In a short three weeks I am being sent to Belgium for three weeks of fun. The majority of the trip is planed out for me, (Its with the Civil Air Patrol), but I have been assured I will have some time on our own to go out and romp across the European countryside, well at least Belgian. So, has anyone else been to Belgium? If so, what should I try to hit up, and what should I avoid? I have been told I’ll be spending the majority of my time in Antwerp, and some time in Brussels.
My experience with Brussels and Antwerp is that one of the best things about those cities is that they have convenient train connections to other more interesting cities in Europe.
However, I suppose Brussels does have quite a few nice restaurants. I won’t venture information on nightlife. If you see an American film over there, it will most likely have two sets of subtitles on it (Flemish and French).
Since a lot of the EU is headquartered in Brussels, it has a fairly diverse group of people to mingle with.
Drink Beer! http://www.achouffe.be
Eat Moules et Frites (that’s mussels and French fries) - plenty of mayo on the frites!
Visit belgium.com ! or even visitbelgium.com !!
For Antwerp, go to http://www.trabel.com/antwerp.htm
Hope that’s enough Belgium browsing to be getting on with - I’m gong to get me a beer!
You can have a bit of fun asking to visit the birthplace of Hercule Poirot at the tourist information office! Otherwise, there’s a little statue of a boy pissing which you could go and see. There’s also a wide range of beers of varying colours and flavours.
It would help if we knew what you liked to do. If you love architecture, history, and art, you’re going to need a different response than if that stuff bores you silly and you really want to know if they have a “Six Flags Over Brabant” in the neighborhood.
Not right there but some historical places:
Dunkirk (WWII evacuation), Normandy (WWII), Bayeaux tapestry (Hastings and all that). That is if these things interest you, If you are looking for beer then skip them.
Off to MPSIMS.
I like Antwerp a lot-- it’s like Amsterdam without the tourists and the freaks. It’s a nice old town with lots to see, as far as art, churches, etc. that are good on a foreign trip. The food is also different enought that you can be daring in front of your buddies (like raw herring on street corners, eel in green sauce, etc). While in Europe I’d go see a soccer game or a velodrome bike race or something. Brussels is more of a Big City full of banks and that sort of thing-- I’m not as fond of it. It doesn’t strike as as much of a strolling-around city. If you get a chance to get out for a couple of days Bruges is extraordinarily cute and nice and your mom wil appreciate any pictures of it that you take, and downtown (or Old Town, I guess) Ghent is pretty nifty-- the counts’ castle there is a nice little tour-- a very castle-y castle with a little exhibit of torture equipment, etc. You might also want to hit the coast for a day of sea-side kitsch. I think I remember liking Oostende. It will also be a good opportunity to vastly imporve your understanding of beer.
Waffles, waffles and more waffles.
IIRC one Belgian town has a curious ceremony which involves dressing up in medieval style costumes ,red and white harlequin, and walking around on stilts.
The object is to be the last person standing after a stilt bashing match.
Must be like watching the England donkeys playing soccer.
There are some wonderful guild hall buildings to see.
An absolutely huge sport there is cycling but you’ve missed the great early season classics such as the Amstel gold and it may be too early to see any of the velodrome meetings, which I think are as close to the soul of Belgium as you will get.
I also think you should see some of the WWI cemetaries.
Once you have been to them you will understand why I suggested this.
what do I enjoy? Architecture, history, and art are good things, not necessarily in that order. I am a large fan of WWI and WWII history, so I would love to find a lot to go see with that theme. I love the outdoors, so anything to go do would be a blast. I understand that we are going to go kayaking one afternoon.