Caesar described the Belgae as war hungry and Bolgoi likely comes from the Proto-Celtic belg or bolg & PIE🔍 root bhelgh = to swell, bulge (particularly with anger or battle fury)
† The region included parts of today's France, Netherlands and all of Luxembourg
An amalgam of the best of Dutch, Flemish, French + even some Germanic culture all blended together, Belgium is littered with history, amazing architecture, art and world class cuisine.
@ a glance essentials:
.
Language:
French
Dutch + German
Most locals speak English in larger cities.
-
Water safety
Generally Safe to Drink - including from many public fountains.
Currency:
Euro
Local Transport
Metro, Bus, Tram & Trains are sufficient for the cities. Remote areas require a car
................................................... With many languages comes a miriad of curses like the French Dikkenek = fat (dikke) + neck (nek) = arrogent/ 'bighead' (also tittle of a Belgium cult film classic) or Une flatte = cow turd = lazy person/ piece of sh*t/ couch potato... or my favorite, the Dutch Scheefpoeper, literally crooked pooper, which refers to man who cheats on his partner.
Creative Local Curses -
Belgium, has been part of a multitude of nations over the years from the Roman Empire, the Frankish Merovingians, Carolingian Empire, and the Burgundian Netherlands.† Pieces of the current country have been ruled by the Flemish, French and Austria as the country has been divided, shifted and reunited throughout it's history. As such it's culture is a melding of many different traditions from it's past and current neighbors.
a bit of background...
CHECK OUT THE:
...................Belgium has no Federal🔍 Government. (It has a King & 5 Regional Governments & in 2019-2020 it took 652 days to actually form the government) But it does have a special, unique glass for every one of it's 1000+ locally brewed beers.
FUN FACT:
Sometimes called "the Battlefield of Europe" it gained independence from the United Kingdom🔍 of the Netherlands after the 1830 Belgian Revolution and is now made up of three regions; the 🔎Northern Flanders, Southern Wallonia and the central Brussel Region encompassing the city of the same name.††
† After the 80 year war Burgundian split into the Dutch Republic🔍 (modern Netherlands) & Southern Netherlands. The Southern region was split again, into what
is now Belgium & Luxembourg, after briefly being ruled by France, before coming under the United Kingdom of Netherlands rule again.
†† The Flemish region is Dutch, Walloon is mostly French with a small German component, and Brussels Capital Region is a combination of the Dutch & French.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Moules-Frites (Mussels & Fries)† - w/ mayo or andalouse ∞ Waterzooi - creamy Flemish fish stew🔍
Belgian Gaufre (Waffles)†† - w/ fruit & whipped cream or Liège Syrup - a sweet reduction of fruits
Speculaas - crisp, ginger spice shortbread biscuits* ∞ Frikadellen met Krieken - meatballs in cherry sauce
Crevettes Grises (Grey [tiny] Shrimp) in croquettes or tomatoes ∞ Anguilles au Vert (Eels in Green [herb sauce])
➿➰➿
† There's a hot debate as to whether the French or the Belgians came up with fries
†† Belgian is a misnomer. There are 2 distinct styles - Brussels; rectangular, light + crispy & Liège; thick, chewy w/ sugar in the batter that caramelizes
* An airy, less spiced version, Speculoos, made popular by Lotus biscuits was rebranded to become international sensation Biscoff biscuits & spread - a creamy butter-like
substance of crushed biscuits (from the tradition of dunking speculaas in coffee, then spreading the mushy concoction on toast)
SEE
DO TRY
&
VISIT
What to Where to Why . . .
Surprising Finds:
📍 Sewer Tours: The Musée des Égouts Bruxelles/ Sewer Museum. Underground (obviously), where you tour working
sewer, tunnels, filth & all, and the buried river Senne, (which was covered in the 19c as the city expanded)
& The Antwerp Ruien covered natural canals between the hills of the river Scheldt
📍 The Lucifernum in Bruges - home of Don "Willy" Retsin (a self-described vampire) who
hosts parties in the 18c Masonic Lodge (a sort of cabinet of curiosities)
📍 Flashing old fashioned street lights of Ghent's Sint-Veerleplein square, an interactive art
piece called Ai Nati Oggi (For Those Born Today) announcing the birth of every new
Ghent baby. Buttons at the maternity wards, that new parents can push, will flash the
squares lights to celebrate the birth
📍 Wooden escalators from the 1930's, deep down into Antwerp's St. Anna’s Tunnel
beneath the Scheldt River
📍 Het Bootje (the Little Boat) - a boat stern protruding from a Victorian, Art Nouveau
building in Antwerp
My Favorite Spots:
📍 Gorgeous castles like Château de Bouillon, Beersel, Gravensteen, Gaasbeek,
Freÿr & Steen (Belgium has the most castles per sq. meter in the world)
📍 Chocolate†- Wieze has the world’s largest factory making 270k tons a year
📍 The canals, bridges &🔎 Basilica of the Holy Blood, of medieval Bruges
📍 Last Post @ Menin Gate, Ypres - a ceremony for WWI soldiers held every evening at 8pm
under an archway depicting the names of those who died there
📍 Van Monckhoven Observatory - on Blandijnberg | Un. of Ghent's grassy roof terrace, with the Steinheil-Cooke
telescope, oldest in Europe with a still-functioning tracking system
📍 Liège Waffles - filled with exploding sugar crystals. Also in Liege: The Archeoforum - 9,000 years old archeological site,
Mosan art @ Church of St. Bartholomew & the abandoned, 19c Fort de la Chartreuse now covered in cool graffiti
† A 400 year old tradition of chocolate with strict laws about what's officially Belgian (must contain 35% cacao - US chocolate contains on average 10%)
Most Known For:
♦️ The European Union & Nato headquarters in Brussels - also known for the Atomium,
& Manneken Pis fountain
🔸 Flanders Region, with the medieval cities of Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp; the Diamond
Capital of the world† and home of the Plantin-Moretus Museum of Printing with the
only extant set of original Garamond letter dies
♦️ The town of Spa, namesake for all modern spas, home of the world's most famous (fictional) detective,
Hercule Poirot††, and unique museums like The Laundry Museum & National Museum of The Playing Card
🔸 Western Front Trenches monuments & cemeteries where 3 million WWI soldiers fought the Battle of the Somme,
(1 million of whom died) with Flanders Fields Museum, & Tyne Cot Cemetery and remembrance rituals
♦️ Wallonia - with country châteaus, the Lorraine Vineyards. the Ardennes Forest (famous for skiing, hiking &
local beer brewed by Trappist monks)
🔸 Ostend Fish Market, Visserskaai, an open-air market on the North Sea🔍
♦️ Waterloo - of Napoleon's last stand
👀 NOTABLE BELGIANS:
🎨 Peter Paul Rubens | Painter 🎭 Audrey Hepburn | Actress 🔎 Hercule Poirot | Detective††
🥋 Jean-Claude Van Damme | Martial Artist/ Actor 🎨 Anthony van Dyck | Painer
🎷Adolphe Sax | Inventor/ Muscian 🍏 René Magritte | Surrealist ⚜️ Victor Horta | of Art Nouveau
🚴♂️ Eddy Merckx | Winningest Cyclyst 🗺️ Abraham Ortelius | Cartgropher/ 1st Atlas
👑 Clovis I | 1st King of the Franks 🍄 The Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs)* 🐕 TINTIN | Reporter**
💥 Georges Lemaître | of the Big Bang 🎤 The Singing Nun (Sœur Sourire)
🎺 Toots Thielemansº | Jazz Musician
† 50% of all diamonds pass through Antwerp - It's also the home of artists Rubens & van Dyck †† ✏️ Agatha Christie | Author (English)
* 🖍️ Peyo | Carootist **🖍️ Hergé (Georges Remi) | Carootist º Included due to possesing the coolest name of all time
👣
🌀 Carnaval De Binche masked parade held in Binche preceding Ash Wednesday, dating back to 1394,
famous for costumed Gilles tossing oranges to the crowd
🌀 Flower Carpet Festival - where millions of colorful flowers are 'woven' into a themed patterned carpet
(Celebrated in Brussels & Bruges)
🌀 Salon Du Chocolat Brussels (October - November) - Chocolate festival with the Chic & Chocolate Gourmet
🌀 Doudou, Ritual Ducasse of Mons (weekend of Trinity Sunday) - A feast with origins in the Middle Ages:
A Procession of Waltrude’s Shrine & The Enactment of the combat of Saint George & the Dragon
🌀 Gentse Feesten - in Ghent, largest cultural outdoors festival in Europe: food, music, & street entertainment
& Lichtestival, the Ghent Light Festival, (every three years) - light artists & performers
🌀 Toussaint All Saints Day† - usually celebrated with family visiting cemeteries to adorn the graves loved
ones with lit candles & chrysanthemums (symbolizing death & eternity.)
† Like the rest of Europe, Halloween is not (traditionally) celebrated
Site Key:
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