The Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway

The Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway, is the biggest sculpture park dedicated to one single artist.

Gustav Vigeland made more than 200 sculptures for this park in bronze, granite and iron.

Het Kattemeuterbos in Grimbergen en Zemst

Het Kattemeuterbos is een bos langs het kanaal Brussel-Willebroek in de Vlaams-Brabantse gemeenten Grimbergen en Zemst. Het bos ligt bij de hoeve en het kasteel van Groen(e)veld. De Laarbeek ontspringt in dit bos.

Door de eeuwen heen is de naam van het bos (en ook de grootte) drastisch veranderd. Van Rollekotbos en Rollekaatbos tot Katte-Meuter-Bosch en uiteindelijk Kattemeuterbos.
Mogelijk is dit een verbastering van de naam van de toenmalige eigenaar (Demeure).

Het volledige bos is privébezit en daarom heeft het bos nog min of meer dezelfde grenzen als in de 18de eeuw, toen het op de beroemde Rerrariskaarten als "Rollekots Bosch" werd vermeld.

Alle paden en wegen, inclusief de drie vijvers en het kasteel Groeneveld zijn verboden toegang. Enkel een kleine weg tussen de Kluisweg en de Verbeetweg is toegankelijk.

Tijdens de beide Wereldoorlogen speelde het bos ook een belangrijke rol.
In de Eerste Wereldoorlog werd er namelijk stevig gevochten toen de geallieerden ten alle prijze het bos wilden veroveren op de Duitsers.

In de Tweede Wereldoorlog stond er Duits afweergeschut om het vliegveld aan het Lintkasteel te beschermen.

Oh, en nog een leuke mythe: volgens een oude legende was het Kattemeuterbos een verzamelplaats voor heksen. Er werd gezegd dat het er stonk naar zwavel.

Fénix Czech beer is a cheap Belgian-style beer

I just came back from the Czech Republic and drank several glasses of a new "Belgian-style" white beer called "Fénix".

The beer came served with a orange wedge. The aroma is really zesty orange,  yeasty ans smelling of doughy grains. Somewhat artificial, but quite fresh. Clouded murky orange with a big creamy white head that fades. Flavour is sweet orange, sickly, wheaty doughy bread cereal and some sweetener. Palate is creamy and doughy but finishes out dry. 

It is brewed in Plzen for the Dutch company Grolsche Bierbrouwerij. And I think it is a blatant attempt at creating a copy-cat for Hoegaarden (by using the symbol of the Phoenix which is traditionally owned by Grimbergen.

What is Power Yoga?

Power Yoga is essentially yoga with a twist.

Take ashtanga yoga as a start: a discipline that combines stretching, strength training, and meditative breathing. And then add some extra special poses (also known as postures or their Sanskrit name, asanas) which are rooted in calisthenics. This means push-ups and handstands, toe touches and side bends.

There is one more big difference between Ashtanga yoga and Power yoga: the pace and rhythm. Instead of pausing between poses as you would in traditional yoga, each move flows into the next, making it an intense aerobic workout. This explains why you will sweat a lot and build your muscles.

World Cup 2014: Germany versus Argentina

Tonight Germany and Argentina will decide who can call themselves World Football Champion for the next four years. Both football powerhouses are obviously not meeting for the first time against each other in a final. But what makes this game so special?

1. Never before in history have two countries played three times against each other in the final of the World Cup. In the mutual matches, Argentina has the upper hand for the time being. Argentina won nine times, the Germans six times. The other 5 games ended in a draw.

2. Germany and Argentina play each other for the seventh time World Cup. Only one other encounter does the same: Brazil versus Sweden.

3. If Argentina wins they get as many stars as Germany: three. But Germany has played more finals (eight, compared to five for Argentina). If Germany wins,they have four stars (just like Italy). The best team is still Brazil with 5 World Cups on their shelves.

4. Tonight the best offensive team (Germany) meets the best defensive team (Argentina). Both teams have the best statistics regarding completed passes.

5. Germany has never won a World Cup final outside Europe (1954: Bern, Switzerland - 1974: Munich, Germany - 1990: Rome, Italy). If Germany wins, they will be the first European nation to win a World Championship on the American continent. Argentina won both their two world titles in the Americas: (1986, Mexico City, Mexico - 1978: Buenos Aires, Argentina).

Why Belgian have a chance against Argentina in the World Cup

Tomorrow the Belgian football team will take on Argentina. If we believe the bookies, then Belgium stands no change of beating the Albicelestes.

Unibet, William Hill, Bwin and Come On all give odds of 2.10 or 2.20 for Argentina, against a measly 3.60 or 3.70 for Belgium.

But here at BeTraveller we believe that the Belgians have a good chance of beating the Argentinians. Why? Because of the individual strengths of the Red Devils who fight like a real team.

Argentina feels more like a one-man show (Messi) with maybe one or two other key players (Di Maria and Agüero), whereas the Belgians may have some talented players, but they work in as a team. At the same time, they have the ability to score from all positions (All 6 Belgian goals have been scored by 5 different players) without sacrificing their defensive powers.

If we look at the history, the scales are in balance. Belgium beat Argentina at the World Cup 1982, and Argentina took revenge four years later in the semi-finals.

Our prediction: Argentina 1 - Belgium 2.

What do you think?

The reason why Belgium beat the USA

At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, tiny Belgium (13,000,000 inhabitants) beat the United States of America (320,000,000 inhabitants) 2-1.

How is it possible that such a great nation like the USA lost against a country that many Americans have maybe never heard of (unless they talk about Belgian Waffles, Tintin and Chocolate/Beer).

Well, if we look at the FIFA statistiscs here below, it is clear why Belgium won. To win, you need to score more goals than the opposing team. And to score more goals, you need to shoot on target. Well, that is exactly what the Belgians did, and the USA failed to do.

Belgium delivered 27 balls on target (of which superhero Tim Howard stopped 25) whereas the USA only had 9 shots on target, never really threatening Thibaut Courtois.