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Belgium

Ten Belgian Bands You Should Check Out

Here is a list of ten Belgian bands that I think the rest of the world should know about. This list covers a few different genres, featuring songs from the past and the present. For me, discovering the great music of a culture is one of the biggest pleasures of traveling. So here it goes! Steak Number Eight Young dudes ...

The Grand-Daddy of European Festivals: Rock Werchter

On June 25th, I arrived in Belgium, my new home for the next year or so. Belgium is a fun and busy place to be in the summertime. There are multiple festivals every weekend in this tiny country and because of Belgium's size it's very easy to hit up as many as possible. In addition to the BIG festivals that are filled with ...

A quick guide to nailing your visa application

In true blogger fashion, I've gone into full research mode to prepare for my move to Belgium. There is so much information on the web to help anyone organize a move with relative ease. I've looked at long stay visa requirements, job ads and, of course, expat blogs to get a sense of the international community in Belgium. ...

Waterzooooooi!

[caption id="attachment_697" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Eating canal side"][/caption] My first encounter with Waterzooi was in Gent. I was sitting beside my sweetie on a terrace overlooking a water canal and enjoying a nice glass of wine coupled with my stew during a warm summer evening. Waterzooi is centuries ...

Rediscovering Canadian WWI History in Ypres

[caption id="attachment_636" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Menin Gate[/caption] My parents came to visit me in Belgium for the week following Christmas. We explored Leuven and Brugge, enjoyed gluhwein and speculoos, and celebrated New Years Eve in the Oude Markt; but the highest on their "to do" list was a trip out to ...

Stoofvlees: Flemish Beer Stew

It was a chilly Sunday afternoon and the only plan set in stone was that we were going to make a stew. I felt I needed the aromas of beef, beer, and mustard surrounding me while I snuggled under a blanket and read Slaughterhouse-5 by Kurt Vonnegut. If that doesn't sound like an awesome, relaxing Sunday afternoon I don't know ...

Christmas in Belgium

This holiday season I was über lucky to be invited to Christmas dinner at the Billiau's and to experience the holiday season in true Belgian style. In Belgium, Christmas is typically celebrated at home with a delicious meal; and I was treated to a traditional Belgian meal right down to the dessert. As part of my Christmas ...