When dawn came, we found a temperature of -11 degrees in our garden. This was not the time to get on my motorcycle and hit the road. Our journey will take us through the woods, which were still covered in a little white carpet. Our walk would begin in Den Diel Nature park in Mol.

The Den Diel region is made up of five lakes, one of which is rather large and was generated by frenzy mining during WWII. The lakes are surrounded by marsh woods, while the remainder of the land is covered with deciduous and coniferous forests. This region contains the Sas 3 lock complex and the bailey bridge across the Kempen Canal.

A frozen canal is unusual for Belgians. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it always brings a completely different environment to life, as seen in the photographs below.

As we begin our journey, nature delivers us with a lovely scene, with all of the trees and plants coated in a light layer of snow. I only want to show it through photographs because it puts the real tale on the table.

My gorgeous wife also brought her camera and joined me on the trip. I always enjoy our time together. She is usually carrying her favourite Leica Q2, which produces great image quality. There is nothing more to say when you see her smile.

We continued our journey despite hearing gunshots a few kilometres distant. It’s a sound that gives me chills, but not in a good way; it’s painful.
We saw two very enormous herons, three pretty large peacocks, a group of pheasants, and two deer during our tour. Seeing them is a wonderful sight to witness. Some more images.

We complete our trek at the memorial to the missing in the WO2. The photographs of the bridge across the Canal transport you back in time.
The natural side, which we never saw, was breathtaking. I had no idea there would be so many animals in the forest. It’s simply a pity I couldn’t catch it in a photograph. On the other hand, I consider myself quite fortunate to be able to witness everything that nature has to offer.

Thank you Mother Nature,