chefmaison

Brussels for lovers of vintage and flea markets

February 19, 2017 In Brussels the rich and the poor literally live next to each other. The high brow shops are just meters away from the flea markets. The area between the expensive Zavel (or ‘Sablon’ in French) and the popular down to earth ‘Vossenplein’ (‘Place du Jeu de Balle’ in French) is my favourite … Lees verder →

Bruxelles ma belle

October 28, 2016 Every few months we make a trip to Brussels. There is often an exhibition I do not want to miss, and in May I come for the Queen Elisabeth competition, the world famous classical music competition. We usually combine it with some shopping and a meal at a good restaurant. So after … Lees verder →

Authentic Bruges beer, Bourgogne des Flandres, comes back to its birth place.

Visit:Walk in Bruges – Your private guide in Bruges Authentic Bruges. Since April 2016, Bruges is a brewery richer. We used to have only one inner city brewery: Halve Maan, located close to the beautiful beguinage in Bruges. Here they brew the popular beer “Brugse Zot”. Brugse Zot means Fool from Bruges, a historic nickname … Lees verder →

Iceland, land of fire and ice

August 30, 2016 Our trip to Iceland was carefully planned out. We only decided to visit Iceland two months ahead, but had no idea that this is actually quite late, if not too late. We first booked our airline tickets, and once we had our flight, started planning out an itinerary. We would be in … Lees verder →

The Louvre, Paris

June 15, 2016 It took us many trips to Paris before visiting The Louvre. We had both visited the Louvre already more than twenty years ago, so memories of it were getting faint. On previous visits the lines in front of the Louvre did not really invite us, and there were always so many other … Lees verder →

San Cassiano, Hotel Steinrösl, Alta Badia and the Sella Ronda

June 14, 2016 The village San Cassiano in Badia, hotel Steinrösl, the Alta Badia and the Sella Ronda ski areas are the four great ingredients for a perfect ski holiday! We usually go skiing in France, in one of the smaller ski areas. First in the Jura, later to the Mont Blanc ski area in … Lees verder →

The procession of the Holy Blood

Visit:Walk in Bruges – Your private guide in Bruges Every year on Ascension day Bruges returns to its old tradition dating back to the end of the thirteenth century. What was originally a purely religious procession, has transformed into a procession that marries religion with cultural tradition and heritage and evokes historical events that took … Lees verder →

Best tearooms, coffee bars and pubs in Bruges

Visit:Walk in Bruges – Your private guide in Bruges Authentic Bruges More on Bruges: “Hidden Gems in Bruges – Discover Bruges by bike 1“ Although Bruges is quite small and you can easily walk from North to South in 30 minutes, it is sometimes not so easy to find, apart from the bars on the … Lees verder →

Gent, a great city for shopping and dining!

January 26, 2016 I live in Bruges but I love to visit Ghent or Antwerp when it comes to shopping or dining. Bruges is very classic and mostly aimed at pleasing tourists when it comes to shopping and even eating or going out for that matter. So it always feels like a breath of fresh … Lees verder →

Best tips for a weekend trip to Amsterdam

January 18, 2016 Since our daughter studies in Amsterdam we visit regularly, and so we get to know many great places to visit, sleep, eat and drink. Amsterdam is the capital of a country but has the feel of a cosy provincial city, not unlike Bruges, our hometown. On the other hand, since it is … Lees verder →