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Travel at 40: Option 5 - Belgium
Jun. 8th, 2014 09:28 pmIn the typical discussion of a trip to Europe, Belgium is rarely, if ever, included in the list of possible destinations. So I was surprised when I spent an afternoon in Brussels back in December of 2012 and found it to be one of the more charming of the many places I'd seen on my trip. I was quite sorry to leave, actually, wishing I'd planned to spend the night and considerable more time there. That evening as I got on my train for Paris, I resolved to return one day and spend much more time in Brussels and the country at large.
In my research for this particular upcoming trip I discovered that there is a lot that I would love to see. Belgium is a small country, only about 186 miles at it's maximum distance. Travel by rail is fairly easy and cheap, and renting a car would be pretty practical as well to explore the countryside and neighboring countries...The Netherlands, Germany and France would all be within easy reach.
From a historical perspective, Belgium has a lot to offer. It was occupied by Germany during both World Wars but it didn't suffer a lot of the heavy damage and bombardments that France did and there are a number of cities and towns that have much of their medieval centers intact. The country is known for its art and architecture as I experienced myself in the few short hours I spent in Brussels. I'm also excited about the culinary opportunities: waffles and chocolate, cheeses and beers.
If I end up deciding to go to Belgium, my initial thinking is to fly into Amsterdam or Paris and take the train from either city to one of the major Belgian urban centers such as Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp or Brussels. Then I could use the rail to reach the other cities in that list, and toward the end of the trip rent a car and visit other, smaller towns like Tongeren (the oldest town in the country) or Dinant, where the inventor of the saxophone lived. I'd also make an effort to visit Luxembourg and Strasbourg France while I'm at it.
Like Switzerland, I'm inclined to think that Belgium would be one of the easier countries to visit and efficiently use the short period of time I'd likely have available to me. The only real potential problem with it is that it's known to be fairly rainy and it's one of the few countries on my list that isn't included in ideal locations to travel to in September. But rain is easy to deal with and I think the temperatures would be pleasant enough to allow me to pack and dress relatively lightly. So I'm definitely excited about the possibility of traveling to Belgium and seeing a lot more of it.
In my research for this particular upcoming trip I discovered that there is a lot that I would love to see. Belgium is a small country, only about 186 miles at it's maximum distance. Travel by rail is fairly easy and cheap, and renting a car would be pretty practical as well to explore the countryside and neighboring countries...The Netherlands, Germany and France would all be within easy reach.
From a historical perspective, Belgium has a lot to offer. It was occupied by Germany during both World Wars but it didn't suffer a lot of the heavy damage and bombardments that France did and there are a number of cities and towns that have much of their medieval centers intact. The country is known for its art and architecture as I experienced myself in the few short hours I spent in Brussels. I'm also excited about the culinary opportunities: waffles and chocolate, cheeses and beers.
If I end up deciding to go to Belgium, my initial thinking is to fly into Amsterdam or Paris and take the train from either city to one of the major Belgian urban centers such as Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp or Brussels. Then I could use the rail to reach the other cities in that list, and toward the end of the trip rent a car and visit other, smaller towns like Tongeren (the oldest town in the country) or Dinant, where the inventor of the saxophone lived. I'd also make an effort to visit Luxembourg and Strasbourg France while I'm at it.
Like Switzerland, I'm inclined to think that Belgium would be one of the easier countries to visit and efficiently use the short period of time I'd likely have available to me. The only real potential problem with it is that it's known to be fairly rainy and it's one of the few countries on my list that isn't included in ideal locations to travel to in September. But rain is easy to deal with and I think the temperatures would be pleasant enough to allow me to pack and dress relatively lightly. So I'm definitely excited about the possibility of traveling to Belgium and seeing a lot more of it.
