PARC DE LA SAUVAGERE - BRUSSELS/UCCLE

I was looking for a park not too far from my home, to have a little walk in a nice place. I discovered one I had never heard of and of course my friend and I went there to enjoy the early spring weather in February. It's a small park covering an area of 4.5 hectares (11 acres) , dated from the late nineteenth century. At that time, the garden was smaller and consisted of a castle, a large driveway and some massif trees. After a period of abandonment, the castle was demolished in 1957 and the town acquired the park in 1964. I tried to find at least an old picture of the castle,  but it had simply disappeared from history, as so many mansions and castles in the 50/60 !





The only building was at the entrance maybe responsible of the park is living in here.

There is also a big playground for kids 



and also animals



This one hoped for food, but it was not allowed to feed them ! We only saw swans, ducks, and chicken, the other animals were probably still in the stables, because there should be donkeys and a llama. Normally we don't have 15° in February !

The whole park consists of a mixed wood including maple, ash, oak, hazel, remarkable chestnut trees as well as a giant sequoia. With its 4.89 meters circumference, it would be the largest specimen located on the territory of Uccle and is among the 10 most beautiful in the Brussels region.







a pond with swans and (invisible) ducks






and a "left over" of the castle park






We saw the first snowdrops !






Spring was in the air that day, I have to return in summer with my grandson !

more participants here

_

BRUSSELS GALERIE LOUISE

September 23, 2014
 
When I was a teenager in the 60th, Brussels was divided into two parts for shopping and going out. The upper part was the posh area and very expensive, and the lower part around the Grand'Place and "La Bourse" was less expensive and therefore more for the middle class.

Today it's more mixed and less exclusive, but still more expensive than the lower part of Brussels. The chicest place was (and is) the Gallery Louise, which was built in 1951 and opened in 1952.
 
In no time in this gallery fifty stores were opened, it contains two levels of garages, an office building and apartments  and in the basement a set of night clubs and discos. The Gallery of ​​almost 23,000 m² (248 square feet)  became the exclusive center of upper Brussels.



The building which contains the gallery hadn't changed at all, since the at least 30 years I haven't been there.



The entrance neither



And the rotunda from which lead all the ways through the gallery was the same too.



This was the place where I used to go dancing every Saturday night together with my friends. There was a nice Disco of which I have forgotten the name, but I remember walking down these staircases with high heels ! Now there are still discos but of course they have completely changed and their names too.



The view from the rotunda in all directions




The shops and boutiques are different too, but still rather expensive.



Just opposite the Gallery, where once only houses stood, is now a pedestrian area and the houses are all transformed into restaurants, just one after the other and for every taste !

I had lunch there to finish my walk into the past !

BRUSSELS SKYLINER

Brussels Skyliner is a 85m (279 ft) tall steel tower. It is equipped with a cabin that will take you up to 70m (230 ft). On a clear day, you have a view of  12km (7 miles) 360° ! The cabin can hold up to 60 people on each trip.

There is a commentary of the major monuments that you will be able to observe during the about 10 minutes visit. Before it would be dismantled in February, I went there to see for once Brussels from above !



From far approaching the entrance I saw the tower



Standing there and waiting for the cabin to come down I was quite impressed by the steel construction of the tower.



The cabin arrives slowly



It was round and had blue seats all around. I sat down and watched the other people who were lined up to climb in the cabin.



and while we were taken slowly higher and higher I could see the Royal Palace as a whole building.



and I had a wonderful view on the Brussels Royal Park, where in summer time all kind of activities are taken place and an orchestra plays in the afternoons.



Unfortunately there were some raindrops on the windows but it didn't bother the view I saw the dome of the Justice Palace from far.













and the cabin turning around slowly, the whole panorama of Brussels lay to my feet !









And then slowly turning around we went down again and the ground approached



On the ground again, I was very satisfied with what I had seen and that I had been so lucky with the weather.

BRUSSELS - THE "ROUGE CLOÎTRE"

There are so many forests and parks in and around Brussels, that I think in the 53 years I am living here I haven't seen them all ! This time I wanted to rediscover the Abbaye du Rouge-Cloître. It is an Augustinian abbey in Auderghem, one of the 19 municipalities of Brussels located on the edge of the Forêt de Soignes (Sonian Forest). It was founded in 1367.



Above you can see how it looked when it was still occupied by the monks. Below an air view how it looks today, and as I remember it when I had been there the last time in the 70th ! There was still a hotel restaurant. Today this part has become an Art center.

Everything, from its buildings to ponds, takes you to the past: the enclosure, the priory of the abbey of the 18th century, the old priory farm, a nice square building with one floor, the old outbuildings with their ring, and the miller's house, they are a meeting point for painters.

The Legend says that all of the paths in the Forêt de Soignes lead to the Rouge-Cloître ! On 6 hectares, the Rouge-Cloître site offers its gardens and two walks, respectively called forest walk and lakeside walk to the public.

Today the Abbey of Rouge-Cloître (Red Cloister) is also an art center where exhibitions and workshops take place.




the entrance over a bridge



through this door



The guard house (I think)



the inside court of the cloister



the cloister



the Farm buildings





it also had the "farm" smell





another part of the farm house



Inside here is a little restaurant, where you can have cold or warm meals or just a coffee or a drink.



There were quiet a lot of people who had a coffee and cake or a wafel







the other side of the cloister



A painting and gravure workshop



Sculpture workshop and handmade jewelery



the horse stables (without horses)



It was locked, I don't know where the horses were



But you could see the carriages









and the beautiful park and woods around the cloister.