If you can ride mouseback, and we are sure that you can, you will be able to visit eight wonderful locations in Belgium on this
web site. They are listed in the lower right corner of this page.
Belgium borders Holland on the East and South and
in turn has borders with France on its east, Luxembourg on its south and Germany on the west. It has been considered part of
the low countries and its history with Holland has left its mark. The majority of its population, those in the northern part
of the country, referred to as
Flanders, speak a form of Dutch, which Belgians refer to as Flemish. People in the
southern regions, called
Wallonia, speak French primarily, and residents of Brussels, the capital city both of Belgium and of
the
European Union, speak both languages. Most of the Belgians we encountered also spoke English.
In the southern parts of Holland,
the closeness of the Belgian border means that many residents of both countries cross over into the other frequently. Indeed city
streets that are Dutch on one side and Belgian on the other are not unusual. For many years, fuel for motor vehicles was cheaper
in Belgium and many border crossings were made by the Dutch to fuel their cars and trucks and to shop on Sundays, when many shops
in Holland are closed.
Belgium has many attractions for us. It is rich in an often bloody history that includes the Napoleonic and
two world wars. Napolean's Waterloo is just south of Brussels. One of the most terrible battle sites in WW I was Ypres,
in Western Flanders. And many people alive today remember the
Battle of the Bulge in World War II fought in Bastogne
near the Luxembourg border. And Belgium has several fine cities, among which are Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels and Liege.
Also among the attractions of Belgium for us is the incomparable
chocolate made there, as well as the great strong
beer made
there (that is, when Ron could drink beer). Some of the latter can have alcohol concentrations as high as 10 or 12
percent. And if you admire lace, this is also the place to get
very fine lace. Also, the Flanders area in Belgium
and France has had a long history manufacturing textiles, especially fine
tapestry. There are many shops selling tapestry
fabric and items made of this in Belgian cities.
Antwerp and Ghent haved beautiful and historic Cathedrals.
Antwerp's Cathedral of
Our Lady is perhaps the largest in Europe, twith seven naves, three on each side of the largest center nave.
Ghent's St. Baaf's houses
the famous Van Eyck altar masterpiece, "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb". Also in Ghent is the church of
Saint Carolus
Borromeus, which we did not know about until doing research for this web site. The artist Rubens figured prominently in its desighn.
Liege's St. Bartholemew has a most beautiful sculpture of the Madonna and a 12th century baptismal font.
