TopDawg Travel

Decided to take a destination once a week and write about it.  Just sort of tips/tricks/insider knowledge and where to find more information on a different location each week.  I thought I would start with Belgium.

• Brussels is the Capital of Belgium.  It is also the headquarters of the European Union and NATO. 
• English is widely spoken there.
• Brussels is still less expensive than London, Paris, Amsterdam and most western European capitals
• Bastogne is the site of the battle of the Bulge (winter 1944-45).  You can find out more by visiting http://www.si-bastogne.be/index.php?lg=fpdb/sibasten&page1=a-presentation.htm.
• At the gates of Brussels the famous battle of Waterloo was fought.  You can find out more by visiting http://www.waterloo1815.be/en/waterloo/ .
• You can buy a “Brussels” card that provides free access to 26 museums, discounts in shops, restaurants, tourist attractions and unlimited travel on public transport. There are choices of 24 hour, 48 hour and 72 hour passes.  For more information go to http://www.brusselsinternational.be/wabxlint/en/visitor/practical-information/4761/brussels-card.act .
• Binche is the world famous Carnival on Fat Tuesday
• Royal Greenhouses are open to the public from April through the beginning of May in Brussels
• The Royal Palace is open to the public from the end of July through mid-September
• There are fabulous Christmas Markets in Brussells and all over Wallonia in December
• Brussels is home to 145 hotels with 15,000 rooms
• Brussels is home to more than 80 museums
• Check out the  Magritte Museum (http://www.magrittemuseum.be/code/en/index1.htm ) while visiting Brussels; the Herge Museum, in Louvain la Neuve, outside Brussels; and, Grand Curtius Museum in Liege (with easy to access thanks to a new train station)
• There are some really good hotel rates available in Brussels during the weekends
• There are more castles per square mile in Belgium than anywhere in the world

For lots more information on Belgium, check out the Belgium Tourist Office at www.visitbelgium.com