Le Joli-Bois Hotel

Flying as a bird

by Luchonda

Flying on a ULM plane - follow the instructions of the pilot - and get save in the air to have an overwhelming view on the landscapes of "Waals-Brabant" Some warm clothing - because you will go up to 300 meters . And believe the instructor - temperature is different.
Can you imagine that with this "toy" - profesionals are flying to the United Kingdom
in different steps
Waterloo - Ostend - Dover and back.
The Ulm has a gasoline tank of 120 liters.
Consumption is about 12 liters an hour !

The Panorama

by Mahieu

To imagine what the battle looked like, you can visit the Panorama. It is a huge circular painting of 110m circumference, that gives you a vivid view of the attacks of the French cavalry.
As a visitor you stand on a central platform and find yourself in the middle of the battle, surrounded by the infantry and cavalry of both armies.
It was painted by Louis Dumoulin.

Church Saint Joseph

by Muya

When you have visited the Wellington Museum, take a few minutes to enter Saint Joseph Church, just across the street.
In the entrance, you'll notice various commemorative boards and sculptures dedicated to the British soldiers who fell during the Battle of 1815.
I found the choir quite nice and peaceful, full of simplicity.

Butte du Lion in Waterloo

by csordila

Waterloo is a small town a few miles south of Brussels. It's an unassuming place, with a church, a few inns, and some homes surrounded by old stone farmhouses and lots of open fields.
Those farms and fields are its claim to fame, because one of the most famous battles in history was fought on them.
The word has entered the English language: You probably know what it means when we say someone has met his Waterloo,
even if you know nothing about the actual battle.

"The Lion Hill at the battlefield of Waterloo"

The lion hill is 43 m high, 226 stairs lead to the top.

The Lion has a weight of 28 tons, it is 4,45 m high and 4,50 m long. Its front paw rests on a sphere, representing the sweeping global victory attained in this famous battle. According to a legend the statue was cast from the bronze of the guns the French left behind on the battlefield.

One thing has to be noticed, even though the battlefield remains a rural area free of modern buildings, it is not exactly the way it appeared in 1815. So much earth had to be scraped from the surrounding landscape to build the Butte du Lion that its construction obliterated many of the significant military features of the battlefield.

"Panorama of the Battle"

The Battle of Waterloo now features as one of the greatest battles in European history, the final confrontation between France and the rest of Europe, marking the fall of Napoleon and opening the way towards a new era of peace in Europe.
The construction of the hill started in 1824, it took three years to finish at the end of 1826 and was considered an engineering marvel at the time.

The painting of the Battle, in circular form, is 110 meters long and 12 meters high.

Where Napoleon faced his final defeat

by Dabs

Although probably slightly more famous for being the title of an ABBA song, Waterloo is probably almost as famous for being the site of Napoleon's final defeat before being exiled to St. Helena.

Waterloo was an unscheduled stop on our September 2006 "4 countries in 9 day, if it's Tuesday we must be in Belgium" driving trip through Benelux but we figured we had to pass nearby to get to Brussels so what the heck!

I wouldn't classify Waterloo as a must see stop on any itinerary unless you are a war enthusiast, my husband thought it was interesting, and although I enjoy visiting historical sites climbing to the top of a mound just didn't excite me although it may have burned off a portion of one of those 900 calorie waffles! There's not really much to see, you can climb to the top of the Lion's Mound to see the topography of the battlefield, stop by the visitors center to see a movie about the battle or go to the Wellington Museum. In case you're not up on your history, Wellington was the victor in the Battle of Waterloo, not Napoleon, so it's only fair that he gets the museum named after him.

I'm not sure what happened to the top of this photo, perhaps it's a flaw in my flash card but maybe, just maybe, it's an unearthly presence hovering above the battlefield.....