Sonian Forest to the Grand Place: 23 km, ending under a thousand puppets

The big one. A full day on foot from the beech cathedral on the edge of Brussels to the oldest heart of the city: forest ponds and old estates in the morning, city parks and the Chapelle quarter in the afternoon, and the Grand Place at the end of it. We arrive around 17:30 and go into the Taverne du Toone, the old puppet theatre's estaminet, with thousands of marionettes hanging from the beams and the original little stage still up on the first floor. Two big rooms and a courtyard, so there is always a table for us. 🥾 About 23 km, five to five and a half hours of walking plus a real lunch stop and plenty of breathers. Flat for a Belgian value of flat, but long. A small backpack and shoes you trust. 🗺️ I walked the full route myself this week to check the ground, the timings and where you can bail out, so the numbers above are measured rather than guessed. The route (+ pictures): https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/sonian-forest-to-the-grand-place-23-km-ending-under-a-thousand-puppets-283722071 ⏱ Conversational pace, a proper sit-down about every hour with everyone off their feet, and a real (short) lunch stop around halfway. From halfway on the trams are everywhere: walking part of it is a fine way to do it. Joining us at the finish just for the table is also allowed. 🎭 About those puppets: this is Toone, the marionette theatre that has been playing Brussels since 1830, and I worked there as a puppeteer during my student years. So we sit, we order something, and I point out the marionettes hanging above us and tell you who they are and which play each one belongs to. That is the whole plan for the Taverne: a drink, the puppets and the stories. There is also a show that night, Les Trois Mousquetaires at 20:30, and it is entirely optional. No group booking and no obligation: if some of us still have the legs for it we ask at the counter whether seats are left, 20 euros, 15 for students and seniors, cash. We decide that on the spot, once we know who made the full 23 km and who is still standing. The play is in French with a good dose of old Brusseleir, and that is the charm: puppet theatre is swords, motion and sound more than text. You will follow. 🍽 The Taverne is mostly beer and drinks rather than a kitchen, and it is loud on a Saturday evening before a show, so it is a stop and not the dinner. Whoever wants to eat afterwards, the Ilot Sacre is right around the corner and has everything. Everyone pays their own, and a coffee is participation enough. 📅 The last of the three Saturdays. You do not need to have done the other two: every walk is booked separately and it is not the same faces each time. 💬 The group runs in English. Bring water, a snack for the trail, and shoes you have already walked in.