Springtime in Belgium - Flowers, the Zoo, Sun & Sand

Kasteel van Groot-Bijgaarden

Spring is in full bloom in Belgium, so this weekend we went to the Flanders countryside just outside of Brussels to the 4th International Bloembollententoonstelling (flower show) at the Kasteel van Groot-Bijgaarden (the Castle of Grand-Bigard) which was built in 1110(http://www.kasteelgrootbijgaarden.be/). There we were able to walk among nearly 1 million tulips, hyacinths, daffodisl, narcissus, and grape hyacinths that were planted last fall by Dutch bulb producers and exporters (Brussels is only about a two hour drive from the major bulb growing regions of Holland).

The Antwerp Zoo

Last Friday Grayson and I boarded the train for the Antwerp Zoo (http://www.zooantwerpen.be/). Grayson loved all the animals, especially the elephants, giraffes, and monkeys (he is very much into Curious George right now).

The entrance to the Antwerp Zoo, which is about 20 steps from the train station!

A view of the train station from inside the zoo



"Mommy, Mommy, MOOOORE el-phants!"

Fun in the sun at the park with Castalie

Look at me - I figured out how to scoot across by myself

Sand - not so yummy

Lille, France

On Saturday Grayson and I decided to get out of Brussels for a day of sightseeing and shopping in the beautiful Spring weather (Tony was in the U.S. for work). We took the Eurostar high-speed train to Lille in Northern France (a 35 minute train ride from Brussels). Lille is the fourth biggest city in France, with about 220,000 inhabitants. We had a wonderful time, and Grayson surprised me (again) with what a good traveler he is. He was very content to be strolled among all the people, and pointed out every taxi, bus, and motorcycle that he saw. I was able to use my French quite a bit, as most of the people I spoke with did not speak English. We will definitely go back to this charming town! (side note: it also is home to The Gap - the closest one to Brussels - yippee, I miss American shopping!)

The Chamber of Commerce

The main square, Place du Général-de-Gaulle, better known as the "Grand'place", has a fountain which Grayson loved!

In 1792 Lille was surrounded by 35,000 Austrian soldiers but refused to surrender. Lille managed to hold out and the Austrians eventually lifted their seige. Above you can see some of the Austrian cannon balls that remain lodged in one of the town's buildings.

Lille's beautiful, ancient, French architecture.

The Opera was built in 1923 (replacing another theatre built in 1785 which burned down).

The historic district, Vieux Lille, is full of old charming houses and beautiful shops. Rue de la Monnaie is the city's oldest street (pictured above).

Grayson took a nap in the stroller - for an hour!

Vieux Lille is home to Meert, which according to some is the most beautiful pâtisserie in France. Grayson and I can attest to their wonderful glace (ice cream) and cookies!

At the end of our day we enjoyed beer and milk on the Grand Place before heading back to Brussels.