Going Everywhere: Belgium

We’re dreaming BIG of one year traveling across Europe, and I’ve committed to sharing the planning process here as it unfolds. Last week I shared our notes on Austria, and since we’re working our way through the countries alphabetically (at least on paper — we certainly won’t travel that way), up next is Belgium!

Now, Belgium is a smallish country, and I imagine we’ll spend no more than two weeks there — not that there is so little to do (as you’ll see below). I imagine it will be more of a cooling down time that we spend in Belgium, luxuriating in natural beauty and fine architecture, a respite from more heavily crowded spaces and the go-go-go pace we expect to experience elsewhere. Belgium should be the place where we kick back a little, slow down a lot, and let the beauty unfold as we breathe deep of all there is to taste, savor, and explore.

You’ll also notice a few seasonal listings (below). We don’t yet know what time of year we’ll be visiting Belgium but I included a few festivals and seasonal items in our notes, on the off chance that we’re around at the right times to enjoy them.

Check out our working notes below, collected over a few months time, and let me know what you think!

— Antwerp(en)

• Chocolate Nation, museum of Belgian chocolate

— Boom

• Trolls of De Schorre Park

— Bouillon

• Bouillon Castle, feudal castle

— Bruges

• stroll Minnewater Lake

• Torture Museum Bruges

• TO EAT

— chocolate

— waffles

— Brussels

• Brussels Jazz Weekend (late May, free concerts)

• Cook & Book, super-market-sized bookstore

• The Grand-Place, historic public square

• Hallerbos, bluebells mid-April to May, sequoias

• Rene Magritte Museum, artist’s home

• hike the Sonian Forest (haunted, beautiful)

• Winter Wonders Christmas Market (December)

— De Haan (coastal town)

• take de Kusttram (coastal tram) along 40 miles of beach, stopping along the way

• TO EAT

  — Wafelhuis Annie, waffles and sweets

  — ’t Stil Genot, tearoom

— Ghent

• stroll City Center and admire medieval architecture

• Gravensteen Castle or Castle of the Counts, 12th century Gothic

• St. Bravo’s Cathedral

— Halle

• The Blue Forest, dreamy carpet of bluebells in the forest (Spring)

— Liege

• High Fens-Eifel Nature Park, hiking around bogs in the moores

— Luxembourg

• La Roche-en-Ardenne Castle (haunted, medieval)

— Waterloo

• Battle of Waterloo Re-enactment (late June)

As you can see, we’re very much into natural beauty, historic landmarks, art and art history, and dark things — chocolate yes, but also dark history and murky haunted stuff.

The internet has been an invaluable resource, and I’ve linked to some websites (above) as able — but I know there is more knowledge to obtain, and likely way more to add to our list.

Have you been to Belgium? Maybe not, but you’ve heard of some random awesome Thing you just know we need to do? Got any advice for us? Can you recommend a book we should read or another website to visit and learn more? I’d love to hear your ideas for this gorgeous and culturally-rich country — drop ‘em in the comments!