🇧🇪 Belgium

Hej! I share an extract of my experience of visiting beautiful ultifaceted Belgium. I was there in the spring of 2024. Below are some notes on what I tasted, saw and listened to.
Important: I only share my own experience and recommend the things I personally tried and liked. Therefore, everything written below is extremely subjective, and also does not cover all the wonderful local attributes and places ☺️.

🗺 Places: Brussels, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Schaerbeek.

🏛 Top sights visited:

1. Brussels
   • Grand Square (Grand-Place / Grote Markt)
   • Manneken Pis (Petit Julien / Manneken Pis)
   • The Palace of Justice (Palais de Justice de Bruxelles / Justitiepaleis van Brussel)
   • Egmont Park (Parc Egmont / Egmontpark)
   • The Royal Palace of Brussels & Royal Park (Palais Royal de Bruxelles / Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel)
   • The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule / Kathedraal van Sint-Michiel en Sint-Goedele)
2. Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
   • Saint-Josse-ten-Noode City Hall (Mairie de Saint-Josse-ten-Noode / Gemeentehuis van Sint-Joost-ten-Node)
   • The Botanical Garden (Jardin Botanique / Kruidtuin)
3. Schaerbeek
   • Schaerbeek City Hall (Hôtel Communal / Gemeentehuis)
   • Saint Mary’s Royal Church (Église Royale Sainte-Marie / Koninklijke Sint-Mariakerk)
   • Lehon Plein (Lehon Plein / Lehon Plein)

🎧 Local musicians:

• 🇧🇪 Stromae (singer). Genre: pop
• 🇧🇪 Lara Fabian (singer). Genre: pop
• 🇺🇳 Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike (DJ duo). Genre: big room
• 🇺🇳 Netsky (DJ). Genre: drum’n’bass
• 🇺🇳 Danzel (DJ). Genre: electro house
• 🇺🇳 Basto (DJ). Genre: progressive house
• 🇺🇳 Lost Frequencies (DJ). Genre: pop
• 🇺🇳 Charlotte de Witte (DJ). Genre: house

🎚️ Contribution to EDM:

• Belgian Popcorn. Originated: late 1970s
• New Beat. Originated: mid-1980s
• Belgian Techno. Originated: early 1990s
• Jumpstyle. Originated: late 1990s

🥘 Local food & drinks:

• Mussels’n’Fries (Moules-frites / Mosselen-friet)
• Belgian Chocolate & Pralines (Praliné au Chocolat / Chocolade Praliné)
• Belgian Waffles (Gauffres Belges / Belgische Wafels)
• Belgian Beer (Brands: “Stella Artois”, “Jupiler”, “Blue Moon”, “Leffe”, “Delirium”, “St. Bernardus”)
• Brussels-Capital (Regional Special): Brussels Sprout (Chou de Bruxelles / Spruitjes)

🎬 Local movies:

• Mr. Nobody (Mr. Nobody). Year: 2009. Genre: thriller / fantasy
• In Bruges (In Bruges). Year: 2008. Genre: drama / thriller
• Zillion (Zillion). Year: 2022. Genre: thriller
• Loft (Loft). Year: 2008. Genre: thriller
• Ben X (Ben X). Year: 2007. Genre: thriller

🪔 Authentic artifacts:

• The Beer Culture (Culture de la Bière / Biercultuur)
• Belgian Comics (Bandes Dessinées Belges / Belgische Stripverhalen)
• The Friterie Culture (Frituur / Frietkot)
• Brussels-Capital (Regional Special): Flower Carpet (Tapis de Fleurs / Bloementapijt)

🦉 Local wisdom: “If you want butter, you have to beat it” / “Si tu veux du beurre, il en faut battre / Als je boter wilt, moet je het kloppen” — Belgian proverb

👨‍🎓The oldest university: The Catholic University of Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven), Leuven, est. 1425.