Groenendaal

thank you Graham for the photos

The Hippodrome of Groenendael was built at the end of the 19th century at the request of King Leopold II. The race track was situated in the gorgeous forest de Soignes and once was one of the most beautiful and biggest tracks in Europe. 

I have written about the Forêt de Soignes/Zoniënwoud before. It is located on the grounds of the towns Hoeilaart, Groenendaal, Uccle, Auderghem, La Hulpe, Waterloo, Tervuren...and the perfect outing  for a green excursion close to the Brussels. 

The Racetrack deteriorated and was abandoned, the main building has been demolished and what you see above, the Royal Lodge,  is all that is left now. It seems that restoration will soon be on the way.

Traffic free forest so close to center of Brussels

Brussels'  Bois de la Cambre / Terkamerenbos starts at the end of one of its most known avenues, Avenue Louise and ends up in the Forêt de Soignes. It resembles a meander of busy roads and highways during the week.
  A big part of it is closed to traffic during the weekends and people know how to take advantage of this opportunity. The park offers an escape from city life for cycling, walking, skating, hockey, scouting activities and other outdoor pleasures, with  lots of paths, tracks, trails, lakes and fun  things to discover.