Smallest town on earth..really?

There is nothing so petite about the town claiming to be the smallest ville on earth. Tucked away inside the Ardennes forest, this quaint town has enough charm and character to match any mighty tourist city.

Durbuy was listed as one of the twenty must see locations in the Visit Belgium website. I wondered what was so special about this small town to make it a must-see location.

The drive from Brussels to Durbuy was superb with fantastic views of the Belgian countryside. As we neared the Ardennes, the farmland gave way to towering cliffs and dense vegetation.

The last stretch of road leading to Durbuy was tiny with the lane narrowing and bending at sharp angles. Alas, the sight of Durbuy before us was breathtakingly beautiful.
Durbuy had the look of a town right out of the Middle ages. The Chateau, uneven cobbled streets, little rugged caves and the rocky hillocks surrounding the town made it seem as though time stood still. The Ourthe river was visible from every nook of the town.
It was clear that tourism was big in Durbuy. Hotels and restaurants could be seen everywhere. The tourist train was doing rounds through the streets. Mothers with strollers trotted about in the nearby topiary. The cafes were packed with tourists on a weekend break. I figured that trekking and adventure sports were also a hit with so many dirt bikes parked in and around the town.
My favourite place was the St. Amour Confiture shop, the outlet of the neighbourhood jammery. The shelves were lined with a variety of jams (onion, fig, orange, lemon, strawbery, raspberry, myrtilles, rose and so much more), syrops, special Durbuy beer, chocolates etc.
I wished I could sample everything in the shop as I had never ever seen such a collection of jams and jellies. I finally left with the jam of figs, roses and some chocolates.

Frank had to drag me away from this jammy paradise. I promised myself that I would be back..but this time to relax for a few days in one of the many hotels.