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Flanders While the French speaking south of Belgium promises tourists bustling, cosmopolitan excitement, there is a distinct, inimitable charm to the northern Flemish Country in Belgium called Flanders. It’s safe to say that while the South in many ways shares its language and culture with France, Belgian northerners share the Dutch tongue, as well as much of the fairytale mysteriousness of the Netherlands.
The small, medieval city of Bruges is navigable by canals as it is by cobblestone roads. With thin, circular stone castle spires shooting into the celestial blue sky, whose tops are corrugated by the puzzle-piece exactitude of a fairytale castle, and bear brightly colored flags harkening to Triumph and War, one can imagine a golden bugle call piercing the air and thousands of mail-bedecked soldiers and knights on horseback, in full armor, galloping out across the feudal fields of Belgium to their Destiny. Towering, thick, imposing wooden doors creek open with the city gates, and the misty secrets of millennia seem to breathe from every corner. During World War II, Hitler forbade his army to bomb Bruges. Many call it the “Venice of the North”.
Antwerp although often overshadowed by the bigger, capital city of Brussels, is a cultural gem in its own right; Dutch speaking Belgians typically flock to Antwerp to escape the provinciality of the rest of Flanders, and they are met with a vibrant center of culture and fashion, which a robust youth scene and plenty of fun things to do: the open secret here is that locals love their Antwerp as much as the tourists.
Another superb destination for travelers to Belgium is Gent, a port city with an impressive central cathedral and an endless labyrinth of cobblestone streets, medieval buildings and vendors of handcrafts that will charm the socks off anyone. One of the biggest attractions in Ghent is the 10,000-step walk – you’ll need at least that many in order to fully experience this city. Viewing Flemish art at the Museum of Fine Arts is a great place to start your Belgian art education, while the Groeninge Museum in Bruges and the Royal Museum in Antwerp all have extensive collections of the Flemish greats, most famously Peter Paul Rubens.
The countryside is mostly flat, but the summer climate is superb. Green, humid, relaxing and warm, the summer months in Flanders are occasionally cooled by an occasional thunderstorm. Finding a place to stay is easy, and whether you’re staying at a cheap hotel in Mechelen or a 5 star hotel in Antwerp, you won’t regret having gotten to know Flanders. |
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