Top Belgium hotels
Eating Brussels
43 Reviews Belgium chocolate is famous, and remarkably linked to Tourism. I think that it is impossible to approach Manneken Pis without being compelled to enter one of the many shops that rival to make the most...
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Legends and urban stories Antwerp
19 Reviews There is some Antwerp legend (I'm afraid I don't remember the details but it's not important) about a giant and a man who fight, the man wins and cuts of the giant's hand (natives - feel free to...
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Beers / Chocolates / Flemish Frites (Fries). Brugge
20 Reviews While you are in Brugge you MUST try fries with mayonnaise (of course unless you are not a big fan of mayonnaise). I never thought it would be that good until I tried it. When we ordered them, they...
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Museums Oostende
5 Reviews THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. Different works of art from Ostend such as Ensor, Permeke, Spilliaert, Finch, De Clerck, etc.. there’s a large variety of works from Belgian masters from 1830 until...
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Cat Parade Ieper
5 Reviews Cat haters must love the Kattenfestival which has it's origins in the 12th century when they would throw live cats from the Cloth Hall belfry, hope they hadn't cashed in on all of their 9 lives yet!...
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Languages Brussels
27 Reviews As the Flemish speaking inhabitants started over the two last centuries to speak more and more French they often did it keeping the Flemish tonic accent at the begin of the word on the contrary of...
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Festivals and events Antwerp
53 Reviews In 2004 the tallships race was back in Antwerp again. It was one of the great events this summer. Lot of activity is going on, when the tall ships are here. The event will be back in tge summer of...
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2 languages are spoken Flemish and French. Brugge
6 Reviews Actually it's both depending on whether you are using the Flemish spelling or French spelling. In Flemish and Dutch, it's spelled Brugge and pronounced Broo-gah. In French and English, it's spelled...
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Poppies Ieper
6 Reviews Le coquelicot, "poppy" en anglais, est le symbole par excellence qui honore le sacrifice de tous ceux qui ont servi et sont morts pour leur pays pendant les deux guerres mondiales. Cette fleur...
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Drinking Brussels
41 Reviews AWESOME. This is a beer shop in Brussels heart, it's not just a shop for me it's a beer museum!!! There is more than 1000 Belgian beers!!! Beautiful!!! See my pictures! They can also ship beers,...
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Famous people Antwerp
10 Reviews dEUS are an Antwerp-based band who take on the world, armed with a suitcase full of Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Pixies and Radiohead. Their music is never straightforward, always with a twist that...
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Museums / Architecture / Art / Paintings. Brugge
28 Reviews This fountain in t'Zand square was done in the 1980s and depicts several typical Flanders scenes and icons. There are cyclists and a Flanders landscape. In the photo you can see the fisherman and on...
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Last Post Ieper
5 Reviews Every evening since July 24 1927 at 20.00 hours, the Last post is blown by members of the Ypres Fire Brigade, to remember the victims of World War I. The blowing of the Last post only was interrupted...
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Tipping Brussels
6 Reviews Taxes and tips are always included in the price you need to pay in pubs, restaurants and even taxis. However it is an unwritten rule that if you are satisfied about the service and your bill is not a...
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Beer tasting Antwerp
18 Reviews Drinking for Belgians is a cultural and social happening. Being famous for the beers, we also take care of our pubs and we have some few! One that is very cute and stuffed with all kinds of saint's...
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Lace making a well known Belgian Art. Brugge
13 Reviews There are many ways to make lace. Needlepoint Lace is made with a needle and thread. It is very closely related to embroidery but the stitches are made without cloth underneath them. They are simply...
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Comic Strip Art Brussels
14 Reviews The Marolles is set in the former artisans' quarter of the city. You can access the area by a lift which operates near to the Palais de Justice or just walk downhill as we did. The pretty mural looks...
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Musea Antwerp
10 Reviews In Antwerp I saw only four masterpieces by Pieter Paul Rubens in Our Lady's Cathedral (Onze Lieve-Vrouwkathedraal). But I was lucky to visit a few more museums with his works of which I liked most:...
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Procession of the Holy Blood Brugge
4 Reviews The great procession of the Holy Blood held each Ascension Day, when the bishop of Bruges carry the relic of the Holy Blood through the streets of the city. The procession culminates with the...
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Flower Carpet Brussels
7 Reviews It's better to book in time if you want to attend this flower carpet event. It's very crowded and all the hotels are taken. Next flower carpet in Brussels is between August, 15th-17th, 2010. Be there...
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VT-Meetings Antwerp
6 Reviews On occasion of Leroys (Brewdog @ VT)'s visit to Belgium and my anniversary, I organised a VT pubcrawl. We were with 9 VT-ers and family and some friends. We had a great time! No wonder as we asked...
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Horse Carriage / Canal Tours / Cultural Celebrations. Brugge
10 Reviews these wildly popular canal-boat tours. It seems you can get a better view of things just by wandering around on your own, not being jammed into these longboats like sardines. But the guided-tour...
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Festivals Brussels
19 Reviews Years and years I've seen this christmas period thing grown in Brussels. I do think that Brussels has got' the most beautiful square in the world. I have been on some squares....that title...
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Shopping Antwerp
4 Reviews Every year on August 15th the Rubensmarket takes place. Its to honour the famous painter P.P.Rubens. The sales people are all dressed like the people used to dress when Rubens was living. The...
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Paying at the Bar and tipping 10% is costumary Brugge
3 Reviews In a country where service is included in most bills, tipping is not a problem. Most people will not expect a tip. Possible exceptions are public toilets, where the attendant may expect a tip of 25...
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Beer: Rochefort ! The Trappist "Rochefort" is brewed in the Abbey St Remy from Rochefort.There are three sorts of it:Rochefort 6: in fact alone drink in the abbey self. 7,5% alcohol. Twoo times a year brewedRochefort 8: Dark, in fact 9,2% alcohol Rochefort 10: Dark, in fact 11.3 % alcohol
More than frites, mussels or pralines, self-derision seems to be a Belgian specificity.According to the dictionary self-derision is "laughing at oneself with sarcasm " it is not humour (British) "shape of spirit which consists in presenting the reality so as to show its pleasant and unusual aspects" it is not the "esprit français" which is to the detriment of others.Our "auto-derision" is also different from self-deprecation; there is a good part of fun in our "auto-derision"Mind you, all Belgians do not practise self-derision; you will find in Belgium numerous persons whose oversized ego prevents them from any self-derision. In Brussels we call them "dikke nek" or "stoeffer". We also have mentally underdeveloped people unable to laugh at themselves.With a little luck you will meet Belgians who practise this magnificent virtue of self-derision and I am certain that you will take pleasure...
The term "french fries" is an injustice, an abuse toward Belgium. The "frites" (in French) "fritten or frieten" (in Flemish) originate from Belgium. All most serious historical, gastronomical studies agree on this.By the way, have you ever heard a Frenchman use the term "French fries" "Frites Françaises"? The French, although well known for their chauvinism, recognize that Belgium is the champion of the frites. In France the nickname for Belgians is … "frites"!"French fries" are fake products, don't buy, don't eat them. They are an infringement of Belgian proprietary rights!
Plus que les frites, moules ou pralines, l'autodérision semble être une spécificité belge, du moins d'après ceux qui observent ce pays.D'après le dictionnaire l'autodérision est "le fait de se moquer de soi-même avec sarcasme" ce n'est donc pas de l'humour (britannique) "forme d'esprit qui consiste à présenter la réalité de manière à en dégager les aspect plaisants et insolites" c'est encore moins de l'esprit (français) "vivacité piquante de l'esprit" qui s'exerce au détriment d'autrui.Attention, tous les belges ne pratiquent pas l'autodérision; vous trouverez en Belgique de nombreuses personnes dont l'ego surdimensionné les écarte de toute autodérision. A Bruxelles nous les appelons des "dikke nek" ou "stoeffer". Nous avons aussi des sous-développés mentaux incapables de se moquer d'eux-mêmes.Avec un peu de chance vous rencontrerez des Belges qui pratiquent cette merveilleuse vertu...
The major production units happen to be in or near Brussels. I was told that people who work there are allowed to eat as many pralines as they want on the workplace but are not allowed to take them out. It seems that new workers stop eating pralines after a few days or eat just a few at the coffee pause.Same in the shops, which you will find in all commercial centres.Are pralines good or bad for health?They are certainly good for the moral, they induce a euphoric feeling. Some addiction to pralines has been reported. I am one of these praline addicts.
Another national dish. As we have discussed the question of the frites, let's focus on the meat.Beef in Belgium is of the Bleu-Blanc Belge (Belgian Blue) species. There is a large, often industrialized production of these strong animals with a white or blue piebald coat. We have 1.5 million of them!Specific are the strong muscular buttocks similar to those of heavy horses, they are called "cul de poulain". The bleu-blanc belge produces a high proportion of tender meat; from there its success with the Belgian consumer who wants prime choice cuts of extremely tender, low-fat meat.Personally I prefer beef which is less tender but has more taste than the bleu-blanc Belge.
Our Moules-Mosselen-Mussels seem to be famous worldwide.Some years ago I had on business visit an Italian, manager for Europe of an important American industrial company. The assistant of the manager insisted on me taking him out for eating a "moules frites". So I did going at Leon near the Grand-Place. This was the start of a good business.One might ask why, as mussels are breed in Holland, not to go and eat them there.I did only once. Please believe me I have no prejudice against Dutch cooking; I just have good or bad experience.For example I would order a "Moules frites" in the North of France, at Lille for example. They are up to my standards.I also like the French coast "Moules à la Bordelaise" (in the way of Bordeaux) or Spanish big red mussels; but this is another story.
In the past you would mainly find movable shops selling them on the squares. We called them "fritkot" (= fries shack) or "friterie", "frituur"; nowadays they are often obliged to leave the street and enter some house. There are still a good number of these movable shops to be found along the roads. People stop and eat their portion of frites wrapped in a paper "cornet".The price evolution of frites is somewhat special. Each time that there is a bad harvest of the Bintjes potatoes, the price of the portion of frites increases. But when the harvest of the Bintjes is abundant and price of the potatoes diminishes, the price of the frites never diminished.The best way to taste the quality of frites is just with salt. Most often in Belgium people eat them with mayonnaise or Belgian Pickles. Other dressings are possible but I would avoid ketchup which is too sweet and masks the taste of the...
Potatoes should be of the "Bintje" type. This species exists since a century and was developed in the north of the Netherlands (Friesland). "Bintje" was the name of a girl Bintje Jansma.There are two possibilities for frying: in ox fat ("blanc de boeuf" "ossewit") or in groundnut ("arachide") oil.The (white) ox fat is generally used in the shops and restaurants. The oil is often used at home (can be filtered when cold). It is essential to renew frequently the fat or oil in order to avoid the occurrence of carbonised particles and the chemical degradation of the fat or oil by the heating at high temperature.In Belgium there is a regulation concerning the choice and use of the frying fat.A two phase process at different temperatures is essential.A first cooking at a fat or oil temperature of 150°-160 C for some minutes. This first stage takes the water out of the potato, then immersion at...
Not only the art of making belgian beer - but also the will to keep belgian traditions on the highest level. The "Jump" from a beer to a horse is not logic - but shows the heart of belgian industry, this next to chocolate - frites - laces etc.The famous "PALM" beer is only one example - the brewery is located in Steenhuffel - near Londerzeel - or more general - between Antwerp an BXL in Waals Brabant.For more than 25 years (1980) the Palm brewery put the beer itself and "De Brabander" on one logo and was significant for the belgian tradition and selection of what mothers nature has to offer.
Conrad Brussels Brussels
11 Reviews and 322 Opinions Location, Building
Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce Brugge
4 Reviews and 299 Opinions The Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce is definitely the most romantic hotels in Brugges. Stunning location,...
Hilton Antwerp Antwerp
17 Reviews and 256 Opinions OK we´d been wanting to stay here for years, but was always too pricey. We managed to get a decent...
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Q: WE are considering a short holiday in Belgium for about three days. WE would probably be taking a train to &/or from either...
A: Cheapest transport is not necessarily the 'best'. Flying from Venice or Switzerland might be a better option than train as those places are further away: check...
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