Belgium

[vinteuil]

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... Brussels the place for art nouveau :

https://visit.brussels/en/article/10-must-visit-world-class-art-nouveau-buildings-in-brussels

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[Serial_Apologist]

It's a good time to go. After a certain date, it might take longer to get beyond Khent!

[Conchis]

Thanks for all the wonderful advice! Keep it coming! :)

[vinteuil]

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.... to get you in the mood, some reading :

Pierre Mac Orlan - Le bal du pont du Nord. (La nuit de Zeebrugge)

Georges Simenon - Le Bourgmestre de Furnes


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... and , of course :

Willem Elsschot : Cheese

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheese-Willem-Elsschot/dp/186207481X

(also his other novels - Soft Soap, The Leg, Will o' the Wisp - but they are less easy to find.)

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[LMcD]

Fricasseed Cockroach? Stewed Beetle?

It's probably full of trial lawyers.

[Alain Maréchal]

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... and , of course :

Willem Elsschot : Cheese

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cheese-Willem-Elsschot/dp/186207481X

(also his other novels - Soft Soap, The Leg, Will o' the Wisp - but they are less easy to find.)

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I struggled through Kaas many times while at school (back then we all had to learn both languages, and I am surprised how much I can remember) but I regret to say never "got" it. Perhaps it requires adult experience. I still have a copy, and may try again.

Unaccountably I have never read Le Bourgmestre de Furnes. I will correct that on your recommendation.

[LMcD]

:)

I've heard that your Eurostar tickets to Brussels entitles you to an ongoing journey if taken on the same day as your London-Brussels one. Is this true, or just a rumour? I'd like to know, as I'm going directly from Brussels to Ghent.

You have to buy a special Any Belgian Station ticket to Brussels which is valid the same day throughout Belgium except on Thalys and ICE trains. You're allowed to stop over in Brussels for a look around as long as you complete your journey the same day. You will not, of course, have an allocated seat on any local trains.

[french frank]

You have to buy a special Any Belgian Station ticket to Brussels which is valid the same day throughout Belgium except on Thalys and ICE trains. You're allowed to stop over in Brussels for a look around as long as you complete your journey the same day. You will not, of course, have an allocated seat on any local trains.

Thus saith the Man in Seat 61 also. Change at Bruxelles-Midi then it's 30 mins to Gand-Saint-Pierre (or Gent-Sint-Pieters as some would have it). Plenty of Intercity trains direct to Ghent from Brussels South (no stops between). Good idea to download the Interrail app which will give you all the times and tell you when reservations are needed.

[Conchis]

How is bus travel in Belgium? I'll always prefer travel by bus to travel by train, though the options aren't always there....

[french frank]

How is bus travel in Belgium? I'll always prefer travel by bus to travel by train, though the options aren't always there....

No idea, me'sen. Don't travel by bus anywhere except on my home patch where I know where I have to get on and off.

[Alain Maréchal]

How is bus travel in Belgium? I'll always prefer travel by bus to travel by train, though the options aren't always there....

That is something I cannot help you with. Probably the same as bus travel everywhere, that is, not to be considered if at all possible (the noise, the people!). Belgian trains are excellent (of course), but I much prefer the comfort and convenience of the motor car. The Kusttram is fun.

[Edgy 2]

Blankenberge is a lovely place and not far from Bruges,worth a visit just to see the old town hall,and it’s on the coastal tram route mentioned upthread.

[Alain Maréchal]

Blankenberge is a lovely place and not far from Bruges,worth a visit just to see the old town hall,and it’s on the coastal tram route mentioned upthread.

I second that, having always retained a love of the place, probably because of childhood holidays. Growing up far from the sea, we made straight for the coast every year. Unfortunately the seafront is now lined with 60s or 70s apartment blocks, rather than the Belle Époque ones I knew. The dunes towards Zeebrugge (in fact all along that coast) are good exercise, as are the even more extensive ones at Le/Het Zoute. I suddenly feel the need to visit.

[Conchis]

I had a great time in Belgium: perfect Eurostar journey there and back. Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp, all stunning places in very different ways. Saw the Ghent Altar-piece, visited the Rubsnhuis, saw an opera in Ghent and a play in Antwerp. Knackered from all the walking, but appreciated the frequency of the train journeys (and the clarity of the timetables and the fact that one ticket can be used on any train). Would definitely go there again!

[french frank]

I had a great time in Belgium: perfect Eurostar journey there and back. Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp, all stunning places in very different ways. Saw the Ghent Altar-piece, visited the Rubsnhuis, saw an opera in Ghent and a play in Antwerp. Knackered from all the walking, but appreciated the frequency of the train journeys (and the clarity of the timetables and the fact that one ticket can be used on any train). Would definitely go there again!

So glad you had a good time. Belgium's treasures are too little known.