BELGIUM

BELGIUM

· Belgium is about the size of Maryland and the second most densely populated country in Europe.

· Belgium is divided linguistically, culturally, and politically into Wallonia in the south, where they speak French, and Flanders in the north, where they speak Flemish.

· Brussels is the capital of the European Union and is bilingual.

· Belgium is the world’s number one exporter of chocolate.

· The average Belgium:

a. 42 years old( 5 years older than USA)

b. Will live to be 79

c. Is likely to be divorced (highest in Europe)

d. Will drink 26 gallons of beer per year

Belgian Cuisine

· They cook many things with beer

· They eat lunch when we do, but rarely eat dinner before 7:30.

· Tax and service are included in the bill, but a 5-10% tip is appreciated.

· You can’t get free tap water in restaurants.

· Traditional dishes:

a. Stoofulees/Carbonnade-Rich beef stew-similar to beef bourguignon

b. Gentse/Watersooi-Creamy soup made with chicken, eel or fish

c. Koniijn met pruimen/lapin ala flamande-marinated rabbit braised in onions and prunes

d. Filet Americain-Stead tartare

e. Biersoep/soupe a la biere-beer soup

f. A la flamande-anything cooked in the Flemish style-generally means cooked with beer.

· Seafood:

a. Mosselen/moules-Mussels

b. Nordzee garnalen/crevettes-Little gray shrimp-usually served either in a tomato or minced and fried in breaded deep fried rolls

c. Paling in bet green/anguilles au vert: Eel in green herb sauce

d. Caricoles-sea snails

· Vegetables/side dishes

a. Rode kol/chou rouge ala flamande-red cabbage with onions and prunes

b. Asperges-asparagus-only available in spring

c. Witloof/chicoree-endive

d. Spruitjes/choux de Bruxelles: Brussels sprouts in cream sauce

e. Stoemp-Mashed potatoes and vegetables

· Snacks

a. Friets/frites-Belgium-style fries-cooked twice-once to cook and once to brown. Natives eat them with mayo and other sauces, but not ketchup (they do keep that for us Yanks). They sell them at fry shops or fry wagons.

b. Cheese- 350 types of Belgium cheese. Look for Vieux Brugge(Old Bruges) and Chimay (named for the beer they use in it.

c. Croque monsieur: Grilled ham and cheese sandwich

d. Tartine de fromage blanc: Open-face cream cheese sandwich.

· Desserts and sweets

a. Chocolates: Two basic types- 1.Pralines-hard chocolate shell with various filling 2. Truffles-softer crumblier shell, often spherical and filled

b. Wafel/Gaufres: Belgiums recognize two general types of waffles- 1. Liege-style which are dense, very sweet with a sugary crust and heated of. 2. Brussels-style-lighter and fluffier dusted with powdered sugar and sometimes topped with marmalade. Belgians usually have them or pancakes as a 4:00 snack. The Liege style are sold round the clock to tourists.

c. Speculous-Spicy gingerbread biscuits served with coffee

d. Dame blanche-Chocolate sundae (good for Linda to know)

e. Pistolets-Round croissants

Bruges

· The bell tower jingles every 15 minutes.

· The city grew on the cloth trade.

· The harbor silted up and the economy went south in the 16^th century.

· Today Bruges prospers because of tourism.

· It is a uniquely preserved Gothic city.

· Even non-shoppers enjoy browsing here.

· The tourist’s Bruges is less than one square mile contained within a canal. It is a cobbled swath between the train station and the Markt (Market Square)- the distance only takes a 20 minute walk (Sounds great to me!!!)

· Bruges hosts a market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

· Shops are open from 10:00 and 18:00

· You want to take a boat tour there. (I think this is part of the GCT program.)

· They have a 35 minute horse and buggy tour. It’s 36 euros and is split by everyone in the buggy.

· People of Bruges are chocolate connoisseurs. Godiva is a big one there, but there are many family run places that make great chocolate. Many of them let you assemble 100 gram choice boxes -5 or 6 pieces- Rick Steves recommends these 3:

a. Dumon-Smoothest creamiest chocolate

b. The Chocolate Line-Locals love it-He mixes chocolate with strange flavors like Havana cigar, spicy chili, curry, wasabi, and fried onions.

c. Confiserie De Clerck-has some of the best deals in town-It’s a “time warp” shop that is not to be missed.

· There is a French fry museum there!!

· There are not as many lace shops now.

VEERE, NETHERLANDS