Picnicking in February

Yes, you read that right... Here in Spain, you can already enjoy a picnic in the month of February. Last year at the beginning of February, we already enjoyed temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius (which is 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit for our American readers). Time for a first picnic!

About 35 kilometers from Churriana de la Vega - our new hometown - is a village called Pantano de Los Bermejales. It's quite small and most people come here for the lake.

When temperatures start to rise, people come here to cool off and swim. There is a huge picnic area, but in August it can be quite crowded since a lot of locals are on holiday then.

Opposite the lake is a camping place, by the way, which is very popular with travelers.

I have photographed this area in different seasons and moments of the day. Later in February, I will publish the best of these pictures on Travel Memories.

A Trip to A Mysterious Island

Let me take you back again to the Bois de la Cambre, one of the biggest greenest areas in the Belgian capital. This time - in autumn - we had taken one of the other entrances to the park because we wanted to see the island in the middle of a lake again. It's quite one of the most unusual sights of Brussels; some tourists seem to be even unaware of this place.

It was the end of September and the leaves on the trees were beginning to change colour. There was a crispness in the air and the sunlight had become softer. We went for a stroll around the lake, looking at the island from different sides.

Since we were there in the Bois de la Cambre in the middle of the afternoon, there were not so many people about. Ideal circumstances to photograph, in other words. Gradually, we saw the island becoming bigger and bigger. Right smack in the middle is a wooden building, called Le Chalet Robinson. It is actually a restaurant.

There were two fires that had destroyed the previous restaurants on the island. The current one dates from 2009; In order to get there, you need to take a small boat. If you want to know more about Le Chalet Robinson, check out their official website. Because of the splendid views, this restaurant is not quite cheap!

Tomorrow, I will be back on my movie website with another Oscars Update. The race is at full speed right now and we need to keep up!

Around the Signal de Botrange

Let me take you to the east of Belgium again... First, let's have a look at the highest point of my country or indeed of the whole Benelux: the Signal de Botrange is 694 metres high and is located in between a cafe and one of the entrances of the national park of the High Fens. It's one of the windiest and coldest locations of Belgium. In winter there is a high probability of finding snow here and in summer it will never get warmer than 30 degrees Celcius.

On the other side of the road, you can find one of the entrances to the High Fens, Belgium's biggest nature reserve with a surface of a good 4500 hectares. It consists mainly of forest, moorland and raised bogs and is located between Monschau, Spa, Eupen and Malmedy. This can be a cold, wet and windy location, even in summer.

Did you know that this area served as the background of some movies? Calvaire (The Ordeal), a psychological horror movie by Fabrice Du Welz was filmed in the nature park and about 2 years ago Nicholas Cage was working close to Malmedy as well. If you want me to review Calvaire on my movie website, please let me know. It's actually one of my favourite Belgian movies!

When you follow the road towards Malmedy, you will certainly pass Lake Robertville. This artificial body of water is also located in the High Fens and is a popular summer holiday destination. You can choose from various water sports, as long as it is not motorized. The lake is located near the village of Robertville, which belongs to the municipality of Waimes. Lake Robertville is about 3 kilometres long, 0,3 kilometres wide and covers a surface of 0,62 square kilometres.

Take some time to explore the countryside here; this is one of the most idyllic corners of Belgium! There is even a village called Champagne!

On Monday I will take you to one of the most peculiar museums in Brussels.