Being of a certain age has its advantages—especially when it comes to getting up early. Today, I set my alarm for 5:15 am and, true to form, I woke up at 5:13 am, full of energy and excited for another day of exploring Europe with my TWIKE.
TW560 was waiting patiently just outside my window, fully charged and ready to go.
After yesterday’s ride, complete with hills, headwinds and plenty of rain, I thought it wise to double-check today’s weather and elevation profile. The outlook had me quickly adjusting the energy consumption estimate on my TWIKE’s computer. Gone was the hopeful 443 km range: now realistically showing 387 km.
I packed up and headed toward Belgium. Crossing through a near-empty Luxembourg Haute-Ville was a peaceful start to the day…quiet streets, lovely views, and not a single car in sight.
I was feeling much better today. Turns out that extra hour of sleep makes a world of difference.
Not long after leaving Luxembourg City, I was back in the countryside. A short drive later, I rolled across the Belgian border. Two things greeted me there:
a) A ‘Fritterie’ and with it already whispered promises of golden Belgian fries
b) The beginning of what would become a very, very long day of battling bad roads. More on that in a moment.
The first dozen or so kilometres in Belgium took some serious getting used to. I often grumble about roads in Italy, rural Spain, or parts of Poland but I was genuinely surprised by just how rough the surfaces were here. I’d say at least 80% of the roads, whether in villages or towns, were in poor condition and varying stages of disrepair.
With my 8-bar rock-hard tyres and stiff suspension, TW560 groaned and rattled non-stop. We both felt every bump.
Another surprise: mobile coverage. Belgium’s network coverage reminded me a lot of Germany’s awful state of affairs mobile coverage-wise. Outside urban areas, I dropped back to GSM with sky-high TA values. And even when LTE was present, it was usually Band 20 with essentially zero data throughput. Dead zones were surprisingly common.
Coming from Switzerland – where even the most remote valley has solid 4G with carrier aggregation or even NR78 5G—this felt like a step back in time.
And the general appearance of rural Belgium? A bit tired. Many buildings could use some care, and closed-down businesses were not uncommon. In most towns, only the very center had seen recent renovations.
Back to my road to Calais…by now, I was getting hungry and dreaming of croissants. Thankfully, that craving was easy to satisfy 🙂
The landscapes throughout the morning were lovely (besides the roads): rolling fields and quiet roads. But not long after this photo… the rain returned!
As I entered the Ardennes, I briefly crossed back into France. The border crossing brought an almost comic relief – the road surface changed immediately and dramatically. Smooth as butter.
By midday, back in Belgium, I’d had enough of the shaking, rain, and grumbling stomach. Today’s stage was longer than my battery range, so a recharge stop was inevitable anyway.
Thankfully, everything worked flawlessly – just like last time. I connected all the plugs to my Type2 charging box, tapped the station with my RFID card, flipped the “vehicle present” and “charge ready” switches and voilà! Charging began without any weird phase parity issues this time.
I took a 45-minute stroll around town while TW560 refueled. I got 6 kWh back into the pack at €0.69 per kWh. This isn’t a bargain, but it didn’t bother me. I just needed enough to make it to Calais, where I can charge again from a wall plug at the hotel for free.
After my walk, the appetite kicked in again. A quick search pointed me toward a nearby Fritterie. The name alone promised really good Belgian fries.
Oh yes – they absolutely hit the spot!
Heading further north, I crossed into the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium – complete with the classic European border sign greeting me.
And finally – blue skies! After a day of grey, the sun started peeking through.
The temperatures slowly started to rise, too. Strange to be wearing a sweater in early August!
Crossing back into France, I passed through a town I recognized from one of my favorite French comedies: Bienvenue chez les Ch’tis.
It’s even more charming in real life.
The whole place looks like a movie set – delightfully over-the-top and unmistakably French. Well worth a visit.
I carried on toward Calais. Next stop: dunes and the sea.
Made it! There’s something really satisfying about seeing the TWIKE parked right by the sea.
A short drive later I arrived in Calais, a quaint little French town with a charming vibe.
After a little impromptu sightseeing, I headed to the hotel and rigged up the charge – straight from my room. Creative charging, as always!
This hotel was ideal – and if the room charging hadn’t worked out, there was a public charging option just 10 metres away. Thanks to French law, every DC charger must also provide Type2 AC access, making travel with AC-only EVs so much more feasible here.
That said, nothing beats charging from your room…especially when the price is €0 🙂
Here are the stats for today.
Ticket’s ready: tomorrow, I’ll be crossing the Channel. Looking forward to the next chapter. Good night!
