It's been quite a while since I last did WednesdayWalk. So today let's walk through Crupet, a village listed as one of the most beautiful ones in Wallonia of Belgium. You can see this sign on the roadside when entering the village:
好久没写过WednesdayWalk，这次的漫步来自上周末的比利时南部。Crupet依山傍水，静谧安宁，被评为瓦隆区最美村庄之一。今天就请跟我一起在这世外桃源般的小村里走走吧~
村口就竖着“瓦隆最美村庄之一”的牌子：
- Donjon & Mill -
Then you would see the village's prominent Donjon Carondelet, a medieval fortified castle and farmhouse surrounded by a moat, built in the 11th or 12th century. I was amazed by how well it's preserved considering its age of around 1000 years old.
一进村就可以看到保存完好的有千年历史的中世纪古堡和农庄。周边环绕着同样袖珍的护城河，想起近年常听到的商业"护城河"😄。
There are some walking routes nearby, and I was curious about that blue "Cow War Route" sign. So Google told me that "The Cow's War" started in 1273 in this region caused by a cow theft. The Count of Namur started a war to avenge his subject, the hanged thief. The bloody war lasted years and devastated about sixty villages, even the King of France, Philippe Le Hardi had to intervene to put an end to it.
Today, it's an easy 121km loop trail with a maximum altitude of 310m. From my pins on maps.me, I found out that I actually covered some parts of the route before, but just didn't know its name then. There are indeed plenty of lovely villages and hilly landscapes in this area! I think it would be great to visit again when it gets warmer.
附近有些徒步线路，包括“奶牛之战路线”。
Later on the way, I didn't see any cows, but lots of sheep instead.
路上没看到奶牛，绵羊倒是看到好多。
Walking on a bit to the right bank of the Crupet stream down from the Donjon, there is a converted hotel that used to be a paper mill in the 18th century and a flour mill in the 19th century. It looks like a nice place to stay by the stream, but I guess they don't have good business right now due to the Covid :(.
城堡下游的河岸上有座别致的石头建筑，在18世纪时曾是造纸坊，19世纪时转为面粉厂，如今是改建的酒店，可惜现在疫情期间估计生意不大好：
I feel this bike against the stone wall very photogenic, so I took a couple of pictures here with my phone, might be too many ;). But I didn't have any photos of myself taken during the whole walk, since the surroundings are way more interesting, haha...
觉得这自行车和石头墙好上相，举着手机远近拍了好几张。总是被周围的事物所吸引，倒是没拍自己，刚看了下手机，这次去Crupet竟然一张自拍都没有, 过去n天也都没有，全是吃的和风景‧‧‧‧‧‧
New and Old:
新旧交替：
There's a pretty white cat nearby,
在附近看到只漂亮的白猫：
and very sharp:
目光异常犀利地离开猎物，那眼神，简直可以秒杀我：
I first thought it got a rat, but it turned out to be a mole.
等它走开后，我过去仔细一看，原来是只可怜的小鼹鼠，远看还以为是老鼠：
Another darker cat looked more Zen there on the bridge:
比较起来，旁边的一只黑猫显得佛系很多，静静蹲在桥头，默默望向远方‧‧‧‧‧‧
好一幅枯藤老树禅猫，小桥流水人家的美景~ XD
Later, this cat started to imposingly patrol the street like a King/Queen... :D
随后，这只威风凛凛的白猫又开始巡视大街：
- Hill & Houses -
A trail going uphill:
上山小径：
It must be very pleasant to enjoy some drinks and chats on that lovely balcony:
在小山坡房子的阳台上喝喝酒聊聊天，是多么惬意啊~
These two dogs looked like twins, and they were fighting constantly until I began to film them and laughed out loud. Their surprised look was so amusing:
这两只狗好像双胞胎，一直在上演狗咬狗的喜剧，大概因为我在拍它们打架视频时笑出猪叫，它们突然停下来，转头惊诧地望着我：
Another Cat King:
另一只猫主：
I really like these stone houses in the South, while in the Flemish region, red brick buildings are more common.
很喜欢南部山区这些石头房子，跟法国西班牙一些山区的建筑风格类似，个人觉得比荷语区的砖房有趣味，大概是看太多红砖房棕砖房审美疲劳了吧。
Does this facade look like a pig face? =)
这面墙像不像张小🐖脸？哈哈😄
Poor magnolia, probably damaged by the snowfall earlier this month. Normally they are already in full blossom at the end of March, but now it's one month later... Here are some photos of magnolia flowers I posted 2 years ago in March.
可怜的玉兰花，可能是被月初的大雪冻坏了，往年三月底的时候就已经盛放，而现在都四月底了还没开花：
More spring flowers I spotted here:
更多春天的小花花们：
- Grotto & Churchyard -
In the village centre, the Grotto of Saint Anthony of Padua is a landmark next to the Tourist Office. It's built as a gate between the land of the Living and of the Dead, and we will soon see a graveyard behind it.
在村中心，有个地标性建筑 —— 圣安东尼石窟。这是根据天主教中的生死间隔之门建造的，后面就是教堂的墓园。
Father Canon Gérard is a parish priest who designed this artificial cave over one century ago. The statue in front of the grotto is paying homage to him.
门前有座杰哈德神父的雕像，是为纪念他一个多世纪前设计了这个石窟。
There are vivid statues and paintings with moral scenes depicting the religion and the saint's life.
石窟里外有些栩栩如生的雕像和壁画，取材于圣安东尼的故事和其他宗教传说。
Now let's go inside the cave. Since Saint Anthony of Padua is the patron saint for the recovery of lost objects, people come here to pray to him for finding lost items.
走进石洞里，可以看到一根根点亮的蜡烛。因为圣安东尼是复原丢失物的守护神，虔诚的人们会前来祈祷，以求帮助找回丢失物。
The churchyard at the back was bathed in the sunset:
夕阳西下，石窟后边的教堂墓园笼罩在暖暖的余晖中，更显肃穆：
Some buried here passed away over a hundred years ago:
有些先人已经逝去上百年：
Beautiful heathers I captured in the churchyard, brave resilient flowers thriving in harsh environments:
墓园里的帚石楠，在西北欧这种冷酷的环境里，小强一般勇敢美丽地绽放~
That’s it for today's walk. Thanks for joining me!
Hope you enjoyed this long walk through Crupet like I did!
Do you think it's a beautiful village as said on the sign? :)
- 完 -
@itchyfeetdonica图文 by Donica
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