The Ardennes
There's a popular conception that all of Belgium is pancake-flat - but
it isn't true. The southern part of the country holds the forested hills
and river valleys of the Ardennes, popular with canoeists and hikers
alike.
Belgian Chocolate
Often imitated but never bettered, Belgian chocolate is internationally
famous: Leonidas are probably the cheapest chain, but many people prefer
the chocolates of the smaller Neuhaus company. Every large town has at
least a couple of chocolate shops.
Groeninge Museum
In Bruges, the Groeninge Museum has one of Europe's most magnificent
collections of Flemish medieval paintings, from the delicacy of works by
Jan van Eyck to the bloodthirsty allegories of Gerard David.
Tournai
Often neglected by British tourists, Tournai's antique town centre, with
its narrow lanes and cobbled alleys, fans out from an imposing
Romanesque Cathedral, decorated with extraordinary carvings of the
Virtues and the Vices.
Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts
In Brussels, the Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts constitute Belgium's most
satisfying collection of fine art, with stunning samples of the work of
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rubens and the Belgian surrealists - most
notably Magritte and Delvaux.
Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée
Catch up on Hergé's Adventures of Tintin in Brussels at the Centre Belge
de la Bande Dessinée, which is devoted to the fascinating history of the
country's cartoons and comic strips.
Adoration of the Mystic Lamb
Of the hundreds of exquisite medieval paintings on view in Belgium,
perhaps the most wonderful is the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a
stunning and extraordinarily intricate painting displayed in St
Baafskathedraal in Ghent.
Onze Lieve Vrouwe Cathedral
If you're heading for Antwerp, you must visit the Onze Lieve Vrouwe
Cathedral and admire the three Rubens paintings hanging inside, as well
as the fine sixteenth-century interior.
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