Get your spice on!
Not long after Andrew and I returned to Brussels, we discovered one major drawback to our trip to India – Indian take-away in Brussels just didn’t do it for us anymore. We love Indian cuisine and were blown away by the flavours we had in Bangalore, Goa and Kerala and by how each region varied so much in taste and ingredients.
The in Flander’s Fields Museum, Ypres, Belgium
If the battlefields around Ypres give you a sense for the landscape in which the First World War was fought, the local museums provide the background and realities of the fighting. There are many museums along the front specializing in a particular battle, a type of weapon, or a specific military unit. However, in the Ypres area two museums provide a solid overview of the war and I think they complement each other well. These are the In Flander’s Fields Museum and the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917.
German Trenches at Bayernwald
I’ve been interested in the history of war for 20 years. Although my initial interest was the Second World War, you cannot escape the impact the First World War had on Europe, world politics, and the start of the Second World War. I’ve read many books and watched a lot of films about both wars, but nothing compares to visiting the ‘front’. Alison knows I have more than a passing interest in the wars of the 20th century, so she booked us a trip to visit the battlefields around Ypres for my birthday. This may sound like an odd way to celebrate a birthday, but it was something I really wanted to experience.
Culinaria – Heaven for foodies in Brussels
What do you get when you take two Canadians, an American and a Frenchman, add a couple dozen of Belgium’s best chefs, and mix it all with generous amounts of food and wine? Culinaria2 – or a really great way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Brussels.
When Andrew first read about Culinaria2 and passed the website along to me, it sounded a bit too good to be true. For 39 euro (a discount received through Andrew’s Thalys card) we would get access to the event and a four course meal, including drink pairings. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we decided to drag some friends along to check it out.
Plantin-Moretus House, Antwerp, Belgium
Years ago, when I first heard about the Plantin-Moretus printing museum, in Antwerp, it didn’t strike me as a place I had to visit. When I discovered recently it is the only museum on the UNESCO World Heritage list (and I’m slightly obsessed with visiting UNESCO sites) I figured it must be worth a look. I’m happy to report that I was right.
It’s a standing joke that it’s impossible to name five famous Belgians. The people of this tiny county are well known for their modesty and rarely toot their own horns.
However, this tiny country has its fair share of significant historical and modern-day heroes from artists to athletes, inventors to actors.
So the next time you are down at the pub, impress your friends with not only five, but the following 20 famous Belgians:
Not long after I posted about waiting for the Amorphophallus titanum to bloom in Belgium, it did. The rotting meat smelling flower was open and I was not about to miss it.
The World’s Largest Flower, the Titan Arum, at the Botanic Garden Meise, in Flanders, Belgium
While many flower lovers in Belgium are eagerly awaiting forests full of beautiful bluebells and gardens awash with rainbow displays of tulips, I’m checking daily Facebook updates on a flower that smells like rotting meat.
Andrew and I love wine – Red, white, pink, bubbles or none. Like many North American expats in Europe, a whole new tasty world was revealed, when we discovered how affordable good wines are in Belgium.
While it’s easy to pick up a decent tipple at the local grocery store, sometimes it’s nice to pop the cork on a bottle of something extra special. There are a few wine shops in Brussels where we’ve received great service and bought some very, very nice wines. I thought I’d share my favourites with you.