Arts & Culture
A Little Louvre in Lens
With more than 10 million visitors a year, the Louvre is the world’s most visited museum. It’s also the world’s largest, so it’s not surprising that it can be a bit overwhelming. But if you want to see some of the world’s great treasures, you don’t have to venture into Paris. The Louvre has smaller museums in Abu Dhabi and Lens, Pas-de-Calais, a mining town located about 200 kilometres north of Paris. In October, Expat Club journeyed to Lens. The Louvre-Lens is the baby brother of the Louvre and home to 200 masterpieces on loan from the Louvre Museum in Paris. From a Coal Mine to a Museum The Louvre-Lens opened in 2012, transforming a former coal mine into a regional jewel. The museum was built in Lens to re-energize the city and give it an economic boost. It’s also part of France’...
Trip Review: Chateaus of the Loire Valley
Nowhere is the sheer opulence of French life in centuries past more apparent than in the chateaux of the Loire Valley. Each year, more than 3.3 million travelers visit the 42 chateaux that comprise the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yet, there are more than 300 chateaux scattered across the Valley. It’s no surprise that the region is the nation’s second-biggest tourist attraction behind Paris. Most of the chateaux were constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries. They offered royalty and noblemen a welcome escape from Parisian politics. Over Bastille Day weekend, they offered 26 Expat Club members a romantic glimpse into the past. DAY ONE We were ready to start on a “chateaux sampler,” discovering the magic and mystery of these elegant edifices. Our luxury coach arrive...
Monet’s Magical Gardens
There are few places in France as magical as Giverny, a quaint village that lies just 80 km from Paris. Claude Monet, the father of Impressionism, discovered this gateway to Normandy as he glanced out of a train window back in 1883. On 26 May, Expat Club travellers got a chance to discover it, too. It was an early start for the weary travellers as we headed down the highway from Brussels. Sitting on our comfortable and roomy luxury coach, we got inspired for the visit with a 90-minute documentary about Monet that showcased his life through letters he wrote. Soon, the rolling green hills of the French countryside greeted us as we neared Giverny. By lunchtime, we had arrived! We walked down stone streets, past charming slate-roof buildings and homes, to LesNymphéas, French for the water lil...
Expat Club Christmas Trips
In 2016 we organises for the 4th year trips to some of the best Christmas markets that we can reach in a day. We started in 2013 with fantastic trips to Düsseldorf and Paris. In 2014 we added Cologne and Lille. Last year (2015) we skipped Lille, but added Monschau, Canterbury and Aachen. This we year are proud to present Lille again on our calendar and add four new destinations: Maastricht, Trier, Valkenburg and even a weekend trip to Strasbourg. All our trips are carried out with 4* coaches with more leg space than the usual Belgian buses. All coaches have reclining comfort seats with footrests, an on-board toilet, air-conditioning and several flatscreens. We normally gather at Place Schuman, and depending on the destination we may also stop elsewhere in town (e.g. Louise, Midi and Yser) ...
Cycling in Brussels: Great Routes
Discovering Brussels by bike can be done in several ways. For those already commuting on two wheels, or using it regularly for getting around town, it may be a good idea to simply take a little D-tour and to drive 15-30 additional minutes on unknown roads. Spice up your commute and padel a few additional streets! Of course you can also go to an unknown neighbourhood on a Saturday morning and discover yourself what it has to offer. At Expat Club we know why Brussels is such a fantastic city (it has something to do with surprisingly little corners…). But wouldn’t it be much easier to follow some predefined routes? Other people already did the work for you, so there is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Here are a few great ideas to spend a free day. Although I have mostly biked myself...
The Essential Must-See Museums in Brussels
Brussels has an incredible amount of museums, each with their own history, purpose, and unique stories to tell. They are part of the city, and thus, discovering these places can be a great way fo you to integrate into Brussels life. Here are some of the must-see museums in Brussels, just to get you started.
We know Brussels
When I first arrived in Brussels in March 2010 to look for a house for me and my wife I explored the city like a first-time tourist in Paris. I must have walked a thousand miles and seen almost everything. I wanted to live close to Place Châtelain. Several friends told me that was a nice place and I had actually been there once before for some. So I put my car’s GPS literally on that square in Ixelles and drove and walked around to look for the black/orange “A LOUER” signs on the houses. Probably the farthest I went from Châtelain must have been 2km or so, not more than 5-6 minutes on my GPS. Have a look at the map of the area that I probably “covered” those days by car and foot. In fact, I had seen major parts of Ixelles, Saint-Gilles, Brussels, Etterbeek and Uccle. Actually I had e...
New Audio System
Expat Club is Brussels’ premier international community because we care about the quality of our events. For almost all museum or company visits and daytrips we hire professional and official tour guides. Our members have said time and time again that they appreciate learning more about the places we visit, instead of just walking through an exhibition or city on their own. In fact, such guided tours embody our philosophy that creating new relationships requires going through a shared experience. And what is better than to learn from an expert while having a good time with other international minds? However, we also regularly receive feedback that the guides were hard to understand due to the background noise. Walking behind and standing around one guide with 20 people obviously mean...
Bouillon’s medieval castle
In July last year Expat Club visited the magnificent Bouillon castle, where history goes back over 1.000 years. Also in 2014 we will go to this beautiful part of the country. Not only will we visit the castle and the town of Bouillon, often called the pearl of the Semois valley, but we are also going to have a relaxing kayaking trip on the Semois river itself. Take a look around! After visiting the castle, we board our 1 or 2-persons kayaks and drift down the calm Semois that is surrounded by the green hills of the Ardennes. Upon arrival a cold drink or some good food is awaiting you! Another great day with Expat Club.