Blogpost: A Journey Through Belgium

Greetings! We recently returned from a very short visit to Belgium (country #68!), where we were able to visit Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, and Ghent. We did not do as many tours in Belgium as we have in other countries, but there are plenty of photos to share!

Brussels

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We did a tour of Brussels, meeting in the Grand Place, which is a big square that used to be a market, and connected the city with canals. The main product they had was cereal and grapes, and they made bread in the market, which made them rich. The Gothic building  in the photo below was the site for bread making, and it was taken over by the Duke of Provence, who kicked out the bread makers.

11 million people live in Belgium, representing many different cultures and languages, the main three being French, German, and Flemish (which is like Dutch). Brussels is bilingual (parents can choose if their children learn in French or Flemish). In the North, they speak Flemish (this includes Bruges, Ghent, and Antwerp). In the south, they speak French. In the southeast, they speak German, as they are on the border with Germany.

In Medieval Times, the city was built on top of rivers and canals, but the river was polluted and people became sick with Malaria and diarrhea. They would go to the bar and drink beer and everyone (including children) drank (it was 2% alcohol) because it was safe and drinkable due to the fermentation process, which got rid of some of the bacteria. We were told that the monks were the first people who drank beer. Trappist beer is made by monks (6 of the 7 of the locations where it is brewed are in Belgium, and one is in Austria), the water supply of which comes from the monastery, and all the profits go to charity.

Delirium Bar has 2000 different types of beer. They also have a vodka that is 88% alcohol and, by law, you can only have on shot (no, we did not try it… this time…lol). Fun Fact: We were told that Belgians do not put their beer in the refrigerator because it spoils the flavor. They also cook a lot of their foods with beer.

In the 14^th century, people died from everything. The Duke of Flanders had a lot power and came to conquer the city. At one point, there was a war against Brussels, and the person depicted in the above photo was a soldier who had been killed and became a martyr and, subsequently, a symbol of persistence. It is said that you should rub the arm of the above structure from the top down for good luck, rub the angel for health, and if you rub the entire structure, you will return to the city.

The French bombed Brussels in 1695 to take over the city, and destroyed all of the buildings. It was rebuilt within 4 years. City Hall survived the bombing, but it is an “architectural mess,” because of the different windows, the asymmetry, and the fact that the front door is the most asymmetric, as it does not line up with the spire. Our guide said that it was because the builders were drunk most of the time, as beer had recently been identified as being safer to drink than water at that point. The next day, our tour guide on a different tour said that it was because different companies built the building with different plans, one of which included a tower, and the other of which did not. This building is currently in use as a City Hall, and people can get married there, and then walk out onto the balcony to be greeted by strangers below as if they were part of the royal family. This actually happened while we were there!

Belgium is a young country, having obtained its independence in 1830 from the Netherlands. It had been owned by Spain, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, and had a constitutional monarchy upon independence – a king to protect the monarchy, and a constitution to protect the people. The first king was from a rich family in Germany, was a general in the army, and wanted to protect the territory, so, it became a neutral territory.

There were several (in)famous people associated with Belgium. Victor Hugo is one – he escaped to Belgium from France, as he was trying to get away from Napoleon. He went to Belgium because it was a neutral country, but he was told he could be there on one condition: no politics. He lived at Maison Antoine and published a book about Napoleon, which got him kicked out of Belgium.

Karl Marx arrived a few years later and was welcomed with the same condition – no politics. He met Frederick Engles and they talked about how to defeat Communism. He wrote the Communist Manifesto while staying at the property depicted above, and they say that Communism started in that building. He subsequently had his work published in Manchester.

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Belgium is considered to be the place where waffles and fries originated. There are several kinds of waffles, two of which are “Belgian”: One is rectangular and less sweet. The other is called Liege (pronounced lee-eesh), has a lot of sugar on it, and is a favorite of the locals.

As for fries, the story goes that during WWI, American soldiers overheard Belgians speaking French while making fries and assumed they were French. Hence, they started calling the fries “French fries.” In Belgium, they are called frites, which they eat with most meals, and (not surprisingly) there is no such thing as “French fries” there.

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Neuhaus used to be a pharmacy, and because the medicine did not taste good (resulting in people choosing to not pick up their medicine to help their ailments), Mr. Neuhaus (who was from Switzerland) decided to flavor the medicine with chocolate. Soon thereafter, people would come to the pharmacy and say they were sick just to get the chocolate-tasting medicine. Eventually, Mr. Neuhaus opened a chocolate store so that people would come in and not have to fake being sick just to get medicine that tasted like chocolate. As such, the Neuhaus shops around Belgium are considered to have the most traditional chocolate.

The Mannekin Pis is apparently considered to be the second most disappointing tourist attraction in the world, after the Little Mermaid (in Copenhagen) [The painting of the Mona Lisa (in Paris) is apparently #3]. There are various stories about the significance of this small statue, including that someone pissed on a bomb to keep it from going off. The original Mannekin Pis from the 14^th century is in the City Museum.

St. Michael’s Cathedral took more then 200 years to complete. Its architecture is similar to Notre Dame in Paris. St. Michael is the Protector of the Brewers.

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This clock (above) reflects the history of Belgium. There is a statue of a person holding a head that represents the killing of people in Ghent who did not pay their taxes. There is another statue that depicts a person holding his own head, as well as a soldier who reflects people who died in battle.

One of the blemishes within Belgian history had to do with Leopold II, who was called the “builder king” because he was credited for building a new Brussels. In the Congo (Africa), he was called Leopold the Terrible because he facilitated genocide, even though he never went there. We were told that he sent military forces to manage the people to protect his rubber business, and 10 million people were killed. He then reportedly ordered people’s hands cut off, which impacted about 24 million people. This was referred to during our tour as the worst genocide in history (second only to Hitler). Congo was a Belgian colony as of 1958 and had a “human zoo,” where they treated people as animals during the same time period that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was fighting for rights in the USA.

Interesting Fact: Around the city, there are plaques that reflect a memorial to the Jews who were taken from Belgium and placed in concentration camps.

The Atomium (built after WWII, when people were worried about being bombed) is a symbol that nuclear energy can be used for a good purpose.

Bruges

Here are photos from our short visit to Bruges:

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Antwerp

Antwerp is one of the oldest cities, invaded by the Vikings, and settled around the city because it was a main landmark for trade and defense. Bruges at that time was important for trade until they took on too many trees, at which point it was not as easy to get through for trade. So, the traders came to Antwerp via the Red Star Line. Antwerp is the second most important port in Europe behind Rotterdam. They were partially under Spanish rule, and the castle was built by the Flanders. It also has the largest population in Belgium, but is not the most visited. The residents of Antwerp are strict about family time, so, they will close shops at 6pm, and not open until lunchtime on Sundays.

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The castle above was built in 9^th century with wood, and then it was rebuilt with stone after a fire. The Baroque church above has paintings inside from Rubens. It was built to attract Catholics, and has two chapels, including one dedicated to the Virgin Mary. People were initially Christian, and then they became Protestant. Then, Phillip II said everyone had to be Roman Catholic and gave them 6 months to convert. Most people reportedly moved to Amsterdam as a result.

We were also told about the Spanish Fury, which was apparently an attempt to attack Antwerp to get to Amsterdam. The army was surrounded by Protestants in Antwerp, and then the river froze over, so, they used it as a bridge.

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The giant in the statue above reflects the only person who could cross the river, and if people could not pay the tax to cross, he would cut their hands (ant) and throw them into the river (werp), which suggests that Antwerp means “hands into the river.” It is the only statute that remains in the city (we were told that most cities have a statue in the city center).

Buildings had signs on them to tell people where they were going because they could not read (e.g., bread, tanning of leather, lion for warriors, archer, fox for weavers and merchants). In addition, marshlands in Antwerp made it a good place for wool, which was imported from other areas, and Rubens lived here a long time to work on this.

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Belgians put the Virgin Mary on the corner of buildings with a blue background so they can feel closer to heaven.

The Belgian Constitution says that the flag should be black, yellow, and red. It was in the wrong order for many years, and they now hang it flipped so that it is not confused with the German flag. The colors represent courage (black), wealth (yellow), and blood (red).

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The church above is Gothic style, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has one tower because the second was supposed to be done by Rubens and it fell down. That said, there are many paintings inside. The tower is 123m high, making it the highest in the city, and there is a law saying no other building can be higher.

The photo above reflects the story of a boy who wanted to be a painter like Rubens. He snuck into the cathedral and found a dog, who was injured. They both died when they went into the cathedral in the winter. The road over the statue is to keep them warm.

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Ghent

This was my favorite of all of the cities we visited, as the architecture and scenery were stunning!

268,000 people live in Ghent (pronounced “gent” with a hard “g”), and has a university that is in the top 50 in the world. Ghent means “confluence of two rivers,” as it was built on the confluence between two rivers. It was initially a city for industrialization and textiles that were smuggled there from London. Emperor Charles V was born in Ghent, which was also the first city in Belgium to have electricity. The city was not affected by the war, and is the capitol of art and gastronomy.

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The panels above depict Jesus, Mary, Adam and Eve, and Jerusalem (on bottom). The actual painting was stolen 13 times in history. The panel of the four judges is still missing (since the 1960s). So, what is left is a replica (2nd photo) behind a locked door.

Above is St. Nicholas, the oldest church in Ghent, built in the 13^th century. The façade was not taken care of and it was at risk for crumbling. They opened up markets there to make money. The buildings can be used for any purpose, as long as they maintain the façades.

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The entire city of Ghent used to be a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, when this “sheep barn” (above, which won an architectural award) was built, they took the title away from the city and gave it to the surrounding buildings.

The tower clock (in the photos above) was built for the world exposition, so, it is new. It looks like Big Ben and was built in homage to Big Ben. The other buildings are considered to be “Medieval Manhattan,” with the churches and spires in the background.

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The Castle in the photo above was built with stone, and is the place where the emperor was born. He subsequently moved to another city because it was too cold there. The castle was then used during the inquisition and, subsequently, was a factory and a torture museum. The square across the street is where people were executed.

So, that was a whirlwind tour through four cities of Belgium. It is definitely a place I would return to, and would recommend to others to visit as well.

Until next time, take care and be well…