:: Fête des Plantes et du Jardin: Les jardins d’Aywiers

The late summer sun and the early autumn cold marks my favourite season: autumn. It’s still warm but kind of velvety and cold enough to wear cosy woolen wear. This sunday the weather was perfect for an amazing outing: the garden days at Abbaye d’Aywiers at Lasne.

After a 30 min drive south of Brussels and passing by a lot of almost bucolic sceneries like cows lying  in a green hilly countryside it’s hard to believe that Brussels is so close by and that the city is actually surrounded by idylic landscape. Fête des Plantes et du Jardin  takes time twice a year at the Abbaye D’Aywiers. The garden of the Abbaye is lovely and very informal. Like a big farmyard with an orchard complete with sheep. Nature wore it’s brightest colours and celebrated the last late summer days (Sorry, for trying to be poetic).  We were early and wandered around the estate, bought marmelade and some plants at one of the numerous stalls, saw a lot of french looking belgian men wearing floral shirts and wellies and took (numerous) pictures when Mathilda picked her first apple. For a garden and plant aficionados it must be heaven.

Already marked for next year in my calendar: May 2014 when the next flower & plant market will be taking place. Bring you wellies.

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:: Bruxelles Step By Step: Maru – Korean Kitchen

My first contact with this restaurant was without money. I went there some lunchtime, ordered greedily the bibimbamb for take away only to discover moments later that I had forgotten my wallet. So I reserved for the evening a table for two – which is highly advisable as they are quite booked out.

So the two redheads and I arrived promptly on 7:00 p.m. and indulged in real korean kitchen. Everything is very simple, aesthetic, a bit of 60s feeling and some nice bar music. Oh and did I tell you it was sublime? The food is authentic and very tasty, not overdone – according to redhead senior who has lived in Asia several years. M liked it also and was staring shamelessly at the other guests. After a chilled glass of plum wine we decided to go there once a month – it’s not cheap. But I need to try the Monks Fried Vegetables, the various soups, the bibambab …

Maru . Chaussee de Waterloo 510 ( at the crossing with Lepoutre and across Pain Quotidien), 1050 Brussels . Tue – Sun 12 – 13.30 & 19 – 22.30

:: Bruxelles Step by Step II: Van Buuren Museum

I’m still in the process of getting over all the beauty I saw yesterday. As it was a warm and sunny day here in Brussels I decided to check out the Van Buuren Museum, a lovely house with original interiors dating from the 1920s onwards and with an intimate picture collection. Outside you find an enchanting garden including a maze, a rose garden, an english landscape garden, a river, green lawns, to name but a few features. I was thrilled and bought instantly an annual members card for 50 Euro – normally the visit is 10 Euro – which allows you to visit the garden and the house as often as you want. You bet I will be there with M on a daily basis.

The historic  interior is superb. And with a little imagination you have the feeling you are a guest at the Van Buurens and they will pop in any moment to say hello. Astonishingly the house is not crowed with visitors and you can wander around on yourself pretending your back in the 1920s. A perfect time machine.

I’m a sucker for historic interiors but I have not been to the Horta House here in Brussels. To be honest all the tourist queueing up at the entrance made be turn away.