Old Moaner Travel
I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list
Belgium
Belgium is an odd country it doesn’t appear to have a single identity or even heritage.
It is appropriate it is home to the European Union (EU) because, like the EU, it is a product of compromise without a single identity.
In terms of identity it is part French, part Flemish in some parts of the country never the twin shall meet, although other parts of the country are officially in union.
Officially the country is bi-lingual but you will find only the native language is generally spoken in the respective areas ...... so try and speak French in a Flemish region then, in all probability, you will be ignored even if the person does speak French and vice-versa.
Even more confusing is most towns and cities in Belgium have two names and depending on where they are located the dominant name is used however, this can cause confusion for the unwary.
For example Antwerp is one of the major cities in the country and is the Flemish name for the city as it is located in the Flemish region however if you are driving in a French area the road signs will only refer to it as Anvers.
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Other examples are Brussels / Bruxelles, Geraardsbergen / Grammont, Kortrijk / Courtrai, Leuven / Louvain, Limbourg / Limburg, Tienen / Tirlemont and Ypres / Ieper
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Notwithstanding its schizophrenic appearance Belgium does have some plus points including some beautiful cities, sublime chocolate and, arguable, the best selection of beers in the world.
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Brussels
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The capital of the country and very much bi-lingual so you can get away with speaking either language or, if lazy, just English.
Very much a city of two parts, with the name Brussels being synonymous with the European Union a large are of the city is dominated by EU buildings an is frankly boring unless you have an EU fetish.
Being the de-facto headquarters of the EU does make the city a very expensive place to visit.
Thankfully there is much more to Brussels than the EU and the old is is a delightful place to visit.
The Grande Place is the focal point of the older part of the city with pavement cafés and ornate buildings.
Nearby and very easy to miss is the diminutive statue of the Manneken Pis, basically a very small statue having a wee and if it weren't for the crowds of tourists gawking at it then it could be easily missed.
There are plenty of atmospheric streets and lanes to explore in the area surrounding the Grande Place.
Les Marolles is located close to the Palais de Justice and is an old working class area with narrow cobbled streets and many antique shops. Like many areas it has lost its working class routes and is becoming gentrified with property developers snapping up the old building and restoring them.
Nearby La Sablon has always been a salubrious area, attracting many antique dealers. It's also the perfect area to sit on a terrace and watch the world go by.
On the outskirts of the city is the Heysal Area. The area came to public awareness in 1985 following the Heysal Stadium disaster where the disgraceful behaviour of Liverpool football fans resulted in the death of 39 Italian football fans.
Heysal hosted the 1958 World Expo and one of the iconic buildings from the exhibition still remains, The Atomium.
it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (60 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected, so that the whole forms the shape of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Tubes of 3 m (10 ft) diameter connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the centre.
They enclose stairs, escalators and a lift (in the central, vertical tube) to allow access to the five habitable spheres, which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere includes a restaurant which has a panoramic view of Brussels.
Brugges
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Think of European cities and canals and it is places like Venice and Amsterdam but high on the list should be Brugges.
Brugges is the most delightful of towns, with a large number of canals, quaint cobbles streets, lovely squares lined by cafés and more chocolate shops than you can shake a stick at.
Unfortunately the attractions of Brugges are no secret and you will have to accept there will be crowds.
It has to be said a large number of those tourists are British, probably due to the towns proximity to the northern Channel ports. Obviously the crowds are not as bad in winter but in summer the place can be rammed. My advice to avoid the worse of the crowds would be to arrive early in the morning, most of the coach trips arrive after 10:00 or visit in the evening.
The centre of the town is decidedly and deliberately car unfriendly and the best advice is to park on the outskirts of the town and walk in.
Undoubtedly Brugges is beautiful and well worth a visit, even if it does entail sharing the place with crowds. Because of the crowds it can be an expensive place to visit.
Ghent
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If you have ever visited Amsterdam then Ghent will have a strangely familiar feel.
The centre has canals with gable fronted buildings, it has a laid back feel but without the seedy red light areas or coffee shops.
Although popular with tourists it doesn't feel as overcrowded as other tourist destinations.
Unusually it is a fairly car friendly city, although the centre is small and compact enough to explore on foot and the medieval area can only be appreciated on foot.
World War I
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Some of the bloodiest battles of WW1 were fought in what is now Belgium and throughout the country there are preserved battlefields and many towns have cemeteries containing bodies and memorials to the dead of both sides.
Some of the cemeteries are small with only a handful of graves, whilst others commemorate thousands. It is sobering to visit any of these cemeteries , especially when you see how young many of those who died were.
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One of the most poignant memorials is in the town of Ypres, nicknamed "Wipers" by the British soldiers.
The area around Ypres saw some of the worse battles of WWI and the town is now known as the "town of peace" appropriately one of its twinned cities is Hiroshima in Japan, site of the first atomic bomb used against civilians.
The focal point of the town is the Menin Gate, which serves as a memorial to the Commonwealth servicemen who were lost but have no known grave. 54,395 names were inscribed on the panels on the gate before they ran out of space, the names of a further 34,948 are inscribed on a separate memorial.
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The gate, which spans the road to Menin was completed in 1927 and, apart from the period of German occupation in WW2, the road has been closed and the Last Post played at the memorial every night at 20:00. On some nights a longer commemoration takes place with wreath laying ceremonies taking place as well.
Even now, over a century after the end of WW1, hundreds attend the ceremony every evening and it is a very moving ceremony.
