Peaks: Vaalserberg (Netherlands) – Signal de Botrange (Belgium) – Kneiff (Luxembourg)
From the Roof of Europe to Its Quiet Heart
Just two days earlier, I’d stood alone on the roof of Europe, frozen, breathless, and four hours without water. Now I was landing in Düsseldorf, stepping into the mild air of Western Europe. It felt like I’d travelled between worlds.
At the arrivals gate stood my father, smiling. I hadn’t seen him for weeks, and that moment of reunion was pure relief. The tension of Russia, the endless bus rides, the border checks all of it dissolved the instant I saw him. Suddenly, the expedition felt lighter.
We packed the car, shared stories, and began the 103-kilometre drive west toward the Netherlands. By midnight, we were parked near the Vaalserberg forest Europe asleep around us, mist creeping through the trees. We reclined the seats, turned off the engine, and drifted into short, uneven sleep.
🇳🇱 Netherlands — Vaalserberg (322 m)
Coordinates: 50.754° N, 6.021° E
Route: Forest trail around the tri-border point (Netherlands–Belgium–Germany)
Transport:
• Taxi Terskol → Vladikavkaz – 241 km
• Taxi Vladikavkaz → Tbilisi – 193 km
• Flight Tbilisi → Düsseldorf – 3,080 km
• Car Düsseldorf → Vaalserberg – 103 km
Total: 3,617 km
The morning of 13 July 2025 was cold, quiet, and wrapped in low fog. I woke to the sound of birds and the faint hiss of wind through the trees. We climbed out of the car, stretched stiff limbs, and laughed about how different this was from Mount Elbrus — no crampons, no snow, no dehydration, just damp grass and sleepy forest paths.
A short walk led us to the tri-border monument, where the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany meet. The air was heavy with mist, the ground soft underfoot. We joked about climbing “the summit of the Netherlands” in hiking shoes instead of mountain boots. It was the gentlest possible start to a long European day — no drama, no altitude, just calm.
At 08:31, I touched the highest point in the Netherlands: Vaalserberg, 322 metres.
It felt almost poetic — from 5,642 metres on Elbrus to 322 in a single leap of geography.
🇧🇪 Belgium — Signal de Botrange (694 m)
Coordinates: 50°30′06″N 6°05′34″E
Route: Short path and wooden observation platform in the Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve
Transport: 32 km drive from Vaalserberg
Crossing into Belgium was effortless no borders, no paperwork, just open roads through green countryside. The fog lifted as we entered the Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve, the air warming with the sun.
Signal de Botrange sits quietly in this high moorland plateau, surrounded by wooden paths and soft, grassy fields. When we arrived, only one person was there; the nearby restaurant was still closed. The calmness was almost meditative.
At 09:37, I climbed the small observation tower and looked across the misty plain. The view wasn’t dramatic, but it was peaceful a landscape made for breathing and reflection. It reminded me how every country’s summit, no matter how small, carries its own rhythm.
The weather was turning pleasant now, sunlight spreading gently across the fields. We took a few photos, packed up, and headed south.
🇱🇺 Luxembourg — Kneiff (560 m)
Coordinates: 50°09′26″N 6°02′13″E
Route: Short walk from roadside parking to summit monument near Troisvierges
Transport: 51 km drive from Signal de Botrange
By mid-morning, we crossed into Luxembourg. The roads curved softly between open fields and forest edges. Everything felt relaxed the kind of day when even the engine hums contentedly.
We reached Kneiff at 10:47 a.m. a small monument marking the highest natural point of the country. The light was bright and clear now, the sky pale blue. We made breakfast right there: sandwiches with ham, cheese, and tomatoes, with hot coffee from a flask.
We laughed, joked about how luxurious this summit felt after Elbrus, and talked about the long drive that awaited south toward Germany and the Alps beyond. That breakfast on the hilltop, just me and my dad, was one of the calmest and happiest moments of the whole expedition.
It wasn’t about altitude; it was about simplicity a reminder that the project wasn’t only a record attempt, but also a rare chance to live days like this together.
A New Rhythm
These three gentle peaks Vaalserberg, Signal de Botrange, and Kneiff formed the heart of Europe in every sense. After the chaos of Russia, they were grounding, almost healing. The fog, the forest, the smell of coffee everything slowed down.
Having my father join changed everything. I no longer had to drive or plan every detail alone. He brought laughter, energy, and a sense of home into the car. With his help, the pace of the expedition could finally accelerate faster transitions, longer drives, fewer worries.
It was still early in the Crown of Europe project, but I could already feel the new rhythm forming: climb, drive, rest, repeat. Mountains were turning into moments.
Date: 13 July 2025