Sunday, October 2, 2011

Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark

October's here and, it appears, so is summer! Today was one of those days when all of Brussels was outdoors, very befitting for a day at Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark. This park and palace were built in 1880, under King Leopold II's reign, for the Golden Jubilee in celebration of Belgian's independence. It took another 50 years to complete the grounds and triumphal arch between the two large exhibition halls. The halls held trade fairs, horse races and stored homing pigeons while the grounds were used to grow vegetables during the war. Fast forward to 2011... Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark is a beautiful place to enjoy a picnic, visit Autoworld (one of the world's best collections of cars), Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire and the Great Mosque of Brussels. Today we found sunbathers, the finish line for the Brussels Marathon, flowers in full bloom and even Snow White! What a memorable day!      

Finished in 1905, this arch was based on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris




7 comments:

  1. What a lovely day! I am totally wondering now about why that girl is dressed as Snow White ... I love days like this!

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  2. Since she was the only person I saw in costume, I guess one might say, "pourquois pas?" Why not dress as Snow White on a beautiful day? :-)))

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  3. i'm wondering why we didn't go here last summer! (or has my memory failed me?) how far away is this from the apartment?

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  4. This was my first time though it's only a 10-minute drive from our place. We'll go during your next visit, Sofia!

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  5. Well that is a very good question "Why not dress up as Snow White?" ..... good motto!

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  6. One of my favourite green-spaces in Brussels, although I must admit there are many!

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  7. Thankfully there are many to choose from (which makes living in the city so much more enjoyable)!

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