Tour of Flanders (Part 4)

(Part 4)

Other "strange" things that just blended into daily life were street signs, auto traffic, and the sunset.

Even when street signs were in one language (in Brussels they were in both French and Dutch)   they were disconcertingly not conspicuous on the street corner or hovering over the street that could be viewed before the intersection.  Street signs were high on the building on the corner, sometimes.  Sometimes they weren't on the building and we had to walk up the block to make sure we were on the correct street (and said the mantra "lucky we aren't driving or we would have gotten lost.)

Auto traffic was most often relegated to one lane.   If traffic wasn't moving you were stuck--while the bicycles and trams zipped by.  Nine years ago in Italy we mostly saw cars that look like the Mini-Cooper and Smart Car and never thought we'd see these in America; this time we saw a few ONE seaters.  Will we see these here in a few years?

Belgium way behind California in smoking--almost guaranteed that when we ate outside half the people around us were lighting up.

I wanted to see Grand Place, the Gent and Brugge bell towers, and the Amsterdam Canals at dusk.  Good luck.   We'd walk around after a late dinner and it was 9:30 and sunset was still an hour away.   The mostly small stores closed hours ago, just as they are all almost all closed on Sunday.  Best bike shop we saw was in Oudenaarde--unfortunately it was a Sunday and we could only window shop.

Photos from Oudenaarde (Tour of Flanders/ Ronde van Vlaanderen) Museum

Bike club going past Markt Square in Oudenaarde.

Old Support car in front of Tour of Flanders Museum.

Lots of Old and New bikes--the Time bike was Museeuw's last ride.

The man, Johan Museeuw, who won the Ronde 3 times, and finish 2nd 3 times.

Johan's hairnet



Tafi 's jersey (Tafi  beat Museeuw in 2002, when all the Flanders guys were fn around
 and marking each other )



 Tom Boonen's small jersey--must be super racers cut.

Ronde art.

 

 

In Flanders I finally got some riding in on a trainer that tired to replecate riding up one of the hills.

...and earned a podium finish over some local favorite sons,

 

No pissing statues in Oudenaarde

 

 

 

The major Belgium River, the Scheldt, runs through town

Ms. Pumpkin and I find a nice statue outside the Ronde

 Oudenaarde Stadhuis