Day 4: We're not in Kansas any more, Toto!

We were extremely appreciative of Henk’s company during Day 3 for several reasons. We met Henk during an urban exploration trip to Detroit in late summer. When we found out that he was from Belgium, we hoped that we would meet again during our Europe 2012 trip. Not only did Henk take time off from his own busy schedule, he travelled to France to spend time with us! The three sites that we explored as a group were all in France. We drove together back to Belgium and had dinner in Arlon in a local restaurant that served Ukrainian cuisine. We shared a fantastic meal together before parting ways. We confirmed that we would attend Henk’s gallery showing in Antwerp on the weekend. I know that Henk would appreciate our support for his own photographic works.

With Henk’s assistance, we were able to find a place to stay for the evening. We had been worried that we would have to sleep in the rental car if we were not able to book a hotel for the evening. Luckily that didn’t happen. Not only did he help us by calling the hotel, he also got us a great rate! Many thanks, Henk! =)

In the morning, we stopped by a local boulangerie and got ourselves pain chocolat, coffee, and a baguette.  We quickly ate and set out on the road. We saw our first road accident: a transport truck had jackknifed on a windy road and the local police were directing traffic around it. No one rubbernecked and everyone proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Our first destination of the day was an abandoned castle that had been used as a summer home by its owners. We went on another trek through the woods when approaching the castle. The trek was challenging because of the steep forested terrain that surrounded it. According to the internet, the castle was built in the late 1860’s and has stood empty since about 1991. After twenty years, there was a lot of structural decay. Some interesting features were the painted ceilings in the main hall, the tower, and the Disney-like external appearance of the castle.

Next we went to a disused cooling tower. The outer shell was concrete while the inner surface was covered in wood. The structure was open to the elements because there was no roof. The wood surfaces inside were very weathered. There were fantastic leading lines everywhere.

Our final destination was an abandoned theatre. When we arrived, we discovered it was no longer “abandoned”: it was being renovated. When we went for a stroll to look it over, a local told us not to bother attempting any exploration. The building was locked down and regularly patrolled. We took his advice and continued on our way.

 We arrived at our hotel for the night at a much earlier time than expected. Imagine our surprise when we saw our room: 4 double beds with mirrored headrests and matching nightstands with lamps accompanied by chairs at the foot of each bed. And a kitchenette with appliances that still had stickers on them. This will likely be the most luxurious accommodations that we well experience during our two week trip. Sadly, the bathroom door does not close properly because the locking mechanism and the notch in the door frame do not line up. Oh well. Close enough. ;)

Update on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 4:57PM by Cess

20 years of decay looks like this:

Looking up from the inside of a cooling tower: