Why Belgium? My colleague in Saudi, WBT, had done a yoga retreat in Ghent the summer before and raved about the city. Additionally I found a cheap ticket on Emirates to Brussels. In fact, I was on the first Emirates A380 to land in Brussels and we arrived to fanfare and firetrucks on the runway. I remember the pilot explained the situation lest the passengers freak out that something was wrong with the plane. I never was on a flight that was received with an honor guard before. Quite the arrival to Belgium! My expectations were low and I had not done too much research. I figured with a week in that small country I could see a lot - I ended up wishing I had a few more days!
[September 2015]
ANTWERP
[September 18]
Even though I arrived in Antwerp tired, it was sunny and I know that is a rare commodity here in this part of Europe, so I went for a long walk yesterday late afternoon. All I can say is "move over London". This has to be one of the most diverse cities I have ever visited in Europe (or anywhere)... amazing! Then add to that all the old buildings and history and ... double amazing. However, it is also a real gritty kind of city and it is not oozing "posh" -- for the first time in a long time I feel there are parts of this place where I would want to "take care". No problem though -- I lived in NYC in the late 80s. LOL
[September 20]
I had Tamil food for dinner. It was as good as in Singapore. Antwerp, I love you.
Note: I unexpectedly returned to Antwerp the following year on my way to Rotterdam. Some of those photos are mixed in because the second visit's weather was a lovely, sunny August day.
Antwerp Cathedral.
Grote Markt, Antwerp August 2016
Rubens, Cathedral, Antwerp. August 2016
Antwerp Cathedral - monument to the cathedral builders. I loved that... you never hear about these people.
These were on many street corners.
Centurion. August 2016
Modern Art Museum.
A beguinage - a female cloister. The women weren't nuns but they lived in a community and devoted themselves to religion
BRUSSELS
I went to Brussels with low expectations. People love to hate Brussels. It is a clean city with lots of great restaurants. Yeah, there is no stand out "thing to see", yet it is a low-rise nice place. It kind of reminds me of DC a bit.
[September 19]
I visited Brussels today. Brussels has splashes of Paris and Amsterdam and no big "wow" places, but I really liked it. It really reminds me a lot of Washington, DC. Because of the EU government offices, there is also food from all over Europe (much more than any other city I have seen). I vote Brussels as totally underrated and probably quite livable.
Grand Place.
Bourse.
The mannequin pis of Brussels has become one of the informal symbols of the city. Just a small statue of a little boy peeing, the street in front of him is always thronged with tourists and the locals apparently dress him up for different occasions. The statue is so small and the crowds so huge, it almost looks like "something has happened" on that street corner and crowds have gathered to see it. Very odd, indeed.
Mannequin Pis.
Brussels Cathedral.
Tintin was one of the most popular comic franchises in Europe and it was from Belgium! I had no idea!
Tintin!
And, the Smurfs are from Belgium, too!!!!!
Albino smurfs?
[September 19]
And in a total travel meltdown moment, I couldn't find a single train going to back to Antwerp from Brussels. How was that possible since they left every 20 minutes from Antwerp to Brussels?? The big board in Brussels Centraal had NO departures for Antwerp. Then oops.... in French Speaking Brussels, Antwerp is "Anvers". LOL I am so glad I figured it out before I asked someone!
MECHELEN
[September 19]
Small Flemish town with a big cathedral and nice market square between Antwerp and Brussels. Not very touristy...I found it online as an "interesting side trip from Brussels" It was!
City Hall.
Cathedral.
I have no idea! City Park.
Courtyard.
GHENT
This was the city that spawned the whole trip. Admittedly, my expectations were high, but WBT was right - wow! Nearby Brugge is far more well-known for all the same features available in Ghent being minus the MASSES of package tourists. I would definitely pick Ghent as a city to go and hang out for a week, eat in lovely outdoor cafes, and drink beer.
[September 20]
Daytrip to Ghent. Other than "The Treaty of Ghent" I knew nothing of this city. Wow, what a sleeper! It was once one of the richest cities of Europe and it shows in the buildings... amazing old city and lots and lots of waterways. So happy I decided to go...
Big houseboat converted to a hostel!
A youth hostel on a canal boat...
Gravensteen Castle - small but great tour!
Roof deck - great view over the city
When you were one of the richest cities in Europe, this is what your streets look like.
Canalside
Mmmmm....
St Matthew -- love the gold sword
KORTRIJK
Smack on a linguistic border, I loved little Kortrijk. There wasn't much there, truth be told, but it was Belgium in miniature with its little belfry and market square. People were friendly and it had rail connections to Brugge, Ghent, Brussels, Liège, and Lille (France). It felt somewhat forgotten, but I appreciated the lack of crowds since I had visited busy cities every day to that point.
Small Flemish town on the border with French speaking Belgium and France. Great little town -- no tourists. Great base for exploring.
[September 21]
Wow, what a great small town. There isn't much too it, but still it has a great old market square, a huge cathedral, and a really cool old bridge. It is very chill. Lots of places to eat too. And Lilles is just 30 minutes by train. Oh yeah...it is the cheapest place I have been so far too!!
Belfry
Cathedral tower behind the market square
Inside the Cathedral - raising Lazarus. Not what you would expect from church art!
Cathedral
Cathedral
Ok...this was just weird and creepy...
Old city gate
BRUGGE
Visiting Bruges is like visiting Cinque Terre, Italy or maybe Salzburg, Austria - the place is legendarily famous for good reason AND it is extremely over-loved. My day ended up being rained on and I was sad because I wanted to make it down to Oostend as well. My impression of Bruges was finally, "I saw all this stuff already in Ghent with half the people". I did love the city, though.
Started out sunny, ended up rainy. Lovely at every turn, but filled with tourists (tour groups).
[September 22]
Rain clouds loomed this morning so I took the train the opposite direction... I went to Bruges. I had a few good hours and then it finally rained there (and I got very wet). Anyway.... wow wow wow. In the time the Flemish were rich and "on top" they sure built some incredible stuff. Bruges is really beautiful at every turn but there were tour groups EVERYWHERE. And this is not even the peak season. I can't imagine what it is like in summer.
beguinage - it was soooo peaceful inside
Fanciful!
water everywhere!
Lots of selfies in a mirror sculpture....Main Square
Loved the gold detail
wtf?
old city gate
Kinda like Vanna White?
Cool shop window
And yeah...it rained. I am so glad I was not on that tour boat!
At this point, I knew it was time to call it a day even though 15 minutes into the train ride back to Kortrijk the sun came out!
LILLE, FRANCE
In spite of 12 years of French study, I never manage to do much more than stick my toe in that country. My favorite moments from the trip to Lille were about coffee and NATO.
I arrived in Lille and needed a jolt of java to keep me going. Luckily, right down from the train station was a branch of my favorite British coffee chain, Costa. I went in and queued. Everyone spoke French ahead of me, then it was my turn. I could have ordered in French, but hell, this was a UK chain and Lille was a hour from London by Eurostar. I ordered in English. The barista's face immediately fell. She could speak English, but the words tumbled out of her mouth like she had been forced to chew on dog shit. I laughed a lot internally. Yeah, I sure as hell was in France.
Then in my roaming in the city I came across an historic fortress built by Louis XIV himself. I was impressed until I realized I couldn't make it past the gate. It was restricted for military access only - it was a NATO training facility. One of the most powerful military organizations on earth and it has to stay safely behind some 17th century bastion walls built by one of the most powerful kings of Europe? I really doubted "NATO force" after that.
Just a 30 min ride from squeaky clean, little Kortrijk, Belgium is down and dirty Lille. Lille has strong Flemish overtones yet is completely French. It really feels down and out, unfortunately... it has one of the most interesting cathedrals I have ever seen too!
[September 23]
Interesting trip to Lille today. Lille reminds me of a more down to earth Brussels. Brussels is very tidy and clean and where Flemish and French culture come together. So is Lille...but Lille is more "real". Lots of homeless people there, a little dirtier -- but genuine. I then took the train to Tournai, Belgium. My first town in Wallonia. It was really nice but they are doing a lot of restoration work in the old city so it wasn't the best time for a visit. Maybe in a year or so?? Walloons also don't speak English which is surprising -- in Flanders people switch to English without blinking. Alas, Wallonia really is like France. Speak French!! LOL
Gare de Lille Flandres
Arriving at the old station "Gare de Lille Flandres"
Getting ready for a street festival on Rue Faidherbe
Man on a snail....
Muscley tropical guy?
Lille Bell Tower -- very Flemish
Very French
Old Stock Exchange
Lille Opera
Grand Place view
WWI memorial
St Maurice
St Maurice
Very old castle, inside the Great Hall, super old stained glass
Loved the detail on this restaurant....
Splash of color
The cathedral was built in stages under the direction of several generations of architects from 1856 to 1975. It was completed in 1999 by the installation of a modern facade, with part of the initial program having been abandoned.
(Wikipedia)
Lille Cathedral looking in one direction was Gothic and in the other modern. Not particularly beautiful, but among churches in Europe it might have been one of the most unique I ever visited. In the end, I found it very French - not surprising, some of the most daring architecture has been constructed in France. "A cathedral of two views - old and modern". Not astounding, but I still liked it.
Lille Cathedral
Lille Cathedral - floor
Lille Cathedral - other end... ultra modern
Lille Cathedral - front door detail
WWII monument... quite graphic
Hotel de Ville - huge!
You know Belgium is just a funny place. The Walloons and Flemish really are like oil and water. They don't hate each other -- they don't fight. They just ignore each other totally pretending the other half of the country simply doesn't exist! They even have names for each other's cities... it is maddening buying tickets if you are moving from one region to another. Tournai is Doornik (!!!) in Flemish for example.
TOURNAI
A nice little French-speaking town in Belgium on the way back from Lille. It had a huge cathedral but it was mostly under renovation.
An old monastery become school
Grand Place
Grand Place
Good view of the cathedral renovation
Grand Place -- then the sun came out!
City water gate
St Jacques
St Jacques
MONS
Stopped off on my way to Liege. It was a lovely sunny day (after a lot of cloudy days). Also it is just where the hills start in Belgium ("monts") which was interesting after pancake flat Flanders
[September 24]
I am in Liege, Belgium. I stopped off for a couple of hours in Mons and it lived up to its name. In Flemish it is Bergen and in French "Monts" (Mons). It is just where Belgium starts to see a few hills. The town is typical with a big church, a separate bell tower and a lovely "Grand Place". But I have had enough of that configuration... it's getting a little "samey". I ordered lunch (in French, Jean-Max Guieu) and the waiter was guessing where I was from and I finally said "USA". His fast response was "Aren't things a lot better there than here?" I was stunned. Here I was drinking Belgian beer on a centuries old square in the sunshine ... and this young guy thinks life in the USA is better. I found it a little sad. I took the train onward to Liege and we passed through the rust belt of Charleroi and then at Namur hit the Meuse which is a mix of lovely scenery with the Meuse cutting sharp cliffs into the hills and post industrial blight... at least my hotel area in Liege seems like a nice place??
Period players on the steps of Sainte Waudru de Mons
Happy Gargoyle
Sainte Waudru de Mons
Sainte Waudru de Mons - this is rolled out through town once a year!
Sainte Waudru de Mons
City Bell Tower -- it was built on a hill so it was visible from everywhere
Bell Tower
Grand Place -- it was SOOOO nice
Grand Place
A memorial to the United States for help after WWII
Very joyful statue
Great reflections
This rather drunk young lady came up and told me (in French) that she could do a split and insisted that I take a photo.... well, she did one!
The arts quarter
When the train passed through Namur on the Meuse I wished I could have detrained. The city was built under a small hill but faced a sheer cliff. It looked so out of place for Belgium. Alas, my time was running out and I still had several cities to visit.
LIÈGE
The train station in Liège was like nothing I had ever seen in Europe!! What an entry to the city. [see: Liège-Guillemins Station]
Nothing like what I saw back in Flanders. You can tell you are getting closer to Germany. It is a very working class city -- not very touristy, but very real
[September 24]
Liege reminds me a little of Lille. This is a real city... lots of working people here. It is not just a fairy tale type of old city that I have been visiting for the past week. There are some OLD houses here. And the Cathedral just looks like it's been through every war there has ever been... it's a hodgepodge of styles and repairs. Kind of sad, kind of classic... but I liked it.
Liege Palais reflection
Liege Palais - courtyard
fountain detail
Half timbered homes
church doorway
Great dead end alleys that were almost neighborhoods to themselves! Quite old
random mural
Grand Curtius Museum
Saint Denis -- a frankenstein kind of church that seemed to be put together with pieces and styles of many other churches
Liege Cathedral
Liege Cathedral
Liege Cathedral
MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS
Just 30 minutes from Liege is perfect Maastricht, NL. Everything about the town is cute and lovely -- but after Liege, a little unreal. Almost like a Disneyland.
[September 15]
Just back from Disneyland....oops, I mean Maastricht, NL. Staying in Liege, Belgium and taking the train 30 minutes to Maastricht really makes things clearer for me. Liege is a dirty real city. People live and work here. Life is not easy. There are some nice places, but most of it is just modern and boring. Maastricht is all fairytale Europe with lovely restored buildings, open farmers markets, and lots of rich white people cruising around in expensive cars and buying expensive things. Don't get me wrong -- when I come to Europe I come to see Maastricht, not Liege. But I am happy I am in Liege to see how Europeans really live -- unless they are in the 10%.
Onze Lieve Vrouwe - one of the DARKEST interiors I visited of any church
old city Roman walls
Old gate
loved this
Love this fountain
Church converted to bookstore
Door to Sint Servaas
Loved this lamp post detail
old city entrance
Strange sculptures in the square
Maastricht University
city walls
The most expensive Indonesian food -- EVER!
[September 25, 2015]
I plan to go to Germany tomorrow. Now I know I am in BELGIUM and it's all about "Belgian Beer" bla bla. But seriously, I am going to GERMANY. That is serious beer... mmmmmmm.
AACHEN, GERMANY
About an hour from Liege by train, the big draw is that this was Charlemagne's first capital and the cathedral is just over the top. It is where all the Kings and Kaisers of Germany were crowned after Charlemagne. Amazing... [see: Aachener Dom]
[September 26]
Just back from Aachen, Germany. Nice small town -- great beer. But the "wow" factor of this town is the church. It is where German kings and emperors were crowned ever since Charlemagne's time. The interior of the church is simply amazing (and considering how many churches I've seen in the last 10 days, that is saying a lot)
Marchiertor - one of the original gates to the city
First glimpse of the cathedral
Fountain on the Cathedral Square
Loved the splash of color and the humor....
I am not sure what to make of this guy
Great flower boxes!!
Really I just had to photograph them. The vendor was "amused" that I found it photo worthy. LOL
Very cool interactive sculpture. You could move the parts!
Back side of the City Hall (also Charlemagne's Palace)
"Charlemagne" in Germany??
One of the oldest buildings in Aachen
City Hall and the big cheese (Charlemagne)
What a cool place to get married!
.... that is 400 years old!!
Wow, very damning...
Ponttor - another old city gate
Amazing flowers on this restaurant
Construction that ran into old bones....
Oh yes... one beer before the cathedral interior...
CODA
[September 27]
Off to the train station.... next stop, Brussels Airport. I had a good time in Belgium. It is really an underrated country with good food and friendly people.
My Belgium trip was unexpectedly one of the best in Europe. It turned me onto all things Dutch which inspired me to visit the Netherlands. It also showed me how easy Schengen travel had become and how borderless Europe really was. After that trip, I started to change my whole perspective on travel on the Continent. PLUS, Belgium was just a very nice country that is pretty underrated!
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