On average it's always uphill...
Immediate reaction is false: everything balances out, but in terms of time and effort... 10% of the day is spent in the glorious weightlessness of freewheeling downhill, and the other 90% is struggling up the other side...

Chimay. Stopped at a Trappist monastery for beer and cheese, which are allegedly carefully tuned into complimentary pairings. Although not actually at the monastery, as the monks prefer seclusion, and actually the beer and cheese are largely made off site anyway... But at the visitor centre/brasserie at least! Anyway, beer=good. Cheese=good.
Continued into the edges of the Ardennes, and to first wild camp of the trip, at a paragliding take off site overlooking the le Meuse valley.

Lazy river
Making a mockery of recent statements, today was 100% flat, following the Meuse river at water level, with the forest clad hills rising steeply either side. Occasionally punctuated by charming townlets, where, after previous days of supermarket shopping, I finally popped into a boulangerie to utter the immortal words "je voudrais une baguette s'il vous plait".
All in all, a charming and easy ride.
Stopped at a campsite out of convenience, but turned out to be rather noisy due to a combination of nearby road, marauding tractors, and adjacent local airstrip which started doing helicopter lessons at 8am.

Back on hills today.
Today the main focus was to visit the Orval Trappist brewery for lunch. This one has the ruins of a mediaeval monastery and adjacent a rather spiffy modern built replacement, complete with the obligatory brewery and cheesery on site. Much more interesting visit, but I don't rate their produce!
The roads around here, much through forest, always look like they are slightly downhill but feel like they are slightly uphill. And that was before the beery lunch. Brings to mind the " magic road" in that episode of Father Ted.... (S02E01)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_hill

And then I saw a Raccoon! Wasn't expecting that. But just googled it and apparently a load were imported into Germany for fur farming and escaped, and are now colonising Europe in their millions.
And then I saw a dog in a sidecar! Stereotypically sticking its head out from behind its little windshield.
In other news, bees seem to be attracted to my bike helmet likes its a giant buttercup, but seems like earwax is a disappointment.

Not sure where I'm going tomorrow, little Switzerland?