But despite our best efforts over several hours, we lost the battle with the lady on the Sat-Nav and became locked into the main north-south autoroute: a boring truck-infested artery of which nothing positive can be said.
Despite a boring and bleak drive from Amsterdam south into Belgium, afternoon delivered us into Leuven, a lovely Belgique town west of Brussels.
Next day was showery again, but Saturday was market day.
If we had been staying in an apartment and not a hotel we would have been having mushrooms for dinner.
Paul had a warm bread breakfast from the mobile boulangerie.
The first wedding of the day, outside the town hall, was a casual affair on bikes. Bride and groom in the middle with the bride in pink shorts and veil.
The second wedding, a couple of hours later was more recognisably 'traditional". Everyone else was there but the bride was missing in action.
The old cathedral is wedged into the side of the square, which is a pity because it is beautiful and deserves a free-standing space of its own.
Saturday morning choir practice - it sounded incredible. I wondered why the weddings were at the town hall when they could have been here with this incredible music.
Despite the optimism of the cafes, the sun stayed away all day and the umbrellas only provided a little protection from the rain. Belgium is an expensive place to visit (albeit to live). Coffee was so expensive (about 7.50AUD) that we resorted to Mcdonalds for our 2pm hit.
From Leuven, Belgium we turned east and crossed into western Germany winding down into a deep valley of the Rur river to Monschau, one of those villages that has a snow covered Christmas market.
No snow for us though, only drizzle. It is the peak of summer - 19 August.
The historic town centre with its many preserved half-timbered houses and narrow streets has remained nearly unchanged for 300 years, making it a popular tourist attraction nowadays.
Historically, the main industry of the town was cloth-mills.
Almost every house either faces or backs onto fast running water. Not a town for an outdoor lifestyle - even in summer.
The popular European past time of 'hiking', totally unknown to me, probably explains the shoe/boot cleaner at the door of the hotel.
A local speciality was marzipan. Not very attractive to look at but I'm sure it tasted fine. Maybe these are "the caterers' packs".
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