Belgium - a country of charm and interest [not to mention alcoholic bevrages], which is often under-appreciated?

[70014IronDuke]

Taken from this thread: https://railforums.co.uk/threads/poirot-the-plymouth-express.236873/

Thanks, everyone. So, re what little there was -- a certain amount of effort was made.



Even though British World War I propaganda -- for purposes of recruiting, and for getting public opinion on side -- waxed passionate about "gallant little Belgium" being ill-used by the Hun, and the necessity of coming to its defence; it seems that this didn't kindle in many people, an interest in the place for its own sake. One reckons that people tend to be like this -- pretty conservative and incurious ! (My several visits to Belgium -- while not making it my favourite Continental country -- have given rise to my opinion that it possesses plenty of charm and interest.)
.....

Going OT somewhat - I confess to being totally dismissive of Belgium as a country when first travelling abroad, mainly to see steam in Germany, Austria etc.

It was only in the 1990s, when driving through and turning off motorways to explore the country for its own sake that I found some very charming towns. A visit to Ypres as the summer sun sets is also v moving. And as for the architectural delights of Ghent and Bruges ...

Furthermore, as a railway enthusiast with an interest in steam, I feel we should also not forget the contribution of two locomotive engineers, Belpaire and Walscheart, for their major contributions to the development of the steam locomotive.

I ask for Belgian forgiveness for the totally unjustified prejudice of my youff.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Not to mention three different languages, their speakers seem to get on well mostly.

 

[birchesgreen]

The comics Belgium has given the world, Tintin and Blake & Mortimer especially.

 

[alex397]

I’ve been lucky to travel around Europe quite extensively over the last 10 years. Still a few countries to tick off, but I’d say my top 3 countries, in no particular order, have to be Belgium, Germany and Czechia. These countries I’d happily visit over and over again. I’ve been to Belgium the most out of any foreign country and the country has so much to offer. I’ve barely touched Wallonia though and will try and include it on my next trip to Belgium.

Firstly, it has a superb transport system, both with trains, trams and local buses. One of the easiest countries for public transport in my opinion, and exceptionally good value. All the major cities are within an hour reach pretty much, so you can visit a wide range of places in a short space of time. And it’s fascinating how different the places are. For example, Bruxelles feels quite French (not just because of the language), but it’s a contrast going to, say, Antwerp.

For the transport enthusiast - well, I could spend ages listing all my interests there. Certainly a great place to go if you like trams - from the world’s longest tramway, to an extensive city network in Bruxelles, and still lots of vintage trams in everyday service in the capital and Antwerp.

I also have a big interest in history, and Belgium is of course very historical. Bruges is a tourist trap, but still very much worth a visit, and you don’t have to walk far to get to a quieter part of the city even in peak tourist season. Even the lesser known cities are full of interest.

Oh and then there’s pubs. Out of anywhere I’ve been in the world, their pubs seem to be the closest to what we find in the UK (I haven’t been to Ireland yet!). Of course, they don’t call them pubs though. Actually, in some ways their pubs are better than the UK - they seem to have much less chains. Plenty of other countries have ‘proper pubs’ but I’d say Belgium is the best. It’s very easy to end up with an awful hangover though due to the rather strong beers!

Grass isn’t always greener, but I think their quality of life is perhaps better than the UK., especially when it comes to transport infrastructure.

I also find the different languages interesting too and the politics and borders of the country. I’m obsessed with borders, and Belgium has some bizarre ones.

So yes, I like Belgium.

 

[JohnMcL7]

Belgium have given us not just one of the best racetracks in the world but one of the best races with the 24 hours of Spa which is an endurance race with 60+ GT3 cars all the same spec.

 

[Broucek]

The food in Belgium is fabulous

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

"Little" Belgium has been the most successful country in cycle sport.

 

[telstarbox]

Going to Bruxelles in the autumn so I would appreciate any sightseeing and bar tips

 

[yorksrob]

Travelled through there on the train to Holland and it looked beautiful.

 

[Ediswan]

The food in Belgium is fabulous

Stayed at a Gite in the French Ardennes once, just west of Rocroi (another Vauban creation). Mostly self-catering, but concluded the best option for an evening restaurant meal was Chimay, across the border in Belgium. Stumbled across a very nice seafood restaurant. What we thought were small bowls of pistachios on the tables turned out to be whelks (or similar). Be wary of the Trappist Tripel.

 

[bspahh]

Belgium have given us not just one of the best racetracks in the world but one of the best races with the 24 hours of Spa which is an endurance race with 60+ GT3 cars all the same spec.

I've been to an F1 race at Spa, and it was good. However, you have to pick a corner for each session, and if you want a good view from the general admission areas, get there early and stay put. For the endurance races, you can move around. I turned up at 11pm for one race, which had a mixture of GT3 type cars, as well as a load of smaller classes, so there was a lot of overtaking. I was able to stand right on the exit of La Source, ~ 3 metres from the track. From there I drove down to the Nurburgring for a few laps of the old course before getting to my conference in the afternoon.

I once had a meeting in Mechelen, when there were public transport strikes in the French speaking region and in France. I finished the meeting at lunchtime, but then had the whole afternoon to get to a hotel near Brussels Midi for an early train the next day. I could have got a taxi, and claimed it on expenses, but it was a nice sunny day, so I thought I would try walking and public transport. It was about an hour to walk to Mechelen station, where a few trains were running, but none to Brussels, so I carried on walking. There was a bus route which was still running to Vilvoorde on the edge of the Flemish region. There was then another couple of hours to walk to a tramline in Schaarbeek which was also running. This was along the N1, a dual carriageway with a pavement/hard shoulder, and lots of parked lorries.

The station in Antwerp is really impressive if you go in from the square by the zoo. There is a large ticket hall which feels like a cathedral. It was the scene of one of the first flashmobs

Then there are some escalators and it looks like a department store, but with platforms on 3 levels.

 

[nlogax]

Have also done the F1 at Spa which turned out to be a fantastic long weekend. As a bonus the drive to Francorchamps was quite beautiful too, especially as you get closer to the circuit. I've been to Brussels a few times. Most recently I did a long weekend there a couple of months before the pandemic struck. It's a great city..the beer and frites of course but as a walking city it has an awful lot to offer especially in autumnal weather. Would love to return soon.

 

[DarloRich]

Yes. The OP is correct!

 

[Magdalia]

my top 3 countries, in no particular order, have to be Belgium, Germany and Czechia. These countries I’d happily visit over and over again. I’ve been to Belgium the most out of any foreign country and the country has so much to offer. I’ve barely touched Wallonia though and will try and include it on my next trip to Belgium.

In my limited European travels, I've always felt more comfortable in beer drinking cultures than wine drinking cultures, and these would be my top 3 too.

I've visited Belgium lots of times, mainly Flanders, where English is preferred to French. Once I did a Eurostar day trip Christmas shopping in Brugge, coming back with bags heavy with beer, chocolate and cheese.

For me Belgium's greatest contribution to the great pleasures of life is a simple one: chips and mayonnaise. Ever since my first visit to Belgium chips without mayonnaise has been so wrong.

 

[morrisobrien]

Sold!....I have always done Eurostar to Bruxelles Midi thence to Cologne and onward.
Definitely give it a try in the future.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Yes. The OP is correct!

Indeed he is! Daughter #2 lived and worked in Brussels after leaving school some years ago and we visited on a number of occasions, went to a few places outside Brussels, Bruges obviously, the other
names I can't recall at the moment. She thoroughly enjoyed living there and is looking forward to taking her young family over as soon as she can...
....and the beer isn't bad either!

 

[HarryF]

Having spent 3 years in the Netherlands I can concur. Belgium was a favourite of mine to visit.

 

[johnnychips]

Going to Bruxelles in the autumn so I would appreciate any sightseeing and bar tips

The restaurants around the Grand Place in Brussels always serve reasonable, if not cheap, food, but finding very good food could be difficult at a reasonable price. The best one is actually in the Grand Place itself called T’Kelderke. It was recommended by a mate who lived in Brussels; I’ve been there six times and it’s always been excellent. I would recommend the horse steak, and ask for it medium. If you ask rare, you just get a plate of blood with the odd brown bit.

Nearby is what locals call ‘Pita Street’ whose official name is I think Kaasmarkt, which is full of relatively cheap Greek, Turkish and Italian restaurants which are nothing spectacular but invariably tasty

 

[Acey]

Best chips I ever had were at Ostend while waiting for a ferry in a force 23 gale ( or so it seemed )

 

[gordonthemoron]

Belgian chips are great, and the beer, and chocolate. Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels are my favourites, Bruges is a bit too touristy, but it does have the excellent 't Brugs Beertje bar, Ghent has another excellent bar called Dulle Griet, and the Cantillon Brewery in Brussels is well worth a visit

 

[Lost property]

To be fair, the OP's opening line was pretty much what a lot of us thought about Belgium the first time we entered the country...in those days, you left a smooth surface autobahn at Eindhoven straight onto concrete blocks which your suspension duly let you know about, thereafter came the "battle " with Leopoldsburg roads and, the grand finale, surviving the Antwerp tunnels en route to Zeebrugge ....however, a bit of exploration into the Ardennes and the L'ourthe valley around Thieux / Spa and you saw a very different and lovely Belgium. Plus, the country has quietly developed itself in an unassuming manner whilst still retaining the quiet charm that only becomes evident once you start looking.

But, as has been mentioned, the food and drink !..oh yes !!!...plus, the most important bit, you get mayo with your frites ! ..essential !

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Belgium definitely is an amazing country to visit.

Antwerp and Ghent are, in my opinion, some of the finest, underappreciated cities I had ever visited, and I really want to come back again! Also loved Mechelen, Lier and Leuven, and Liege, whilst not the most exciting city in Belgium, was still worth a visit!

Brussels too is really nice, and so is Bruges!

Belgium's public transport is top notch too. The trains are great (I can go anywhere in Belgium for only €6.60 single or €13.20 return!), I love the good ol' class AM96 and the Siemens Desiro ML! Buses too are amazing, especially De Lijn, where you can go anywhere in the Flanders for just €7.50. And let's not forget Antwerp's fantastic premetro too, an exemplar (alongside the Rhein Ruhr light rail / Stadtbahn systems in Germany) that the rest of the world should replicate in small or medium sized cities, where the money doesn't justify a traditional full sized metro but still needs the speed comparable to a full sized metro

 

[Busaholic]

But, as has been mentioned, the food and drink !..oh yes !!!...plus, the most important bit, you get mayo with your frites ! ..essential !

I discovered that aged 21 in 1969 in Brussels and have applied the principle ever since! I was very happy to find Copenhagen had the same philosophy when I moved on there later that same year. I always decline the 'vinegar' offered here by the ignorant!

 

[Calthrop]

With a post of mine, having prompted @70014IronDuke's OP: if I might submit the odd additional Belgium-type thought ...

My sentiments about Belgium scenically: are that the country's north is, in that respect, exceedingly dull -- very low-lying and essentially flat-featureless (not even intriguingly totally flat, and "watery", like our Fen country). The charm of Belgium's north comes from a bunch of beautiful towns and their cultural / architectural / antiquity-related joys; plus considerable transport-related interest. The nation's far south, and south-east, are scenically lovely, with fine well-wooded hill country: mountains not quite on the menu, though the very far east of Belgium, up against the German border, maybe comes near in that department. For my taste, the area around Couvin and Chimay, with France just to the south -- and with the excellent heritage Chemin de Fer des Trois Vallees "hard by" in that part of Belgium -- was scenery-wise particularly enchanting.

The old "Belgium is boring" chestnut tends to get -- with as little justice -- extended to the people of the country: the thing about "name some famous Belgians" -- supposedly no-one ever can. Mind goes irresistibly to a question posed on these Forums' General Knowledge Quiz a couple of years ago: "Name ten famous Belgians". Admittedly there are European countries for which it's easier to think of ten people therefrom, renowned for various reasons. With some brain-cudgelling, I came up with what I reckoned ten famous or infamous Belgians or quasi-Belgians. Logging on to post my findings; I (a person with absolutely no interest in sport, of any variety) found that I'd been beaten to it by a considerable margin, by the submitting of the names of ten blasted -- presumably, modern-day -- footballers. I felt quite miffed !

 

[johncrossley]

I can go anywhere in Belgium for only €6.60 single or €13.20 return!

You must be very young! Still not that expensive for old folk, with a single maximum fare of 21.80. If I had to criticise something, it would be the limited service at the weekend on many local lines, even on Saturdays.

I'd say buses are also very good, but not up to the standards in the Netherlands or Switzerland. But buses in Belgium are much cheaper.

 

[urpert]

Another Belgium fan here. The Ardennes in particular is off most English tourists’ beaten tracks but worth thorough exploration. It’s where I had one of the only camping holidays I’ve ever enjoyed (in La Roche and Bouillon).

 

[eastwestdivide]

My sentiments about Belgium scenically: are that the country's north is, in that respect, exceedingly dull

Well, by contrast I found the countryside of the flat north to be quite intriguing and interesting when cycling through (on their excellently-singposted cycle routes), so each to their own I suppose.
Ditto to others’ thoughts on trams, buses, trains etc, and also ditto on the food and drink.

 

[johnnychips]

Just a heads-up for the excellent tramway at Thuin, reachable by rail from Charleroi. I asked what times the trams were running, and got a free tour of the workshops ( in French).

 

[SouthEastBuses]

You must be very young! Still not that expensive for old folk, with a single maximum fare of 21.80. If I had to criticise something, it would be the limited service at the weekend on many local lines, even on Saturdays.

I'd say buses are also very good, but not up to the standards in the Netherlands or Switzerland. But buses in Belgium are much cheaper.

That's because I'm 21, therefore I qualify for a 16-25 Youth ticket!

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

A Belgian just won a cycle race.

That happens often enough, but the race was the world championship and the winner was Remco Evenepoel, who might be the New Merckx we have been waiting for since 1975.