Belgium much more than just Beer, Waffles & Chocolate
The center of Europe has a lot to offer as a travel destination. I recently spent a week here travelling from the Capital Brussels to the fairytale city of Bruges and eating my way thorough a mountain of waffles on the way. The relaxed atmosphere and way of life this country is an ideal get away. The narrow winding streets of Bruges and Gent, the fairytale houses and rich history means there is plenty to do.
The Brussels Waffle
Brussels
We spent the day of our arrival and departure in the capital of Flanders, Belgium and Europe. You can stroll around the historic city centre, see the Palace, take a break in one of the many beautiful parks, visit museums and eat Frites and Waffles near the Grand Platz.
What immediately struck me about Brussels was the amazing Street Art. Before the trip I had completely forgotten about the rich history of Art, in particular Comic Book Art that this country was famous for.
Brussels Town Hall Bell Tower
The Bell Tower, which would signal the beginning and end of the working day, is a distinctive feature of each Belgian town we visited. The cities and towns here date back to Medieval times and for history lovers there is lots to see. The medieval Gavensteen Castle in Bruges was one of the best Castles I have visited.
Gent
This small student town a short train ride from Brussels was one of the highlights of the trip. This city rich in Art and history was the perfect place to take a break for a few days to relax.
On Arrival impressive decor of The Train Station was a sign as to why this town housed a piece of art that was number 1 on Hitlers most wanted list during the war.
The Street Art in all of Belgium was quite impressive, Gent is Particular had something very special to offer.
Bruges
I first heard about Bruges with the Film In Bruges from 2008. If you haven't seen it, this dark comedy is worth a watch.
Our First Glimpse of the Historic 115m high Notre Dame Church, home to Michelangelo's Masterpiece Madonna and Child.
You could spend days just strolling around this beautiful town, from the lake of Tears to the Belltower canals, churches, museums, bars. This town has somehting for everyone and practically everywhere you turn there is a postcard perfect picture waiting to be taken.
Tintin & The Smurfs
Don't forget that Belgium is the birthplace of some of the great cartoon characters of the 20th century. There are some wonderful museums in Brussels where you can explore the history of this art form.
More to come
Follow me for a more in depth tour of each of these cities in the coming days. Brussels and Bruges had a lot of sights to visit but Gent had some hidden treasures which will take several posts to cover.
Thank you for reading this. I write on Steemit about Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Travel and lots of random topics.
All Images are from my personal library.
Great pictures there! Would definitely visit Belgium some day.
Great pictures and series.
Thank you.
Lovely post and pictures! I really enjoyed Brugges when I visited there for a few days. I still want to see more of Belgium one day. It's fairly close by, so I'm sure I'll manage that!
Some friends had recommended it as a relaxing place to spend a few days. There was a lot more to see and do than I was expecting.
It turns out Gent was a center of the textile industry in Belgium/Europe for years and there is a rich heritage of design in the city. My wife is a designer and was very happy exploring the museums and the wool shops.
In Bruges I found a medieval lock that was an early multisig lock, just like in Bitcoin Digital Wallets. I have a great photo :)
That sounds great! I'm looking forward to seeing your next posts :-)
You have such great pictures. I haven't been to Europe yet but I'll definitely add it my bucketlist of places to go to. I didn't know that Brussels had such vibrant and wonderful street art.
Gent was the show stopper. I will do a post just on that in a few days.
That's great, I would love to read about it. You're definitely adding a lot places for me to visit when I eventually go there. ;)
I have spent some time travelling around the world but I am finally getting to explore some of Europe, on my doorstep. The thing is each country is so different and has so much to offer. You could do a month in most countries easily. I see from your profile your new to Steemit, welcome and interested in Food and Baking. You should probably put France and Italy at the top of your list :)
Those had long been on my bucket list of countries to go to. France, from a food perspective, has always interested me because of how good their pastries are. For Italy, I have long eaten plenty of Italian food and have always considered it to be a dream to go to eat the food there and learn new cooking techniques and ideas.
Just out of curiosity, how was the food you ate in Belgium especially those mountains of Belgium waffles you ate? I noticed sometimes that native food like Belgian waffles that is made outside Belgium can radically differ from how it actually tastes in its home country. :)
I have done a lot of travelling and everywhere I travel, almost without exception, there is a local delicacy that does not travel. You taste it in another country and the only thing similar to the original is the name. Belgian waffles are no exception. No comparison to any waffle I have tasted elsewhere. Absolutely delicious. I am going to do a post just on them :)
That's fantastic, I look forward to reading it. I have tried making Belgian waffles from recipes I found on the internet such as the one on Food Network's site. The recipe I used had me separate the whites from the yolks with regards to eggs used in the waffles. Then I beat the whites until they formed foamy peaks. This had the effect of making the waffles very fluffy versus dense style waffles. However, I have no idea if they actually taste like the original since I haven't eaten the original in Belgium. :)
There are two types, one is light and fluffy, the Brussels ones (shown in the photo here) and there is a second type Liege, which are much denser and often oozing with caramelised sugar.
Great post! I live in Gent and it is a wonderful city. Thank you
Oh cool. I loved the castle, and the textile museum in particular. Very interesting. A really nice city.
And the waffles! :)
I feel like I just took a little virtual trip!
Impressive! You really did it with the pictures! That street art is very realistic!
Of course is Belgium much more than beers, waffles and chocolates; but be honest, they are very good :)) Take care.
Ha ha your right :))
Start your week with a Steemit positive message Eroche!
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I like that quote a lot.
Thanks mate! :-D
Hi eroche I love your steem I feel like I am there experiencing it can't wait for future steems I will be traveling with you and your family I love steemit!!