Belgium in review
There is just something about Belgium, this small country in the heart of Europe where the inhabitants speak three national languages but go out of their way to assist any visitor in English as well. Belgium has a complex and rich historic past, visible in the marvellous mixture of great architecture throughout its cities. Brussels, the Belgian capital of the European Union separates Flanders in the North from Wallonia in the South.
Flanders is flat and home to the cities of Antwerp, where Rubens lived and worked and where the first newspaper was printed, Ghent, a historic university town and the top tourist city of Bruges, a well-preserved medieval town with cobbled streets, picturesque buildings and arch stone bridges.
If you travel to the South of Belgium you will encounter a world of peaceful villages, friendly locals, abbeys, parks, castles and culture. The Ardennes, an interesting area to tour the World War II site where the Battle of the Bulges took place in 1944-1945, are composed of wild terrain carved out by many little mountain streams and lush forests offering many hiking and cycling trails and kayak rides on the fast flowing rivers. Do not cross this area without tasting at least some of the many culinary highlights, such as Jambon d'Ardennes or the typical Saucissons.
Belgium, according to connoisseurs, has the best chocolate in the world and the Belgians take their pralines very seriously. With chocolate festivals, chocolate museums and an abundance of chocolate shops, you will be deliciously entertained no matter where you go. Mussels and fries, the national dish, goes well with one of the 450 different varieties of Belgian beer granting Belgium its unparalleled reputation for its specialty beers since the Middle Ages. With its rich history and architecture, great food and beers, Belgium is a fine stop between Amsterdam and Paris.
- From our editor A.Steenbhom – United States