Imagine a land, with nothing but blooming trees and little lambs frolicking through immense fields of dandelions and grass. Imagine sunshine and happy faces. Kids with ice cream on the tips of their nose, running around you while you’re trying to keep your balance so you don’t drop your camera. Imagine Belgium.
Last week I was watching the weather forecast, a rarity, when the weatherman mentioned Haspengouw, the fruit region in the east of Belgium. He had me glued to the screen with his pictures or acres of blooming fruit trees and endless orchards. I convinced my mom that we absolutely had to go for a walk that weekend and so it happened. With my camera in had and what seemed to be half of Belgium’s 11 million population present, we went for a mesmerizing walk in the beautiful countryside.
We parked our car in Groot-Loon, and started from the small church there. We then headed for the small back roads, following the crowds, and ended up in the romantic old town of Borgloon, where we sat down on a terrace and enjoyed the sunshine and cool drinks. There were a lot of cycling tourists as well, and even people who rented Vespas (so cool!). But with the sometimes large groups of people walking in the area, they were more stepping with their bikes, than actually riding them. I think I saw more Canon and Nikon cameras than I did on Times Square, and there even was a photography group taking in a whole orchard shooting pictures of the spawn in the small ponds underneath the trees. A man lay down on the ground in what seemed to be very uncomfortable positions to get that perfect shot from a well, to then ask his wife to frolic through the orchard like a true Tiroler. Blossoms and sunshine put people in a good mood. I smiled to them and went passed them to make outfit photos. I saw the man secretly snapping a picture of me while I was standing under the trees. He put his thumbs up.
If you ever were to visit Belgium in late April – early May, GO HERE. And for all those who aren’t sick of all the blossoms on my Instagram yet, there’s even more pictures after the break!
It's amazingly beautiful how the country becomes a whole gigantic garden during May. Last weekend I visited Hallerbos, near Brussels, and the bluebells that grow in between the trees make the forest look like a blue carpet, stunning.
Oh my god. That is the most gorgeous place. I just want to sit down and soak it all up!
Waw, prachtige foto's! Ik heb Limburg nog nooit bezocht tijdens de bloeiperiode, moet ik blijkbaar eens doen!
Is this real life? I want to visit so badly.
Beautiful doesn't even begin to describe this.
Nicole
settleinn.blogspot.com
pretty!
The photos are beautiful and I adore the wooly little guy!
Het is daar echt zo mooi he!!! Ik wil super graag is een vespa'tje huren en dna gewoon rond touren!
Dat lammetje is the cutest!
wat een prachtige foto's heb je gemaakt!
Mooie foto's zeg, wauw! <3
Het is daar inderdaad mooi! 🙂
What wonderful photos. Invite you to enjoy life.
Mooie foto's 🙂 Spring is in the air!
that looks so incredibly peaceful! I wouldn't mind a vacation there…
Oh it looks so gorgeous!! Belgium looks beautiful, you make me want to go and visit; I'm putting it on my bucket list;) Also, I have a friend who loves photography and we always joke about the strange positions people will get into to take a photo! Whenever we're in really touristy areas, we just like people watching! It's a crack-up!
I saw on twitter these were all manual focus and therefore did not needuch editing. Great job!
Zo mooi, wil ik ook eens naartoe!
So beautiful!!
xo,
Katie
http://hellolittlebean.com
These photos are stunning!
xo,
nancy
Your photos are lovely 🙂
Belgium is so beautiful! 😀
Wow it looks so beautiful! Such stunning photos too. Sounds like such a magical place to visit! 🙂
Away From Blue
how gorgeous are these pics? love all the blossoming flowers!
xxx
Lady à la Mode
Wow, just wow. Is there anything more beautiful than flowering trees in the spring? and the little lamb! How adorable!
Clearly this was a trip worth making, and I'm glad I got to see it here, since going myself would not be possible.
Chic on the Cheap
SO beautiful! And a sheep!! I want to visit Europe so badly it hurts
xo Ashley
thetiniestfirecracker.com
gorgeous photos! love the lamb!
This is so beautiful! I would love to visit Belgium again! I only saw Bruges and that was in 2004 so it's been a while. These pictures are just amazing.
Aww mijn hart breekt dat ik dit nu pas lees 🙁 gelukkig heb ik wel nog een paar mooie bloesembomen gevonden begin mei maar dit landschap is GEWELDIG
Nu ja ik zou toch niet echt veel tijd hebben gehad :p Echt mooie foto's!
Hi Nikki!!!
These photos are fantastic!!!!
I LOVE NATURE!!!!!