“ALL THE PLACES IN THE WORLD”

BY Clay Larroy

When you choose to travel, whether it is for business or pleasure, it is important to plan your trip well before hand. Here are some tips to help you. Don't be afraid to cash in your airline miles. Many travelers let their miles accumulate and never bother using them. Reap the rewards of your traveling and spend the miles you've earned! Miles have expiration dates, so be sure to use them before they expire. Travelling is a great way to use your airline miles.  When you need to plan a vacation contact me!

Belgium - The Best Kept Travel Secret

By Cindy Lou Dale

The secret of Belgium’s capital city, Brussels, is to go with the flow and allow yourself to become part of its charming everyday life.

Having previously been ruled by Spain, the Netherlands and France, Belgium is one of those countries that finds it easier to describe itself by what it is not: it’s not French, nor is it Dutch, nor German. Belgium is a country with an identity crisis, in the most positive sense of the word, as its population speaks French, Dutch, German, Arabic, and even English, due to a large segment of expat foreigners. With all the variety, Brussels takes the mix in stride and pulls everything together into an offbeat, almost bizarre sense of place.

With this cultural diversity it’s no wonder that Brussels has seized the new century with a fresh vigor, leaving other European cities wondering who stole their tourists. One source of the tourism influx is Belgium’s fashion market â? while other European cities rested on their laurels, Belgium became a might in style, surpassing France, while the buzzing sidewalk café scene has outmatched that of Paris.

Yet the urbanization of Brussels will not leave you woozy with its splendor, rather you will feel compelled to seek out its intimacy and explore its secret treasures.

Eating in Brussels

The capital’s restaurants rival those of Paris and London - both in value and excellence. While it’s not an inexpensive city for dining, it has high standards, and restaurants that fall short of the mark simply close.

Mussels and chips is the classic dish and can be found in nearly all Belgian restaurants. However, certain districts of Brussels specialize in specific food: Ixelles has excellent Thai, African and Italian bistros, mainly around St-Boniface church. Place du Grand Sablon has an abundance of these restaurants, although they are a little more pricey.

Drinking in Brussels is a national pastime. The Grand’ Place is lined with terrace bars, full of life in the summer. Le Roi d’Espagne has the most ambiance, and Place St-Géry has designer bar terraces with oodles of mood, and the timeless art deco bar of L’Archiduc, which is claimed to remain open until dawn.

Sleeping in Brussels

Most visitors to Brussels are on business, therefore hotel rates drop significantly over weekends, so don’t write off the five-stars entirely. The most celebrated, newer luxury hotel is the five-star Amigo, only a few steps from the Grand’ Place.

Of the mid-range options, the Mozart is oddly kitsch, and often noisy, but located just off the Grand’ Place. Overlooking the flea market in the Marolles is the Galia; and The George V is a budget favorite near the bars of St-Géry.

Shopping in Brussels

The main pedestrian drag, rue Neuve, is full of soulless chain stores selling clothes and shoes. Inno is a big department store, and the City 2 shopping mall has a number of shops, the highlight of which is the impressive Fnac music and bookshop on the top level.

Escape the shopping malls and try something more idiosyncratic, like the shabby area between Boulevard Lemonnier and the Grand’ Place, where you’ll find second-hand book shops and music and clothing stores. Off the Grand’ Place is the Galeries St-Hubert, filled with designer boutiques and quirky sidewalk cafés.

Sightseeing in Brussels

The lower city is centered around the superbly ornate Grand’ Place, considered by many as the most beautiful medieval square in all of Europe, with its elegant 17th century guild houses and narrow, atmospheric lanes leading off. In the summer, it hosts daily flower markets, often accompanied by concerts. Nearby, St-Géry flourishes with stylish bars contained in an old, covered market on Place St-Géry. The cafés, restaurants and nightspots buzz in the summer months, as does St-Catherine, a canopied terrace lined with seafood restaurants. Immediately south of Grand’ Place, amid the grimy old stores in rue de l’Etuve, is the symbol of Brussels â?? the little statue of the urinating rascal â?? Mannekin-Pis.

Further south in the earthy Marolles quarter, rue Haute hosts the daily flea market at Place du Jeu de Balle. Throughout the lower town are murals of Belgium’s comic-strip heroes like Tintin.

The upper town boasts dramatic architecture and parks, with a string of grand names along its Boulevard. The Royal Quarter overshadows everything else with the palace and the fountained Parc de Bruxelles leading through to the Belgian Parliament. The Fine Arts Museum boasts old masters like Bruegel, Rubens, Magritte, Delvaux and Monet.

A short tram ride from Brussels Montgomery to Tervuren takes you through several parks and the beautiful Ambassadorial district. Tervuren is home to the African Art Museum and Léopold II’s spectacular monuments and parks.

Outside of Brussels

10 miles southwest of Brussels is the small Flemish town of Leuven. It has a big university and an even bigger history. Inhabitants amount to around 90,000 people, of which, students number around 22,000 - remarkable by European standards. The entire city lives off and with the University, founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V. It is considered to be the oldest catholic university in the world.

St. Peter’s Church is certainly worth a visit for its rich interior decoration. Go to admire the beautiful rood loft dating back to 1488, above which hangs a triumphal crucifix from around 1500. The chairs in the choir were sculpted between 1438 and 1442. Admire the magnificent 40-foot high sacraments tower and a baroque wooden pulpit in the nave. St. Peter’s Church holds two world-famous masterpieces in its treasury: ‘The Last Supper’ and ‘Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus’.

Leuven also boasts ‘the longest bar in Europe’, as it is generally called by locals -lining up more than 60 pubs that serve a great many of the 360 types of beer produced in Belgium. The Old Market Square offers plenty of choices to fit your mood. ‘Stella Artois’, the pride of Leuven, is probably the most uttered word on this square.

If you are seeking beer history, Belgium is full of it. In 1717, the master brewer Sebastian Artois gave his name to one of Belgium’s best-known export products â?? Stella Artois. And don’t miss the Den Horen - the oldest brewery in Leuven, dating back to 1366.

REFERENCE SITES:

http://www.travelresearchonline.com/

“I've always liked Belgian waffles, but I must say, I didn't think I would one day be having Belgian waffles in Belgium! I just sort of POOF found myself there and there I was with a gigantic Belgian waffle in my hands, standing on a sidewalk in Belgium!” 
― C. JoyBell C.

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