One of these times was in winter 1989.  I very well remember walking and gliding on the frozen pools, the same ones that were used by sportsfishermen  in summer.  I have to laugh again when I think back about the snowfights with friends, and about the snowman we made together with the little children.  Now that was what I call a winter !

FLANDERS, 2001 – My call for snow has been heard by the weather gods ! I’m happy to be able to show new pictures of this years winter, which was amazingly beautifully covered in snow and ice.  Following pictures do not need a lot of comments.  They were taken in the woods close to my home.

Also a nearby frozen pool attracted a lot of ice skaters. This next picture was taken after the crowds – and the snow – were gone.

EUPEN, 1998 – In the highest regions of our country, there is obviously more snow each year… if it snows at all.  When the first snow comes – as is the case at the time of writing (12/2001) – everyone gets crazy and wants to go to the Ardennes.  The roads are slippery and chaotic situations are to be seen.  Most people go over there to do some cross-country skiing or even alpine skiing (on some rare occasions).  I am one of these crazy people.  But I mainly go hiking to experience the beautiful landscapes and the solitude and silence of the snow landscape. The town of Eupen is located near the German border.

I had a few hours to spend before the sun would set behind the hills.  I decided to do a little discovery walk, up to some medieval fortress ruins.  The ruins were deserted as I arrived there.  The (new) bridge that replaced the one once used by the knights, was wet and slippery.  I went further towards the outlook point – the view was good and as I sat there for some 10 minutes. The sun managed to break through the clouds – this could be the beginning of a good weather weekend ! I went down again and continued my walk following a rocky hill ridge and along the river. It was time to go for diner and sample some of the local delicacies.

The next day, mist was hanging in the valley.  After breakfast, as I put on my hiking boots, sunshine already welcomed me, and I was in the mood for some serious hiking now.  I went through the forests to some nearby lake, about 10 kilometers away.  In this season, there is quite a lot of hunting in this area, and the hunting dates are always marked at the main entrance paths to the forest.  I was happy to read that there was no hunting that day, so nothing could spoil my plan anymore.  Around noon, after having struggled with loads of mud on the paths, I arrived at the lake with a castle and a scientific station nearby.  The surroundings of this lake are a nature preservation area, so it was off limits to hikers – but the views were good.  I continued my walk after my lunch towards the Semois river, to reach a little dam that was previously used by the monks (I later went to the acient monastery, it’s a very luxury hotel now).  Although I had been to this place before, I never hiked there in autumn with forests full of leaves that cover all the paths and dim light.  I got a little lost, that is, I had to walk back further than expected, which resulted in difficulties reading my map during the last half an hour of my hike.  As I reached the village again, I saw some local people in full camouflage outfit, going into the now almost dark forest – hunters or nature watchers ?

The next couple of days, I made some other hikes, and the weather just was splendid.  I could fully admire the whole range of autumn colours.  At one point, I was walking on a little road through the forest, and a car approached me – one of the only cars I had seen till now.  Two people came out of the car, talked quietly and pointed at some trees…  Soon I also saw a herd of animals ! At first the seemed to be deer, but as I looked with the binoculars, it was clear this were mouflons. (These animals are originally imported from Corsica, look here for a little description). There were like ten animals, just grazing between the trees.  I had been hiking a lot in the forests before, but this was some unique experience !

On the next day I could not hike a lot, because the village was being invaded by hunters… They had a lot of jeeps and carriages with dogs and were all dressed like going to war… They made a lot of noise.  There were “no trespassing” signs everywhere, hiking was not an option today.

Going out with friends, walking, riding bicycle, … but also barbecue and a fresh beer on the terasse of the café ! I particulary like the fact it only gets dark late (around 10 PM in mid summer) and the sunsets are often spectacular.  And when it has been a really hot day (yes it happens…), walking outside in the rain can be a real delight too !

Most people who stay in Belgium for the summer holidays, either go to the Belgian coast, or to the Ardennes.  After a period of rainy weather, it is very crowdy on the roads towards this destinations.

For me summertime is also the time of music festivals in open air.  The last five years or so, the festival scene in Belgium really is booming.  You can go somewhere every weekend if you want to.  And I like to go there because the mixture of sun, happy people, nice music and a belgium beer… is hard to resist.  And going to a festival is always a little adventure. Life is beautiful in summer

FLANDERS, APRIL-MAY 2002 – When the temperatures rise and the days get longer, nature is awakening from its winter sleep. This years spring has been a exceptionnaly sunny and mild one, making the renewing of natural beauty even more enjoyable.

It all starts with some little flowers that peek out of the earth in March, but after the first couple of sunny weeks in April, the abundance of new green leaves and yellow, pink and white flowers on the trees is everywhere.  In early spring, I always admire how the landscape changes every day.

Besides the beauty of the fresh green in the forest, one of the big attractions are the fruit gardens on the countryside.  The colours of the blossoming fruit trees are just wonderfull.  I made a couple of walks in the province of Limburg in Flanders, close to the border with the Netherlands.  The abundance of apple trees and cherry trees over here covers the landscape with a blanket of blossoms.