4 Countries in a Day 🇬🇧🇫🇷🇧🇪🇱🇺

We left the UK early morning to arrive in Calias, France.  After stopping at a patisserie for indulgent pastries we headed to Dinant, Belgium to take in the colorful waterfront lining the Meuse river and iconic Collegiate Church of Notre Dame de Dinant.  Perched above the church pinnacles steep cliffs fill the background with stone walls marking the ancient citadel.  

We explored the gothic church which has been rebuilt three times since it’s first construction in the 10th century. In 1227 a piece of overhanging rock fell destroyed the majority of the original church.  Later, the town was set on fire in 1466 as a result of a rivalry between Dinant and Bouvsignes.  The town was sieged, 800 townsfolk were hurled into the Meuse River and the church was set ablaze.  Finally, on 23 August 1914, under the pretext that there were snipers in the town, German troops attacked Dinant and the church’s onion shaped bell tower caught fire and collapsed.  Beyond it’s tumultuous history the church holds one of Europe’s largest and elaborate  stained glass windows. 

We also enjoyed some Belgium waffles and couque de Dinant (Europe's hardest biscuit) with a honey-sweetened flavour that is pressed into a carved wooden mold before baking.  We also learned that Dinant is the birthplace of the saxophone.

After Dinant we drove on to Vianden, Luxembourg making our fourth country in a day and stopped for a view of Bourschied Castle along the way.  While we enjoyed the views, catching grasshoppers was the highlight of the day for the kids.