Three Trees in Belgium

A little over six years ago, I was driving in Belgium from Bastogne towards Liege or Bruxelles (I wasn't picky) by the slow and unsure route of simply pointing the car in a particular direction, then seeing what was to be seen on that route.

Along the way, I'm in between the towns of Durbuy (on the south) and Tohogne (on the north, mostly) when I see three trees standing alone between me and the horizon. Given the lighting and the interesting look, I took a picture of the scene. Looking at it today, I can see lots of things I would have done differently while taking the photo, but so it goes. It's still a favourite for its stark simplicity, not to mention the ability lo these many years later to evoke memories.

Speed ahead 6.5 years, and my computer is scrolling through a slideshow about 1000 of my favourite shots, and behold, the three trees photo appears. For some reason, I get it into my head to find those towns and see where I was back then.

It is only after zooming into the area between the two towns that I notice something: the three trees are visible using Google Maps.

Showing Liege (centre, top-right) and Durbuy (bottom-centre):

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Showing the trees themselves:

View Larger Map

I have to say I'm surprised for a few reasons, not the least of which is finding three specific trees between two cities years after-the-fact, that the third tree (the one closest to the road) hasn't been demolished by speeding traffic, or that none of the trees have been removed to create more farm land. Google Maps even shows the slight bend in the road.

Wow.