Newsgroups: rec.travel
From: pleroy@us.oracle.com
Subject: Re: What to do in Belgium in October?
Organization: Oracle Corporation, USA
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 01:14:30 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by an unauthenticated user
              at Oracle Corporation.  The opinions expressed are those
              of the user and not necessarily those of Oracle.

In article <1992Aug25.075201.307@doc.bmd.trw.com>, parsons@doc.bmd.trw.com writes:
> My mother is going to Antwerpen, Belgium the first week of October.
> 
> I was thinking that someone on the net may have some good suggestions
> on where to go, what to do, where to eat, etc...........
> I understand that Belgium is centrally located and that many other
> countries are easy to get to and see from there, so that is fair game
> if anyone has ideas on how to get somewhere and what to do when they are
> there.
> 
> Well, thanks in advance
> 
> Mark Parsons
> mark_parsons@oz.bmd.trw.com

From Antwerpen (Anvers) to any other cities in Belgium, the distance is under
150 miles. A few of them, each of which is worth the visit are :
    - Antwerpen or Anvers itself
    - Brussel or Bruxelles (40 miles)
    - Brugge or Bruges (50 miles)
    - Tournai or Doornik (65 miles)
    - Liege or Luik (90 miles)
    - Namur or Namuur (80 miles)
The information offices are often centrally located near the Grand Place.
Guided tours are generally available and I don't think they are expensive even
with a weak dollar. I was born in Tournai. It's a nice little city near the
French border with a beffroi, a cathedral (one of the nicest in the country), a
charming Great Place, several museums including arts, local traditions,
archeology, a lot of old houses and churches. You can easily walk around the
city or may take a guided tour in a caleche or a little train. This city has
been the first capital of Clovis, the Frank emperor whose empire included large
parts of the actual France and Germany.

There are a lot of good restaurants everywhere. I'm not sure but I think that
october is included in the hunting season and if it is, lots of restaurants
will have a special hunt menu which is usually excellent. She may also try some
belgian specialties like "Moules frites" (Mussels cooked in a bouillon of
vegetables and white wine served with belgian fries), "Waterzooi" (like a fish
soup), lots of other cooked in beer based sauce. Locally, she usually will
receive good advice for her restaurant choice from the hotel or from a
bartender in a nice cafe.

In each city, lots of museums, monuments, churches to visit. Theyare full of
charm and history. Walking and or shopping around provides also a great time.

The Netherlands are just North and thus Roterdam and Amsterdam are less than
100 miles away.

To get in France in Paris, it's only 240 miles.

Germany is also very close.

To go from city to city, the train is probably the easiest way. If she wants to
go outside the cities, the best is probably to rent a car altough it's more
expensive then in the US, maybe twice the price (it could be cheaper to rent
from the US, try ).

For one week, I would recommend Antwerpen, Brugge, Bruxelles, Tournai and
Amsterdam plus some sightseeing outside the cities. I would keep Paris for
another trip because one week there is a minimum.

I also would recommend when travelling in Belgium in october that she wears a
warm coat and brings along her umbrella. At this time of the year the weather
may be a little rainy and cold (40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). Altough she will
most likely enjoy some sunny days also.

I hope it helps. If you'd like more, just send me a mail.

Patrick LEROY

P.S. If someone wants to correct a mistake or an omission, he's welcome.

--
Standard disclaimer

Newsgroups: rec.travel