See Brussels carpeted in flowers

Holidaymakers with a floral fancy are being given the chance to see Brussels carpeted in flowers this year.

Between August 14th and 17th the bi-annual Brussels Flower Carpet event will take place, during which around 800,000 flowers will transform the city into a "vibrant sea" of flora, according to the Belgian tourist office.

In 2008 the carpet will take over 3,200 hyphen acres of square feet in the Grand Place market area and will be comprised entirely of begonias that will be placed on the ground without any underlay of soil.

On August 14th there will be a show in the evening to celebrate the beginning of the world-famous event.

The celebration will feature a sound and light show and fireworks, ensuring that the multi coloured carpet gets a grand introduction to the city.

According to the Lonely Planet travel guide, Brussels is a "sumptuous, historic and luxuriously cosy" city where visitors can enjoy great restaurants, frothy beer and "graceful" architecture.