All About Royal Families

From 30 March 2014 till 1 April 2014, President Xi Jinping from China and his wife, Peng Liyuan, a former singer, made an official State Visit to Belgium. At the airport of Zaventem the presidential couple of China was welcomed by Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo (PS). After a short salutation they went to the Royal Palace of Brussels for an audience with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians. At the square in front of the Palace, 300 people were waiting to see a glimpse of the Presidential Couple of China, among them a lot of Belgians with a Chinese background. There were traditional Chince dances and flags of both countries. King Philippe of Belgium and President Xi Jinping of China In the "Salon du Vase" at the Royal Palace of Brussels, President Xi Jinping received the Grand Cardon of the Order of Leopold from King Philippe of Belgium. After the meeting at the Royal Palace of Brussels, the  royal escort on horse guided the presidential co

One of the most special places of Paris is the splendid Hôtel de Ville of Paris in France. Since 1357, in this beautiful building the City of Paris administration has been located on the same place as it is today. It is located in the 4th arrondissement near the Rue Rivoli. Hôtel de Ville in Paris France Some royal history In 1533, King Francis I decided to endow the city with a city hall which would be worth for Paris. Then Paris was without no doubt the largest city of Europe and Christendom. King Francis I of France King Francis I ordered two architects an Italian and a Frenchman: - Dominique de Cortone (Italian) - Pierre Chambidges (French). The building was created in the amazing Renaissance style. Louis XIII Place des Vosges During the reign of King Louis XIII of France the Hôtel de Ville was finished (1628). Hôtel de Ville Paris France French Revolution On 14 July 1789, Jacques de Flesselles the provost of the merchant

In the morning of 22 March 2016, 2 suicide bombings took place in Belgium, at the airport of Zaventem and one at the Maalbeek Metro Station in  Brussels. 32 people were killed and more than 300 people were injured. Monument Brussels Bombings in Belgium The perpetrators came from the same cell of the November 2015 Paris Attacks. In a television speech addressed to the nation, King Philippe of Belgium expressed his and Queen Mathildes sorrows about the events. One year later, after a competition a monument to the victims was unveiled at the rue de la Loi, between Schuman and the Parc du Cinquantenaire. The monument made by Jean-Henri Compere is called: 'wounded but still standing in front of the inconceivable'. It is constructed from 20 metres (66 feet) long horizontal surfaces rising skywards. Monument Brussels Bombings Belgium I took the pictures of the monument for the victims of 22 March 2016 in August 2018. Besides it is a modern art work, I

On 6 June 2019, it will be 75 years ago that the Normandy landings took place, so on this blog there will be lots of posts about the royals during World War II but also about special destinations in Europe related to the sad history of  World War II. Between 1942 and 1944 Nazi Germany wanted to build an extensive system of coastal defense and fortifications along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia. This was used as a defense against an expected Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe from the United Kingdom. Atlantikwall Raversyde Belgium Hitler himself ordered the construction of the fortification in 1942. Almost a milion French workers were obligated to build it. This system was called: Atlantic Wall (in German: Atlantikwall). However such a coastal defence system was not only built in France but also in Belgium! Many parts of the Atlantikwall in Belgium are preserved as parts of a very sad history. Raversyde Belgium Atlantikwall Some