Namur

We were in Namur last weekend. The glorious spring weather that's been blessing the region for the last couple of months had decided to take a break while we were there. There were thunderstorms over Charleroi and Brussels when we landed (the plane went around a long circuitous route to avoid the thunder clouds as we were making our approach - at some point we even flew over the Atomium - nowhere near Charleroi!), followed by major flooding South of Brussels. The temperatures were a cool 15 or 16, nothing like the 20s I had been hoping for (and that are making their way back to the country).

There were some heavy showers while we were there, but we didn't do too badly. We managed to fit in a few walks around the place, including one to the Military cemetery in Champion and a stroll up to the Citadelle in Namur, where you can catch beautiful views of the town. Next time, I must go up to the open-air theatre and maybe go on a tour of the tunnels. There are a lot of lovely spots there and I'm looking forward to exploring them some more.

We stopped at the Musée archéologique for a quick look at the relief model of the town (made between 1747 and 1751 for Louis XIV). It's got amazing detail in it. It would be great if there was a camera over it and if you could zoom in on specific streets or buildings. One thing I discovered there is that there was a moat at the back of the town, where the railway line now lies. If you're interested in these relief models, you can find more at the Musée des plans-reliefs.