Cycling at Goeree-Overflakkee

Great cycling paths, beautiful nature, sandy beaches and adorable, small villages with nice flea markets. Sounds nice? You can find it all on an island Goeree-Overflakkee in the south west of Holland! Beautiful place, ideal for a weekend trip. Very good place to have a rest and recharge your batteries after a whole week of work. Léon checked few cycling and walking routes, bought lavender and eggs from local residents and caught some sun on a beach in Ouddorp. It is a very good weekend for Léon! How is yours?

Tips from Léon:
- put on your walking shoes or grab a bike and enjoy the nature

Small map presenting all cycling routes:

Few pictures to show how peaceful is the island.

Holiday time

Léon is almost starting his holidays! Whole month! First he is going to Poland for 11 days, after that he is spending 3 days in The Netherlands and on 14th of August he is flying to France! He just can't wait!

So many places, tastes, fragrances to discover! So many adventures! So much fun!

Where are you going on holidays? For how long? Or maybe you are back already? How was it? Léon is looking for tips for new destinations! Share your ideas and experience!

Léon in De Tuinen van Appeltern

Are you a garden lover? Interested in landscape architecture? The place, which has to get on your 'TO SEE' list is De Tuinen van Appeltern!

An amazing 15 - hectare park consists of around 200 smaller gardens. Each one of them has its own, unique style. They are full of colorful plants, stylish outdoor furniture and ingenious, surprising garden art. Léon's favorite: rotten shoes as a symbol of an 'old employee' who got retired.

 Tips from Léon:
- If you like cycling, make a lovely day trip by renting a bike at the Tiel train station. Cycle from there to the ferry, which will take you to the other side of the canal. From there you can follow a picturesque bike route all the way to the garden
- If you don't want to cycle, garden is easy reachable by car
- Léon doesn't recommend  trips by public transport, he did it once and it took him 6 hours, 2 trains, 2 buses, a boat and hitchhiking to get there!
 - For more information check De Tuinen van Appeltern

 

Léon in Italy

Last year in August Léon was in Italy!

Time: 10 days
Destination: Italy
Provinces: Salerno, Rome
Places: Agropoli, Maiori, Minori, Atrani, Amalfi, Ravello, Praiano, Positano, Punta Campanella, MasaLubrense, Napoli, Gaeta, Roma

The most amazing day was, when Léon took a hiking trip called Sentiero Degli Dei – Walk of the Gods. The official start of the path is in Positano, where you have to climb 1500 stairs (!). Léon however, has chosen less demanding route. Simply he caught the bus from Positano all the way up to the tiny village Nocelle. From there the trail was very well marked. Unfortunately Léon is not the smartest giraffe... He started his trip around midday. After half an hour the temperature up the hill has reached around 40 degrees.. It was boiling HOT! But Léon didn't gave up. He finished his trail after around 5 hours walking 1500 stairs down to a beautiful village Praiano.

Views are breath-taking! Don't forget your camera, because you will regret it for the rest of your life!


Tips from Léon:
- start your journey around 8 in the morning to avoid extreme heat
- bring: a hat, a lot of water and some snacks
- do not bring too much, because your backpack gets heavier and heavier every minute of your trip
- you think you have enough water? bring an extra bottle!


Here you have few snapshots to convince you that it is one of the most beautiful trails in the world.
Have you been there? Share with Léon your thoughts and experience!

Léon is heading to France!

Léon is planning a new journey for August!

Time: 2 weeks

Destination: France

Region: Languedoc-Roussillon

Departments: Hérault, Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales

Places he wants to visit: Carcassonne, Domaine O'Vineyards, Narbonne, Béziers, Séte, Perpignan, Collioure, Villefranche-de-Conflen, Mont-Louis, Chateau de Peyrepertuse, Mosset, Martin-du-Canigou, Foix and Andorra

 

Léon absolutely loves trains and hiking! So the two things Léon is most excited about are:

1. The trip by Le Petit Train Jaune from Villefranche-du-Conflent to Mont Louis. 

The whole route of the train is 63 km long and exists for over 100 years! Beautiful scenery of Pyrénées! Amazing for photography lovers! It is definitely a must see! Just can't wait!!

2. Monastery l'Abbey de Saint Martin du Canigou. First Léon has to drive up into the Pyrénées to the village of Castiel. Then he has to hike for around 40 minutes trough the forest to reach the monastery. After the tour inside he will definitely hike higher to have a view of the Abbey from above. It suppose to be breath-taking! We will see! 

Do YOU have any suggestions for Léon? Any tips for 'must do' or 'must see' places? Or maybe he shouldn't go somewhere because is a complete waste of time?!