Tuesday, August 04, 2015

MONS - SUNFLOWER MAZE

Mons is a Belgian city and municipality, and the capital of the province of Hainaut in the French speaking part of Belgium.

It’s easy to forget that Mons was once a mining town, because it’s now more like Silicon Hill. Internet search giant Google has built a huge data centre outside the town, creating a digital community among the abandoned pits.

This year Mons was chosen to be the European Capital of Culture and  is host to one of the greatest painters of all time. In 2015, Vincent van Gogh is in Mons. Or rather, he is returning there. Because it was in the Borinage that the great man changed career, from preacher to artist. It was in the Borinage that he spent a watershed period in his life and in his art. The steps he took at that time were, and remain still, essential elements that need to be understood.

In his honor on the Grand-Place, during a week in July you could get lost in a maze of 8.000 sunflowers ! I absolutely wanted to see this maze and wasn't disappointed ! It was beautiful !



From far I saw all these people queuing up to enter the maze



From outside I saw the sunflowers



I had waited a bit and had lunch before I went up on the scaffold, as there were less people



It was a real good idea



You could see the people from above







and I had an overview of the whole place



Then I saw the maze


People wandered around







suddenly I saw the head of van Gogh !



a shoe



and a chair, which he had painted



I continued my way got twice wrong but finally found the exit






Then I strolled around the place and admired the city hall



There were many restaurants all around the place



The theater

I really enjoyed this very special maze a lot !



13 comments:

Fun60 said...

What a clever idea to celebrate the work of Van Gogh in that way.

Billy Blue Eyes said...

What a great place to visit, I love the Belgian architecture. Think you had a head start looking down on the Maze before going in

biebkriebels said...

What a nice maze to watch from above and to walk through.

Indrani said...

This is such a wonderful place to visit. Great photo opportunity too.

diane b said...

Thanks for introducing me to another belgian city. The sunflower maze is a brilliant idea and must have been fun to enter but I wouldn't like the long queue to get in.

Jo said...

That huge head gave me a start, I wonder how you felt seeing it in real size! Great idea to celebrate Van Gogh's works like this.

Tessa~ Here there be musing said...

Aaaaaaaaaaa-maz-ing!!!! ,-)

What a delightful visit.

And gracious but the bust, almost looks like a huge sculpted cauliflower. -gigggles-

Tessa

Maiah Harrison said...

I love sunflowers, What a great idea to make a maze with it. I am sure that is an exciting day. Love the architecture. I have never heard of Mons before. Thanks to you, I have now learned, even a little, about it. This is one thing I enjoy about blogging is finding treasures such as your post, I get to travel the world without wings ;-) Thank you.

eileeninmd said...

Wow, what fun. I would like to walk around the sunflower maze! And the Van Gogh head is awesome! Wonderful photos! Enjoy your week!

Su-sieee! Mac said...

A sunflower maze to honor Van Gogh. The best thing I've heard yet. Thanks for sharing your afternoon in the maze. I loved it!
Take 25 to Hollister

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What a great place, glad you found your way out of that maze though.

Sandra Carlier said...

It was a great event ! I love the sun flowers! And the Grand Place looks marvelous !

Gracie said...

Wow, so beautiful!

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I love writing, traveling and photography. . I am German, i live in Waterloo (15 km from Brussels) / Belgium since many years. Waterloo is a famous place to many tourists, because Napoleon lost his battle here against Wellington and other European countries.

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