Kiki's road trip through Europe: ‘And then, uh, we suddenly found ourselves in a completely wrong city’

So what's the situation now, traveling within Europe? Is it possible again or are we celebrating too soon? Kiki called her best friend, grabbed the car, and went on an adventure. Destination 2? Logis Hôtel Butgenbacher Hof in Belgium.

Let me pull the sting right out, then at least we have that over with. After a little walk of four minutes (from any familiar place I know), I am lost. I also call it being geographically challenged and yes, it is serious. The dot on Google Maps where you can easily see which direction you are walking I do not understand, and when a navigation system says ‘go northeast’, I start to sweat.

It is therefore not strange that on road trip day 2 I find myself at a completely different address in Belgium than intended. ‘Markplatz 8, it's really here!’ I sputter indignantly. My best friend knows better. ‘Could it be that you entered the wrong address somewhere in the navigation?’ Roos and I are in Belgium, that is one thing that is certain, but where exactly Joost may know and that our hotel is still half an hour's drive in the other direction is also true.

Fortunately, our Peugeot 508 SW glides over the road surface (as if you are stroking the smoothest shaved legs on earth) and it turns out Logis Hôtel Butgenbacher Hof to have a swimming pool. Look, that earns you some points. The ‘Heimatgefuhl’ double room (this is the part where they speak German in Belgium) with terrace also helps. Just like the fact that the hotel is located amidst the unspoiled nature of the East Cantons.

Around the hotel, you can immediately go exploring, on foot or by bike. We do that too, the lake of Bütgenbach is a recommendation, we hear from others. When we arrive, the party is already schlüss, the maximum capacity of 500 people has been reached. After all, there is still a pandemic and the beaches need to be protected from overly enthusiastic tourists. There is also something to be said for that.

Then back to the terrace. Which is not a punishment, because Logis Hôtel Butgenbacher Hof is a hotel where you go for a weekend and basically do not need to leave. Where you arrive on the terrace and the waiter asks: ‘Would you like the summer rosé? It's a bit lighter.’ and you can only nod. It is a place where bon vivants really get their fill, we find out in the evening. The chefs go all out to surprise the guests and mainly use seasonal ingredients and local products. I don't know exactly what they do with that peach carpaccio for dessert, but they should never stop doing it...

Tomorrow morning the alarm and off to la douce France. Wimereux, here we come!

P.S.: Follow our road trip adventures on Instagram via @kikiduren.