Last year, one random June day, Grégory dragged me out of the house and just started driving. Eventually, we arrived at the city of Visé where the surprise began. A small ferry was waiting to carry us across the river to the Netherlands, in the city of Eijsden. This year we took the simpler route, by following the road straight to the castle. But ever since that surprise visit to the castle, I’ve been dying to see it during autumn due to its vast garden. I just knew that tree tunnel would look breathtaking and I wasn’t wrong!
To give you some background, the Eijsden castle was built in 1636 and it is actually surrounded by water! The estate consists of the castle and its park, the gatehouse, and several farm buildings. If you’re interested in more historical details, you can read about it here. The current park dates back to 1900 when it replaced an old 18th-century park. And the tree tunnel has to be the highlight of the park. During the summer, it actually looked like a shelter, shrouded in darkness because of the thickness of the trees. And during autumn, the trees let just enough light through to create a beautiful dappled light.
Our first visit last year was on a Saturday and this year on a Sunday morning. On both occasions, it felt like we had the castle park all to ourselves. It’s odd, we see lots of people come in to visit but somehow they all disperse in a way that makes you feel like you’re the only person there. That helped with the fact that we took plenty of photos now. I know I shouldn’t but I always feel ridiculous when people notice us doing portraits. Usually, I completely freeze over and end up making a stupid face that ruins the whole photo. Anyhow, this time there was no such issue and we took turns with both the digital and analog cameras.
So many parts of the park were inspiring for different compositions and we took lots of photos. Generally speaking, I don’t think I’ve ever taken more photos than this autumn. The season started off later than usual but was the most beautiful one we witnessed yet. Probably why I made Grégory take so many photos of me. I just had an abundance of ideas thanks to these beautiful autumnal tones! We only visited the exteriors because believe it or not, the castle is currently a private residence! And I must admit, I was curious about the interior after realizing how big the castle was.
Lastly, on our way back home we stopped in front of this path that stretches across from the castle gatehouse. It looked magnificent in the Sunday morning light and I thought how for some people, neighborhood walks include remarkably beautiful landscapes. If you’re ever around the Belgian-Dutch border near Maastricht, I urge you to make a quick stop in Eijsden. The city itself is quiet and charming and walking around the castle makes for a relaxing detour. It’s anything but disappointing! Now if only I could see the park under the snow. It’s too bad this is much harder to predict and plan out!
