Groot-Bijgaarden & Bluebells

Here 'tis, the end of June already. Summer has finally arrived here in Brussels...admittedly late, but welcome as ever. I have been so busy soaking up every possible ounce of warmth and sunshine, that I have not given much thought to the blog this week. But, as luck would have it, I started a post about a rare sunny, warm springtime weekend we enjoyed in late April, and somehow never got around to posting it. Since it's mostly pretty pictures of flowers, it seems the perfect way to wrap up this pretty month.

Since we're a trifle en retard, I won't write too much about our visit to the Groot-Bijgaarden -- a fortified residence about 7 km from Brussels that dates back to the 12th(!) century -- but instead will just offer a few lovely images of the grounds and the spectacular springtime flowers.


Troy is the lion, guarding the 14th century entrance to the castle


Sitting in a field of flowers


Gorgeous tulips!


Variegated tulips


A river of narcissus...


And a sea of tulips


Springtime happiness

The next day we went out to the Bois de Halle for a hike amidst the forest's fabled bluebell carpet. I visited the Bois de Halle with my friend Cornelle last year and, as she is a talented photographer, she knew the best time of day to capture the light. Under her direction, I captured some amazing shots, so good that we didn't bother trying to one-up ourselves this year. Instead we just strolled and talked and soaked in some forest peace.

Hope that you have had a sunny and peaceful June. Now it's on to high summer and July...

Groot-Bijgaarden Photo Album - Click Here