History by Bike - Brussels - Waterloo (my own small Waterloo)

This describes a funny MTB Trip to Waterloo and back, via Foret des Soignes. I set out despite it was already over mid afternoon because I wanted to absolutely go see the historic battlefield of Waterloo which I had only seen from the highway.

So I set off immediately and after 5 min I am in the forest on good forest tracks. I realize I am w/o map nor compass (my suunto was out of batterie for a few days...) and I like the fact I will have  to navigate (a naso...). I keep going S - that's where Waterloo is, ca. 15-20km - that's the plan.  I hit Dubuislaan at the right place - so far so good. After crossing it I then take the first forest road  - unfortunately,  not going S as I realized later, but almost W. In my ignorance I keep cycling until I hit civilization - I knew there are main roads all around. I then realized I made a significant detour... after a few other zigzags ending on pig farms or open fields and navigation by large scale directional instinct I eventually get to central Waterloo, which I crossed now via the main road... not so nice but there is no other way...  

a few km later I saw it from far - the huge monument - a manmade conical hill with a Lion on top! It now started to rain ...  I was hoping to hike up the hill (the whole point of the exercise) but unfortunately I had to realize it is all part of a museum complex with a 3m fence .... the sort of tourist thing with a steam train etc.... noooo. Not only it's that sort of thing ! but the place had just closed at 5pm... 10 min earlier...

my own mini Waterloo....

no problem - I go to the cafe' and get a coffee while it keeps raining... a strange sort of place with 45+ couples who gather for couple dancing on sundays afternoon...I was clearly the only guy in biking shorts and helmet - ahahaha

then all the way back to Brussels - now I was able to keep a somehow better straight line N, although it was now pitch dark in the forest. But there is almost nobody at night in the forest so I made it back home for dinner :-)

a cool mini adventure - now I know the road for next time :-)