Hiking with Your Dog

This week we will walk through ***the Halle forest*** ([www.hallerbos.be/en/](http://www.hallerbos.be/en/)) and enjoy the ***blossoming bluebells*** (who are only blossoming 3 weeks a year) and watch the spectacle of ***blue carpets in the forest***. As starting point I choose ***“Beersel” with its beautiful castle*** ([http://en.visitbeersel.be](http://en.visitbeersel.be/) ). From there we will continue our route to Dworp where we will have lunch somewhere before entering the ***“Halle Forest” to see the bluebells***. Afterwards we hike to Sint-Genesius-Rode where we can have a coffee/drink in ***the local pub “Onze Parochie”*** and where you have the possibility to take the ***train back to Brussels***. For those who are ***not tired*** we will ***continue our road to Watermael-Boitfort*** passing trough the “Soignies Forest” and end our hike with a ***drink in in the local pub “Le Club”*** at Place Wiener before taking the tram home. ***Don't forget to pay Maikel a drink :-)*** We will walk both ***on paved and unpaved roads***. I’ve ***never walked this road before*** so it’s possible that there are some mistakes in the planning. ***●●Meeting point*** We meet ***at 09h30 in front of the Delhaize “Shop & Go” inside the Schuman train station***". The train (S5 3379 - direction Halle) leaves from ***platform 4 at 09h48.*** We will arrive at our destination at ***Beersel at 10h15*** and start our hike. ***●● Train tickets*** ***\- single ticket Brussels to Beersel \(2\,60 € weekend / 2\,60 € with train card\+\)*** ***\- single ticket Sint\-Genesius\-Rode to Brussels \(2\,90 € weekend / 2\,60 € with train card\+\)*** ***●● Trains back to Brussels*** There are ***2 trains every hour*** from Sint-Genesius-Rode to Brussels at ***XX:07 and XX:26*** **Last Train = 23h00** ***●● Specifics*** distance: \~ 24 km / \~ 34 km elevation gain: \~ 355 m / \~ 394 m net walking time: \~ 5h00 / \~ 7h00 ***level: easy – open to everyone*** ***In the unlikely case of too bad weather we may cancel a hike even few hours before the event. If this must happen we will of course update the Meetup website and send out an email to those registered. So it is important to have access to either the ([http://meetup.com/](http://meetup.com/)) website and/or your emails.*** ●● ***What to bring*** \- warm comfortable hiking clothes – ***waterproof hiking shoes*** \- extra socks to change \+ compeed for blisters \- enough water \(min 2 l\) and food for lunch/breaks \- sun protection oil\, a hat and sunglasses OR a raincoat (please consult the weather forecast on [www.meteo.be](http://www.meteo.be/)) **\- some money to pay Maikel a drink ;\-\)** ●● ***Basic rules*** Please RSVP only if you ***really intend to come***. And if your plans change ***update your RSVP latest 1 day before the hike*** so other people still have the possibility to join. This is basic courtesy towards others. ***People who cancel at the last day or don’t show up for the hike will be blacklisted for future hikes.*** Do not show up for a hike unless you are on the roster (i.e. Yes RSVP - but not Wait Listed). **●● *Acknowledgement of member responsibility and release of liability*** **By signing up for this event you agree to release the organizers from any responsibility and liability in all claims. As the participation is strictly voluntary and you freely choose to join, it is the responsibility of individuals participating to ensure that they are fit enough and have adequate coverage to protect themselves.**

❓ What: a must-attend walk from Landen to Sint-Truiden in between the flower blossoms (https://www.routeyou.com/nl-be/route/view/8573432/wandelroute/treinstapper-landen-sint-truiden-via-gr-en-sgr). Let's make this the biggest hike EVER! 🗓 When: Saturday 11/04, 12:00 (train to Landen leaves at 12:07) 📌 Starting point: Leuven station, train platform 3. Hike starts in Landen station 🏁 End point: hike ends in Sint-Truiden station 📏 Distance: 18.5km 💧 What to bring: water, food, decent shoes (expect some mud!)

Let’s enjoy a beautiful nature escape just outside Brussels at the stunning **Château de La Hulpe** 🌳✨ This walk is the perfect mix of fresh air, relaxed social vibes, and scenic landscapes, ideal to meet new people and enjoy a peaceful Saturday together. --- **📍 Meeting Point** Parking area near La Hulpe Station (3 min walk from the station) 📌 Exact Google Maps pin will be shared in the WhatsApp group --- **⏰ Timing** Meeting time: **11:40** (Start adapted to the train arriving at 11:28 from Brussels) --- **🚆 Getting There (from Brussels)** Train from **Brussel-Luxembourg → La Hulpe** Arrival: **11:28** (Other options available — carpooling possible 🚗) --- **🥾 The Walk** A relaxed and scenic walk around the Château grounds and surrounding nature 🌿 Expect beautiful views, forest paths, and a nice social atmosphere. Distance: ~8–10 km Pace: Easy / relaxed Duration: ~2.5–3 hours (including small breaks) --- **👥 Community Vibe** This is a **social walk**, not a guided tour , we walk together, meet new people, and enjoy the moment 😊 Everyone is welcome, especially newcomers! --- **💸 Participation** 👉 To join, you need a **Sunday Vacations membership**: • Explorer: €5/year • Voyager: €50/year • Ambassador: €150/year 👉 **This event is free (no organizing fee)** Membership 👉 [www.sundayvacations.com/membership](http://www.sundayvacations.com/membership) --- **📲 WhatsApp Group** After joining, you’ll get access to the WhatsApp group for: • Live updates • Exact meeting point • Coordination on the day --- **⚠️ Important** • Bring comfortable walking shoes • Check the weather & dress accordingly • Join only if you’re sure you can come (we keep groups reliable 🙏) --- **🌍 About Sunday Vacations** We are a community connecting international people in Brussels through shared experiences, hikes, trips & social events. --- Looking forward to a beautiful spring walk together 🌸🌿

Let's go walking and talking on a nice Springday nearby Brussels, less than 20 minutes away. This walk's distance ~19 km. We will start down the station of Beersel, have a quick look at the castle, then head towards Linkebeek, through fields and woods with final destination a terrace in Boitsfort. Somewhere along the itinerary we'll be traversing a big wood with amazing undergrowth of forest hyacinth. 🪻 Yes we will have a bring-your-own-lunch break, and don't forget your water bottle. To get to Beersel, best and only option is to take a one-way train, although there are some alternative trainstations to start from, either: - From Brussels-Luxemburg (09:53), Etterbeek (09:59), or Boondaal (10:03). - From Brussels-Central (09:06) to Doornik, with stop-over at Halle. Connecting train scheduled (09:32) and arriving Beersel (09:43). - From Brussels-South/Midi (09:14) and also stop-over in Halle (09:32). There will be no waiting for gentle people having missed their train. Weather forecast: a nice sunny-ish springday! Consider bringing a raincover. Please join! 😊

What's up Friends! 👋 
Ready for some bouldering fun? Boulder-what? 🤔 It’s climbing (FR: escalade, le bloc) up to 4.5m high without ropes—and in my case, without much hope! 😂✨ It’s a super fun indoor activity, but be warned: it does require a certain level of physical fitness and/or skill. Most importantly, though, it requires awesome company—which we’ve got! 😎
 The Idea: 📍 Meeting Point: For those arriving at 17:00, we’ll meet at the cafeteria (next to the billiards table). Feel free to start earlier or later—just drop me a message or write in the group chat so we can meet up. 💪 Stay & climb as long as you want - venue closes at midnight! 🥤 Recharge: If you’ve had enough climbing for the day (we usually do this after 2 hours of climbing), we may head back to the cafeteria (or to the rooftop if it's sunny🌤️) for snacks, drinks & games. Cafeteria closes at 22:00. Where: 📍Arkose: (Brussels Canal) Rue Willy de Bruyn Straat 52, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgique 🔗 https://arkose.com/

Fees: 🤑Entry fee without shoes: - 18 eur (first-timers 10€ with online promo activated) - reduced rates: students, minors, job seekers, firefighters, military (proof required) 👟 Shoe Rental: 5€ (if you don’t have your own) 🎫 10-session pass: 150€
 Good to Know: ✍️ First-timers need to create an account (takes 5min) - do it in advance and pay online to pay less and avoid wasting time onsite 💦 Hydration is key! Bring a water bottle. 🔐 Lockers available, but bring your own padlock. 🚿 Changing rooms & showers on-site. 👕 Wear comfy sports clothes—it gets intense! 🧴 Only liquid magnesium is allowed (for grip) - in reality most people use powder🤫 👟 Thinking of going regularly? Bouldering shoes are a great investment! (Decathlon: ~45-65€ per pair.)

⚠️ Safety First! Bouldering is fun, but safety comes first! Stay alert, know your limits, and don’t take unnecessary risks. Enjoy responsibly! 💪 
📢 Further details may be shared via the group chat or via DM 💬. Make sure to check your messages 👀 at least on the day before the event to avoid missing critical 🙄 announcements. 🐈‍⬛ The Friends Code:
👉Respect and positive vibes, if not 💥🥊
👉Can’t make it? Cancel or drop a message in the chat - helps running things smoothly! 👉 Don't show up if you are on the waiting list or show up at your own risk. 
See you at the walls folks😉

Spring is finally showing up in Brussels, so we’re taking things outside. Join us for a relaxed picnic at **Parc du Cinquantenaire** — good food, good people, and a simple setup that works. ⸻ **🕒 Time:** Saturday from 12:00 **📍 Location:** Parc du Cinquantenaire (exact spot shared after RSVP) ⸻ **The concept** This is a **bring & share picnic**. You come with something to contribute, and you enjoy a proper afternoon in the sun. – Homemade food is strongly encouraged – Snacks and drinks are welcome – Simple, good quality over quantity If you don’t want to cook or shop, you can contribute instead and still join. ⸻ **What to bring** – Food to share (homemade preferred) – Drinks (including water — always needed) – Something to sit on (blanket, etc.) Optional: – Games (cards, UNO, etc.) – Music (portable speaker, but keep it respectful) ⸻ **The vibe** – Relaxed, social, open – Easy conversations, no pressure – Mix of cultures, languages, and personalities This is not a dating event, not a party, and not a networking hustle. It’s a group of people spending time together outside. ⸻ **Guidelines** – Respect the park and clean after yourself – No creepy behavior, no pressure on others – Keep things balanced: food, drinks, attitude ⸻ **Who is this for** People who: – Enjoy simple social moments – Can contribute (food, drinks, or energy) – Understand group dynamics ⸻ **RSVP** Join the WhatsApp group to confirm and get the exact location: https://chat.whatsapp.com/F2hTxZ4TT3hHICiihX1Efy ⸻ If the weather holds, we stay. If not, we adapt. Simple plan: show up, share something, enjoy the day.

Do you enjoy reading and looking at cookbooks? Do you also happen to own a few? Then bring a book (or two) and join us at Fika Lab for a fun informal discussion about our favourite cookbooks and what makes them special. This is also a fun opportunity to look at cookbooks from different countries and learn about other cultures! Feel free to bring English-language or any other language cookbooks. ***Please note:*** *As this event is at Fika Lab, we ask that you purchase a drink or something to eat :)* This event can host a maximum of 12 people. This event is organized by Leuven Cooking Club, a social group for cooking enthusiasts, with support from the International House Leuven.

April is the flower month of the year in Belgium! Apart from the Bluebells, it is also the time when the fruit trees are in full bloom, so let's go for a classic outing to Haspengouw where the largest fruit plantations are. We will take a loop from Sint-Truiden, walking towards the large lake of Het Vinne (where we will likely have our lunch picknick) and around the little town of Zoutleeuw with its impressive tower silhouette. Turning back towards Sint-Truiden we will find more flowering trees (pears are at their peak at the moment), and will take a well-deserved break in one of the pop-up bars amongst the flowers before getting back into town. The number of participants is limited to 20, so please manage your registration responsibly: only sign up if you really intend to come and cancel as soon as you know you can’t (this also goes for people on the waiting list!). We will try to keep close to an average moving speed of 5km/h. We will walk both on paved and unpaved roads. I’ve not tested this track beforehand, so it’s possible that there are some mistakes in the planning (i.e. it may become longer ;-). ●●You can find the gpx track here: **Komoot:** https://www.komoot.com/de-de/tour/2875651883?share_token=aiX63dqM1og25WOi4gFg7CqFsYjdzplN3pMVX5Jo7XVpBHWrxW&ref=wtd **Wikiloc:** https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/sint-truiden-loop-258527566 ●●Meeting point: We meet at 9.25 in Bruxelles Central train station in front of Starbucks. Our train (IC 1507 to Hasselt) leaves from platform 3 at 09.41. We'll arrive Sint Truiden at 10.41. ●● Train ticket: One way ticket is 10.20€ or 6.10€ with train+ ●● Trains back to Brussels: Direct trains from Sint Truiden to BXL are every hour at XX.18 ●● Specifics: Distance: ± 25 km Elevation gain: 90 m Net walking time: ± 6h Weather forecast: mostly cloudy, maybe some sunny patches. In the unlikely case of too bad weather, I may cancel a hike, even few hours before the event. If this must happen, I will of course update the Meetup website and send out an email to those registered. So it is important to have access to either the Meetup website and/or your emails. ●● What to bring: * Comfortable hiking clothes * Comfortable hiking shoes * water + food for the breaks * Compeed for blisters * some small money for the drinks ●● Basic rules: Please RSVP only if you really intend to come. And if your plans change, update your RSVP asap, even hours before the walk. This is basic courtesy towards others. Repeated late cancellations are not well considered (at all). No-shows are even worse. Do not show up for a hike unless you are on the “going” list. ●● Acknowledgement of member responsibility and release of liability: You are responsible for yourself and should be fit enough if you want to take part. As the participation in the events is strictly voluntary and you freely choose to join, it is the responsibility of individuals participating to ensure that they are fit enough and have adequate coverage to protect themselves. By signing up for this event, you agree to release the organisers from any responsibility and liability.

Spring is here, and Brussels is turning pink 🌸 Join us for a relaxed and social walk through some of the city’s most beautiful cherry blossom streets, followed by a picnic together in a nice spot This is the perfect opportunity to enjoy the season, meet new people, and spend a peaceful Sunday outdoors -- 🌿 **What to expect* • A relaxed walk through cherry blossom location • A friendly, social atmosphere (easy to connect with others • A picnic together after the walk (optional but recommended! -- 🧺 **What to bring (for the picnic)* • Something to eat & drin • A blanket if you have on • Good vibes ? -- 📍 **Meeting point & full details* All practical details (meeting point, timing, route, etc.) will be shared in the **WhatsApp group** after you sign up -- 💡 **Important – Membership required* This event is **free to join**, but participation is **reserved for Sunday Vacations members** 👉 Membership starts at **€5/year (Explorer)* 👉 You can join here: https://www.sundayvacations.com/membership This helps us keep building and organizing quality events for the community -- ⚠️ **Good to know* • Please update your RSVP if your plans chang • By joining, you agree that Sunday Vacations is a community (not a tour operator)

🏃‍♂️ Sunday Vacations | Train Together, Finish Together Thinking about joining the **20km of Brussels on May 31st**… but don’t want to train alone? 👉 Join our **after-work training group** and prepare together in a fun, social, and motivating atmosphere. Whether you're a beginner or already running regularly — **you’re welcome.** ## 📆 Weekly Runs (April → May) We train **twice a week after work**: ### 🔵 Wednesday – Easy Social Run 🕒 19:30 ### 🟣 Sunday – Long Run (Main Session) 🕒 16:00 - Distance increases every week *Structured pace groups 👉 This is the **key session** to prepare for the 20km ## 🏳️ Follow Your Flag (Pace Groups) To keep things simple, we use the official **20km Brussels pacemaker system**: - 🟠 **Beginner (≈ 2h15)** Run/walk friendly — just aim to finish *🟣 **Steady (≈ 2h00)** Comfortable and regular pace - 🟢 **Intermediate (≈ 1h45)** Faster group for those who want a challenge 👉 Not sure? Start easy — you can switch anytime. ## 📊 Long Run Progression (Thursdays) We gradually build up to the race: 6 km → 8 km → 10 km → 12 km → 14 km → 16 km → 18 km 🔥 *lighter week before the race ## 🏁 Goal 📅 Sunday 31 May 2026 🎯 Run the 20km of Brussels — together ## 💡 What to expect - Friendly, international group 🌍 *No one left behind - Natural pace groups *Motivating and social vibe 👉 We start together, run in groups, and finish together. ## ☕ After the run Optional drink or snack — because it’s also about **meeting people and having fun** ## ⚠️ Practical info - Bring water *Wear proper running shoes - Join at your own responsibility *Beginners welcome ## 🌍 About Sunday Vacations We are a **Brussels-based community** organizing social activities, hikes, and trips. 👉 This training is part of our mission: **bringing people together through shared experiences** 🔥 Don’t train alone — join us and enjoy the journey to the 20km!

**Let us simply meet and spend some relaxed time together**. This is a very simple gathering: We meet, have a drink, visit the garden, chat, and get to know each other with other members of the **Happy Body community**.

The blue bells of Bois de Hall being in full bloom currently, we will walk through the blue forest on Sunday and then have a drink/snack at the Deli traiteur. 🪻 Approximately 11 km. Some mud possible. Rachel will lead us, we are cooperating while joyfully expecting Rory’s return 🥰 See you on Sunday! Sandra 0497/243455

The momentum is building! After two fantastic sessions exploring the heart of the city, it’s time to tackle the legendary "climb" that defines the Brussels 20k experience. Whether you’re chasing a PB or just looking to conquer the course's most famous incline, this is the session you don’t want to miss. For our third preview run, we will do a 14km loop. To make sure those legs are ready for race day, we’ll be taking on the Avenue de Tervuren uphill—not once, but twice. It’s the perfect opportunity to practice your pacing and power on the section that counts the most! The Details: Meeting Point: Right in front of Muski Comics Cafe (near Rond-point Schuman). When: Sunday, April 12th at 09:45 AM. The Route: A 14km loop designed to build strength, featuring a double ascent of the Tervuren incline. Bag Drop: Available. The "Cuppa": We’ll head back to Muski Comics Cafe after the session to refuel with coffee, snacks, and some well-earned recovery chat. The Pace: As always, we are keeping this "steady and social." We will maintain a controlled, inclusive pace of 6:00–6:15 min/km. This session is about building endurance and confidence, not racing the clock. Pro Tip: Focus on short, quick steps and keeping your eyes on the horizon during the Tervuren climbs. We're in this together! Let’s get those kilometers—and those hills—under our belts. See you at Muski Comics Cafe. The Brussels Runners Team

Over time I'm hoping to organize a hike to all the Franklin County Metro Parks. This is the first one so if you're interested jump in! We'll start with the Canopy Walk, a cool feature of this park. Climb 100 stairs to the top - or take the elevator if stairs aren't your thing. At the top there are a bunch of things to play on - a rope bridge, a fireman pole that we can slide down - and more! About fifteen minutes there and we'll head to the natural trail, Buttonbush, Maple and Beech Trail for 2.2 miles then do a 1.7 mile loop on the paved Greenway Trail. We'll be passing our cars as we transition if you only want to do the first loop, or the second loop. Pace of around 3.5 mph but no one left behind. If there is an interest we can grab lunch nearby afterward.

Let’s walk the gardens and enjoy what has spring has on display.

Meet at Wolfe Park parking lot by tennis courts. We willl walk along Alum Creek trail, through Jeffrey Mansion Park then along Bexley neighborhood and back. Optional lunch at Trolley District.

This trail is a meandering path through the woods. There will be some overlooks and a couple stops at the creek as well as time along a waterway. It will not be a fast paced hike. There is some elevation change and uneven terrain. I will be using poles just to be safe! Will aim to get in about three miles. Optional lunch after if there is an interest.