Belgium much more than just Beer, Waffles & Chocolate
I recently spent a lovely relaxing few days travelling around beautiful Belgium. This post will cover some of the highlights from Brussels but still to come are highlights from Gent and Bruges with special features on the Art and Textiles of Gent, and of course a special on Waffles and Frites.
Brussels
The first stop on my visit was the European Capital Brussels. We were transiting from the Airport to Gent but we had a few hours to kill in the Sunshine.
The city is a short trip from the airport by train.
The first waffle sighting
We got off the train at Centraal, the main square is very close but we took a wrong turn. I need to get a better GPS! The town hall guided us.
Spain Square / Sculpture of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
Strong ties with Spain has influenced the arrival of Catholicism, as well as potatoes and cocoa to Belgium.
Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
On our way to main square we found this shopping arcade, the first covered shopping arcade in Europe
Our First Belgian Chocolate Experience
Belgian Chocolate, quite excuisite
Chocolate Souvenirs
The famous French Macaroon
The shops in this arcade also specialised in Macaroons. A macaroon is a type of small circular cake, typically made from ground almonds, coconut, and/or other nuts
The Grand Platz
At last we found the Grand Platz, a medieval square and the center of Brussels
The Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels
The Brussels city hall was built in the 15th Century and rises 96 meters, capped with a statue of Saint Michael slaying a demon or devil
City Hall
Waffles
At last we got our First Waffles, @ishtar enjoyed a Brussels Waffle topped with strawberries, and I enjoyed a waffline, a type of waffle sandwich. Not what I was expecting. Soooooh much better!!!
The Land of Tintin
I started travelling in earnest after visiting India in 2002. On that trip I got the bug, the travel bug and I also got a Tintin Tshirt, Tintin in Darjeeling. At last I made it to the land of Tinitn.
Manneken Pis
We came across this famous statue on our rambling though the narrow streets. The young boy was naked for our visit but he has a wardrobe of several hundred costumes and is normally dressed by "The Friends of Manneken-Pis"
Manneken Pis
Comic strip murals
The strong tradition of Comic Book Art is represented all over the city with striking murals.
Du Sablon Neighbourhood
After walking in the heat for several hours we head in the direction of The Royal Palace. We came across the Notre Dame du Sablon, a striking gothic church containing beautiful Stained Glass Windows.
St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral
Jardin du Petit Sablon
At last it was time for a rest in the park.
In the centre of this beautiful garden lies a fountain of Counts Edgmont and Horne, who were symbols of resistance against the Spanish tyranny that sparked the Dutch Revolt
The fountain of Counts Edgmont and Horne
@ishtar says it's time for a break
City of Statutes
After a rest it was time to explore the park. There were some life size statues of historical figures from history but the striking features for me were the 48 miniture status circling the park. Each statue representing the historical professions, with 48 statues in total.
Musical Tradition
On many street corners there was beautiful music playing as we explored the city, everything from trumpets to idiophones.
The last stop before we left the city was the Royal Palace and the Palace Park. We didn't make it to the EU headquarters or the Atomium which are both a bit outside the city and were too far to walk to in the heat.
Comic Strip Art
On our way back from Bruge we stopped in Brussels again on our way to the airport to pick up some presents (The Smurfs) and visit the museum of Comic Book Art, a very interesting museum covering the tradition as well as modern day works. I am not a huge fan of graphic novels but this museum was interesting all the same.
The museum explored the various techniques and even gave me some tips for my writing here on Steemit.
How to build Suspense till the next post...
Bruge is like a f * * * * n fairytale but what about Gent. What did I find in Gent?
Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Travel and lots of random topics.
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Beautiful pictures, it seemed that they made me a tour through Belgium. I remember that the frites there were very good and I walked miles to get to that particular shop. It was totally different from what we usually eat in the McDonald's, and the mussels were delicious too. :)
It sure is, they take their Frites very seriously.
As somebody born an living in Brussels I can confirm it: you really captured the soul of the beautiful historical town center. And yes our waffles are the best! 😋
Just one piece of advice for would be visitors: try to come during the summer as it can be quite rainy the rest of the year.
Wow, thank you so much :)
Great post. I have a good friend from Brussels and she's always inviting me to go... I should probably take her up on it soon. Following and looking forward to a Bruges post... If you haven't yet seen the film IN BRUGES, I highly recommend it.
Thanks for reading and for the tip. I watched that movie again last Saturday night after coming back. It's a really good movie. Very dark but there is a great story to it.
Beautiful post about my neighboring country! It gave me the idea to make a post showing that Luxembourg is not only banks! Thanks for this and have a wonderful day!
Oh I would love to see that post. A work colleague was just telling me recently about a summer he spent working there.
It will come, but I'll have to prepare, actually taking photos etc. Guess it will be a series, maybe after I finish my actual Route 66 series.
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Ooo, a waffeline sounds delightful! ;)
The one I had was amazing, full of rich Belgian Chocolate. I didn't see them anywhere else on my trip. Can you only get them in Brussels?
I've never heard of a waffeline before! I learned something new from you :D
Next time you should visit some less known cities, such as Tongeren, the oldest city in Belgium! :-)
It is a beautiful country with so much history.
really beautiful !!
I feel very happy you enjoyed your trip to Belgium. You took beautiful pictures but I didn't see fries. Tell me you experienced our "frites nationales" :) What about our beers :) ? If not, no worries, you are still welcome back ;) Best regards.
I was never a fan of Belgian beers in my country, but I have to say my view has changed. I experienced your frites nationales in the best place in Belgium. The place we visited in Gent had just won a national competition :)
Very glad you are now fan from our Belgian beers and also the frites :)
Awesome pictures @eroche. I loved reading about your experience there. I actually wasn't expecting there to be Don Quixote statue there since Cervantes was a Spanish author.
Besides my slight (maybe large) fascination about waffles, I am curious about your experience with frites. If I am correct, frites is just another name for French fries or a type of fried potatoes. How are the frites in Belgium?
They are a bit of a speciality. There was a museum in Bruge covering the history and tradition of them. They are chips, but cooked in a particular way. Very different than Irish Chips.
Thanks so much for the reply. I also have a fascination with potatoes in general. How were they cooked in a different way? By Irish Chips, do those have similarities to normally how chips are made for British Chips or is it completely different?
One of my favourite topics :)
Irish Chips, come from Italian Chip shops in Ireland. There is a region in Italy where the Irish Italian community has its roots, Val Di Comino in Southern Italy. They are a particular style, thick, chunky and friend in rich oil, possibly with butter or lard and served with Salt or Vinegar. Absolutely delicious.
They look similar to British Chips but a bit heavier. I will have to post some photos.
Me too :) Wow, I actually didn't know that. I always made the assumption that they would probably be mostly like British chips.