For the people who like to be close to nature and explore a different side to Brussels, a unique opportunity has arisen thanks to Bruxelles Bavard ASBL: On Sunday, July 29^th, a nature walk will be organized in the western outskirts of the Brussels.

The walking tour will start outside the Jette train station, at the Cardinal Mercier train station, and the tour includes a stroll through the different parts of the King Baldwin Park (Parc Roi Baudouin), not far from the Jette cemetery and along the Molenbeek valley (Molen in Dutch meaning mill, beek meaning creek).

Thereafter hikers get to experience the highlight of this walk: the Poelbos Natural Reserve, usually closed to the public. This natural reserve comprises an expansive line of fields and forests in the north-west of Brussels, in the municipalities of Jette and Ganshoren. Considered an important green space in Brussels, the reserve has an area of more than 120 hectares, a sanctuary where a wide variety of animals find a home, especially birds. The walk of about 10 km is led by an experienced nature guide who has the key to enter the forest.

Additional points of interest include the Bee Gardens and the Gallo-Roman Villa in Jette. Participants will also get to see and walk on the Green Path towards Zavelenberg, characterized by the extensive prairies that lie open just in front of the Basilix shopping mall.

The return segment will be towards the Molenbeek in Kattebroek, continuing further on in the direction of the Wilder woods and the site of Scheutbos where one can breathe in and smell the wide open space of the Pajottenland. 

The walk is scheduled to end towards 18h on the terrace of the Café De Linde, a cold beer in one’s hand, admiring the rustle of leaves of a magnificent old linden tree.

Good to know:

The walking tour on July 29th is fully booked but a new date will likely be added to the calendar. More info and booking via Bruxelles Bavard site.

The post A walk in the far west of Brussels: Jette and the Poelbos reserve appeared first on Brussels Express.

Both Aqualibi, the indoor swimming/leisure complex, and the adjacent Walibi, one of the best-visited theme parks in Belgium, have undergone a major, multi-million-euro refurbishment.They have now reopened to the public just in time for the upcoming busy summer season. The aim, says a spokesman, is to create “more fantastic moments for the public” and to “continue to be at the summit of theme parks.”

As both Walibi and Aqualibi are two of the most popular visitor attractions in Wallonia, the move will give a much-needed boost to tourism in the region.

The transformation is a new chapter in the history of Walibi, which first opened way back in 1975 and is one of the country’s oldest theme parks. Currently, about 110 people are employed fulltime on site, rising to 1,000 during the peak season. It all amounts to an investment, so far, of some €12 million with a total of €100 million foreseen in the overall investment plan for the next five years.

The spokesman said they were enlarging the park by 4.5 hectares and will be creating eight new themed zones with individual landscaping, four new restaurants offering different culinary experiences, and 10 new rides.

In addition to Aqualibi being given a Caribbean-style theme and brand new 700 square metre zone for children who cannot yet swim, Walibi has opened its first “Exotic World.” The water park Aqualibi has been completely remodelled in what is called a “Caribbean style”, along with the new “Kiddie Bay,” a first for Aqualibi. Kiddie Bay is a zone for kids who cannot swim with 36 water animations, 70 water sources and 5 slides.

Walibi, meanwhile, now boasts “Exotic World”, another first for the theme park, which was inspired by an exotic tiki theme with exotic decorations. At the heart of the new zone is “Tiki-Waka”, a family fun-coaster for children from 1 metre in height. Tiki-Waka is 21m high, 564 metre long and is the longest and tallest attraction of this style (Bobsled Coaster) ever built. Manufactured by German attraction builder Gerstlauer, Tiki-Waka, reaches a speed of up to 55 km/hour. The aim is to give children who are more than 1 metre high their first roller coaster experience.There is also Tiki-Trail, an adventure trail over the fun-coaster. A total of €7.8 million has been invested in Exotic World.

Commenting on the new attractions, Jean-Christophe Parent, Managing Director of Walibi and Aqualibi, told Brussels Express « We are very pleased to present the first important phase of our investment plan.”

Parent added that “this very important” re-development and investment will give both regular and new visitors to Walibi and Aqualibi “even more reason” to visit both parks in the future.

Expansion of the site has been based on customer satisfaction surveys completed by visitors and studies into future sociological and technological trends and visitors, Parent says, will be “more immersed” in the park than in the past. The aim is to increase daily visitors but the maximum figure is 20,000 with Parent saying, “It’s important that people feel comfortable here.”

The park was founded in 1975 by Eddy Meeùs under the banner « Walibi Wavre ». In its early years, it was known as a water-skiing area. About a decade after, in 1987, a waterpark, Aqualibi, opened next door. In 2006, the park was taken over by CDA Parks, a French leisure group.

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Although Belgium is not a huge country, and its coast not the biggest, it is surely one of the most accessible if your aim is to have a look at the many places it has to offer. The Kusttram is indeed one of the most interesting and unique tourist attractions you can find in the country.

This tram, set up in 1885, allows you to travel across the entirety of the Belgian coast. From La Panne (near the French border) to Knokke-Heist (near the Dutch border). The 67-kilometre line crosses both sides of the Belgian coast in 2 hours and 21 minutes. If not considering “tram-train” lines, then the Kusttram is the longest tram line in the World.

When created in the 19th century, the line only covered a few kilometres: from Ostende-Middelkerke to Nieuport. But the SNCV, which used to be in charge of the operation of the tram line, made many works in the first half of the 20th century which enabled millions of people to travel to each costal city easily; more than 15 million people use it every year (60,000 users per day in summer).

So although tourism comes to mind when thinking of the tram, the coastal inhabitants use this tram on a daily basis. A tram stops at each station every 10 or 20 minutes (depending on the time and the calendar), so should you work in another city, taking the tram will not only avoid the traffic, it will give you a serene sight for your morning and evening commutes.

For the city-dwelling Brusselians, it will offer you a unique opportunity to soak in some spectacular and magnificent views of the Belgian landscape and visit some less frequented cities along the way (such as Oostende or Le Coq).

De Lijn, which today operates the line, offers one or two day tickets; with the opportunity to purchase combined tickets, getting visits to museums along the journey.

The post Fun Fact: the Longest Tram Line in the World Is on the Belgian Coast appeared first on Brussels Express.

The carnival’s roots within the town date back to the 14th century, but despite this being an age-old tradition, no one can pinpoint the history of the specific practices. Some local legends claim that 16th-century ruler of the town, Queen Mary of Hungary, had Incas perform at the festival in colourful costumes. This set a precedent for the event ever since, as flamboyant costumes now characterise the festival.

The carnival has male performers known as « Gills », march through the centre of town wearing feathered headpieces, vibrant clothing, wooden masks, and ringing bells and beating drums to ward off evil spirits; with the Gills even throwing oranges at spectators!

Throwing oranges at the spectators? Rest assured, this is all in good faith and is one of the many traditions observed in the carnival. Being given an orange by a Gills is seen as good luck, and it is an insult to throw it back. So if you happen to get hit by one, just smile and wave.

Although there are events each week for seven weeks leading up to the carnival, the main performances take place on the three shrove days. Bonfires, fireworks, marches and music, the events increase from the first to last day, with the final day’s processions going from dawn till dusk.

So if you are looking to experience something outlandishly authentic this year, then why not visit the small town of Binche and see the big suprise they have to offer.

The post Belgian Escapade: Carnaval de Binche appeared first on Brussels Express.

It houses over 100,000 exhibits on Walloon history and culture from the 19th century, plus traditional Liege puppet shows.

A sophisticated scenography depicts objects and archival material and mixes ancient and contemporary elements. Different themes focus on Walloon society, its people, ideas and know-how.

It is said to be the most extensive folkloric museum of Belgium, a vast collection too varied for brief description, but conveniently grouped and vividly presented by multi-media effects in each exhibit room.

Even subjects such as the Walloon’s attitudes towards death and funeral ceremonies become absorbing when viewed here. In the basement is a reproduction of a Walloon coal mine, accompanied by a guide delivering an indignant commentary on the hardships endured by 19th-century, Belgian coal miners of the Liege area.

It is part of the region’s past that is sometimes overlooked by today’s generation.

This is a modern museum but one which gives the visitor an insight into festivals, religions, superstitions of years gone by,including the « dogcarts », which were used to transport milk or what was known as a « wish tree », where the sick would nail their bandages so their ailments would be cured.

Located in the heart of Liège, in the magnificent former monastery of the Liege Friars Minor, the museum offers a delightful insight into everyday life in Wallonia, from human and social history to economy, literature, crafts and popular celebrations and beliefs.

It features an excellent documentation centre and hosts tours and activities for every age and taste, together with regular temporary exhibitions. It also takes an active part in many events, such as the local Heritage Days, the Wallonia Festival and the « Night of the Hills » celebration.

Audio visual guides are available in various languages,  including English, to help the visitor navigate their way around this fascinating place.

There’s also a pleasant small restaurant serving local beers and regional specialities and, until 7 January, a temporary exhibition on toys.

If you are looking for ideas for an educational day out, consider this museum – one of Wallonia’s must-dos!

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Rêve, in French, means dream so the owner came up with the novel idea of removing the “d” from the road where it happens to be located (dreve Richelle) for the name of the restaurant.

There’s no doubt that the food served here has a “dreamlike” quality and the inventive thinking that went into the relatively mundane task of finding a name also goes into the cooking.

At Le Rêve Richelle, Benoit Decelle successfully marries the traditional with the modern which is just one of the reasons why his business is still going strong 26 years after he launched it. Everything from the friendly welcome diners are given on entry and the relaxing and spacious surroundings to the fine cuisine itself is top notch here and reflects very well, both on Benoit and his wife Claire.

The beginning of this adventure

Benoit’s success story, or “adventure” as it might also be called, actually goes back all the way to 1991. His parents were pharmacists but, for Benoit, his future lay in the culinary, rather than chemist, world.

After leaving a renowned catering school in Namur, he worked for several high class restaurants in Brussels and also had a spell at a top hotel in Singapore. Having returned to Belgium,he passed a “nice-looking” villa in Waterloo one day which was up for sale and also conveniently located opposite what, at the time, was  a fledgling business park.

It didn’t take long for him to decide that this was the place where he might set about launching his dream of opening and running his very own restaurant. That was 26 years ago and, along the way, he met Claire, a trained interpreter but who had a background in hotel/restaurant management.

Fast forward to the present and, while Benoit’s focus is very much on creating some mouth-watering creations, Claire is in charge of “front-of-house” affairs  where, amongst other things, she also dispenses some very knowledgeable expertise for diners on the restaurant’s extensive – and eclectic – wine selection.   The couple have a delightful way of describing their success here, describing it as a “love story.”

“It a love story between us, a love story between Claire and her clients and, finally, a love story between me and my cuisine,” declared the locally-born Benoit.

The real bread and butter

For diners, the love story actually starts with the tasty homemade bread which, as a foretaste of what is to follow, is very inventive (some of it is made from octopus ink and tomato and cumin).

Benoit’s inventiveness knows no bounds and that extends to the appetiser which is popcorn – not the variety you find at the cinema but a version which contains truffle!

The love affair blossoms with the a la carte which specialises in what might be called Franco-Belgian classics. It currently includes sweetbread (a personal favourite of Claire); grilled turbot and fillet soles (interestingly served with Monbazillac, a sweet white wine). There’s also deer, duck fillet  and dry aged steak served with homemade chips.

Everything here is recommended but, it seems, the majority of customers opt for the fixed menu which, at €56 per head, represents particular good value for money (the price is even lower, €39pp, if only one starter is taken). This 6-course feast, which changes every month, currently features some lovely options such as red tuna, St Jacques and boneless quail (easy to see why it’s so popular!)

Eating here, though, is not complete with availing yourself of Claire’s impressive expertise when it comes to wine and, here, there is quite a choice. Thankfully, the choice (available by the glass as well as bottle) is not restricted to the “usual suspects” but extends to other wine markets, such as Romania, Lebanon and Bulgaria which are rarely featured at restaurants  in Belgium.

Each dish on the fixed menu includes a recommended wine, including (with the starter) a very satisfying Stellenbosch red which is a great accompaniment to the food generally.

Benoit says he particularly likes to use the fixed menu to “experiment” and “surprise” customers a little with its featured dishes – this is also where he can bring his influence of working in the Far East to bear on his cooking.  But, whatever one’s choice (menu or a la carte) the emphasis is very much on freshness and employing only seasonal products.

The quality of both the service and food is evidenced by the fact that some customers travel from as far as Antwerp. In a business that can be quite volatile the fact that this restaurant is still a top attraction after over a quarter of a century is going some.

Good to know:
96 dreve Richelle, Waterloo
Telephone: 02 354 8224
www.reverichelle.eu

The post Belgian foodie escapade: Le Rêve Richelle appeared first on Brussels Express.