The Belgian manifestation of the polar vortex resulted in a week of freezing temperatures and snow! I asked Isaac and Elo what they’d like to do on their day off and both kids agreed: THE GREENHOUSE at Meise Botanic Garden on the north side of Brussels. We first visited here last summer with friends and made a mental note to come back when we needed a break from winter. On Friday, we needed a break from winter so off we went!
We tromped through the snow, shielding our eyes from the piercing glare of a low winter sun in the crystal clear air. Our house was definitely built to maximize sunshine and natural light, and it’s amazing…until making dinner starts to feel like driving with the sun in your eyes for hours. It’s so different from the Hawaiian sun, way far south in the tropics, which has the peculiar effect of seeming to hang directly over you until it suddenly gloriously sets behind a mountain. Thought trains like this are how we knew we needed a little break from winter….
Inside the greenhouse, welcome to the tropics! Hang your coat by the door—you won’t need it! This greenhouse is so cool. There’s a three-story raised walkway so you can admire the palms from tree height. Isn’t that humid air nice? Water dripped down the glass panes and my contacts didn’t feel dry and gummy for the first time in months.
“This is heaven,” Isaac said softly, wandering contemplatively down the path. There was only a little mourning over not currently living in the tropics.
Orchids, moss, string of turtles, palms—we floated through the tropical biome in a sort of trance. Next was the chilly cloud forest, then a Mediterranean space, then the giant lily pad pond (currently not in season, but last summer the pond was covered in lily pads strong enough to hold a child). Somewhere in there was maybe our favorite tropical room with a series of fountains, cacao trees, coconut palms and plumeria trees. Now that is paradise.
exploring with some of my favorite people Eloise’s moment of peaceful reflection
The sparse foliage in the arid desert room meant the snow outside was clearly visible—what a contrast! Some of the plants in the greenhouse were described there for the first time ever, like variegated snake plant (or mother-in-law tongue), first described by a botanist here in 1907! This type of the popular and hardy houseplant has light green or yellow streaks running vertically up and down it, and according to the sign, all the ones you can buy are related to the mother plant patch RIGHT HERE. I went straight to the garden’s plant shop to buy one of those afterwards.
Bonjour à tous How can I make my house look more like this…. Moment of silent appreciation Orchids are so stunning. They are my favorite
Then, with our inner humidity-o-meters all topped off, we were ready to head back out to the elements!
I am never this relaxed after I have coffee Adventurer Un Adventurer Deux Frolic and play the tropical way Snow outside but warm in here Checking out the roots on the floating plants I now have a descendant of this plant I am always this relaxed around coconut palms
Last weekend’s snow stuck around and ice froze thick across ponds, fountains and moats. Moats? Yes! This fro-moat (well done, Hannah) surrounds the botanic garden’s resident castle. Have I already mentioned Belgian has the most castles per square mile anywhere in the world? The kids mined chunks of ice bigger than their torsos and chucked them out on the ice, where they blazed in the sun as they slid across the moat and rested against the castle walls.
I tried to get Chris to come to these gardens a few weeks ago but could tell that he was uninterested. Finally I told him, “You just don’t KNOW that you want to go there—you would really enjoy it but you would be so résistent to going that I’m not going to make you at this time.” He laughed, and then of course when I sent him these pictures of the kids and the frozen castle he was all, “ooooo, where is that?” After 15 years of marriage we’re finally getting to know each other. When I asked if he knew what my favorite flower is only a half beat went by before he confidently shouted out, “ORCHID!”
And fortunately, I am always up for a return trip to Meise Botanic Garden. Kids (age 6-17) are just €3 and adults are FREE with the Museum Pass! Best Christmas present ever! Thanks, mom! Now I just need to work on turning my kitchen into a Belgian winter garden.
Evelyn says
Wow. What an awesome and needed respite from the cold dreariness of winter! Well done, Belgium! Every snowy (or just cold) place should have such a place.
Love your descriptions, as always, and pictures of the kiddos enjoying the environ❤️
. I think if I were you, I might be going there once a week!