I turned 45 in June. I have this tradition – when possible – of not being in Belgium for my birthday. From Sweden in 2013 to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley in 2014, Lake Orta in 2015, Rome in 2016, London in 2018, North Carolina and Virginia in 2019, England in 2022, and Rotterdam…
Tag: Normandy
Nicosia 1st, Leuven 4th on Best European Cultural Destinations 2026 list
Looking for the ideal European city break in 2026, where heritage, creativity and everyday local life blend seamlessly? The Best European Cultural Destinations 2026 selection celebrates ten cities where culture is not a backdrop, but a living, evolving experience shaped by history, innovation and participation.
PALERMO | Palazzo dei Normanni, the Royal Palace of the Normans in Sicily
March 2025. We’re embarking on a train trip to Sicily. We fly from Brussels Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways. Then we take an Intercity Notte sleeper train by Trenitalia from Roma Termini Railway Station across Italy to Syracuse. Yes, the train is loaded on a ferry to cross the…
REVIEW | The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana
June 2024. For our first visit to the United States of America since the COVID-19 pandemic, we flew to New Orleans via London Heathrow with British Airways. After two days of exploring NOLA, Amtrak‘s Crescent overnight train brought us from Louisiana to New York, where we we stayed one night only before flying home.
Spain – Andorra – Catalonia – Occitania – Andalusia 2023
In 2023 I ‘rediscovered’ the for Belgians traditional holiday destinations of France and Spain. And in France, I mostly stayed in what was traditionally more Latin or Iberian than the France which we associate with Paris, Bordeaux, Nice, Brittany, Normandy or the Champagne. In 2023, I explored areas with a more or less fiercely independent…
Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp
Situated at the Vrijdagmarkt or Friday Market in Antwerp, the Museum Plantin-Moretus tells you the story of Christophe Plantin, his heir Jan Moretus and his descendants. The Officina Plantiniana printed books for several centuries.
REVIEW | David Hockney double exhibition at Bozar Brussels’ arts museum
Until 23 January 2022 you can visit the David Hockney exhibitions at Bozar, Brussels‘ art museum adjacent to Brussels-Central Railway Station. David Hockney, OM, CH, RA is perhaps most famous for his paintings of scantily clad men, often near pools.
Bayeux Tapestry Goes to England: Time to See it in France
Président de la République Française Emmanuel Macron has agreed to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to the ancestral enemy: the English. The 70-meter-long tapestry will leave France for the first time in 950 years!