Medieval Fair

Today I found about this Medieval Fair (thanks to one of my readers!) that is taking place since yesterday and until tomorrow in the Parc du Cinquantenaire (next to the Merode entrance). It is a great event, full of stands selling all sorts of things (lots of food & drinks, jewelry, shoes, you name it!). The people from the organization are wearing costumes and there's lots of activities for kids (that are fun to watch for adults as well, like those guys imitating a fight from back then). I recommend that you pass by there tomorrow, if you have the chance (entrance is for free)!

Sorry for the photos' quality, they were exceptionally taken with the cellphone!

Shopping cart

One of the first things I realized I needed to buy here in Brussels was a shopping cart. Indeed, having to carry once a week the groceries from the supermarket and the laundry from the laundromat to my house, even if the distance is small, was a problem. If I hadn't bought one of these.

You can find them in all kinds of places here in Brussels (Rue Malibran, close to Flagey, has them in several shops, in the Midi Market you can find tons of them and this one I bought in a shop inside the shopping center of De Brouckère). All cost between 10 to 20 euros (of course you have more expensive ones all pimped up, but I suppose that if you're not expecting to use them until you're an old lady/sir, you can be fine with one of these), so I considered it an investment for my arms and back. Now every week I am strolling it along the streets of Brussels!

Lucy Chang

Recently I have been to the Lucy Chang restaurant in Brussels, which is the place to go if you're looking for great quality asian food. Indeed, with 6 restaurants already open throughout Belgium, Lucy Chang's menu is a collection of traditional and eclectic dishes from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos and China.

We went there for dinner and the environment was super zen... the low lighting, the earth colored decoration... an inviting space for a delicious meal.

We first started with a Fresh Lemongrass Infusion

This is what we ate:

Dim Sum assortment

Summer roll

Dim Sum assortment

Peking duck served with pancake and hoisin sauce

Black tiger prawns with garlic & coriander

The Peking duck all rolled up in a pancake!

Passionfruit mousse

Pineapple mousse

The food was really tasty and natural, I really enjoyed it. Don't forget to pay them a visit and try these marvellous delights!

Lucy Chang Brussels

Amerikaanse Straat 124 - 1050 Brussels

T. 02 538 90 73

ixelles@lucychang.be

http://www.lucychang.be

National Botanic Garden of Belgium

A couple of weeks ago, on a sunny day, I went to visit the National Botanic Garden of Belgium. I went by bike, as the visit was part of a cycling activity, and we departed from the Central Station with bikes rented with Point Velo (9 euros for the whole day). We cycled around 10km towards Meise, which is where the garden is located (already outside of Brussels actually). The entrance costs 6 euros and it's a beautiful garden to spend a day in, as there are plenty of things to see: greenhouses with exquisite plants, a charrette pulled by horses that goes around the garden and to which you can hop-in and hop-off, a lake and a small castle. In the end, we returned by riding our bikes the 10km back.

It was a great way of spending a sunny day! The garden is amazing and you can take food with you and make a pic-nic there (although there's also a cafe near the lake that sells food and drinks).

Cupcakes

Two weeks ago I made these cupcakes, with a pre-prepared mix I bought at HEMA (you just have to add eggs, butter and water). Then you can decorate them however you like, or just eat them plain. They are very tasty (all my visitors who tried them agreed!) and, of course, easy to make.

Parlamentarium

If you're in Brussels and into the European Union issues, you should pay a visit to the Parlamentarium. It is a visitor's center located in the European Parliament, to which you can access for free and have a tour with one of the audio-guides provided (available in all 23 EU languages). The visit is very interactive, as you can pass your guide in some points of the exhibition and hear detailed explanations on some specific aspects, see pictures, etc. In the end you can watch a short movie about how the European Parliament works in a room with a 360 degree screen. The whole visit should take you about 1h and I really enjoyed going there, so I reccommend it!

Berlin

Alexanderplatz

Alexanderplatz

Potsdamer Platz

Bradenburger Tor

Red Ampelmann

Green Ampelmann

Lietzensee Park

Charlottenburg

East Side Gallery

East Side Gallery

Mühlenstraße

East Side Gallery

East Side Gallery

Oberbaum Bridge

Oberbaum Bridge

Oberbaum Bridge

Oberbaum Bridge

Kreuzberg

The metro!

Tempelhof

Kreuzberg

Kreuzberg

Kreuzberg

As those who follow me on Facebook already know, I was in Berlin last week. This is a sneak-peak of what I saw! You have cheap tickets with Easyjet from Brussels (Zaventem airport) and the flight only takes 1h10. Great for a weekend getaway!