Belgium Trip
April 22-May 1, 2005
 

April 28th Gardens of Annevoie, Petit Leez Castle, Spa

We ate and left for the Gardens of Annevoie www.jardins.dannevoie.be From the moment you entered until you left the gardens, you walked from one water feature to another ... a garden of 50 water fountains making music that has been playing for over 250 years. One of the unique water features were the Water Steps, the only ones to have survived in such good condition, operating without the help of any machinery since built in 1760. There are three garden styles here to discover - French, Italian and English. It was lovely and a very peaceful place to be.all except for the male goose that was on patrol to keep people away from his mate and their eggs. Listed as a Key Heritage Site in Wallonia. New to the gardens is a children's play area.

Lunch was at Les Jardins de la Molignee www.jardins.molignee.com and from there we visited Petit Leez Castle Farm and Sculpture Garden as well as Galerie Dieleman www.dielemangallery.com We could not get over just how much sculpture there was here. My favourite were the horses in the field ... they looked real but they were bronze. The two black swans were real.

Check in at the Hotel Radisson SAS Palace in Spa.Spa is where it all began and now we were at this hotel for two nights and going to enjoy a bit of relaxation ourselves. www.radissonsas.com

As far back as the Roman era, Spa was renowned for its mineral springs and healing waters. Set amid a gently rolling, wooded landscape, the town is known today as the "Pearl of the Ardennes," a jewel nestled in what were once the extensive Ardennes forests. The name of the town itself derives from Latin, either from "espa," the word for "fountain," or as an acronym for "salus per aquam" (health through water). By the medieval period, the city had achieved a solid reputation for its therapeutic waters, and by the 18th and 19th centuries, patrons were flocking to Spa to take them.