus bas.
Maya

WHAT IS A RAVEL?

'RAVeL' is the autonomous Walloon network for slow traffic, Réseau Autonome Voies Lentes.
It is a category of public roads with the same status as motorways and regional roads.
This slow-traffic network offers more than 1,365 km of roads reserved for pedestrians, cyclists, riders, riders, (roller) skaters, less mobile people.
The RAVeL is mainly built on towpaths and former railway lines, far away from the heavy traffic and guarantees users safety, comfort and flat tracks, regardless of their possibilities and limitations.

> More information: http://ravel.wallonie.be

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Day 1 | Registration, briefing, departure

13/9/2017

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10-9-2017

Getting up at six o'clock, quick breakfast and a quick ride to Trois-Ponts, by car, through a misty landscape. Just in time to meet Maya and Cathérine who took the early train from Liège. Also the first practical challenge! Cathérine had locked her bike in the youth hostel, but in the morning the owner was nowhere to be seen, so she had to choose: waiting, and missing the train and the start of the tour, or leaving without her bike. She chose the second option, taking only her luggage and a big smile. That's the spirit! Luckily we had a spare bike and she could recuperate her bike later on.

Trois: nombre symbolique?
Des bibliothécaires des trois communautés linguistiques de la Belgique se rejoignent à Trois-Ponts avec des collègues de différents pays, pour un tour à vélo, parcourant trois régions de la Belgique.
Les trois buts principaux: la promotion des bibliothèques, les échanges professionels, le défi sportif.
Dirk

We could use the local cultural centre also for our starting meeting at 8 o'clock.
Coffee and croissants were included.
Time for the last registrations, for a briefing from Mariël, for a short pep talk from Yukka, for a quick check of the bikes.
And then: ready to leave!
Isabelle, librarian at Trois-Ponts, joined us till Malmédy.

Mariël débout sur la table, une montagne de croissants et ... le vélo de location avec une roue voilée (!!??) :((
Mais Diana me prête son vélo professionnel avec un grand guidon. :))
Maya

Ready to leave!

Trois-Ponts | Bibliothèque + Centre culturel

Contact

Bibliothèque de Trois-Ponts
9, rue Traverse
4980 Trois-Ponts 080 / 292 462
https://espaceculturel3ponts.jimdo.com/bibliothèque/
bibliotheque@troisponts.be
Contact: Isabelle Lejeune

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Day 1 | Eupen

Day 1 | Waimes - Eupen

Day 1 | Waimes

Day 1 | Malmédy - Waimes

Day 1 | Public library Malmédy

Day 1 | Trois-Ponts - Malmédy

Day 1 | Registration, briefing, departure

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