A cycle path in Bokrijk in Limburg which gives the impression of cycling through the water has been selected by TIME magazine as one of the world’s 100 most beautiful things to see. The cycle path is Belgium’s only entry in the list, which ignores better-known attractions such as the Hallerbos, Liege-Guillemins station and medieval Bruges.
Other attractions listed by the magazine include the cave paintings of Lascaux in France, the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and the Golden Bridge in Ba Na Hills in Vietnam, which appears to be supported by two giant stone hands.
Since the path, known simply as Fietsen door het water (Cycling through the water) opened in 2016, some 500,000 cyclists, and many more walkers, have made the crossing. The name is something of a misnomer, of course: the path is a 212m-long sunken channel through the water. The effect, however, both on onlookers and cyclists, is described by the magazine as “almost divine”.
“This citation conforms that thanks to this sort of experience, we continue to praise the qualities of Limburg as an inovative destination forcyclists, even to those far beyond our borders,” commented Igor Philtjens, president of the cyclists’ federation and well as provincial deputy in charge of tourism.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
