Brussels from the sky, one view of the capital of Europe!

Brussels, seen from the sky. 

Great view over Porte du Namur to Avenue Louise. Luxury brands can be found on Blvd Waterloo.

Blvd Waterloo

Porte du Namur

Japanese Garden (I)

 

The Japanese Garden (Japanse Tuin in Dutch) in Hasselt- the province of Limburg, Belgium -  is said to be one of the largest Japanese gardens in Europe.

An extension of the Kapermolen park, this piece of Japan was laid in 1992 as a symbol of friendship between the inhabitants of Itami (a city in Japan) and those of Hasselt. You can find here a nice waterfall (The Dragon gate), cherry blossom trees, ponds, a zigzag bridge and Japanese houses.

The garden is open from 1^st April until 31^st October, Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:00, Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 14:00 to 18:00. It is Closed at Easter, but  open on Easter Monday and Whit Monday from 14:00 to 18:00. The entrance fee is 5 euro and free for children under 12 years.

The best to visit is in spring (cherry blossoms) or autumn( maple trees).

For directions, visit: Japanese Garden - Google Maps

Cats in Etterbeek

Hotel Manos

A 5-star hotel near the centre of Brussels.
http://www.manoshotel.com/

Museum Night Fever Brussels 2014

This Saturday is Museum Night Fever Brussels 2014. 
It seems that it is going to be wonderful this year, with a lot of surprises: you can win tickets to sleep at La Monnaie (hurry if you wanna be between the lucky twenty people). 
You will be able to visit 24 museums, there will be an after party, a lot of music, dancing, DJs, workshops
So plenty of reasons to get out of the house and enjoy the 7th edition of Museum Night Fever.

For more info: http://www.museumnightfever.be/

Aachen Christmas Market

It's Christmas time :-)
It is said that in Aix-la-Chapelle (also known as Aachen), Germany, you can find one of the most beautiful Christmas markets. Every year, in the historic center around the Cathedral and Town Hall, people are gathering in order to celebrate. You can hear them laughing, enjoying gluhwein and the famous wurst. It's such a pleasant and familiar atmosphere. 
Every year, aprox 1.5 million people from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, United Kingdom come here to see the paradise of lights and colors. 
You still have time to visit it, until the the day before Christmas Eve.

SNCB (http://www.belgianrail.be) offers tickets 'Week-end Aix-la-Chapelle' at half price.  So, book now and go visit the festive fair. It takes 2,5 h by train from Brussels to Aachen and is totally worth it. 

Christmas decorations

All is prepared for the festive season. Stores are nicely decorated for Christmas: ornaments, lights, trees decorations...everything is so colorful. 
Are you searching for Christmas gifts? Just go around Grand-Place and you will find the perfect present.

Brussels Christmas Market, Day II

If you go to Grand Place these days you will feel like in Winter Land. The organizers prepared for you a spectacular 15 minutes lights and musical show, which will introduce you to the "Magical History City".

The show takes place every day:

 # Monday -> Thursday: 15 minutes every hour, from 6 pm to 10 pm;

 # Friday -> Sunday: at every half hour,  from 6 pm to 11 pm.

Winter Wonders will last until 5th of January 2014.

It's magic everywhere :-)

Things to do in Brussels: The Art of the Brick

Starting 22.11.2013 until 21.04.2014 you can visit the exhibition The Art of the Brick at Brussels Stock Exchange ( La Bourse), recognized as one of the CNN's 10 must see exhibitions. You can admire here the LEGO world of the american artist Nathan Sawaya. 

The exhibition comes as a premiere in Belgium, after North America, Australia and Asia.

A special playground for kids was specially designed, so feel free to bring them with you. 

Keep in mind that everyone wants to see it, so you must reserve tickets in advance. And a special thing for Belgium, it is open every day !!!

For more info, visit: http://www.expo-artofthebrick.be

Map & Directions

Brussels Christmas Market, Day I

November 29, 2013 - Rue du Marché au Herbes/Grassmarkt
Near Grand-Place and St Hubert Galleries. 
Map & Directions

Brussels Christmas Market

Christmas market, December 2011, Brussels
The festive season began with the big tree and the spectacular lights in Grand Place. The view was splendid. And the music...you should have been there to see how marvelous it was. The young, the old, lots of children...they all enjoyed the spectacle. 
Map & Directions