All About Royal Families

On 21 June 1962, Princess Astrid Joséphine-Charlotte Fabrizia Elisabeth Paola Marie of Belgium - the daughter of the Prince and Princess of Liège (later King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium) was baptised. Baptism of Princess Astrid of Belgium in Brussels Her godparents were Prince Fabrizio Ruffo di Calabria (the brother of the Princess of Liège (later Queen Paola of Belgium)) and Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg. The other names referring to: - Astrid - her paternal grandmother; - Elisabeth - her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium; - Paola - her mother - Paola Ruffo di Calabria; - Marie - to Maria - St. Mary, mother of Jesus. This is a habit at the Belgian   royal court. The baptism of Princess Astrid of Belgium took place in a lovely spot: the Saint Jacques on the Coudenberg Church in central Brussels. Saint Jacques on the Coudenberg Church in Brussels Belgium The Coudenberg Church always had an important

Sometimes books really became famous, sometimes their authors became stars. However at Porto in Portugal there is one bookstore which is extremely famous. The bookstore is called Livraria Lello. Lello is one of the oldest bookshops of Portugal and it is high rated in travel guides such as Lonely Planet. Lello Bookstore in Porto Portugal History In 1869, the Livraria Internacional de Ernesto Chardron was founded by the Frenchman Ernesto Chardron. At the age of 45 Ernesto died. The firm was sold to Lugan & Genelioux Sucessores. However in 1881, José Lello along with his brother-in-law created the firm David Pereira & Lello. After the death of David Pereira the establishment again changed its name in José Pinto de Sousa Lello & Irmão when José partnered with his younger brother António Lello. In 1891, the Chardron Bookstore acquired the establishments of A.R da Cruz Coutinho and other bookstores in the city. Mathieux Lugan sold his share in the Chard

It is not always a destination far away, which touches you the most. Recently my family and I were walking alongside the Durme. This is a river in Lokeren, East Flanders in the northern Part of Belgium. Walking near the river, I suddenly was curious about its history and of course, I decided that I wanted to know more about the Durme. Lokeren Durme Belgium Lokere Durme Belgium Some royal history During the Middle Ages the Durme was much longer, she started at St. Joris near Beernem and then she went east untill Vinderhoute.  There the Durme merged with the Poekebeek (which came from Tielt). The city of Ghent wanted a connection with the North Sea and the Western Scheldt. In 1613 the Brugsche Vaart was dug out. This is nowadays a part of the channel of Ghent-Ostend. Between 1823 and 1827 the channel of Ghent-Terneuzen was made and the Durme was cut off from her source and its headwaters. Due to this, parts of the Durme were sanded. To continue t

Recently, I discovered the library of my home town Sint-Niklaas again. I  immediately noticed that there were many books about royal houses and the  history of different countries.   One of the books that instantly caught my attention was a biography of Queen Marie Antoinette of France written by Antonia Fraser.  own picture of the book with my notes (in Dutch) About Queen Marie Antoinette of France However, I think that everyone knows Queen Marie Antoinette of France by name, here is a short introduction.   Queen Marie Antoinette of France was born on 2 November 1755 in Vienna as an Archduchess from Austria. She was the daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor.  As a daughter she was a pawn on the dynastical chessboard of Europe. After long negotiations she had to marry the dauphin of France. This big royal event (the ceremony) took place on 16 May 1770 at Versailles. On 10 May 1774, Marie Antoinette became Queen of Franc