Each year, the city of Mons re-creates the Battle of Lumecon -- a 4th century medieval folklore legend, where a Christian knight saves a princess whose kingdom was held hostage by an evil dragon. After the dragon is slain by the knight, the city of Mons is saved and enjoys good luck for yet another year...
After reading about this event, we decided to check it out. We almost made it. Even before we approached the city center, we noticed the huge crowd and suddenly realized how popular this event was going to be.
There was not a single parking spot to be found for miles around – every conceivable spot was taken. Knowing that Ray would never give up looking for a spot to park (for my benefit), I elected to give up the dragon and let Mons battle it out on its own. (Maybe we can give it another go next year, Ray?)
Luckily, with all the reading I've been doing, I knew Parc Paradisio was nearby. It was a no-brainer that the girls would love this alternative. Paradisio is an animal park most famous for its 3,000+ birds. Located on the grounds of a 12th century Cistercian abbey, this 134 acre park was filled with over 50 varieties of trees, a river, an old abbey tower and thousands of plants and flowers. Just walking through the beautiful grounds was quite lovely (yes, we are beginning to talk like Europeans!) The animal residents were an added bonus. One of the highlights was "monkey island" where cute little monkeys would jump on you as you walked by. Although DS and PS did not like the idea of monkeys crawling on them, it led to a HUGE challenging playground which made up for it and entertained the entire family. The park is also home to Nautilus, one of the most interesting and unique aquariums we've seen thus far. Located inside a 19th-century chateau, it was an underwater world inspired by science-fiction writer Jules Verne (remember those reading assignments at school?)
And I must mention the birds-of-prey show, featuring eagles, condors and vultures that fly just (barely) above the heads of the spectators. The birds were beautiful! Although it was really something to see these birds up close, it was sad to see these magnificent creatures chained to their little "houses" while they were not performing.
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