Tweet19-06-2011 om 15:26 by Sueli Brodin

One of the nicest events for international families living in the Maastricht region is the annual May Fair organised by the Lions Club Maastricht Mondial. It was held this year on the last Sunday of May at GaiaPark in Kerkrade, which has been voted the most beautiful zoo in the Benelux for the past three years in a row.

It was an ideal location for all age groups and this year again, my family and I enjoyed the event very much.

As usual, the purpose of the fair was very simple and straightforward: to make expats and their families feel welcome in the region and give them an opportunity to meet and spend an afternoon together in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.



For Lions Club Maastricht Mondial, the May Fair is also an opportunity to raise funds for the many local and international charity projects the service club supports. This year, the proceeds of the raffle will be donated to a summer camp in Kazakhstan where children are taught English and learn about ecological issues.

The event is supported by a number of regional sponsors, among which the Limburg Development and Investment Company LIOF, several municipalities and local companies and organisations.



My family and I have seldom missed the May Fair because it combines many things that we like: spending the afternoon as a family in an attractive location, getting together with friends, meeting other international families like ours, discovering new spots (such as Limbricht Castle a few years ago and its adjoining Saint Salvius church) and ending the day with a pleasant dinner in the open air.

What I appreciate the most about the May Fair, year in year out, is its informal character. We're not there to talk about work and exchange business cards. Perhaps precisely because of that, the networking happens in a natural and easygoing way.

There's something meaningful to me in spending time with fellow expats in a personal environment. It feels as if we develop a fuller and deeper sense of identification in seeing each other together with our families, as partners or as parents. We get to show a more complete picture of ourselves... including our softer side.
Photo-reportage



GaiaPark is participating in a successful breeding and reintroduction programme of the Przewalski horses back into their original habitat in Mongolia



The animals at GaiaPark are not kept behind cages and visitors can look at them from a safe and respectful distance



Lynx



Iberian Wolf



A beautiful stork was flying freely over the park. A regular visitor?



My children are very fond of the tiny friendly-looking squirrel monkeys



Outside of feeding times, the gorillas stay hidden on their island



At GaiaPark, I spend just as much time admiring the beautiful plants that can be seen along the paths as the animals themselves



The small educational centre had prepared some nice activities for children. One of them consisted in examining various skulls and guessing to which animals they belonged



Our day ended in good spirits with a very pleasant dinner in fine company in the spring sun



The adjacent Dinodome playground had been left open for our group and my children continued playing there for a long time after finishing their meal





Earlier this month GaiaPark was elected the best day-out attraction in Limburg by the members of the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB), the largest touring club in the Netherlands

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