Janet's Walk in Gaasbeek

It was an unusually early start for a WIC walk today, with us meeting to visit Gaasbeek Castle and its fascinating, artistic and, dare I quote, "Quite Bonkers" exhibition: Once Upon A Castle.

The theatre group Wildworks was invited to create an exhibition bringing alive the castle and three of its most influential occupants: The Count of Egmont, decapitated by the Spanish in 1568 for protesting against their persecution of protestants; Paul Visconti who was a flamboyant, quixotic traveller, who received his guests dressed as an Ottoman noble, but who let the castle fall into disrepair (d.1821) and the unconventional and emancipated Marie Peyrat who inherited Gaasbeek when her husband died, revived and restored it and then left it to the Belgian state when she died in 1923.

And the perfect warm, autumnal, sunny weather was really the icing on the Gaasbeek cake!

As there were so many pictures today I've done several montages, but if you click on them you will get a bigger view.

Gaasabeek Castle in the early morning sun (well - 10.30am sun ...)

This picture is in the collage above - but it makes me laugh so I think it's worth repeating!

Most of us were persuaded to dress up ...

Some of us (cough cough Sue, Yuko) were glamorous, while poor Janet .....

All the Gaasbeek Ladies - with one exception hiding behind the camera!

After lunch in the Brasserie Egmond we split into two groups.  Sheila's group walked in the grounds of Gaasbeek Castle, while Janet's group extended their walk to take in the grounds of the very close by Groenenberg Castle - which is somewhat dwarfed by its beautiful neighbour!

Janet's group were fascinated by the octagonal building  (sorry, no photo) and the use to which it might have been put in the past.  Margaret has since looked it up and reported back:  I’ve been googling: buskruit means gunpowder, so the octagonal thingy was their powder tower – well away from the big house!  Made me think of blunderbuss, and sure enough that is folk etymology from the old Dutch word donderbus – donder meaning thunder.  Interesting, eh?  Well, I think so...
Thank you Margaret!

Groenenberg Castle

Janet's Route - 6.38km

Janet's group were very grateful to Denise, Sheila and Yuko for phoning back with a message about the Ring - it is possible that the solid traffic might have something to do with the football match at Heizel!