Belgium, this little advertised country, offers so much to any traveler that I am constantly amazed at the fact that Americans spend so little time there. Sure, Belgium might appear as a one day visit by bus on a two week tour of Europe, (remember the movie: "It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium"?) but very seldom do you hear of anyone suggesting more than a one or two day stay. For a completely different travel experience, why not visit this small country (only 11,800 square miles) which over the last 20 centuries has seen more history in the making than any other country in the world. It has been occupied by practically every ruler of Europe since 57 B.C. and has always come out on top.

Belgium has given the world some of its most famous painters, such as Van Dyck, Rubens, Jordaens, the Breughels, Teniers, to mention but a few. Her lace and tapestries are known and appreciated the world over. Her food has been said to more than over-shadow French cuisine. Most of her cities date back to the early centuries, some as far back as the 9th century A.D. Unimaginable treasures are contained in buildings erected between 1100 and 1600 A.D., most of them in their original state. Her people, because of the country's geographical situation and also because of its history, are a friendly, gregarious crowd; industrious, resilient and last but not least, very fond of their food (and of their more than 550 different kinds of delicious beer). Cheerful choruses of "Bonjour Monsieur, Goeden Dag, Mevrouw" at every encounter; "Merci beaucoup, Dank U zeer" or "Au revoir, Tot ziens" at every departure... You definitely find warmth in them.

Belgium is the central seat of all of the separate European Community organizations besides housing NATO headquarters. One of the side effects of this is that a vast number of Belgians speak English. It is taught in all schools as required curriculum and has become the second language in business and industry.

In spite of a very dense population (approx. 850 per square mile), Belgium is a wonder of open spaces: farmland, parks and forests. This is due to the fact that the great majority of the people live inside the 10 biggest cities, which so far, have escaped the sprawl of endless suburbs. Even within the city limits huge parks abound, such as the "Middelheim" in Antwerp, the "Forêt de Soignes" and the "Bois de la Cambre" in Brussels. The extensive network of freeways and main highways makes it exceedingly convenient for motorists to travel around the country, more so maybe than in any other part of Europe.

So, sit back, relax and (vicariously) enjoy a short trip through Belgium by clicking on the buttons at the top of each page...