| Belgium Information Brief Introduction Bordered by France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands, the landscape of Belgium is varied. The rivers and gorges of the Ardennes contrast sharply with the rolling plains which make up much of the countryside. Notable features are the great forest of Ardennes near the frontier with Germany and Luxembourg and the wide, sandy beaches of the northern coast. The countryside is rich in historic cities, castles and churches. Destination Information BRUSSELS - From Brueghel to Tintin Life in a European melting-pot is nothing new for the people of Brussels. Through the centuries invaders and occupiers have come and gone, from Roman legions and Spanish Inquisitors to Habsburg armies, Louis XIV's bombardiers, Napoleon, the Kaiser and Hitler. This susceptibility has helped to shape both people and city, and in response the natives have developed a good-natured and thoroughly down-to-earth approach to whatever life can throw at them. In recent years, this has mainly been a steady rise in affluence. As you refresh yourself with a glass of superb Belgian beer at one of the many pavement cafés, you'll catch the babble of a dozen foreign tongues, for Brussels has cannily established itself as the capital of both the European Union and NATO. This newly acquired status as a major international city has swept in with it a flood of bureaucrats, Eurocrats, army chiefs and a host of attendant offshoots, as well as a large influx of immigrants from the Congo, North Africa and Turkey. Together they make up a quarter of the city's population, and guarantee a remarkable range and quality of cultures and cuisines. | |
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