May 5th, 2011 at 1:45PM: Before Facebook--hell, before mobile telephones and email--it wasn't all that easy to keep in touch with people you might meet on the road.
You could exchange addresses and telephone numbers, of course, but by the time you were in a position to make a call or scribble a letter, the immediacy of the connection you'd shared while staying up all night on that Sardinian beach would probably be ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
belgium posts
Lost travel friends
May 5th, 2011 at 1:45PM: Before Facebook--hell, before mobile telephones and email--it wasn't all that easy to keep in touch with people you might meet on the road.
You could exchange addresses and telephone numbers, of course, but by the time you were in a position to make a call or scribble a letter, the immediacy of the connection you'd shared while staying up all night on that Sardinian beach would probably be ...France's burqa ban goes into effect
Apr 11th, 2011 at 12:00PM: Today France has taken a controversial move and instated a burqa ban, aimed at the traditional religious covering worn by conservative Muslim women. The ban will potentially affect up to 2,000 women who wear a full-face veil in public, though it is unclear how the enforcement will work as police cannot remove the veil. Women who refuse to lift the burqa or niqab may be taken to a police station ...Schengen and the disappearance of European passport stamps
Mar 1st, 2011 at 10:00AM:
Creative new use for border crossing posts at German/Austrian border.
In the late 1980s, an American spending a summer traveling across Europe with a Eurailpass would see his or her passport stamped possibly dozens of times. With a few exceptions, every time a border was crossed, an immigration agent would pop his or her head into a train compartment, look at everyone's passports, in most ...Europe's relaxed attitude toward nudity makes American travelers uncomfortable
Jul 15th, 2010 at 8:30AM: While the image of a naked Rick Steves getting a rubdown in a Turkish bathhouse might be a bit TMI for many of us, the seasoned traveler, guidebook author, and travel show host makes some excellent points in a recent CNN article on Europe's cultural tolerance for nudity.
According to Steves, who starts the piece with a flashback from a 1978 trip, "if you can leave your inhibitions at home, you ...Around Antwerp - strange and wonderful sights
Apr 12th, 2010 at 11:00AM:
Walking through Antwerp is like walking through a gothic storybook. The colors are bright, but rained-upon, the cobbled streets are haphazard with marble-tiled crosswalks and lined with buildings which seem to lean left and right. The river has a graffiti-emblazoned concrete walkway leading to a castle-esque fortress, and of course, De Kathedraal (below/next page) is an astonishing sight to ...Hotel Julien - Comfortable minimalism in Antwerp
Apr 9th, 2010 at 2:00PM:
One of the great things about Antwerp is how walkable the city is. For that very reason, make sure you stay at a hotel that's right in the middle of the action -- such as Hotel Julien, which is located at Korte Nieuwstraat 24, just a hop and a skip from tons of local attractions including De Kathedraal and plenty of bars and restaurants, and about a 15 minute walk from the train station.
The ...Drinking before noon at a Belgian brewery
Mar 30th, 2010 at 4:30PM: On a recent trip to Antwerp, I toured the De Koninck brewery, then did some darn fine pre-noon drinking with a couple of Belgians to increase my knowledge about drinking in Belgium. You can do this too, albeit not before noon; just show up at the De Koninck brewery at 3:00 PM on a Saturday and you can get a tour and tasting for €7.50.
Brewery of the Hand
De Koninck was originally known ...Worst travel mistakes of the 2000's: Diplomatic Dipsticks
Dec 29th, 2009 at 11:30AM:
As we take time to count our travel sins of the past decade, I get all teary-eyed and indecisive. Where to begin? Couldn't we just say "Iraq" and be done with it? And are we including food mistakes? 'Cuz I got some real doozies: how about shrimp ceviche from a quaint Mexican beach cafe or fresh cut watermelon in India? Uh, those would be travel mistakes, no? But like, since we're trying to ...Leaf peeping in the northern hemisphere
Oct 6th, 2009 at 4:30PM: Let's face it: autumn is here. But why not embrace the fall by heading to the hills and enjoying the turning of the leaves from green to fiery red? It's no secret that New England is one of the world's top fall foliage destinations, but I bet you didn't know that there are several other places in the northern Hemisphere where you can see the trees in their autumn glory. An additional bonus? Fewer ...Ghent proclaims regular vegetarian days
May 15th, 2009 at 1:00PM: The Belgian city of Ghent, long famous for its well-preserved medieval architecture and excellent art museums, may soon become a favorite destination for vegetarians. According to the BBC, Ghent has become the first city in the world to have a designated "Vegetarian Day." Public sector workers are asked to give up meat every Thursday, and in September schools will follow suit by serving ...Record influx of visitors to U.S. in 2008
Mar 26th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Last year, 58 million international visitors came to the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. That's an increase of nearly 4 percent from 2007. To sweeten it up a bit, 13 of the top 25 arrivals markets saw new records set. In the last month of the year, nearly 4 million people came here from abroad – down 7 percent. The fourth quarter was down 6 percent ...2009 is the year of the comic book in Brussels
Mar 7th, 2009 at 1:00PM: When it comes to exports, Belgium may be better known for its fantastic beer and chocolates, but one of its most successful export products is actually comic books. Some of the most popular comic book names in the world are from Belgium, including the Smurfs (by Peyo), Tintin (by Herge) and of course Asterix and Obelix (by Goscinny et Uderzo). To celebrate their success in the comic book world, ...Travel sans visa coming for European, Caribbean, Mauritius, and Seychelles nationals
Feb 13th, 2009 at 2:00PM: A mutual agreement allowing Europeans, nationals from four Caribbean countries, and citizens of two island nations in the Indian Ocean is expected to be passed and approved by the end of March, which will allow for hassle-free and smoother travel. If you hold a passport from any of the following countries, it means you're that much more free to travel between those listed sans visa: Austria, ...One for the Road: Globetrotter's Logbook
Dec 5th, 2007 at 9:00AM: Last time I mentioned the Globetrotter's Logbook series, I focused on their newest guide, a niche book devoted to six Flemish cities. But now that I've had a chance to personally use their flagship product, Counties of the World, I wanted to be sure to pay special tribute to this unique mini-book, which might just be the perfect holiday gift for that special traveler in your life. The best part ...Brussels: A City Without a Soul?
Oct 16th, 2007 at 3:22PM: I just spent a few days in Brussels. It's been a long time since I visited the capital of Belgium, well before it became the EU-conglomerate that it is now. Back then, the only thing I remembered about Brussels is that I didn't really remember anything. Not because I was intoxicated, mind you. The city just didn't make a huge impression on me.
Still, I wanted to keep an open mind about Brussels. ...Halloween Rituals Around the World
Oct 10th, 2007 at 10:27PM: For most of us North Americans, Halloween conjured images of mountains of candy, jack-o-lanterns, cheesy decorations and music at the neighbours house, drunk pubcrawlers wearing completely ridiculous outfits that they would never dream of wearing normally. And for us Canadian prairie kids in particular, we remember with fondness how our moms tried valiantly to fit our costumes over top of our ...One for the Road: The Globetrotter's LogBook Series
Oct 3rd, 2007 at 1:33PM: Here's an interesting travel book series from Belgian publisher Morton, Diaz & Cook that I stumbled upon yesterday. There are currently five titles in The Globetrotter's LogBook series, with a 6th promised to be on the way soon. These stylish souvenir books are meant to be used as journals for recording specific trip information -- details on countries of the world, or notes about vaccination ...How Come Tintin Didn't Make The Cut?
Aug 24th, 2007 at 10:30AM: Our friends at World Hum have just named their 10 greatest fictional travellers ranging from cutesy Dora the Explorer at number 10 up to Jack Kerouac's uber cool Sal Paradise at number 1.
To my Kiwi eyes, the list is a little United States-centric, and as much as I love On the Road, Sal Paradise didn't really get far on a global basis did he? But I guess he deserves to be there purely for how ...Take a Dip in the World's Deepest Indoor Pool
Mar 23rd, 2007 at 2:38PM: Scuba diving in a pool seems a little pointless, right? Maybe not, if the pool is 33 meters deep.
That's what you'll find at NEMO 33 -- the world's largest indoor pool. Not only is it an exceptionally long distance from the surface to the bottom, once you get down there, you'll find a number of interesting rooms and passageways to explore.
The pool, located in Brussels, was designed by John ...Ghent, Belgium -- The City That Blows
Feb 22nd, 2007 at 12:40PM: For the past few months, a female student in Ghent, Belgium has been soliciting balloons from all over the world. Having received countless balloons, sometime next week ("A little mystery is nice, no?") she will blow up the city. Er, I mean she will blow up the balloons and place them around the city. And you can participate!
If you're not able to attend the actual Blow this City event, you can ...
