COUNTRIES and CITIES

BRUSSELS - Marolles and Fleamarket

2012-01-16T08:43:00.003+01:00

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It had been a long time I haven't been in the "Marolles" district, the oldest part of Brussels. I wanted to go to the most famous flea market of Brussels which is located in this area. The easiest way to get there is to take the lift besides the massive Palais de Justice (Justice Palace) which was built on the Galgenberg (Gallow hill), where in the Middle Ages convicted criminals were hanged. Before this lift was built it was quiet an adventure to get to the Marolles by car.

I couldn't take a picture of the whole palace because it's permanently cleaned and repaired and always on another part and it looks quiet ugly with all the scaffolds. Therefore I show you an old postcard picture how it should look like !

The neighbourhood got its name from the 17th-century Marian Colentes nuns, later shortened to Mari-Cole and finally to Marolles.

Today, the Marolles pays tribute to its rich past with streets named for the tanners (rue des Tanneurs),chimney-sweeps (Ramoneuers ) and goldsmiths (Orfèvres). This is also one of the few places where you can still hear the Brussels dialect which the Frenchs call " the Belgian accent" which is completely wrong as it is only spoken in Brussels and unfortunately dies out.

The most famous and oldest flea market of Brussels is located in the heart of the Marolles. I was quiet surprised to find so many tourists there.

the right part of the Justice Palace, lots of cars are already parked there because people take the lift down the hill. This is only possible on weekends ! Otherwise there is no parking space on the streets.

The view opposite the Palais de Justice

The elevator

and the entrance

when you are down the hill you have this view up to the palace

from the way to the elevator you have a wonderful view all over Brussels. It was a little smoggy this morning otherwise you can even see the Atomium which is quiet far away.

The elevator has windows all around so I took this picture out of a scratched window

it seems quiet high when you look down

When I arrived I heard a Jazz orchestra playing in the street

on the way to the flea market there is already one Pub, Tavern, Café, or restaurant side by side

you have a large choice of drinks ! Wine, beer, stronger drinks etc.

arriving on the place "Jeu de Balles" which means Ball Game.

and then the crowded flea market, where you find everything from junk to real antiques.

Even bikes

or clothes

or glasses and sunglasses, I even saw once a basket full of false teeth.

and all around the place the cafés, taverns, pubs etc.

But there are also small art galleries

Despite the cold weather 0° (32 F) people were sitting outside in the sun.

clothes, beer and sandwiches

second hand shops

and of course the stall with the hot snails, hot dogs, or sausages

and further it goes if you are still thirsty or hungry

and when I went back to the lift, I saw this old lady sitting in front of her house and selling "antiques"

AMSTERDAM - IJBURG

2011-12-26T18:41:00.006+01:00

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We spent Christmas with our son and family in IJburg which is a residential neighbourhood currently (2011) under construction in the east of Amsterdam. It is situated in the IJ Lake and is being built on artificial islands which have been raised from the lake. The first residents moved into their houses on Rieteiland in November 2002.

Therefore the whole area looks very modern.

Along the artificial canals houses are built and if you have a boat you can just keep it in front of your house door. There are lots and lots of flats and houses squeezed together side by side, but

the overlook is not ugly at all. In fact it is a nice modern area with a lot of water activities

Modern "Venice"

Houses with the boats instead of a car

Green parks and sport's places. It must be very nice in spring and summer.

A beautiful leisure harbor

Many restaurants and cosy cafés

a very modern "open fire"

The most strangest bicycles I have ever seen

The kitchen window is just on the sidewalk. Most of the people have curtains to protect their privacy, this family has put a huge buddha face in the window.

If you have time read the history of Ijburg here the gain of land from the sea is quiet amazing !

EXHIBITION OF TUTANKHAMUN's TOMB IN BRUSSELS

2011-10-17T08:08:00.014+02:00

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I went to visit the exhibition of Tutankhamun's tomb replica, which was exposed in one of the big Exhibition halls of the Heysel Exhibition Park near the Atomium in Brussels.

The Egyptolog Paul Heinen, German designer and developer of multiplex cinemas had the idea of creating a replica of the tomb in 2002. He chose a hundred Egyptian craftsmen, the best, able to reproduce to the hundredth of a millimeter the around five thousand items exhibited in the Museum of Cairo. Wulf Kohl, German artist who lived more than thirty years in Cairo, lends a hand, together with the Griffith Institute in Oxford, Egyptologists and experts. They needed to find current materials "to pretend" 100%!

After a long search to find the perfect site to test the exhibition, Paul Heinen choose Zurich. In 2006, the architect and designer Rainer Verbizh is in control, from Zurich to Brussels, via Budapest, Hamburg, Brno, Munich, Manchester, Madrid, Dublin, Cologne. Meanwhile over 1.7 million people have visited this exhibition since 2008.

Tutankhamun was the boy king of Egypt, who reigned for 10 years, was nine years old when he became pharaoh and reigned for approximately ten years and died at the age of 18. After 4000 years, in 1922 Howard Carter an English archaeologist and Egyptologist discovered the nearly intact tomb in the valley of the Kings. I don't want to give a history lesson you can read all about it here

Since February over 200.000 visitors came to see this exceptional Exhibition which usually should end on November 4 th but had been prolonged until the 27.

All items shown in this Exhibition are perfect replicas from the originals which are in Cairo's museum. We really admired the artists who had created such perfect copies, that it is almost impossible to see what is the original and what is the replica, unless you realize that the copies are not in real gold as the originals.

Now I take you on a virtual tour and show you what I have seen.

The tomb of Tutankhamun clearly shown in the 3 D design

and what was found in the outbuilding

and in the antechambre. When you think that the originals are all of pure gold you can imagine the immense value of all these items besides the historical one.

The sarcophagus was in the last of these huge golden "boxes" (they called them funeral chapels) in the Funerary Chamber which you can see on the above graphic.

Looking inside of the first and biggest one

Decoration with turquoises

Beautiful artwork

the last one before the sarcophagus

which is shown here

another one inside the above shows the mommy

The footboard of the sarcophagus

The details

His mask

The finger protections in gold

and for the feet too, there were also the golden sandals.

children sarcophagus

and a bed which would suit me too

All these items should ease his life in another world

I am not sure what this was, servants or soldiers ?

there were also golden boats

and guards

Different items to protect him

His throne from the front

side

and back

a heavy very big collar

and enormous earrings. I thought they would rather fit on elephant ears

furniture

a coach

bathroom items for oils and creames

Even the damages from tomb raiders were copied. There had been a vase on the back of this "goat" and a horn is missing.

We really were blinded by all this gold when we came out !

FOLKLORE FESTIVAL IN BRUSSELS

2011-09-19T09:01:00.001+02:00

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Under the name "Folklorissimo" a big festival took place on the Grand'Place in Brussels.

On Saturday I went there to have a look. Despite the grey and cold weather, there was a very cheerful atmosphere !!

an overlook on the Grand'Place. There was a lot to eat and drink. Beer flowed in streams !

Different Brotherhoods or Guilds had there stands and served food or drinks

The street to Manneken Pis was packed with tourists

People danced on the place

even the giants were dancing

one of many bands are waiting for their performance

Manneken Pis was carried through the crowd

See the moustached man on the bottom right ? He had a little pump which he activated and Manneken Pis sprinkled over the people, which caused a lot of laughter when the people jumped in the air by surprise !

Pictures of his costumes were exposed, he has over 300 costumes, offered by the countries of the whole world.

The Brotherhood of the Moustaches, on the beer pumps !

The Brotherhood of "Kiekefretter" which litteraly means "Chicken gobblers" served roasted chicken of course

for more posh gourmets also oisters were available

The giants were waiting for walking around

which they did

there also was the lady giant dancing with a man !

a little video just to show you the cheerful atmosphere !

BRUSSELS - Bruegel Festivities

2011-09-12T10:05:00.001+02:00

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Each year at this time the Bruegel Festivities take place in the heart of the Marolles which is an ancient district of Brussels, situated between the Law Courts of Brussels (Palais de Justice) and the Brussels-South railway station.

The festivities are named after the famous painter Pieter Bruegel nicknamed 'Peasant Bruegel' for his alleged practice of dressing up like a peasant in order to mingle at weddings and other celebrations, thereby gaining inspiration and authentic details for his genre paintings. He died in Brussels on 9 September 1569 and was buried in the Kapellekerk which is in the Marolles.

This historical centre of trading in Brussels, the rue Haute/rue Blaes area contains some three hundred shops. You can find everything here. And even if you don't need anything .

The area now occupied by the Marollen lay, but during the Middle Ages lepers were exiled to this area, and they were cared for by nuns.

Today it's probably the most typical area of Brussels an old working-class neighborhood. The Jeu de Balle is the heart of the neighborhood. Here is a daily flea market. Life starts early in the cafes and restaurants around the square, as the (antique) dealers have their breakfast and close early mornings too.

The Palais de Justice's location is on the Galgenberg (Gallow's hill), where in the Middle Ages convicted criminals were hanged.

I wanted to see the festivities and took this huge lift besides the Palace of Justice which took me down to the "Marolles" district.

It's so easy, because you don't have to drive down hill and into this very busy area where it is nearly impossible to find a parking space.

The lift with the golden cupola of the Justice Palace

from above

In the cabine looking down through an unfortunately dirty window

to the "landing" place of the lift

from where I joined the parade

It was quiet cool and rainy but still people were sitting outside the restaurants and cafés

the banderole

a Peruvian band

People waiting for the parade

Belgian cartoon figures

a typical "Café"

and dancing folklore groups

the beginning of the parade

Even a Scottish orchestra was present

The first giants arrive

A Spanish soldier (Brussels was once occupied by the Spanishs)

Obelix (whose creators were the Belgian cartoonists René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo) See the hole in his belly that's where the guy who carries him looks outside !

Other giants followed and danced in the streets.

It was a very nice festival, unfortunately the weather wasn't nice, as you can see lots of umbrellas.

THE BALLIOL COLLEGE IN OXFORD

2011-08-22T09:46:00.000+02:00

While I was visiting Oxford I stayed in the Balliol College (all about its history here) During the summer holidays, the College rents rooms to guests. I had never stayed in a student's room and in such a famous College that of course I prefered to sleep there instead of an ordinary hotel room. And indeed it was a wonderful experience and such a beautiful place !

The College was founded in about 1263 by John I de Balliol under the guidance of the Bishop of Durham. After his death in 1268, his widow, Dervorguilla of Galloway, made arrangements to ensure the permanence of the college. She provided capital and, in 1282, formulated the college statutes, documents that survive to this day.

The front of the College and the entrance

the other side of the entrance

my room was simple but had everything I needed, even Internet connection

The buildings all around were just beautiful

A little bar called "Buttery" (I had never heard this word) provided tables, seats and banks to rest and you could have a drink there. Inside at the wall were hanging old pictures of ex students.

The Park was perfectly entertained and was really very beautiful

entrance to the Fellows' Garden

door in the dining hall

The founders, the Balliol couple

paintings of celebritieswho studied here hanging in the dining hall

the dining hall empty

and in the morning when a very good breakfast buffet was served

My blogfriend Janice who lives in Reading came over one day to visit me and we had a great time together.

I have been told that parts of Harry Potter movies were filmed in this room.

The church

The Altar

The organ

Beautiful stained windows

rather strange bible support

If ever you intent to visit Oxford, I can only recommend to stay in a College rather than in a Hotel. There was only one little inconvinience, my room was on the 5th floor without lift and there was nobody to carry my suitcase up there ! But this was really nothing compared to the beautiful place where I stayed.

If ever you want to read about my arrival at the College it's here

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OXFORD UK

2011-08-15T20:58:00.000+02:00

I visited Oxford beginning August and stayed for 3 days at the Belliol College. It was a very interesting experience. Oxford is such a culturally rich city that it would be impossible to write everything down here. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world.

So instead of me doing copy and paste just read everything about Oxford here.

I visited Oxford with a Sightseeing bus, once sitting on the left side, once sitting on the right side to take pictures. The information about the buildings we saw we got with the help of headphones in all languages. So I just show you what I have seen and can give a few explanations, because honnestly when you get off the bus your head explodes !

Propositions for Tourist. I prefered to choose the Bus and sit on top.

Balliol College, the college where I stayed.

Just in front of the college on Broad street. As you can see bicycles are nearly as much used as in Amsterdam !

on the way to Balliol College. The bicycles leaning against the fence of a cemetary. I had never seen that.

The High Street where all the shops are

Carfax Tower is all that remains of the 13th century St Martin's Church and is now owned by the Oxford City Council. It was the official City Church of Oxford, the main part of the church was demolished to make more room for traffic in the area. In 1896, the City Church was moved to All Saints Church in the High Street.

The Radcliffe Camera is a building designed by James Gibbs in the English Palladian style and built in 1737–1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library. It has head sculptures all around, but apparently nobody knows exactly who they are. Maybe Roman emperors.

The Christ Church Cathedral. Oxford is unique in combining a college chapel and a cathedral in one foundation. Originally the Priory Church of St Frideswide, the building was extended and incorporated into the structure of the Cardinal's College shortly before its refounding as Christ Church in 1546, since when it has functioned as the cathedral of the Diocese of Oxford. It was also home to the real Alice of Alice in Wonderland (I wrote about it here)

Ashmolean Museum

Oxford City Hall

Can't remember what it was

The bridge is often referred to as the Bridge of Sighs because of its supposed similarity to the famous Bridge of Sighs in Venice. However, Hertford Bridge was never intended to be a replica of the Venetian bridge.

Martyrs Memorial

Museum of Natural History

St. Mary's and Magdalene's Church

The Randolph Hotel where Inspector Morse of the TV series used to have his drinks while he mulled over the committed crimes.

In this little garage William Morris started to established the Morris Motor Company to mass produce cars in Cowley, on the south-eastern edge of the city. By the early 1970s over 20,000 people worked in Cowley at the huge Morris Motors.

boats to rent for punting

And below all the beautiful different styles of architecture I have seen.

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THE LONG MAN OF WILMINGTON AND PEACEHAVEN

2011-08-08T20:36:00.002+02:00

One day we made an excursion to Peacehaven a town and civil parish in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England. It is located above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs. The landscape there is absolutely unic and beautiful. It should be "Peace heaven"

not far from the sea

amazing house decorations

a special architecture

farms

and wide wide fields, which look like a huge patchwork

the river looks like a snake sliding through the green fields

there was also a windmill

We had lunch in this nice "Cavery", a restaurant where you choose your meat which is put on your plate and then you can take as much vegetables as you want.

After lunch we admired the The long Man of Wilmington the mysterious guardian of the South Downs, who has baffled archaeologists and historians for hundreds of years.

The Long Man of Wilmington is a huge figure cut into the side of a hill in the South Downs in Sussex. It is one of the biggest images of a man in the entire world. He is drawn standing, and holding what appear to be two staves on either side of him.

Until the 19th century the Long Man was only visible in certain light conditions and after a light fall of snow, but in 1874, it was marked out in yellow bricks.

It's just amazing when you see it

and there are also these old farm houses.

It was just a beautiful trip through the country side where time stood still.

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MICHELHAM PRIORY - Sussex UK

2011-08-02T10:17:00.002+02:00

The Michelham Priory is a very beautiful historic property nestling deep in the Sussex in Arlington (I wonder if the name was taken over for the famous cemitery in the States ?). It was founded at Michelham in 1229. We only walked around this beautiful historical place but didn't go inside the buildings. More participantshere

AROUND EASTBOURNE UK

2011-07-25T20:30:00.005+02:00

My world for a week is like each year at the English South East coast in Eastbourne, where I stay with my dear friends Anne and Doug. It's a beautiful town and I love to go and walk along the promenade, or sit at the beach.

That's what I have done today.

The entrance to the Pier

The pier and the promenade

Just walking along the sea

concerts are given here each night.

The "Wish Tower". Apparently if you make a wish here it becomes true. I haven't tried it out yet.

Then I took a sightseeing bus and went up to Beachy Head with its white cliffs falling into the blue sea and the soft landscape of the Downs.

Restaurant at Beachy Head

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DOLMABAHCE PALACE - Istanbul

2011-07-18T09:00:00.000+02:00

I have visited many palaces in my life, but what I have seen here seemed to me the most beautiful one. Even the "Chateau de Versailles" the very famous Palace near Paris , looks like a garden shed to me, compared to this one !

The Dolmabahce Palace is not that old, it was built between 1844 and 1853, and is a three-storied building 284 m / 932 ft long. The 285 rooms, the harem, the 46 lounges (and 6 hammams) are heavily furnished and decorated in rococo style. Marble and alabaster, bronze, gold, silver, Baccarat and Bohemian crystals, silk, porcelain have been used in abundance. 14 tons of gold and 40 tons of silver have been used for the decoration of the palace !

Unfortunately it was not allowed to take any pictures inside the palace, so I had to google to find some on Internet, just to show this unbelievable decoration ! It's almost impossible to describe.

The Palace was the administrative center with the last of Ottoman Sultans residing here. After the foundation of the Turkish Republic by Ataturk he transferred all government functions to Istanbul and also occupied a small room and his office in the Dolmabahce Palace. It became Ataturk's home where he welcomed his foreign guests and made a practical center for national, historical and language congress and for international conferences.

Dolmabahce palace has a great meaning for Turkish people because Ataturk lived in the palace and spent the most serious period of his illness here. He passed away 10 th of November 1938 at 9:05 AM, all the clocks in the palace were stopped at this time. Now only the clock in his room shows this hour. His rather modest flat was one of the appartments located in the ancient "Harem" part, which was very interesting to visit.

The guide told us that when there was still the Sultan, each of his wives had her own appartment with a room for her personal maid. Of course only when she was the mother of a son ! It was the Sultan's mother who selected one of the wives for a night with her son. We went through her appartment where the event took place. Very interesting story ! (Talk about mothers in law) But I suppose the Sultan too had a word to say. We saw some flats, the hammam and even the Sultan's bed, which somebody of our group named "the battle field".

Today the Palace is mostly museum but is still used for official receptions of other countries leaders or Kings or Queens. Even Obama has been here.

The palace in all it's beauty seen from the Bosphorus

My friend Dominique buys her ticket and has to go through security to have her bag checked

Then we had to go through a scanner. I found this very good, at least the risk to be blown up by some crazy guys is kept to a minimum.

The long street along a very well kept park to the Palace entrance.

Of course there was a guardian and the poor guy had to stay still like a statue while we the tourists took advantage to have a picture made with him. He didn't even move an eye ! Of course I did the same as all the others.

Apparently we were not the only once to visit the palace

Before we were allowed to step in we had to cover our shoes with these pink plastic bags. We all looked very elegant ! But at least the beautiful carpets and floors were not damaged.

Outside throught the window I tried to take some pictures. After these three I was told that even from outside I wasn't allowed to photograph the inside !

It's in my nature to do what I am not supposed to do so I managed to take this picture of the famous crystal staircase, by being very discrete, but not enough, because one guardian gave me a suspicious look, and I didn't dare to take other pictures I wanted to keep my camera !

The following photos I googled on Internet

Some other pictures of this shiny crystal staircase.

Just to give you an idea of the furniture and decoration !

The explanation were given by an English speaking Turkish guide. It was very interesting because the people of our group came from all countries over the world. I met two women from Switzerland who had some difficulties to understand everything so I helped a little.

There is not much to comment outside ! It's just so nice to walk around.

The Clock Tower is a very impressive architectural work.

One of the fountains

and Lion statues laying in the grass

From the park, the view over the Bosphorus is stunning !

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CRUISE ON THE BOSPHORUS

2011-07-11T10:13:00.004+02:00

I did 3 times the cruise through the Bosphorus which is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia.

illustrated here.

I found it so interesting to take a tram and go from Europe to Asia in not even 20 min. The cruises on the Bosphorus are so nice that my friend and I after having done one cruise of nearly two hours with our travel agency, we decided to do two others of our own.

So we went by tram to the Asian part of Istanbul and took a sightseeing boat.

We met interesting people of all nationalities. I was sitting besides a couple he Belgian she Japonese. My friend Dominique had two Indians from Dehli as neighbors.

Then we went back to the European side and took another boat

This was very luxurious and had a huge airconditionned cabine with bar on the first floor. I sat there because it was quiet windy on the top of the boat.

These are the kind of boats. There was even one named after my cat Arthur ! On some boats you have explanations in English. The price for 1.45 h was only 5 € (7 $) on the European side and 12 € (17 $) on the Asian side. When I think that we payed 3 times more for the from our travel agency organized tour !

There are two suspension bridges on the Bosphorus connecting Europe to Asia (or vice versa). The first one is known as "Bosphorus Bridge" and was opened on 29th October 1973. It's 1074 meters (1175 yards) long between two pillars, has 6 lanes, 165 meters (540 feet) height of piers.

The second one is known as "Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge" (or FSM Bridge shortly) and was opened in 3rd July 1988 This one is 1090 meters (1192 yards) long, has 8 lanes, and is 65 meters high from the water surface. Both bridges are tolled which is paid during passage to Asian direction only. The first one accepts only vehicles with electronic pass system (called OGS) and the second one both OGS and cash. No bicycles nor pedestrian traffic is allowed on them.

Bosphorus is one of the most popular parts of Istanbul amongst its inhabitants, especially during summer for its climate. Its shores are lined with fine neighborhoods, Ottoman palaces, fortresses, old wooden villas, hotels, parks and gardens, restaurants, cafeterias, and so on.

I can't give a lot of explanations, I just show you what I saw.

The bridges and going underneath

Beautiful architectural master pieces all along the riverside

the old Roman city wall

wooden houses

huge ships

a light house

and the sight seeing boats.

It was a wonderful experience and I can only recommend it to everybody who wants to go to Istanbul.

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THE GRAND BAZZAR, ISTANBUL

2011-07-10T06:00:00.001+02:00

In French you say "what a bazaar" when in English you say " what a mess !" and I really understood this expression when I visited the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Of course it's one of the major tourist attractions, but real worthwhile to see. You can walk in there rather unbothered and look around without being pulled or pushed into a shop like it was in Morocco's Souks. Of course they ask you to come into their shops but if you walk by, the vendors don't insist too much. Haggling is a must just for sport. I don't mind and find it rather funny. When one absolutely wanted to sell me an oriental rug, I told him that I had just inherited 20 from my parents and therefore don't need any. He laughed and agreed ! The Turkish people love to joke and are cheerful and funny. At least that was my impression. Most of these shops of all sizes were modernized and some of them even had aircondition. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 streets and over 4,400 shops. The construction began in 1455 and opened in 1461. It is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. Many of the shops in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like. The bazaar contains two bedestens (domed masonry structures built for storage and safe keeping), the first of which was constructed between 1455 and 1461. The bazaar was vastly enlarged in the 16th century,and in 1894 underwent a major restoration following an earthquake. Today, the grand bazaar houses two mosques, two hamams, four fountains, and multiple restaurants and cafes. It consists of 12 major buildings has 22 gates, 64 streets and 25.000 employees are working in there. A placemat with the map of the bazaar ! Even a GPS would get lost in there at the entrance of one of the 22 gates Heavy doors Beautiful ceilings shops, shops and shops ! I bought some gifts and my friend bought a beautiful with turquoise decorated silver bracelet and a matching ring. Jewelery is real cheap. There are several fountains, first I thought it was always the same and that we were just turning around. small streets Sit and rest here it was early morning nobody so nobody there yet. another fountain, where a man just brushed his teeth Very colorful lamps a big choice of spices and of course the famous Turkish eye which should bring you luck.

SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE & THE BASILICA CISTERN-ISTANBUL

2011-07-04T09:05:00.001+02:00

This picture is not from me of course, it's only to show the whole mosque.

After our arrival in Istanbul we didn't loose any time and visited the Suleymaniye Mosque. This mosque is the second largest but by far the finest and most magnificiant of the imperial mosque complexes in the city. Suleymaniye Mosque is an architectural masterpiece. It dates from 1590. You can read everything about it in the above link.

There were no guided visits and no tourists at all, because the mosque is being renovated completely and you can't see everything. But what we saw was beautiful enough to imagine the rest.

Here are bassins and running water to wash the feet before entering the mosque

From the outside. As you can see there are metal supports to keep the colons straight.

The inside made me speachless ! It was another world

Gorgeous ceiling decorations and the beautiful cristal lustre

in a corner the prayer carpets were stacked. There were not many people in there so we had enough time (and space) to walk around.

When we left the mosque it started to rain ! Buckets of water were falling down and although we seeked refuge under a thick tree, we became wet. Fortunately the shower didn't last long and we quickly crossed the street and entered the Basilica Cistern.

The Basilica Cistern (Underground Cistern) was built in 532, probably as an enlargement of an earlier cistern. It was used as a reservoir for water storage for the Great Palace and other buildings. During the Ottoman Period, the water was used for Topkapi Palace and watering the gardens of it.

The interior of Underground Cistern is excellent. It is 138 m, 452 ft long by 65m, 213 ft wide. There are 336 columns in the cistern in 12 rows.

At the entrance

A snack and souvenir shop

and we still wet fitting in this special atmosphere. There were water running between the colons and fat fishes swimming in it, fed by the tourists of course.

It was a magical world

Two columns reuse blocks were carved with the visage of Medusa. A legend says that Medusa, with her hair of snakes, could turn anyone who looked at her into stone. I looked and even dared to take pictures, and I am still not a stone. Probably I am not normal. They were terrifying not really a decoration for your house entrance.

Doesn't it look magical ?

Between 1985-1988, the Municipality of Istanbul cleaned and restored it thoroughly and built a wooden walkway between the columns. In addition to that there are special effects presented by a light and sound show.

Because of its magic atmosphere and great acoustics, this cistern is now hosting many Classical Music Concerts.

The cistern was also used as a location for the 1963 James Bond film "From Russia with Love".

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WHERE I STAYED IN ISTANBUL

2011-07-03T06:00:00.003+02:00

When you book a hotel, you can be very disappointed from what you saw on pictures or pleasantly surprised. We were both at our arrival. First we had imagined that it was much bigger than the reality, and I had never had a hotel in the center of such a huge city as Istanbul. My view was on the next building's flats, I probably had expected that there was a view on a huge green park, instead I watched the inhabitans living in their appartments, which was far more interesting than green grass and trees !

The entrance of the Lalleli Gönen Hotel.

and the reception with very friendly and helpful personal.

On each side of the street were mostly boutiques and it was very very quiet in the night. We didn't hear a thing, except the call for prayers sometimes around 11 pm and at 4 am ! But we also got used to that. It just was part of the city's life.

After shopping Dominique poses for an "Apple Tea" publicity

We both liked the sun flower painting, it was not a print but a real painting.

my blogging corner

Our room was on the 5th floor, spacious enough, had everything we needed, even free internet connection, a little desk and a round table with an armchair, TV and a safe. It was real cosy although we only slept in there.

The breakfast room was very nicely decorated unfortunately I forgot to take a picture and nothing was missing on the buffet to satisfy all nationalities ! There were English, American, European and other breakfast styles ! We certainly were not starving.

5 steps up from our room we had our "beach". After an exhausting city visit the swimming pool was a dream ! I had never used a swimming pool on a roof !

The bar

And as souvenir the menu card

There was a big choice of delicious food, especially salmon and trouts which I loved because it was so fresh !

My friend Dominque is waiting for her "Apple Tea".

The view from the hotel roof was real special ! I first was disturbed by all these parabols, but after a while I discovered more and more funny things, like here the forgotten mannequin with a hole in his head.

and at a far distance we saw the see and the ships

This gives you an idea of taking a sunbath in the middle of Istanbul !

Our "neighbor" at the same level just opposite, watered his plants every evening with loving care. (I zoomed for of course !)

Through a wood of parabols you see the mosque. We were surrounded by 3. Unfortunately the call for prayer was a little later in one mosque than the two others so we had a "3 D " sound

But the "ugly" view disappeared completely when it was dark and became rather beautiful

our swimming pool

Istanbul by night while we enjoyed our supper

Gorgeous sunsets each evening

and from far the lights of the ships.

the two of us having our supper.

It really was a nice stay without any problems and nothing to complain about.

I DISCOVERED ISTANBUL

2011-06-27T16:09:00.005+02:00

A satellite view of Istanbul and the Bosporus, connecting both continents

I spent 10 days in Istanbul, a city I had shortly known in 2007 and which intrigued and interested me that much, that I absolutely wanted to go back there.

This time I just want to show you my pictures and personal impressions, the historical story you can read in full here in Wikipedia/Istanbul

I was very impressed by the very good organization of everything. Public transport and Museum entrances, we were always checked with a scanner to avoid smuggeling a little bomb into a mosque or a museum. Of what I have seen during the 10 days in Istanbul, the city is very clean, and even as a woman you feel safe, nobody ever had bothered my girlfriend or me and when we needed help to find a street, people were really very helpful, which was not at all the case when I was in Athenes ! Even the young girls who stayed in our hotel went out dancing and came back late and had never had any troubles

Impossible to cheat with the transport ticket !

You first have to buy a token for 1.75 Turkish Lira which corresponds to about 0.50 € cents and with this you can ride in the tram from one end to the other or as I loved to say : "I take the tram today to go from Europe to Asia", as the tram crossed the bridge between these two continents. I found that sounded very posh.

The tram has also air conditionning, and I have to say that men are far more polite than in Belgium, the majority stood up to leave me their place. Also the younger boys or girls, which never happens here !

Strange is that along one of the main streets pieces of roman colons and rocks are laying, a sign of a glorious past. They are too heavy to be taken away so they built the street around them and you can see them from the tramway.

There are also parts of the city wall. The mixture between very old and very modern is amazing.

In front of one of the Universities, there are always lots of people, young old and of all nationalities.

Here we saw some University professors take a break in the park. At the entry our handbag was also scanned. We found this very good, at least you feel safe everywhere.

People are very mixed, here is a young couple in love, a little further a women completely covered from head to feet in black looking like a black crow. They are not well liked at all.

My friend Dominique watching a young mother in Jeans and besides another one with a long dress and a scarf. I personally think that most of the women wear a scarf not because of their religion, but because of the sun and the dust. I wore one too, only I knotted it differently. The scarfs are mostly very colorful and fit to the clothes. You wear them even with very tight jeans and T-shirts. It's all very multi cultural.

Everywhere something to buy, but you are not harassed like in Arabian countries.

There were lots of wooden houses, which are now getting restored and brought back to their initial beauty.

little streets

and everywhere a cheerful atmosphere

I found this golden shoe shining "machine" beautiful and very special ! Unfortunately I wore no shoes but sandals.

Policemen are very well equipped and don't need to walk anymore

The place Sultanameth where all tourists go, to see the Blue Mosque, Topkapi and St. Sophie and also can take Sightseeing buses. For 20 € you can use them the whole day and hop on and off at some stops. They take you all around the city, over the bridge to the Asian side where all Embassies, and other international institutions are located. There are also catholic churches and Synagogues there. Our waiter told us that he lives besides a mosque and is awoken by the loudspeaker of the mosque calling for prayers, while his brother lives besides a catholic church and complains about the bells !

the very busy place Sultanameth

There were firemen in front of the ancient mosque and now museum, Hagia Sophia, when we crossed the place, but we didn't know what had happened.

I loved the colorful houses

and the huzzle and buzzle in the streets

The new train station

and the old one, where Agatha Christie arrived when she had written her Orient Express murder.

Graveyards along the streets but behind a wall. I just looked through a hole and took the pictures

such different architecture

You won't starve, there are these little colorful wagons everywhere. They sold grilled corn, cookies, and turkish specialities. The guy below on the left is a water carrier. He distributed fresh water.

Our favourite drink was the "Apple Tea" it has a delicious taste, very different from the Lipton's bags of apple tea I get here. You can drink it hot or cold. In both cases it's very refreshing.

This was "our" favorite snackbar where we had lunch almost every day. With water we spent 3 turkish liras which is around 1.50 € (2.14$ !)

Here I am eating my "Döner" it is like a crepe filled with chicken and vegetables. Delicious

Most of the guests were Turkish, that's why it was probably so cheap and good. Tourist places are as everywhere in the world not so good and mostly very expensive too. We also wanted to eat Turkish food and not what we eat at home.

A grandma with her granddaughters

and a "ghost" chatting on her mobile, while her little boy hugs his little sister.

This is only a general view of Istanbul and my first post. Others will follow.

I really loved this huge city of about 14 million inhabitants. Roughly 70% of all Istanbulites live in the European section and around 30% in the Asian section.

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THE BOUNTY Famous Sailing ship

2011-06-06T11:00:00.000+02:00

The most interesting attraction of the Ostend at Anchor Sailing ship festival (see below) was of course "The Bounty" which was anchored there for this purpose.

The Bounty is one of the most famous ships in the world. Known for the mutiny which took place in Tahiti in 1789, a movie out of this story was made in 1962 "Mutiny on the Bounty" with Marlon Brando. For this purpose this replica was especially built in 1960 by Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Since her debut in “Mutiny on the Bounty”, the Bounty has appeared in many documentaries and featured films such as the Edinburgh Trader in "Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Mans Chest" with Jonny Depp.

Now the Bounty sails around the world and offers dockside tours in which one can learn about the history and details of sailing vessels from a lost and romanticized time in maritime history.

Of course lots of people visited the ship and some girls asked where Jonny Depp had been, they probably thought he would show up and say hello. What a disappointment !

you can read more about it here : The Bounty today

First thing I saw when I came out of the station was "The Bounty" very impressive view

Lots of visitors on board

a view from the other side. It was first sunny and an hour later clouds came up, that's why some pictures are with and some without blue sky !

The front of the ship

When I was on board I saw this huge steering wheel certainly not easy to handle

I don't remember what this was, I think something to fix the cords

With these wheels (?) the sails were held

Very thick cords

and little canons

In case of emergency !

Below is the entrance of the officer's quarters

very narrow not for big people

the officer's cabins left and right

The eating area

and the "chat" room

It all looked quiet modest and it was for officers ! I wonder where the poor simple sailors were housed. Must have been a terrible place !

The officer's beds looked rather comfy for the ships standards of course

the beds were not very big

At least some light coming in under deck

In a corner were these thick cords

another eating place with posters explaining the living conditions of the crew

Some decoration at the walls

Here you can read how the crew lived on board.

It's amazing that the sailors survived, if they all did ! Can you imagine that the 30 sailors had not a single bath during 7 months !

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OSTENDE - SAILING SHIPS FESTIVAL

2011-05-31T06:00:00.003+02:00

Ostend at anchor

Each year a sailing ship festival called "Ostend At Anchor" takes place in Ostend's port just in front of the station. There are around 150 sailing ships anchored, which you are allowed to visit. Last year there were two hundred thousand visitors who came to watch boats between 65, (213ft )135, (443ft) and 6.5 (21 ft)meters.

I took the train from Brussels to Ostend and walked around the habour.

The first sailing ship I saw was the famous replica of the "Bounty" which was built in 1960 for the MGM Studios for the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty" with Marlon Brando and later also used of course for the "Pirates of the Caribbean" with Jonny Depp. But I will write a special post about this ship.

sailing boats from all countries and all sizes

You can see the Ostend Station in the background

Besides the Bounty which had the most visitors of course, there were other big sailing ships

The Mercedes

Sailor's family enjoying a drink with their two "Dackels" (Dachshound)

There was really a wood of masts !

along the port where these white stalls in which paintings, artcrafts, clothes, etc were sold

a view on the station again

There were quiet a few boats coming from England too, like here from London

Captains from different ships had a drink together here

Sailor's songs filled the air, there were even bands from Ireland

On my way back to the station I was close to the Bounty's "nose"

Lots of stalls sold food from Hamburgers to smoked fish, and even fish & chips !

Musicians on the boat and three men singing old sailor's songs

There were more and more people arriving

Here I could see how fish was smoked. I almost got smoked too. It was very interesting to see.

and at the end of my walk along the haven and the boats I stopped in a tent where women showed how to spin yarn, and make baskets.

After a portion of seafood salad, a coffee and a crêpe (thin Belgian pancake) I took my train back, happy that I had spent such a nice and interesting day.

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GRAND'PLACE BRUSSELS AND SURROUNDINGS

2011-05-23T21:33:00.001+02:00

The easiest way to get to the Grand'Place in the center of Brussels is the train, as it is almost impossible to drive there and to find a parking space except in the official Parking buildings, but they are more expensive than a train ticket at least for me as a "Senior".

I had seen the scarecrow exposition (post below) and did a little walk around the Grand'Place before I returned home.

There is a new section of the Central station which leads you directly to the "Place Sablon" and the Grand Place.

It all had recently renovated

and enlarged. There are new shops and cafés. The extension is not so well known yet and therefore there weren't many people in this part of the station.

When I arrived at the Grand'Place it was packed with tourists !

and a wedding started at the City Hall. People living in Brussels itself the civil marriages are taking place in this beautiful building.

They are are allowed to wave from the Balcony as a Prince and Princess.

From the Grand Place I went to the Gallery Agora, which is just besides, I didn't need anything special, I just wanted to return

when this entrance draw my attention, I thought it was a new Nightclub, but no it was the entrance of the public restrooms ! Lots of people didn't dare to go inside, seeing two acquariums and such a nice decoration and asked where the toilets are, when I finally also noticed the sign WC above the door !

Coming out of the Gallery,

I arrived at the Agora Square where artcrafts, paintings, jewelry etc. is sold in these little red tents.

For the moment there are a lot of events in Brussels, I don't really know what they prepared here.

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GRAND' PLACE BRUSSELS - SCARECROW EXPOSITION

2011-05-17T06:00:00.000+02:00

Each year Brussels’ Grand’Place is invaded by scarecrows, as the annual Lion’s Scarecrow Charity Competition comes to town in May. The weather was so beautiful that I went there again to see the exposition.

The place was crowded with tourists from all over the world

There were flower stands

people enjoying food or drink in the sunshine

I too had a glass here

The last efforts to keep the scarecrow standing up and an unexpected view !

It just had started and already tired

There were quiet some fancy scarecrows, as here one out of wafel dough. I got a piece of the little fence.

This one was made out of hundreds of little pieces of fabric

A real scary one made with old film strips and rolls and flower pots

I don't know if this bird was a crow, but it was sitting there attached with a string

I was impressed by the creativity of the exposing people, the scarecrows were not really made to chase birds away in a field !

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EMBIEZ - French Riviera

2011-05-10T03:00:00.000+02:00

One day during my stay in the South of France, we went to visit "Les Embiez" a little island which was purchased in 1958 by Paul Ricard who worked it up himself. He is also burried on the island.

In the late 1920s, Paul Ricard had invented an aniseed-based drink in a laboratory called Pastis, which made him rich and famous and the Pernod became a part of old Provencal tradition.

From the tiny port of Le Brusc the island Les Embiez, is only 12 minutes away by boat. Les Embiez has a circumference of only 6 km, (6.7 square miles).

It is a beautiful natural island especially peaceful. Neither cars, nor arranged beaches. About ten people only live permanently on the island which is accessible all year long by regular ferries.

We took the ferry and went over to the island, where we took the "little train". It goes all around the island, you have a wonderful view and you get an idea of its beauty and charm. There is also the Institut Oceanographique Paul Ricard which can be visited, and an Environment museum.

The port of Le Brusc

we are waiting for the ferry

Only an about 15 min trip

view back on the port

view from the ferry to the mainland

Event program on the island greeted us

train

and then we took the little train

it really was so funny and the guide (and driver) explained what we saw

the vegetation was absolutely gorgeous

This is the grave of Paul Ricard, who died in 1997. He wanted to be burried on his island, which still belongs to the Ricard family.

The Paul Ricard Institut Oceanographique

and going back to the mainland

I wrote about this also on Writer's Cramps

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ST. TROPEZ, FRENCH RIVIERA

2011-05-02T08:53:00.000+02:00

To go to St. Tropez you have to go early because it seemed to me that everybody had the same idea during these Easter holidays and it was on a Thursday !

This once little Fisher town has become a place of pilgrimage, since Brigitte Bardot discovered it in 1956 and bought a house there called "La Madrague". It is located on the French Riviera, and it is still known today for its famous and extremely wealthy summertime guests. It has been dubbed the playground to jetsetters, fashion models, and millionaires. (You can read more about this here).

Now you don't see so many famous people anymore because too many "normal" people are able to go there too and therefore the town is so packed that it is a miracle that it hasn't cracked yet. Everybody wants to come here it's like going to Hollywood at least once in your life. In high season it must be awful !

We arrived in St. Tropez

A miracle, we found a parking space right away

First look on the port and the yacht habour, yachts sized from middle, to big to floating hotels !

I had to show that I owned one

like this.

just in front of the habour are cafés and restaurants

Le Senequier is the most famous one and if you a lucky you can even see famous actors or models there. The café is a family business, already in its third generation. In the season, more than twenty waiters serve drinks and canapes in three shifts. Sitting in the café, one can watch the world go by: people having lunch on exclusive yachts, elegant blonds going about their daily shopping rituals and wives of American millionaires strolling along the pavement.

Lots of artists are exposing their paintings for sale. I am only posing.

The tower was once part of the town wall

A part of it became a restaurant

along the seaside is still a part of the wall

very old anchors laying at the beach

beautiful view on the sea.

The ancient Bailly de Suffren castle

this memorial plaque was placed there in 1830

I do my photographers duties

of the small streets full of boutiques and little shops

very narrow little streets,

and romantic looking places

A nicely decorated boutique.

The prices were nice too. But we also saw clothes to reasonable prices. At least you can say "I bought this blouse in St. Tropez". I bought a key ring.

on this beautiful and shady place I saw some very strange tree trunks

It looks as if they have a bosom. But as there are so many more or less covered bosoms to see in St. Tropez it's probably normal that trees have one too. Conclusion, I was happy to have been there once, but I would certainly never spend my holidays there or nearby ! If you want to know more about St. Tropez it's here in Wikipedia

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HIERES - French Riviera

2011-05-01T06:00:00.000+02:00

During my stay with Claudie at the French Riviera we also visited Hyères-les-Palmiers, which means palm trees, and the town really deserves this name

Already when we arrived there were palm trees everywhere.

As Palm-trees are a staple of the city’s landscape. It seems they made their first appearance about 4 centuries ago, but did not actually become a local resource until 1867, around which time Hyères very quickly became the palm-tree capital of Europe. In 1909, over 40 hectares were dedicated to the growth of the Phoenix species, with around 362,000 young subjects (or 135 railroad car-loads) being shipped annually to Belgium, Germany and throughout the rest of Europe. This culture peaked in the early 20s, when over 1,250,000 palm trees were grown every year.

Today, about 20 different species of palm-trees are still grown, for a total annual production of 100,000 trees. Today, ten species bear the general denomination “Palm-tree from Hyères”.

Hyères-les-Palmiers is also famous for its micro-climate, which has allowed the introduction of such exotic plant species as palm-trees, citrus fruits, cacti and other hot climate vegetation. Over the years, the city has made the daily care of its gardens and parklands one of its top pri-orities. As such, Hyères offers a remarkable variety of landscapes. Its 39 km of coast, unsullied by concrete, alternate fine sandy beaches and rocky inlets, and fringe a lush, verdant country-side landmarked by hills and valleys, from Sauvebonne to Les Borrels, from Fenouillet to the ruins of the old castle on the hill.

First we walked through the city and I admired the architecture

all kind of spices on display

cute little streets

"Bio" shops

The way to the Place Massillon

where of course we followed other tourists, and took a drink here. The place is very nice to observe people !

When we had rested and watched enough, we went to the seaside.

The captains house

and lots of boats and yachts of all kind and sizes !

If you want to read more about Hyères you will find it here

FRENCH RIVERA, SANARY-SUR-MER AND BANDOL

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000+02:00

My blogfriend Claudie who lives in the South of France had invited me to spend a week with her and family in Ollioules at French Rivera and Provence.

The first day she took me for a visit to Sanary-sur-Mer which is located between Bandol (direction Marseille) and Toulon, at the western end of the Cote d'Azur.

In the centre of the houses along the port you see the tower which dates from the 13th century and was once part of an important defensive system for the town, and the village developed in the middle ages around the tower.

Sanary-sur-Mer has a a pretty harbour lined with palm trees and pastel coloured houses, which reminded me very much Italy, which I know far better of course due to my Italian husband.

I learned that it was in the waters off Sanary-sur-Mer that Jacques Cousteau developed the diving equipment that is still crucial to deep-sea diving.

I didn't know that quiet a few German authors exiled to Sanary-sur-Mer before the second world war. Many were subsequently interned by the French as enemy aliens. The writers included Bertolt Brecht and Thomas Mann among many others.

A warm welcome ! attention to your car !

views on the little town and the habor

the city

and the seafront

lots of boats big and small were parked here waiting to be used in summer although the season had already started.

The tower

and a very curageous lady half naked with only 18°C (64 F)

*********

Bandol

I found Bandol to be a cute little seaside resort in a sheltered bay, cradled by hills and protected from the wind. It is popular in summer but especially pleasant to visit out of season, when the crowds have gone and you can savour the beauty in the clement climate of a Mediterranean winter. It is very popular to French families from Paris or Lyon, who descend to their summer houses for the long summer vacation, jealously protecting their privacy from the eyes of the world. I haven't seen any !

The sheltered situation of Bandol provides excellent conditions for grape growing and there have been vineyards here since 600 BC. There are five different appellations grown on a variety of terrain, producing terrific whites and rosés on the coast (a marvellous accompaniment to fish and seafood) and stronger red wines grown on the terraces inland. Thousands of people visit for the annual Fete du Vin in December.

First thing I saw was a Casino ! I thought I could play some roulette there, but it turned out to be a supermarket ! Of course that there were so many "Casinos" in this region !

People playing "Petanque" a typical game with metal balls in Southern France

There were also some quiet big yachts

and the first tourists enjoying the beach

On our way back we stopped at this beautiful bakery. The inside decoration was just gorgeous !

My first impressions of my first holiday day with Claudie is here on my blog Writer's Cramps

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GUILLEMINS STATION LIEGE - Belgium

2011-04-11T08:57:00.002+02:00

When I visited the Exposition SOS PLANET in Liège, we took the opportunity to also have a look on the new station which had been built by the architect Santiago Calatrava a Spanish architect and it was officially opened on September 18, 2009 with a show by Franco Dragone. It has 9 tracks and 5 platforms.

The new station is made of steel, glass and white concrete. It includes a monumental arch, 200 metres long and 35 metres high and is very futurist and very unpractical to my taste. People also call it the "Draft Palace" because it's open to all sides. It maybe nice when it's hot, but when it's freezing it is the ideal place to catch a cold. Maybe the Spanish Architect wanted to do the Belgians a favour and didn't think about the rainy and cold weather here.The building costs were around € 312 million (450.000.000 !!$) only !

There are not enough banks or other commodities for elderly or handicapped people or even for young mothers, which should be normal for such a modern station. You can read more about Guillemins station here

and here are some pictures of the "Draught Palace".

3 of my friends on the the escalator (without steps)

The building looking like a huge shell doesn't fit in the area at all.

The roof which protects you from the rain when the wind is not blowing

one outside wing

The view from the station to Liège

Even the taxis are quiet far away.

All in all I was really disappointed, but this is strictly my personal opinion because there are also lots of people who really like this new station.

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THE CARNIVAL OF BINCHE

2011-03-14T09:00:00.003+01:00

The carnival of Binche is an event that takes place each year (one hour train from Brussels) during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. The carnival is the most known in Belgium and has been proclaimed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity listed by UNESCO in November 2003. Its history dates back to approximately the 14th century, but probably even before that. Nobody knows exactly the origin and when it really started.

I had never been to the carnival of Binche, but as 3 of my painting class mates wanted to go there to watch the procession, I thought this would be fun and certainly interesting too. I wrote about this here

And it was ! I don't want to write down here what you can read in books and brochures, so if you want to know more about the Carnival of Binche traditions you can read them here.

The most important day is Mardi Gras where the parade takes place with more than 900 Gilles and to see that we took the train from Brussels to Binche. There was even a special price for the carnival train ticket !

During the procession, the « Gille » wears his impressive hat covered with ostrich feathers and throws oranges in the crowd ! I tell you I was a little afraid because of my glasses ! Some people had protected their windows with grids !

During the procession besides the "Gille" other characters dance at his side : the Paysans » (peasants), the « Pierrots » and the « Arlequins », and of course all people are dancing on the streets to the rythm of the drums.

First thing we did, to join in the fun, was buying a wig.

People were disguised and some costumes were really very funny. In the windows the inhabitants watched the parade.

This is not the Queen of England ... even the police had fun

By pure coincidence I had the chance to watch how the Gille put on his hat again, which is very heavy !

I was sitting there and had a sandwich when I saw some of them coming out of a door besides the church, what a chance to get such a close look on their costume.

Besides the impressive ostrich-feather hat, each decorative detail of his costume- the lion of Belgium, heraldry, crowns or stars- has a symbolic meaning.

The national colours of black, yellow and red dominate. Certain parts of the costume may require dozens of metres of material- up to 150 metres of ribbon may be needed to make the ruff for example.

The Gille also wears a belt of 7 to 9 bells worn around the waist, as well as a smaller bell on his shirt front on his feet he wears clogs. Each Gille is bound to respect certain customs. He must come from Binche, and must not sit down in public, ever get drunk (I have my little doubts about that) or go anywhere without being accompanied by (at the very least) a drummer.

Thanks to my wig, a Gille asked me to pose besides him !

When the hat gets older the feathers become grey, so the feathers are painted to refresh their look.

As you can see the carnival starts quiet early with Champagne

The weather was fantastic and these young men had a real good view over the procession.

the rest of us was not so lucky

There were so many people watching the procession that it was impossible for me to take better pictures.

But at least it gives an idea of the athmosphere

Unfortunately my video didn't come out well at all, so I took this from YouTube, just that you can hear the drums ! One who is not used to that, quickly gets enough of this rather monotonous music.

The streets were full of people from all over the country and there were also lots of English tourists !

We had a lot of fun

Binche is a beautiful little town

a part from the old city wall

a nice building, I liked the architecture

and the Station where we arrived and had to take our train back to Brussels.

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CHRISTMAS MARKET 2010 IN BRUSSELS

2011-01-03T12:30:00.001+01:00

Each year there is a big Christmas market in Brussels, called "Plaisirs hiver" (Winter Wonders) It has started in 2002 and over the years it had become bigger and bigger and has now 240 stalls extended over 2 km length, from the Grand' Place til the Marché au Poissons (fishermarket). Around 2.5 million visitors from all over the world come to Brussels to visit the Christmas market. English tour operators ranked the Brussels Christmas market the "most original" in Europe

The history of Christmas markets goes back to the Late Middle Ages in the German speaking part of Europe. The Dresden Christmas market, first held in 1434, is one of the oldest Christmas markets. It attracts between 1.5 and 2 million visitors a year and has over 250 stalls. The Bautzen Christmas market was even older, first being mentioned in records in 1384.

The Grand' Place with the Christmas tree which comes each year from another country. In the evening there is a light and sound show going on, which makes the old buildings even more beautiful.

A nativity scene with wax figures and real sheeps is also built up on this place.

"Make a wish" was collecting money for very sick children

The whole place looked very festive

From the Grand Place you arrive at the stock market where the first stalls begin

Some street animation

As it is not allowed to smoke inside restaurants, the owners found a solution, they installed heated terraces where people savored oisters, snails or typical Christmas plates from all countries.

Of course Brussels' laces are not missing, although I wonder if I would use this pretty apron in a kitchen !

Stalls after stalls with all kind of handmade articles or Christmas ornaments

These are glass animals

Jewelry, slippers, scarfs and caps

Games to play, here you had to "fish" a Christmas ball

The little Orchestra were Englishmen from near London. They played Christmas music, and people enjoyed the ice skating and the giant wheel

There was all kind of sweets, biscuits, Belgian chocolate and wafels and lots of stalls with mulled wine, pure or with something more strong in it.

There was also a very big stall with Morrocan specialities, to make some promotion for Morocco and you could eat a delicous couscous there.

And for once we had a white Christmas.

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HURGHADA Red Sea Egypt

2010-11-01T08:00:00.002+01:00

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Yesterday evening I came back from Hurghada at the Red Sea in Egypt where I had spent 2 weeks. This was the 4th time. Hurghada is nothing special, it was founded in the early 20th century, and since the 1980s has been continually enlarged by Egyptian and foreign investors to become the leading seashore resort on the Red Sea.

Holiday villages and hotels provide aquatic sport facilities for sailboarders, yachtsmen, scuba divers and snorkelers.Hurghada stretches for about 36 kilometres (22 mi) along the seashore, and it does not reach far into the surrounding desert. It is for Egyptian tourists from Cairo, the Delta and Upper Egypt, as well as package holiday tourists from Europe, lots of people from the Eastern countries like Hungarians, Poles, Bulgarians etc and also a lot of Russian speaking people. There were languages I had never heard ! The rest were guests from western countries like the UK, Holland, Italy and Germany.

Until a few years ago it was a small fishing village. Today Hurghada counts 248,000 inhabitants and is divided into three parts: Downtown (El Dahar) is the old part; Sekalla is the city center, and El Memsha (Village road) is the modern part. Sakkala is the relatively modest hotel quarter.

It's the ideal place for spending real holidays not for visiting the Egyptian tresors. Sunshine is guaranteed the whole year, the cooler months are January and February with sometimes thunderstorms.

I stayed in the Hotel Sunrise Holidays Resort, which is a very nice hotel and would suit for all ages from 0 to 90 ! The only problem I had was that they didn't have free Internet Connection and I had to pay 50 € for a week using my own laptop ! One hour was 5 € ! Exhorbitant prices for a 5* hotel and not very customer friendly ! This was the first time it happened to me in a hotel ! 5* in Egypt is not the same as 5* in European countries. They are real palaces, but of course you don't have the same service, for only 1200 € flight included and all inclusive you can't expect miracles. But the rooms are clean and there is everything you need. I really have spent very nice holidays.

Hurghada by night ! Lots of tourists, lots of shops and a lot of animation

The hotel entrance

around the beach

Inside of the hotel

A belly dancer show

and that's what I see outside today ! That's my world again !

MY WORLD - The Gaasbeek Castle in autumn

2010-10-11T08:26:00.004+02:00

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I had read that there was a dragon exposition at the Gaasbeek castle and as the weather was so unusually beautiful I went there expecting big dragons all over the park.

It turned out that the dragon expositon was inside the castle and taking photos was not allowed.

So I walked around the park and castle on this warm October day.

on the way to the castle,

from far I could see the ponds

On these mirrors the history of the castle is explained and also the place were you are.

The castle of Gaasbeek

walls all around

A little house in the park

There were lots of chestnuts in the park and people were collecting them

The heavy rain of the last weeks has left its traces

You need good shoes to walk down these steps to the ponds

There are also grapes growing

on the way back

into this nice restaurant

where we could sit outside

a special guest

and supervisors

SAND SCULPTURE EXPOSITION - Blankenberge

2010-09-14T05:00:00.003+02:00

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End August I went to the Sand sculpture exposition in Blankenberge at the Belgian coast. In two hours I visited 40 countries on six continents ! Africa, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Greece, Holland, India, Japan, Morocco, Norway, Peru, Russia, Spain, Turkey, the Far East, and the United States

An international team of artists from the United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium had realized these amazing sculptures

In total 100, man-made, wonders of the world were sculpted of which 18 North American, 45 European, 20 Asian, 9 Australian and 8 African. The order of these wonders is random: from architectural to historical, from old to contemporary.

You can read more about the exposition here

As you do in Blogworld when you visit your Blogfriends, you jump from one continent to the other, from one country to the other and from one city to the other in the whole world. That's what I did here in no particular order.

The first part was outside Europe

The entrance. As it was 3 days before the end of the exposition it was very crowed for a wednesday !

The plan with the different continents to see

The entrance

I found myself in Australia

and then in the USA

I admired the details of the Cowboy's gun and saddle

In Cuba I saw how cigars are rolled

and in Argentina the famous tango

the "skinny" Sumos fought in Japan

and the Indian gods were just amazing ! What an artwork

The sculpture with impressed me the most was the one representing Israel and Palestine in one sculpture. It was the Wailing Wall with on one side the Jews and on the other side the Palestinians. The expression of the faces were so real !

I was a little disappointed about Petra in Jordan, because I had been there as you can see here

Aborigens

I met a canadian policeman (?)

and came out of the huge tent to find myself in Egypt

The Taj Mahal

The Chrysler Building

The cathedral St. Basil in Moscow

Chichen Itza, the old Mja town

The Great Wall of China

besides the Opera in Sidney

Acropolis in Athen

Then I entered the tent which contained the European countries and cities

Here is Holland with Amsterdam and its canals

Germany, with the Dom of Cologne and the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin. I have to protest about the German couple, that's not German that's Bavarian, I have never seen my father in a short leather trouser and my mother in a Dirndl ! I don't know who invented such a costum to represent Germans.

Italy represented by the Romans and the pope (what a nice mixture)

The Big Ben was also there

and the Russian dolls (Matriochkas)

Moscow

A dancing Kosak

A belly dancer

Crocodiles, how could the artist do that with sand ?

and then was the End of this very interesting Exposition

Outside was a café where we fell on the chairs and had a coffe and a hot Brussels wafel !

LONDON UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2010-09-07T06:00:00.003+02:00

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When I came back from the English coast I stopped in London for the day before taking the Eurostar train back to Brussels.

First thing I noticed when I got out of the station was that London had become a big construction site ! Everywhere they were hammering, digging and working on buildings, and I saw cranes a little bit everywhere.

For cars, buses and pedestrians it became an acrobatic work to get through the streets and sidewalks. London prepares itself for the Olympic games in 2012 ! It will become a beauty !

Meanwhile the beauty gets its face lifiting

a little everywhere

except on Trafalgar square, where I missed the pigeons which had been chased away ! No pictures anymore with pigeons sitting on your head and 10 others on your arms and shoulders.

Downing street, where the prime minister lives, looked like a zoo, with all the tourists staring inside the grids (not cage), and when a red car came out everybody made necks like a girafe, to see who it was but it was only the plumber. Apparently they had some troubles with the water pipes.

The Thames and the London eye looked the same, although I saw a few cranes there too.

I had never seen this touching memorial with the inscription : "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" (Winston Churchill)

Big Ben still looked uncovered but not the buildings around it.

Niketown was still there

and the good old English pub too

The parcs looked green

and I regretted that I didn't have enough time to see Sister Act

I enjoyed Carnaby street and made a walk through the Liberty store, before I had to go back to St. Pancras station to take my train home.

ARUNDEL SURROUNDINGS

2010-08-24T06:00:00.000+02:00

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During my stay in Eastbourne we also went one day to Arundel

Before we arrived there we had a pic nic on the beach, where I found this interesting fishernet. Despite the wonderful weather there was not a soul at the beach and we had it all for us. I found shells and strange pebbles I had never seen in my life.

After our pic nic we arrived in Arundel which is a major bridging point over the River Arun, the lowest road bridge until the opening of the Littlehampton swing bridge in 1908.

We went to the Arundel Castle which was built by the Normans to protect that vulnerable point to the north of the valley through the South Downs. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit it, it's just enormous ! You can better see it here. It only is 79 km (49 miles) from London.

It sits high on a hill and overlooks a beautiful green landscape

After a walk we arrived at

Swanbourne Lake was originally a millpond and situated in the grounds of Arundel Park which was painted by both Turner and Constable.

It is in a stunning location beneath Arundel Castle and the adjoining Castle Park, with wonderful walks and scenery across the South Downs.

Feeding swans and geese was especially fun for parents with little children

They were beautiful and there was a lot of them

But then we were hungry and thirsty and it was Tea time anyway. So when we saw the Swanbourne Lodge Tearoom, we didn't hesitate a second and went in.

Motor bikers enjoying an ice cream

The Swanbourne Tea Room inside, very cosy

but we sat outside and were waiting for our

Cream Tea, a speciality in this part of England. It was very long ago that I had eaten clotted cream, I think it had been in Germany when I was a child and lived with my Grandparents. After that, I had never seen it again. As you can see the portion was more then enough !

Then it was time to go back to Eastbourne

driving along this beautiful coast line

SISTINE CHAPEL - GORING-by-Sea, UK

2010-08-17T06:00:00.002+02:00

I learned something new ! I knew that one Sistine Chapel Ceiling exists in the Vatican City in Rome, which was painted in 1508 by Michelangelo. But during my stay with my friends in England, I learned that there was a second one, which was painted in 1988 by Gary Bevans who, after a visit to Rome had the idea to paint the ceiling of Sistine Chapel Reproduction in the catholic church of the English Martyrs, Goring-by-Sea.

When we went there and I entered the church I still didn't believe that it was possible to paint in the same way, until I saw it with my own eyes ! Unbelievable, what an artwork ! If you want to read the whole story about the Sistine Chapel in Goring just look here.

The church looks so simple from outside that I first thought it was a private house

but then inside I discovered a treasure ! Parts of the church of course looked completely normal until you looked up !

The inside of the church

and the unbelievable ceiling painting. Of course different in the themes but the same style of painting. The paintings all concern the Old Testament part of the Bible.

The little town of Goring-by-Sea was also nice to see and we had a nice lunch there in a local Pub.

RABAT - Chellah

2010-07-20T06:00:00.001+02:00

While we were in Rabat (Morocco) we also visited Chellah, a site which dates from Roman occupation circa 40 AD. It is one of the earliest clearly identifiable settlements of man in Morocco.

Between 1300 and 1600 AD, Rabat and Chellah were resettled by the Merinid Dynasty. Circa 1350 the Merinid sultan, founded a mosque at Chellah, and the magnificent extant principal gate. The sultan Abu I-Hasan was entombed within the Moorish part of the Chellah complex. Many of the structures in Chellah were damaged by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The site has been converted now to a garden and also a place for concerts.

If you want to know the whole history go here and here

The very impressive entrance

where we were greated by this drummer, pictures to be taken against payment of course.

From outside

Chellah today is also a place where concernts take place and films are shot

This is the very old part which remained from the Romans

and the rests of the mosque

with its tombs. Some of them are very well preserved as you can see from the mosaic

The guardian lady fed fishes which looked like very fat snakes, I forgot the name. The bassin was the ancient watering system of the Romans

The garden was real beautiful, with lots of plants, flowers and trees. But what amazed me the most were the birds living here. I have never ever seen so many storks together. It looks as if they were meeting here coming from all over the world. There were hundreds and hundreds. There were lots of Ibises too, of all kind and colors and other birds. It was very noisy, especially the storks who were rattling in concerts !

MEKNES & The Granaries of Moulay Ismail

2010-07-13T06:00:00.003+02:00

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My roundtrip through Morocco

Just down the road from Fez lies the Imperial City of Meknes. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail (1672–1727) He is said to be the father of a total of 867 children including 525 sons and 342 daughters. I couldn't find out with how many women. He really was fruitful and multiplied. I wonder how long it took him to give them all a good night kiss.

This rather unsympathetic person (at least to me) spent his time with building walls and remparts to keep out all ennemies. From what I understood he must have been a very paranoid person, because to arrive into the city you had to drive through four thick remparts with huge doors. Our guide said that the walls were 4 m thick so that it was impossible to get through.

Moulay Ismaïl is also known as a fearsome ruler and used at least 25,000 slaves for the construction of his capital. He personally supervised the building of over 25 km of protective walls for his city within a city. He scavenged materials from monuments all over Morocco, including Roman marble from the ruins at Volubilis. Nobody knows how many slaves died during this period.

The Moulay Ismail's granaries were ingeniously designed. Tiny windows, massive walls and a system of underfloow water channels kept the temperatures cool and air circulating. He didn't store food for humans, but grain and hay to feed his 12.000 horses. The first few vaults have ben restored, but those behond stand in partial ruin, row upon row.

Amongst international filmmakers, Martin Scorsese shot part of the "Last Temptation of Christ"here.

The city wall of Meknes

Old Meknes inside the remparts

Gate to the Imperial stables and granaries

The sign at the entrance

beautiful carved designs in the wooden doors, although they had been abandonned for a very long time.

now in renovation

The ceiling of a storage room

one of the storage rooms

the walls for the storage of hey and food were very thick

in a few years this will have another look

Our guide explained us the use of this wheel

the stables

And this street leads through all the walls to the entrance.

RABAT - Morocco

2010-07-06T07:26:00.005+02:00

On my roundtrip trough Morocco, we also visited Rabat, the capital of Morocco. From the city itself I noticed that it is a very busy and modern town. All embassies are located here in Rabat, the seat of the Morrocan government

Entering the city, beautiful houses and less beautiful buildings

The old town of Rabat with its souqs is behind this city wall

Modern Rabat is also a mixture of old and new

the city is very animated. Everywhere you can see the French influence in the architecture

In the middle of a large boulevard is this beautiful street to walk along. They call it the Champs Elysee of Rabat.

Little trains for a roundtrip, and chats in late afternoon and evening when it cooled down

We also had a look on the Royal Palace in Rabat.

It is very beautiful with lots of artwork but still looking simple an not overloaded like our Royal Palaces

Lots of tourists of course

The guards

the park

I loved this door, but it was locked so I couldn't say "hello" to the King

We then visted an unfinished Mosque the Hassan Tower

Begun in 1195 AD, the tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world along with the mosque, also intended to be the world's largest. In 1199 the construction on the mosque stopped. The tower only reached 44 m (140 ft), about half of its intended 86 m (260 ft) height. The rest of the mosque was also left incomplete, with only the beginnings of several walls and 200 columns being constructed.

These unfinished columns were very strange to see.

On the opposite side of the Hassan Tower is the Mausoleum of Mohamed V where you can see the tombs of the Moroccan king and his two sons.

there is not much to say, the artwork inside and outside was just breathtaking

In reality it's even more beautiful

WATERLOO BATTLE 2010

2010-06-29T06:13:00.002+02:00

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On the weekend of 18 June I went to the Waterloo Lion, to see the preparations for the reconstitution of the battle of Waterloo which took place on the 18 June 1815.

Living in Waterloo since 35 years I had seen this many times, but this year it was a real special event. It always had been a rather small reconstitution of Waterloo Battle fans, coming from all countries which had participated ... France, the UK, Holland and Germany. I could see them everywhere in their historical uniforms, doing shopping or just visiting Waterloo. Of course everybody could watch the battle and there were no entrance fees, it was just a big friendly celebration of all the countries, who are all friends now. So you could see them all together sitting and having a good Belgian beer in their French, German, English/Scottish (in skirts) and Dutch historical unforms.

But this year it was different. Our clever major organized a big show ! 3000 soldiers, 50 pieces of artillery, and a cavalery with 150 horses. Journalists from all over the world were present and of course the hotels full.

I went there before the battle on the Friday afternoon, when the last preparation were going on. I thought it might be interesting to see how this usually rather peaceful place will be transformed into a huge show.

It started well, even when there was nothing to see yet, they first didn't want to let me through, but being an old Waterloo inhabitant and telling them a few lies I could go through.

While I was driving the few meters to the Lion I saw all these tribunes which had been built up. I wonder how much money the farmer got for renting this place and the destroyed harvest.

From the main street you saw nothing. This had never happened either.

I don't know exactly how many seats there were certainly for a thousand people

In the evening a firework and light show against the Lion hill took place from here

A whole village was built

still making space, building stands and on the big parking of a supermarket a camping place had been installed.

and you can see a soldier who went up the steps to see the battle field where he should be killed the next day.

It was nice to see the people in their historical costumes

and having a drink together

I had been lucky to be able to take these pictures, because when I came back on Sunday when the battle took place, there was no way anymore to approach the Lion by car and all parkings were full.

But I saw two soldiers who probably missed the bus, walking to the battle field to fight.

And to give you an idea how it was, I found two videos on YouTube

THE BELGIAN COAST

2010-06-27T06:00:00.000+02:00

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The Belgian coast is only around 150 km (93 miles) far from Brussels, with the result that as soon as there are 3 sunbeams whole Belgium rushes to the sea (or nearly). That's what I did too together with a friend. The highway although quiet large is so packed that sometimes police leads a bunch of cars to the sea while the others have to wait for the next convoy ! That happens especially when the school holidays start.

The beach is sandy and it's ideal for children to play. Hundreds of buildings have been built along the coast to host more and more tourists, now also coming from France, Holland and Germany.

In some places like Ostend old mansions have been destroyed to make space for more apartment buildings, which is a pity because of this all along the Belgian coast the seafront is quiet ugly.

But still it's nice to go there at least for the day to breath the good sea air, and those who like very good food will not be disappointed either.

Unfortunately the sea is mostly cold so that it takes some courage to go in there and swim, I honnestly have done it twice in the 50 years I live in Belgium.

These shells are rather strange and I have been told that they only exist in the western part of the coast. They look like a cigare when they are closed and they also have approximately the same size.

You could climb in this baloon and roll around. But I haven't seen anybody inside.

It can be a paradise when the weather is nice, which, unfortunately doesn't happen very often. Bad languages call the Belgian coast : Costa del Drash, which means "Shower coast"

But when we went there it was just perfect as you can see. Here my friend and I spent the whole day.

There was an airplane exposed but I couldn't find out what it was

Fast foot of course wasn't missing, and of course the famous Belgian Chips.

Some of the city centers escaped the demolition

all along the coast there is one restaurant after the other. There is something for everybody's taste.

The season hasn't started yet in one week you probably can hardly find a place to sit

In all towns along the coast are Casinos where you can loose or make your fortune

CASABLANCA (Morocco)

2010-06-22T06:00:00.005+02:00

My roundtrip through Morocco

During my round trip through Morocco we also stopped in Casablanca to visit the most the Mohamed V place, and the beautiful Mosque Hassan II.

Casablanca has a population of over 3,299,428 and is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. Casablanca is considered the economic and business center of Morocco. The Capital is Rabat.

Casablanca hosts headquarters and main industrial facilities for the leading Moroccan and international companies based in Morocco. The Port of Casablanca is one of the largest artificial ports in the world. Unfortunately we had no time to visit the port but saw it from far

In June 1907, the Frenchs took control of Casablanca. This effectively began the process of colonization, although French control of Casablanca was not formalised until 1910. It lasted until 1956 when Morocco gained its independence. You can read more about Casablanca's history here.

Everywhere you see the French influence in the architecture. In the City all people speak French. English is another story.

The traffic is quiet impressive, cars are arriving from all sides. A lot of drivers are color blind when traffic lights are concerned.

Along the city wall or Medina.

Old and new together

Villas, houses, appartment buildings, it depends if you are rich or poor as everywhere.

vibrant life on the streets, to the left a shoe cleaner and to the right a couple discussing over a garbage container.

the sea with in the background the Mosque of Casablanca. To the right you go to the beach

The Christian Cathedral, a mosque and a government building

and very special, the stock market building

The old medina (city wall)

and the huge place Mohamed V

Our bus stands there

People walking, enjoying the sunshine and feeding the pigeons

and then comes the beautiful Mosque Hassan II

Gorgeous mosaic work

The entrance, it's only open 3 times a day for tourists (if I remember well)

I had enough to admire outside

chatting in the shade

the place is huge

also local tourists

A beautiful view on the sea

a last look on the Mosque

in the background you can see the cranes of the port

and we are leaving Casablanca direction Rabat

A WALK THROUGH MARRAKECH

2010-06-20T06:00:00.006+02:00

My roundtrip through Morocco

Last year at the same time I had already been visiting Marakech. (you can read in this post), so this time I just take you on a walk through this amazing city, which combines old and new and where Muslims, Christians and Jews live together in harmony.

the city wall

the station

a very busy town

the university

One of the busiest squares in Africa and the world, Djemaa el Fna.

some folklore

see the TV dishes over the souq !

little chats while waiting

Behind an very old building, when the door is open you

suddenly see this

so many contrasts

trucks and horses for transport

Teenagers enjoying a free schoolday

this man dries animal skins for leather goods in the sunshine on the street

Like on all banks in the world .... a love declaration

coffee is an art

a snake charmer

and a drummer

MOROCCO - Volubilis a roman town

2010-06-08T06:00:00.003+02:00

My roundtrip through Morocco

Volubilis dates from the third century BC and is situated near Meknes between Fez and Rabat in Morocco. Volubilis features the best preserved ruins in this part of northern Africa. In 1997 the site was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Volubilis was the administrative center of the province in Roman Africa. The fertile lands of the province produced many commodities such as grain and olive oil, which were exported to Rome.

That's for the history, the rest you can read here

I have noticed that wherever I go, the Romans had been there before me ! This was also the case in Morocco. The only country I haven't seen Roman architectural left overs was in the States, but maybe one day digging in their garden one will find a Roman ruin.

It is a very huge place and not very easy to walk in. There are cobble stoned little streets but still it was difficult for some people.

Storks have a good taste and choose as domicil the top of this column with a wonderful view on the lower Atlas mountains.

It was very hot this day and there is nothing to buy some water. So if ever you visit there, take water with you.

Romans had modern times, long before our modern time started. They had central heating through the floor, WC's with running water, sorts of bubble baths and in general a very comfortable life.

This is not a Roman lady, but only a curious tourist

A lot of the site was destroyed by the 1755 Lisbon (Portugal) earthquake,

But you still can see what big town it was.

These columns are just amazing

The view out of the window too !

Two of my young travel friends taking a Roman bath (since the Romans are gone the water is gone too)

and then we returned into the present, with Morrocan motor bikes, so are the little donkeys called,

and a chatting couple, maybe Roman descendants ?

THE PARK OF LAEKEN (Brussels)

2010-05-11T06:00:00.001+02:00

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When I tried to visit the Royal Greenhouses (see post below) I also walked through the Park of Laeken just on the other side of the Palace. On one side the park has a magnificent view of the city, on the other side an impressive view of the royal palace. It is quiet big, 26 hectares, 64 acres) and was created in the 19th century. It also had been used for the World Exhibition in 1958.

the plan

The momorial of Queen Astrid the actual King's mother who died in a car accident in Switzerland at the very early age of 30 years and left 3 small children behind

Neo-gothic Church of Our Lady. The church contains the royal crypt, where the members of the Belgian Royal Family are buried.

Monument of the dynasty, erected in memory of King Leopold I in front of the Royal Castle

View on the gates of the Royal Palace

Tourists watching the Palace

A view to the park

Beautiful flowers and trees

Nice to climb on

When it's warm people use to do picnics here

Amazing very old trees

From far a view on the Atomium

and on my way back I had to drive under it. It was packed with tourists.

ROYAL GREENHOUSES & PALACE IN BRUSSELS

2010-05-04T06:00:00.000+02:00

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On the 1st of May, a bank Holiday in Brussels, I wanted to visit the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken. It is a vast complex of monumental heated greenhouses in the park of the Royal Castle of Laeken in Brussels and one of the major tourist attractions of the city. The complex has been built by King Léopold II King Leopold. He is remembered today as the "Builder King" because he commissioned a great number of buildings and urban projects.

These buildings include the Royal Glasshouses in the grounds of the Palace at Laken, the Japanese Tower, the Chinese Pavilion, the Musée du Congo (now called the Royal Museum for Central Africa), and their surrounding park in Tervuren, the Cinquantenaire in Brussels, and the Antwerp railway station hall.

The Greenhouses by night

The Greenhouses were built between 1874 and 1895, the complex was finished with the completion of the so-called 'Iron Church', a domed greenhouse that would originally serve as the royal chapel. The total floor surface of this immense complex is 2.5 hectares (270,000 square feet). 800,000 liters (over 200,000 US gallons) of fuel oil are needed each year to heat the buildings. That's probably because there is an entrance fee of 2,50 € !

Once a year in April/May the Royal Parc and the Greenhouses are open to the public. It is also an opportunity to see the Royal Palace from very close.

King Albert and Queen Paola

King Albert and Queen Paola should have moved in this palace when his brother Boudouin died, but they prefered to stay in their home they had been living in since their marriage. So today the Palace is occupied by Crown Prince Philip, his wife Mathilde and their 4 children. There is also the former Queen Fabiola still living there. Crown Prince Philip, his wife Mathilde and Queen Fabiola

The with gold decorated gates and the people who walked inside the park

One lion on each side watches

The house of the guards

After the "golden Gate" the entrance where you had to pay your 2,50 €

and walk the long way to the Palace

Usually I only see this in TV when the King receives celebrities from all over the world

I was a little discouraged when I saw the long line of people who waited to get into the Greenhouses

There was at least two hours to wait until I could reach the entrance. I gave up, I thought there are enough beautiful trees and flowers in this park too

The Greenhouse from outside

I peeked through an open door

but couldn't see anything special

outside I admired these gorgeous blooming bushes

and even a lemon tree which had been put outside. Lemon trees don't grow in Belgium the climate is far too cold.

Young couples walking through the park

and still people arriving

this part of the Greenhouse looks rather surreal, like an UFO which just had landed amongst the green trees

MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL CORROY LE CHATEAU

2010-04-27T06:00:00.001+02:00

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On Saturday I returned to the middle age. There was a very beautiful medieval festival in the court and around the castle of Corroy le Chateau. It was built between 1220 and 1230 and is one of the best-preserved medieval buildings in Belgium, with gigantic round towers and a moat. The parc around measures 12 hectares.

The castle its entrance and the horse stables

The court inside the castle where the different shows took place

and in the parc in white tents

Artisans and craftmen showed their know how

Of course there was also a lot to eat and drink and quiet a lot of Belgian beers were represented

The reader and the writer

sausages and cheese

A fight with swords

a fashion show of the 14th and 15th century. I noticed that all men wore dresses or skirts !

There was a couple showing their falcons

and another one their pythons. The white snake is an albino python, very soft skin, I petted it.

and from all what I have seen this owl (?) impressed me the most ! It had such big orange eyes, that they almost look photoshopped ! but I swear they really had this color !

The castle and the parc around seemed so beautiful to me that I will go back there. The castle is still furnished and you can visit it on Sundays.

THE GAASBEEK CASTLE

2010-04-13T06:00:00.003+02:00

On the first warm spring day I visited the Gaasbeek castle which is located near Brussels. It is quiet impressive and surrounded by a very beautiful parc.

The fortified castle was built around 1240 to defend the Duchy of Brabant against the County of Flanders. The castle was later destroyed by Brussels city troops.

At the beginning of the 16th century a brick castle was constructed on the ruins of the medieval fortress.

In the following centuries the castle was inhabited by several noble families. It obtained its pseudo-medieval appearance as the result of a renovation during the years 1887-1898.

Since 1980 the castle has been owned by the Flemish Community and became a museum. The authentic testament of the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens is exposed in there.

The castle and its park are of 50 hectares or 124 acres. (you can read more about it here)

The castle

and the crest above the entrance

one of the towers

inside, the entrance to the museum

a beautiful iron door

The inner court

Gardeners discussing

all around the castle is a moat, now without water

Pleasure Pavillon

The entrance doesn't seem to be used very often !

everywhere were mirrors as signs in form of a lady rider which explained the way to go and the explanations of the places.

and the huge wonderful parc.

MY WORLD - Braine l'Alleud

2010-03-30T06:00:00.003+02:00

I had a bad infection at a tooth and therefore had to go to the dentist to get it pulled out. She lives in Braine l'Alleud which is the next little town close to Waterloo, in fact it could count as one city. We even share the Waterloo Lion with them and the battle field.

Dentists are usually poor people and live in little huts, as you can see here. (this is a joke of course !) When I had one tooth less and a sleeping cheek I did a little walk through the town.

Some people were already sitting outside drinking their beer

the streets are quiet narrow and as it was a Monday there were not many people around

the market place with a fountain which was on strike

Flowers to buy

and people sitting on a bank chatting. Spring has finally arrived !

A very old advertising pillar survived

the church tower

another little street with a lot of restaurants

The city hall

and an old bistro

After my little walk my cheek started to hurt and I quickly returned home. My World was the dentist today !