Weekly Winners, Review and Preview

 

 

This Weekly Winners is going to be very random. It’s a review and a preview at the same time. I had so many photo opportunities this week it’s impossible to share them all, so I’m going to give you a preview of things to come on this blog in the next couple of days.

A garden fair was held at this lovely castle and I got to photograph it

inside and outside, top to bottom!

Arts and crafts.

More photos coming up in my Window Views next Thursday.

We spent some time in my grandmother’s village.

 

I can never get enough of that beautiful scenery there. 
More to come on Ruby Tuesday.  

 
Sunlight and Spring …

 
Tough guys being shy…

 
Under construction ...


An unexpected sight in the city.

More pictures from this huge cruise ship in Midweek Blues next Wednesday.

I posted about the chocolate shop in Napoleon’s Palace earlier this week . Go here if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s worth it, it’s amazing.

More chocolate pictures tomorrow on Macro Monday.

 

So there, it has been a very exciting week, and I will be sharing more pictures over the next days, so stay tuned!  
Don’t forget to visit Heavenin365 for your daily dose of my photography.
Visit I am Lotus to see more Weekly Winners.
Have a great week!

Weekend Reflections, One More …

 

One more picture from that amazing chocolate shop I posted about two days ago.
I just KNOW James is going to love this one!
Click this link to see more photos from this lovely store at the Royal Palace.
More pictures by me on Heavenin365.

Weekend Reflections is hosted by James at Newton Area Photo.

Friday’s Fave Five, Lovely Spring Weather

 

Friday again, time to share some of my favorite moments from the week that has passed. It’s been a beautiful week, there were many things that made me smile …

1. Sunlight and beautiful weather. If there is one thing that makes people happy all over the world it’s sunshine and Spring weather after a long and cold Winter. Right here in Belgium they promised Mediterranean weather on Wednesday and Thursday and they were right! I swung open doors and windows and had my lunch outside on my patio yesterday. Hearing the birds sing, and seeing the first honey bees visit the blooming Spring flowers really made my heart sing!  

2. I was out and about with my camera again this week. On Sunday I had a date with my husband. We went to a garden fair where people exchanged plants. The fair was held in a castle and the rooms on the first floor were open to visitors. Photo opportunities galore! After that we went to my grandmother’s village and shot some more pictures there. I can never get enough of the peaceful scenery there.  

3. The Snowdrops my husband got me at the fair. They look so cheerful and Springy next to the blooming Daffodils, Primulas and Violets. Speaking of Violets, I have some in a pot I bought in Fall. They made it through the cold Winter and are now really starting to grow lots of flowers again. I love how the flowers look like little smiling faces to me, and they make me smile right back!

4. Wednesday was St.- Patrick’s day, and I wanted to try and find some Irish spirit and capture it with my camera. Unfortunately, all I saw was a couple of groups of students trying to get drunk in one of the very few (only seven!) Irish pubs we have in Antwerp. I had no desire to join them so I continued my walk and tried to find other photo opportunities.  And I did. In case you’re wondering about the cruise ship in my collage, no I did not go on a cruise. There was a huge ship in the docks, another great photo opportunity!

5. Later that same day I discovered the chocolate shop I posted about yesterday. And although I’m trying to loose some weight, eating lots of fruits and veggies and chicken soup, I just could not resist buying some chocolate. The tiniest amount, I bought three little Easter eggs because … well, they looked SO pretty. They’re going to be part of my Easter decoration for a while longer before I eat them. 

 

So there … the little things that made me smile this week. So … how was your week? Tell us about it and join Friday’s Fave Five if you want. You’ll find lots of other posts at Susanne’s Living to Tell the Story.

Chocolate Heaven in Napoleon’s Kitchen

I was strolling down on main street, the Meir in Antwerp when I spotted this billboard.

The day before yesterday a famous chocolatier from Bruges has opened the doors to his brand new shop in what is probably one of the prettiest locations in Antwerp, the Royal Palace at the Meir. The palace was built in the mid 1700’s and was bought by Napoleon in 1811 who had it decorated in French Empire style. During the first World War it was the home of King Albert I. The palace and it’s furniture was donated to the Flemish people by King Boudewijn. The palace has been restored to it’s former grandeur and is going to open to the public the first weekend of May.

I had a brief conversation with Dominique Persoone, the man behind this amazing chocolate shop. He told me it’s a unique feeling to make chocolate in Napoleon’s kitchen! Opening the shop is one year overdue, so as you can imagine he is probably THE most tired yet happiest man on the face of the earth.

So here’s a scoop for you ladies and gentlemen, allow me to open the doors to chocolate Heaven!

The minute I walked in, the delicate scent of chocolate teased my nostrils.

Follow me …

The place is so pretty it made me gasp.

Well, … I told you it was Heaven, didn’t I?!

And this is "Napoleon's" kitchen …

Can you smell the chocolate?

Midweek Blues, The Wall

 

 

About a quarter of a mile away from the art concept I published yesterday I found even more art on walls.

This time it has the artist’s name on it. 
 

I like the multi cultural message this one seems to hold…

 

 

More Midweek Blues at Rebecca's Dusty Cellar. 

Ruby Tuesday, Street Art

Art, street art, pop art … graffiti. Some people hate it, some people love it.
I can appreciate graffiti if it’s in the right places and I rather like this bridge project where artists have been invited to decorate the walls. Some of it is really amazing. Without the street Picasso’s this would be just another ordinary and boring bridge.

More Ruby Tuesday posts at Mary’s Work of the Poet.

Macro Monday, Stone and Ivy

 

 

This pretty baluster was in the garden of a castle I visited yesterday. I got as close as my camera would allow to capture some detail. I love the grain in the stone and the Ivy growing around the columns.

 

 

 

 

 

More Macro Monday posts at Lisa’s Chaos.
More photography by me at Heavenin365.