2 September 2005:
The new city center of Sint-Niklaas (East Flanders) was officially opened by king Albert and queen Paola.
After the king and queen were welcomed by a big crowd of children in the Waasland Shopping Center, they went to the cinelma "Siniscoop" to view a film on the renewal of the city, and after that king Albert was at a memorial service for WWII, where Belgian and British war veterans were present.
The queen visited a new wing of the school "Zonneken" for autistic children. Afterwards she visited "snoezeltuin", a home for the elderly.
After these visits, the king and queen went to the town hall where an official reception took place, and they watched hot air balloons lift up. (I believe the city is known for it). Then they went to the market square for the traditional "bain de foule" and the visit was ended at the regional tourist office.