We took our last day in Belgium in the car, trying to see some local castles. I'd still like to see Ypres, but we ran out of time this trip. Anyhow - we drove north out of the city to Bouchout castle and the associated national park (the grounds). There's a beautiful castle there, along with gardens and a greenhouse. The latter was being rhabbed, so we only saw some of it. Here's a shot of Bouchout castle, taken by my daughter:

Here's another shot, from the back:

We also walked the grounds, which are quite nice - very peaceful. Also uncrowded, which was a big switch from the crowded downtown area we are staying in. Here's a shot from inside the greenhouse, of some semi-tropical plants:

This next one is fascinating - lilypads that look like little boats. These things are huge for lilypads - if you could get a frog to use a paddle, he'd be all set:

That was our trip there - we passed through more of the greenhouse though. Sadly, Bouchout Castle is only open for events - conferences, seminars, etc. Now wouldn't that be a great place for an ESUG or Cam Smalltalk?