Antwerp and Kessel-Lo Park

In Belgium, Easter is a popular family holiday time.  Children are given a two week break for school, and the Monday after Easter is a national holiday.  Jason did not have to work last Monday, so we decided to make a day trip to Antwerp.  The city is located in the northern Dutch part of Belgium, called Flanders.  Antwerp became a prominent sea port in the 1500's, and remains one of the largest ports in Europe. 

We enjoyed walking around the Grote Markt, which was very similar to the Grand Place in Brussels.  Also, there was a square just off the Grote Markt with a statue honoring the artist Peter Paul Rubens.  I was not familiar with him, but Jason knew the name right away from his art background. 

The children enjoyed chasing the pigeons around the square - an activity that I'm sure will continue for the next two years!

 

There was a beautiful cathedral right in the city center.  We stepped in to warm up a bit and show the children their first European cathedral, only to find we needed to pay 5 Euro per person to go in!  Almost all cathedrals Jason and I have seen were free - and we have seen our fair share!  I think they were charging admission because there was a special display of Peter Paul Rubens' art work throughout the church.  Seeing that we did not think our children would appreciate the cathedral or the artwork  enough to make it worth a 25 Euro entrance fee, we opted to wait and introduce them to these grand churches later on.

We walked through Het Steen, a restored castle fortress near the water. It was originally built in the 1200's! 

From what I could read of a sign posted in French, it looked as if there was a museum in the castle.  However, it is closed for renovations until 2011.  I guess we will have to make a trip back next year to actually see inside!  Although it was a bummer to not go inside, there was a outdoor boat/shipping museum that had dozens of vessels on display.  We enjoyed looking at the boats, and at the very end we found a play area for the children. 

I think this was an actual boat which had been painted and converted into a playground of sorts.  There were also a few tire swings and the children climbed in and out of the portholes on the side!

It was a cold day, much colder than we had expected.  By lunch, we were ready to head back home.  We stopped and grabbed a bit to eat near the Grote Markt and headed to the car. 

Tuesday was another venture out of the city for us - minus Jason who unfortunately had to return to work!  The wife of one of Jason's co-workers invited us along with she and her three year old son to an amazing park called Kessel-Lo in Luven, a town about 20 minutes away.  The park was very large and broken into various sections.  Where we entered, there was a small "petting zoo" area with goats, donkeys, a pig and some chickens!  The kids loved it, especially Drew.  He is our animal lover and could not get enough of these cute goats!

Apparently, the goats liked Ethan!  This one kept licking all the kids hands, but was very careful not to bite. 

We walked along a short path to a water play area that allowed the children to move see how water can turn a wheel.  It reminded me of some of the exhibits at the Durham Life and Science Museum.  One of the other mothers that went with us to the park brought some stale bread and the children enjoyed feeding the ducks.

A short while later, we were all ready to find the play equipment for the children and a spot to eat our lunch.  We walked a winding path around a pond and came to four huge play areas with various equipment for the children.  One thing I have learned quickly in Belgium is that their "safety standards" are, lets just say, a little more relaxed than those in our litigous US society!  Here are two pics of Jenna's favorite piece of equipment at the park.

That is Jenna in the middle! 

It was like one of those team building ropes courses, without the tether!  I was so proud of her for making it all the way to the top.  She cannot wait to go back with Jason and show him what she can do.

Here is the play area that Ethan enjoyed.

Again, the sheer size and height of these structures made me a bit nervous, but the kids had a blast.  For some reason, it reminded me of playing in a mining shaft!

The park also had several original swings and play structures that I had not seen before.  Jenna, Ethan and Drew enjoyed this swing.

We were so thankful for Karen asking us to tag along on their day out.  We were blessed with the best weather we've had in Brussels so far.  Bright Carolina blue sky and the temp was close to 70!  Drew made great friends with Karen's son, Brady.  He is three years old and likes to help show Drew around and make sure he is safe.  It is very sweet!

Sadly,  Brady, Karen and Tony will be leaving Brussels to return to the US in just a few short weeks.  They have been such a blessing to us as we are attempting to get settled.  Last week offered an exciting taste of the exploring our family will be able to do over the next two years!  What a great way to get our feet wet and enjoy two destinations here in Belgium.