BELGIUM
The second country on our BENELUX series in April 2024 was BELGIUM. When travelling through the green hills and speed highways we ended up visiting four extremely unique cities like Dinant, Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels. The last one, crucial for the European Union countries, as its headquarter is located there, welcomed us with the billboard: ‘Welcome home. Oops we meant, “welcome to work!”. But we were there just for another journey and this one has a lot of history behind!
While on the family road trip we headed up to the Dinant, small town in the southern part of Belgium. It is famous for its limestone cliffs and its colorful tenement houses looking insanely dramatic on this landscape. The most famous monolith, Rocher Bayard, is a striking limestone standing approximately 40 meters tall along the Meuse River. According to legend, the rock was split by the magical horse Bayard, creating the narrow passage that exists today. Some say a hoof print is still visible on the rock’s southern face.
This city was also the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, which is celebrated throughout the town with the bridge with themed sculptures of this instrument. Going on the historic walk in this city, you can find the small biscuits shops, where you can buy The Couque de Dinant, traditional Belgian biscuit originating from this town.
Famous for its extreme hardness, this biscuit is crafted using only two ingredients: wheat flour and honey, and it is baked at a high temperature of around 300°C. Due to its hardness, the Couque de Dinant is not meant to be bitten into directly. Instead, it’s traditionally broken into smaller pieces and allowed to melt in the mouth, or softened by dipping into coffee or tea.
Travelling by car was for us the most convenient way of exploring Belgium. You can travel from one city to another in just few hours using motorways. Finding the park and ride at the outskirts of the town and travelling with the public transportation was an easy way to get to the most of the city centers. With that we headed to Antwerp and started our walk with the Antwerpen-Centraal Station, one of the world’s most beautiful train stations. The dome over the waiting hall and the vast iron-and-glass train shed make it one of the most iconic and photogenic railway stations in the world.
Straight from the train station we stepped into the Diamond District (Diamantkwartier), as Antwerp is globally renowned as the “diamond capital of the world”. This area houses over 1,500 diamond dealers, workshops, and retailer. Together with Meir Street, Antwerp’s premier shopping avenue, lined with 18th-century buildings housing, this area is famous for its high-end jewelry shops and dealers, many offering certified stones and custom designs.
Just before we headed to explore the Antwerp’s old town, we had a break for the typical Belgian fries with mayo and Belgian waffles with some seasonal fruits and chocolate! The Antwerp’s old town is surrounded by ornate guildhalls and the Renaissance-style City Hall with the impressive The Brabo Fountain at the center depicts that reminds the legend that is related to the city of the name. Anwerp was a home for the famous Peter Paul Rubens and his footprints can be found around. As near the riverside our afternoon walk concluded at Het Steen, a medieval fortress on the Scheldt River.
On the another day we finally visited Brussels! Again we parked our car on one of the park and ride places and took public transportation to head to the city center. We started at the city central station and from the square, we walked uphill to the Mont des Arts. From this point there was a beautiful view on the city and also few museums were located there in a one place. In order to find some place for little break we headed near by the Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon and visited Square of Petit Sablon.
What we desperately wanted to see was the Grand Place (Grote Markt). The central square of Brussels and one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, as UNESCO declared it one of the World Heritage Site. It is surrounded by stunning buildings, including the Town Hall and ornate guildhalls, showcasing Gothic and Baroque architecture and its gold ornaments shine in the sun making this huge square even more beautiful. Admiring local artists may take a while, but this was not the end of trip yet.
The goal was to find two unique statues of boy and girl that became the Brussels’ symbols: Manneken Pis and Jeanneke Pis. The boy one is more commonly recognized, as it is also related to the local legend that the boy urinated on a burning fuse and saved the city. The girl one, on the other hand, is hidden in the small alley (Impasse de la Fidélité). There’s also a third one Zinneke Pis — a statue of a peeing dog, completing the trio.
This areas was full of restaurants and local bars. After such a long walk we deserved a little sweet-treat break and the capital of Belgium is a perfect place for that. It is hard to miss Belgian waffles, either soft Brussels-style or dense Liège-style, topped with chocolate, fruit, or cream. Belgian chocolate is a must-try, with many artisanal shops around the city. In Brussels, locals enjoy dishes like moules-frites (mussels with fries) and carbonade flamande (beef stew in beer).
On our way back we headed to see unique building of the Brussels Stock Exchange (Bourse de Bruxelles). While it no longer functions as a stock exchange, the building has been repurposed for public exhibitions and cultural events. With just a short walk we managed to head to the district where European Parliament is located as well.
The last destination on our list was Ghent, historic city in northern Belgium. It is known for its stunning medieval architecture, like majestic Gravensteen Castle, the Saint Bavo’s Cathedral with the famous Ghent Altarpiece, and the picturesque Graslei canal area. What was recommended to us, and we found it the best option to explore Ghent, is to take part in one of the boat trips there, which offers a unique perspective of the city’s medieval architecture and picturesque canals.
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