Apr 14th, 2013 at 6:00PM:
Cycling is an excellent way to explore a city, and who said it had to be nice weather to do it? This photo taken on a foggy day in Bruges, Belgium, shows just what is required in order to take on a city in inclement weather. The cyclists are probably locals, but maybe it's some inspiration for an intrepid traveler ready to commit to touring on two wheels?
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Belgium posts
Photo Of The Day: Cyclists In Foggy Bruges
Apr 14th, 2013 at 6:00PM:
Cycling is an excellent way to explore a city, and who said it had to be nice weather to do it? This photo taken on a foggy day in Bruges, Belgium, shows just what is required in order to take on a city in inclement weather. The cyclists are probably locals, but maybe it's some inspiration for an intrepid traveler ready to commit to touring on two wheels?
Want your own photo featured on ...Bizarre Carnival Celebrations You Haven't Heard Of
Jan 25th, 2013 at 10:00AM:
It's that time of year again, when thousands of dancers prepare to don feathers, beads, and sequins and parade down the streets to mark Carnival. And while big Carnival (or Mardi Gras, as it's also known) celebrations such as the one in Rio de Janiero get plenty of press, there are lots of other festivals that are just as colorful and creative ... and perhaps a little weird.
Wanna see men ...I Miss The 'Crap' English Weather
Jul 8th, 2012 at 11:00AM: I've just returned from a five-day trip to England, in which we saw the sun for an aggregate of about 15 minutes, but I miss the English weather already. It's supposed to be 102 today in Washington, D.C., and 104 tomorrow. Factoring in the heat index, it will feel like a place well within easy commuting distance of hell.
June went down as the wettest June in the U.K. since rainfall records ...In Praise Of Service Journalism
May 9th, 2012 at 11:00AM: My career in the travel world started out by pure luck. I was assigned to work a temp office gig in the PR department of Condé Nast Traveler for two weeks, which turned into two years at the magazine, four more at a PR agency for hotels and travel providers and two more here at Gadling. Before and throughout my career, I've always been a major consumer of travel media, whether I've used it ...Belgian TV Station Launches With 'Dramatic' Viral Campaign
Apr 11th, 2012 at 5:00PM:
Want to make a splash? Belgian TV station TNT wanted to launch with a bang, and so they set up a "push for drama" button in the middle of a quiet town square.
Watch what happens when someone asks for drama. We wish all launches would be this creative. ...
Top ten things to do in Brussels, Belgium
Mar 6th, 2012 at 11:00AM: A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with some fellow travel writers and the conversation turned to Brussels. The general consensus seemed to be that Belgium's capital isn't worth visiting.
I disagree. While it can't compete with London or Paris, it has its own charm and can easily fill up three or four days of a European tour. The mixture of Flemish and Walloon culture makes for a distinct ...Let's get it on: travel in the footsteps of Marvin Gaye with this new app
Mar 1st, 2012 at 4:30PM:
In 1980, famous singer Marvin Gaye's life was as at an all-time low. He was depressed, in the midst of a divorce, and even attempted suicide. He owned the IRS millions in back taxes, was having difficulties with Motown Records and was in the throes of a drug addiction.
Fortunately for us, Ostend-born Freddy Cousaert, a passionate music fan and soul lover, arranged a meeting with him in ...Video of the Day: Brussels to Bruges in two minutes
Jan 9th, 2012 at 6:30PM:
Road trips seem to be a very American activity. Driving cross-country, family vacations to national parks and the like. However, road trips are popular around the world. Caravanning (what we would call RVing) is quite popular in the UK. Also, because European countries are so much smaller than the United States, driving within a country or to neighboring nations is pretty simple. This video ...
The perils of solo travel, or, how to sexually harass someone without even trying
Jan 5th, 2012 at 8:30AM: Here at Gadling we've talked a lot about the perils of solo travel, from how it can break up relationships to creating feelings of loneliness. On a recent trip to Antwerp I discovered a danger to solo travel I never thought of--people look upon you with suspicion.
I was dining alone in a popular Antwerp restaurant. The waiter had seated me so that I faced another table less than ten feet away. ...Remembering the fallen
Nov 11th, 2011 at 11:00AM:
Today is Veterans Day, also known as Remembrance Day and Armistice Day because in 1918, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, World War One ended.
For four years the nations of the world had torn each other apart. The Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, the Ottoman Empire was mortally wounded, Germany's Kaiser's fell and so did Russia's Czar. The world changed forever ...The oldest printing press in the world
Nov 9th, 2011 at 10:00AM: Antwerp has been an important port and center of commerce for centuries. Because of this it has a long history of printing and the elegant mansion/workshop of one of its early printing companies has been turned into a museum
The Museum Plantin-Moretus houses a huge collection, including the oldest printing press in the world. Actually there are two of them, both from about 1600 and complete ...Luxury accommodation in the heart of Antwerp
Nov 8th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
Antwerp is a compact city with bad weather, so while it's walkable, it pays to be in the center of town. During my visit I stayed at the Hotel Julien, a recently renovated and expanded hotel within sight of the cathedral. In fact, I could see it from my bathroom window!
The Hotel Julien is firmly in the luxury hotel bracket with prices from 195€ ($268) and up, breakfast included. The ...Masterpieces of silver in Antwerp
Nov 7th, 2011 at 3:30PM: Belgium is famous for its silver. Belgian silversmiths have a history stretching back hundreds of years. Their work has always been sought after for its high degree of craftsmanship and so it's no surprise there's a Silver Museum in Antwerp dedicated to the craftsmen that make these works of art.
Besides talent, they have a sense of humor too. This wine cup, shown here in a photo copyright Hugo ...Fine dining in Antwerp
Nov 3rd, 2011 at 12:00PM: For such a small country, Belgium certainly has contributed to world cuisine. French fries, for example, are actually Belgian, making that whole "freedom fries" movement back in 2003 even stupider than it appeared. They also gave us Belgian waffles, although over here they're called "Brussels waffles" after the capital. And let's not forget about Belgian chocolate!
I've been exploring Antwerp, ...Visiting a German bunker from World War Two
Oct 28th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
Belgium had it tough in World War Two. Unlike in the First World War, when the Belgian army stubbornly held on to part of the nation and its allies rallied to beat the Germans, in the second war the Low Countries and France were quickly overrun by a German army that now enjoyed superior military technology.
Occupied Belgium was soon covered with fortifications. The Germans feared an Allied ...Antwerp: Belgium's historic and modern port
Oct 27th, 2011 at 2:00PM: I've often wondered why Belgium is such a rich country. Its main claims to fame--chocolate, beer, Tintin, and a heroic fight against the Kaiser's army in World War One--are all noteworthy but hardly the stuff to earn billions. Some background research for this series taught me that Antwerp has a lot to do with Belgium's wealth.
It's the second largest port in Europe, and one of the top ten in ...Belgian chocolate: so good you can snort it
Oct 25th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
Back in grade school, my friends and I used to eat Smarties, those little sugar tablets that were so popular back then. Some of us, wanting to show off, used to pound them up and snort them. There was no better sugar rush. We used to call them "Snorties".
Well, we should have copyrighted it, because now in Belgium they're snorting chocolate. Not just any chocolate, but gourmet Belgian ...New Gadling travel series: the lowdown on the Low Countries
Oct 24th, 2011 at 2:00PM: Today I'm starting a new travel series here on Gadling. While Alex explores Far Europe, I'm checking out Near Europe. I'm spending the next ten days seeing the sights and sampling the cuisine of the Low Countries. My first stop is Antwerp, Belgium, and from there I'll head to Amsterdam and the Hague in The Netherlands.
There's a lot to explore and I have a full schedule. I'll be seeing castles, ...10 unique experiential hotels from around the world
Sep 30th, 2011 at 8:30AM: A trend in the travel world that is becoming increasingly popular is the "experiential" hotel. Many travelers are no longer looking for a basic room in a premier location, but instead for an experience that will allow them to get to know an (often remote) area, or at least have their hotel be something they'll never forget. From staying in mines in the deepest hotel suite in the world to getting ...Amsterdam art exhibit focuses on the Antwerp school
Sep 16th, 2011 at 1:00PM:
The Hermitage Amsterdam starts an important exhibition tomorrow focusing on the Antwerp school of Flemish art.
Rubens, Van Dyck & Jordaens: Flemish paintings from the Hermitage runs until 16 March 2012 and features almost a hundred paintings and drawings from some of the great names in Flemish art. Peter Paul Rubens is especially well covered, including his famous work Venus and Adonis, ...
