A Georgia Girl in Germany

After our trek into downtown Brussels City, we decided to take the kids to a play park so they could burn off some energy (and our delicious and very filling Italian lunch). I have never seen anything like this before -- there were acres upon acres of nothing but forts, slides, swings and numerous other pieces of equipment for children of all ages. Benjamin surprised me the most with how adventuresome he was. He climbed across rope bridges and through rope tunnels and conquered the tallest slides, even climbing to the top on his own.

I think Zachary liked this spinning contraption best. The adults took turns giving the kids a push -- think vertical merry-go-round with ropes to keep the kids enclosed.


The tire swings were fairly benign, but check out that fortress in the background behind Zachary. That was actually one of the smaller ones on the peripheral of the park.

Benjamin didn’t let anything slow him down. If he saw an opportunity to climb, he took it. He wasn’t fazed when he lost his grip on the rope while pulling himself up this plank. Instead, he redoubled his efforts and made it to the top. No one had to show him how to do anything...he had it all figured out!


There was a water-play section of the park where the kids could pump the water, then watch it cascade down through various stages, including stopping at intermittent dikes. Zachary enjoyed manning the dike and releasing the water when there was enough to create a strong current.

Benjamin and MacKenzie enjoyed the sand section. It was a very overgrown sandbox! It was like a working mine with the yellow carts to move sand from one area to another. MacKenzie and Shay worked with pulleys to bring sand to an upper level and release it back down below through a small tube.


Benjamin was really drawn to the slides though. I was impressed with how easily he climbed to the top of each slide...and that he preferred sliding head-first down even the tallest of slides! He could have stayed there all evening if I would have let him.



None of them were really ready to leave when dusk started settling in, so their waning energy levels worked in my favor.

Talk about an ultimate place to play! I really wish we could find more parks and playgrounds like this, although I'm sure lawyers back in the states would have a field day with some of the equipment. But the kids enjoyed themselves, and I kept a careful eye on them. What fun!!

Labels: Belgium, Benjamin, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary