The Blotevoetenpad (barefoot path) is Flanders first walking path that lets you walk barefeet through a variety of different surfaces including clay, water, wood, tree mulch and stones.

Located in  Zutendaal it’s beautifully surrounded by forest, small hills and you’ll walk past a wooden watchtower, a suspension bridge , a gurgling mountain stream and a maze.

Lots of fun for kids and parents alike

More info and address: Oosterzonneplein 1, 3690 Zutendaal and www.lieteberg.be

People looking for a relaxing holiday, away from the hustle and bustle of their ordinary life, should certainly take a look at the Domaine Courbiac

Domaine Courbiac is located in Cinq Sols, a hamlet in the neighbourhood of the river Lot.

The Lot-et-Garonne region is an ideal holiday destination. (south of the Dordogne). There is a lot of nature making it ideal to go hiking, horseback riding, cycling, swimming or canoeing.

Other popular activities are wine tasting (appellation Cahors with Malbec grapes), and enjoying the fine culinary wealth of regional products on local markets. (eg. truffles, foie gras, fruits)

Gite “La Brise” can be rented per week during the summer months and is ideal for families with 2 kids: in the biggest room you can find a handy kitchen and a 2 persons bed. The two kids can sleep in their own room. The bathroom is also big enough to accomodate everyone. But of course most of the time you won’t be spending time inside, but relax in the outdoors.

The domaine is very big, and beautifully located on a hill. The Gite has its own private terrace, but you can also go relaxing in the hammock in the garden. When it gets too hot, the swimming pool (with alarm for the small kids) is nearby and offers a beautiful sight on the valley.

The hosts Carla, Albert, Mark and dog Vlekkie (originally from the Netherlands) are very hospitable and will do everything to offer you a pleasant holiday. You can certainly see they enjoy living and working their dream in the South of France!

3 times a week they also  offer a ‘Table d’hôtes’ – a 3 course dinner with local wines together with the other guests and the hosts themselves. Much recommended!

You can find more information at the official site at http://www.domainecourbiac.com/ and pictures from 2011 at http://domainecourbiac.mijnalbums.nl/

Previously under the Sunparks umbrella, the subtropic swimming paradise switched to the Center Parcs family of parks since 2011.

Located beautifully at the Belgian coast and in walking distance from the city De Haan, you’ll find this 3 star park.

3 stars means that it doesn’t have all the features of a 5 stars Center Parcs (like a wild water rapid). This may be a problem for older kids seeking adventurous attractions.

However when you have a family with toddlers, it’s perfect: inside the complex, called market dome, it’s always 29 degrees celcius. A toddler bath with colourful creatures and shallow water is all they need to be happy

3 stars also means that the VIP lodges are more worth the money. The infrared sauna is very relaxing when your kids went to sleep.

Inside the market dome there is also a good restaurant, style selfservice and animation (clowns) for the kids. When the weather is bad, an indoor ‘Baluba’ playground will put a big smile on your children’s faces.

When it’s good weather there are all sorts of activities you can do:

• walk to De Haan via the dunes – have a nice lunch on the sea wall
• in summer go to the beach and swim in the sea
• rent a bike at Center Parcs – and drive through the polder or visit some sea-side resorts in the neighbourhood

So to conclude, we had a great time during the weekend at Center Parcs De Haan.

Check out their latest promotions at the Center Parcs De Haan site.

Pula, well known for its amphitheater, is now being served by Rynair from Charleroi. If you don’t like to drive long distances to Istria, this could be a cheap and quick alternative.

Besides Pula, you can visit the istrian countryside in Motovun or one of the beautiful coastal villages like Rovinj.

A great tip for those visiting New York during the Christmas period is to visit the Nutcracker ballet. The Nutcracker is performed by the New York City Ballet and takes place in the David H. Koch Theate which is part of the New York’s famed Lincoln Center.

The Nutcracker Ballet is based on the story The Nutcracker and the King of Mice written by E.T.A. Hoffman. A young German girl who dreams of the Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King with seven heads.

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening out, and although prices are not very cheap, it’s well worth the price.

Center Parcs has some great cottage deals until December 2nd, 1000 cottages are available for only 9€ per person!!

Check the Center Parcs exclusive offers!

View Bayeux in a larger map

The town of Bayeux, home of the famous Bayeux Tapestry has a beautifully preserved medieval centre, and a magnificent cathedral dating from the 11th century.

The walk starts at Places aux Pommes, where we parked our car – and which is pretty near the city centre. The first part of the walk takes you to a pitoresque watermill located at the Rue Saint-Jean. Along this road you can find some timber framed buildings. We follow this road until the crossing with Rue Franche where we turn left. On the Rue de la Jurisdiction we come accross another watermill. The walks takes us further to Place Charles De Gaulle, a green park featuring a collon from World War II.

Not to be missed are the cathedral Notre Damme and the famous Bayeux Tapestry. The church is in Norman Gothic style and mostly dates from the 13th century. (the crypt dates back to the 11th century). The Bayeux Tapestry used to be there, but is now in located in its own Bayeux Tapestry museum. The tapestry is 70m long (!) and tells the story of the Norman invasion of England in 1066. It’s displayed in a long room with dimmed lighting and is absolutely a must see when you’re visiting Bayeux.

For lunch we ate at Hotel Restaurant Reine Mathilde, which featured a very relaxing outdoor terrace and good food. From there the walk takes you back to the starting point.

On our citytrip to Lille in France we stayed in style at the Hotel Alliance Lille – Couvent Des Minimes, a four star hotel in the city centre. We evaluated a number of hotels in Lille via Booking.com and booked the Executive suite in Couvent Des Minimes

Couvent des Minimes is housed in a 17th century building, which is a nice showcase of the Flemish architecture of that time. The ground floor atrium, which houses the bar, restaurant and breakfast is very beautiful.

The suite consisted of a bedroom, studyroom and a bathroom. In the bedroom there was an LCD TV with mostly French channels. For its price (199€ via Booking.com) we thought the room could do with a little revamp so it’ll look a bit more modern. But all in all we were satisfied with the room, it was clean and quiet.

The location of the hotel is great, it’s located near a small quay and within a few minutes you’re in the heart of the city centre. The hotel features a small (paying) parking lot – a good thing as parking spaces in Lille are pretty hard to find.

More info on the hotel can be found on Hotel Alliance Lille – Couvent Des Minimes

This walk takes you from the Camping de la Cote de Nacre to the beaches of Saint Aubin Sur Mer.

Walk to the beach of Saint Aubin Sur Mer

The Camping de la Cote du Nacre is a 4 star family friendly camping. Your kids will have a great time there, because it has a lot of attractions that’ll keep your kids busy all day: an outdoor swimming pool, bouncies, kids club and much more…

Via the place de la Gare (an ATM is located there) and the Rue Gambetta we went to the seawall lined with some nice villa’s, pubs and restaurants. Remnants from the war are still visible on the seawall including a german canon. The beach itself is maybe not the most beautiful of the region, because of the seaweed, but nice for a walk nonetheless.

For lunch we went to the Le Charleston which offers a nice terrace with seaview. Unfortunately you’ll need to make reservations beforehand to be able to sit outside.

Sunset at Saint-Aubin-Sur-Mer beach (By Tristan Nitot)

Stay tuned for more pictures and videos from the Normandy region in France!