The week in activities: 30 October
Country living, Napoleonic homes and cyclocross: fun events across Flanders this week
Fairs & cyclocross
Woonestetika
It’s the 35th edition of the biggest interior design fair in Flanders. Furniture, materials, workshops and professional advice.
1-4 & 8-11 November, Limburghal, Genk
www.woonestetika.com
Countryside
Lifestyle fair for stylish country living. (Ralph Lauren meets Martha Stewart.) Culinary and decorating demos from Nest magazine, travel, crafts, clothing, furniture, champagne bar.
31 October to 3 November, Flanders Expo, Ghent
www.countryside.be
Cyclocross season is well underway across Flanders! There are two big races this weekend.
Koppenbergcross
Five races starting at 10.00, including Women’s at 13.45 and Elite (Men) at 15.00.
1 November, across Oudenaarde
www.koppenbergcross.be
Cyclocross Zonhoven
The Elite category races at 15.00, preceded by Beginners, Junior and Promising. 3 November, Terrein Molenheide, Zonhoven
Finally, for the more culture-minded…
Opening of War & Trauma: Medical Care in WWI
Double exhibition in Ypres and Ghent focusing on the development of medical and psychiatric care on the battlefield and at home during the First World War. Military command and medical facilities were completely unprepared for the scale of human casualties. A few heroic individuals and private initiatives rushed in to fill the gap in emergency care. The exhibition in Ypres focuses on the organisation of general medical care at the front.
Shellshock was first recognised and diagnosed during the First World War but was poorly understood. The Dr Guislain Museum, dedicated to the history of psychiatry, traces the development of psychiatric care for soldiers between 1914 and the present through 100 years of armed conflict.
1 November to 30 June, 2014, In Flanders Fields Museum, Ypres and Dr Guislain Museum, Ghent
www.inflandersfields.be
Palace on the Meir
Starting on 3 November, visitors can tour the salons of the 18th-century mansion, once home to Napoleon and William of Orange, on Sundays, with a self-guided tour via brochure. Admission of €6 includes a praline. There is also a kids’ brochure with a scavenger hunt.
www.paleisopdemeir.be
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