❤🇧🇪 It may not be an Iguaçu, a Victoria or a Murchison, but the Belgian waterfall is alive and well. And, in a country with virtually no elevation difference, the very existence of waterfalls is something to be taken note of. To be sure, these are not for those who measure waterfalls by cubic metres […]
The ‘castle’ is a prominent feature of the Belgian countryside, albeit perhaps more appropriately described as cultural rather than natural. It is a sad thing about democracies that their buildings do so little to lift the human spirit. Intuitive beauty, the sort of beauty that doesn’t need to be explained to be recognised, is more […]
In a week of celebrating Belgian nature, it would border on criminal neglect to omit the Belgian forests. I like forests as much as the next person. Notwithstanding, I suffer from an abiding inability to distinguish one forest from another. The ‘real’ Belgian forest lover, on the other hand, suffers no such weakness of the […]
Today, I am directing my attention to the High Fens, in what is, without doubt, one of Belgium’s most beautiful parts: German-speaking Ostbelgien. None of its names, neither in German (Hohes Venn), French (Hautes Fagnes), Dutch (Hoge Venen) or English (High Fens) conjure up images of anything recognizable. The first part—’tall’ or ‘high’—seemed promising enough. […]
🎅 Today, on Christmas Day, I would like to write the praises of my daily retreat in Brussels: Woluwe Park. Growing up in Norway, Christmas Day was usually wildly anti-climactic. We opened presents on Christmas Eve, and by the 25th, the euphoria of the previous night’s bonanza had died. Only the lingering self-righteous disappointment over […]
I have claimed in the past that Belgium doesn’t have any mountains. That is true, objectively speaking, but not necessarily if you ask a Belgian. French-speaking Belgians indiscriminately include ‘mont’ as either prefix or suffix to the name of places that decidedly are flat. The Flemish are equally liberal in their use of ‘daal’ and […]
😀 I owe some appreciation for the country that has been good enough to have me as their guest for the past few years: Belgium. Until this year, Belgium had been more of a ‘base camp’ than a place where I spent my free time. This year changed that. Suddenly unable to travel ‘outside’, it […]