Travel does the heart good
Some rain, more rain and some more more rain and the hail one afternoon in Siena. O sole mio, dov’e sei? Otherwise, lots of fun, good food, chianti, lots of art and medieval history 🙂 So besides the sun that I haven’t found, Tuscany is best known for its rolling hills, which are populated by […]
Some large city in a hilly region in North Rhine-Westphalia, Wuppertal is a constellation of smaller towns on the high banks of the Wupper River. In the early days of industrialisation the Wupper Valley was a hotbed of nascent industry in a landscape of textile mills and coal mines. The wealth that these businesses brought […]
What’s the first image that springs to mind when you think of Switzerland? If it’s cheese, chocolate, banking, or mountains, then you have the same impression of the country as most people. To the reality of these stereotypes, I am adding some more. Stereotype number 1: You know how they say that Switzerland is super […]
Regensburg Best visiting is the golden hour visiting – every corner seems enlightened, every rooftop has its moment, every facade shows its magic pulled out from the history of being. And indeed, when strolling through Regensburg, you encounter evidence of the city’s magnificent history every step of the way. Regensburg is a city in eastern Bavaria, […]
A girl who spent most of her life next to the border with Slovenia, it is hard to explain what this country is about. To me, the country of Slovenia was a place to do the shopping, the place where people speak my dialect but not my official language, a country that always complicates the […]
It was the capital of the Duchy of Lorraine. Following its rise to prominence in the Age of Enlightenment, it was nicknamed the “capital of Eastern France” in the late 19th century. The motto of the city is Non inultus premor, latin for ‘”I am not injured unavenged”, a reference to the thistle, which is a symbol of Lorraine. The exiled […]
There is a post on my blog already dedicated to Flemish cities of Belgium . But I have decided that this city deserves one single post for itself. Even more, as I have been to Brugge many times, and as always, there is a place to discover something new. With its cobbled streets, crooked bridges, […]
The two cousins that like to compete. Prague is obviously the capital, and Brno a second biggest city in Czech Republic. It is quite clear that Prague is beautiful, great historical city and a capital which means way more opportunities, foreigners, tourists, businesses.On the other hand, Brno is a very compact city, with great atmosphere, […]
If you are not familiar with Madeira, it is a Portuguese island sitting in the Atlantic Ocean between Portugal and Morocco. It is an archipelago in region known as Macaronesia (group of volcanic islands: Azores, Madeira, Canary Island and Tenerife and Cabo Verde). History by Greeks claims this might be Atlantida. Plutarch writes the impressions of founding […]
Visiting the Burg Eltz it was inevitable to stroll down the hills of Rhineland-Palatinate and explore. To be honest, the navigation was not up to date as bringing us to the closed local roads or reserved only for the local agricultural vehicles. But there is a beauty in getting lost like that! 🙂 Koblenz is […]
Eltz Castle (German: Burg Eltz) is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. It is still owned by a branch of the same family (the Eltz family) that lived there in the 12th century, 33 generations ago. Hidden in the western Germany, in the hills above river Mosel, deep deep in the Rhineland […]
Guess what’s new? – Corona. Guess how long it will last? – China. Never mind. The travel ban is still on for Belgium, so explorations within the country continues. This weekend was reserved for Tournai. A beautiful city on the west of Belgium. Kinda looks like Lille at the first sight. Although, being part of […]
A day trip to the south of Brussels, to be more precise – Brabant region in Wallonie which is the site of the Battle of Waterloo, where the resurgent Napoleon was defeated for the final time in 1815. We started with the visit to the museum which takes you to the times of enlightenment and ideas of the 18th […]
A day trip to the south of Brussels, to be more precise – Brabant region in Wallonie which is the site of the Battle of Waterloo, where the resurgent Napoleon was defeated for the final time in 1815.
We started with the visit to the museum which takes you to the times of enlightenment and ideas of the 18th century philosophers like Rene Descartes or Diderot, Immanuel Kant (my ever time favorite), Montesquieu, Rousseau, Adam Smith, Voltaire … whose main ideology based on the idea that a human is allowed to advice for itself without being oppressed by the government nor church: in opposition to an absolute monarchy and the fixed dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church
Soon evolved the Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen of 1789 (Déclaration des droits de l’homme et du citoyen de 1789, fra) – a human civil rights document from the French Revolution.
However, Napoleon – even though sharing these principles (he established the civil code etc), soon started to rule in authoritarian way and battling the Europe in Napoleonic wars. So, the european leaders allied against him in The Gret Coalition.
The Europe that time after so many battles looked liked this:
The most south battle was Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife which I mentioned in my previous post when visiting the Canary Islands. The battle between French Empire and British Royal was famous for admiral Nelson loosing his arm.
However, the wars through Europe continued and The Great Coalition decided to invite Napoleon for the battle at Waterloo.
The Battle of Waterloo took place near Waterloo on 18 June 1815 between the First French Empire of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Seventh Coalition (troops from Prussia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick and Nassau), under the main allied commanders, the Duke of Wellington and General von Blücher.
Napoleon lost and the allies decided to make a tribute by building the butte with the victorious lion facing the France. We climbed up with 226 stairs, in order to see the battle and the strategy drawn.
Time for the beer: of course, in the country of beers, the Waterloo commemorative beer 🙂
The day was still bright and there was so many things to see around the field: the barracks of both enemies where the soldiers were sleeping, or the Hougoumont – the small house with the yard where finally the enemies met again to finish the battle, it was kinds the battle within the battle.
In his novel Les Misérables, Victor Hugo describes how 300 bodies were thrown down a well at Hougoumont. Most of them were still alive.
Fun fact: a celebrated 400 years old wooden crucifix which survived an inferno during the Battle of Waterloo was only to be looted from a battlefield chapel has been rediscovered in a Belgian flea market after a four year hunt by Interpol. The crucifix is now there, at the Hougoumont farm and it well respected.
The visit to the battlefield was very touching and sensitive. We decided to walk the land field which is nowadays full of agricultural goods but once the place of terrible battlefield.
The day finished in the city of Waterloo with the dinner. In the city center there is a small museum dedicated to the winner of the battle: the commander Wellington.
Funny, isn’t it? Even though he is the actual winner of the battle who stopped Napoleon for long time, his name is not even close mentioned and celebrated as Napoleons’.
Life is strange sometimes.
RED RIDING HOOD 
I was just thinking about traveling to Belgium on a trip with my mom. This looks very fun and interesting. Thank you for sharing.
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Make sure you visit my other blog posts about Belgium I live here for already 5 years and discovered some interesting places. 🙂 I hope you will enjoy staying in Belgium! ❤
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Your travel posts come up with the history as well.. so nice to read your blog
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Amazing
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I am enjoying reading your blog because you include a glimpse of their history, for someone like me who is from Asia it is very interesting. I heard Belgium is beautiful, I believe it more now by seeing your photos hope to visit this country also! 🙂
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The history of Waterloo is embedded in minds of all. Your blog refreshes it all.
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Ah this is how the place looks like where Napoleon lost his final war!
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I’ve been looking up places to go in Belgium! This is a great post to learn about travel as well as history. Thanks!
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Belgium is beautiful and I loved how you have captured it so beautifully in the photographs. I never knew about its rich history. Thank you for sharing.
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Seems like the climb up 226 stairs was totally worth the views! Waterloo commemorative beer sounds like the one to try. I remember reading during school days about Waterloo, the place where Napoleon lost the war. Interesting to read about your experience!
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We have a Waterloo here in Ontario though Belgium seems to be more quaint .
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Napoleon vs rest of Europe leaders placed as chess board or is it just the architectural shape.!
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Interesting article.
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Nice post, thanks
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i really love Belgium
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I love Belgium and want to see it. Nice job.
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