chefmaison

Picos de Europa

July 5, 2018 After our trip to the Spanish Pyrenees last year we were looking for a similar experience this year. This is how I stumbled upon Picos the Europa. I had neven heard of it before. It doesn’t seem like a popular destination for Belgians. But is has been discovered by British, American and … Lees verder →

Madrid for the third time

March 12, 2018 This time, March 2018, we stayed in another neighbourhoud than the previous times. Staying in another district gives a whole new perspective of the city. We stayed in the posh Salamanca area, where Prada, Gucci, Chanel and Armani all have a shop just around the corner. Not that I was in any … Lees verder →

Berlin beyond the Pergamon museum, East Side gallery and Checkpoint Charlie.

February 17, 2017 This was my second visit to Berlin. Last time I was here was in 2013. At that time I visited all the usual suspects: East-Side gallery, Holocaust memorial and museum, the Reichstag, the Pergamon museum on Museuminsel, Hackeschen Höfe, Unter den Linden, Gendarmenmarkt, Checkpoint Charlie, Potsdamer Platz, the Tiergarten, Brandenburger Tor, the Neue Wache and KaDeWe. … Lees verder →

‘A building should tell a story.’ Daniel Libeskind

January 21, 2018 And that is exactly what the Judische Museum in Berlin built by Daniel Libeskind does. The large grey building, made out of concrete and clad in zinc sheeting, commemorates the numerous lives lost in the holocaust. ‘How long would it take to recite the names of the 6 million people that died?’ … Lees verder →

Seville, city of sweets, nativity and Easter.

December 31, 2017 Seville is a city drowned in tradition. We visited the week before Christmas, and the athmosphere was as merry as it can get. Everybody is doing their Christmas shopping, buying Christmas sweets from the monasteries and famous bakeries and buying lottery tickets. Choirs are singing in the streets, brass bands are playing … Lees verder →

Three great walks in Snowdonia that are not a walk up Snowdon!

August 2, 2017 1. Crimpiau circular walk from Capel Curig, Snowdonia National Park After our climb to the top of Snowdon, we decided to make an easier walk the next day. The walk up Crimpiau is a walk to a summit without aiming for the highest peaks. They promise magnificent views of Snowdon horseshoe, Mymbyr … Lees verder →

Conquering Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)

August 2, 2017 Yr Wyddfa (the tomb or the tumulus) is with 1085 m the highest peak of Eryri (Snowdonia), and the highest peak of the UK outside of Scotland. The tomb or cairn in question is said to mark the grave of the fierce giant Rhita Gawr (or Fawr), who made himself a cloak … Lees verder →

Walking Holiday in Eryri or Snowdonia National Park, North Wales

August 1, 2017 After our wonderful hiking holiday in the Pyrenees of Spain, we planned a second outdoor holiday with our children in Wales. My son really wanted to see Snowdonia which looked indeed gorgeous from the pictures boasting walking routes for all levels. One downside: even in summer it rains a lot in … Lees verder →

Edible nature, into the wild…

July 9, 2017 Walking in the Pyrenees awakened the herbalist in me. It started with my husband who noticed some thyme (Thymus nervosus) between the rocks. The scent of the crushed thyme between my fingers triggered the biologist in me. From then on I started to show even more interest in nature around me. And … Lees verder →

Two walks in Valle de Tena

July 6, 2017 Ordesa valley consists of three valleys: Ordesa, Anisclo and Pineta. But from our base in Torla it is more than an hour by car to get to Valle de Pineta. Valle de Tena on the other hand is only 45 minutes away from Torla. Our guidebook also mentioned that the Pineta valley … Lees verder →