Food meets art in Flanders
Your NTA river cruise partners
COMPASS
BELGIUM , FRANCE AND THE NETHERLANDS
Food meets art in Flanders
“ An eclectic mix of experiences makes Flanders , Belgium , unique : gastronomy ; art , architecture and heritage ; cycling ; fashion and design ,” says Marco Frank , trade manager for Visit Flanders .
According to Frank , the region , which covers much of the northern part of Belgium , offers affordable lodging compared to other European destinations , easy communication for North American visitors ( English is widely spoken ) and excellent connections to the rest of the continent . But he especially emphasizes Flanders ’ culinary and artistic offerings .
“ Culinary experiences are always on the top of the list when you are trying to immerse yourself in local cultures ,” says Frank . “ We have the highest number of Michelin-starred restaurants per capita anywhere in Europe .”
In addition to its high-end eateries , Flanders ’ culinary scene is populated by talented chefs running zero-waste kitchens , emerging microbrewers and purveyors of classic street foods .
In the coming years , the Flemish masters of Renaissance , Primitive and Baroque painting will be in the spotlight as Visit Flanders encourages visitors to explore the towns in which these artists lived and worked .
“ The tourist office is putting a lot of emphasis on our Flemish Masters campaign , which will run from 2018 to 2020 ,” says Frank . “ We will highlight three different painters : Rubens ( Antwerp ) in 2018 , Bruegel ( Brussels ) in 2019 and van Eyck ( Ghent ) in 2020 . “ The focus will not only be on the old painters , but we will mix in our new Flemish masters as well . So , it will be an eclectic mix of old and new .”
For more information , contact Frank at marco . frank @ visitflanders . com or go to visitflanders . com .
LAYLA AERTS / VISIT FLANDERS
Your NTA river cruise partners
NTA ’ s membership includes several river cruise companies that showcase Belgium , France and the Netherlands — among many other European options . You ’ ll find a sampling below , and you can go to the NTA Online member searches for a complete list .
Abercrombie & Kent NTA Contact : Phil Otterson | potterson @ abercrombiekent . com abercrombiekent . com
CroisiEurope America John McGlade | jmcglade @ croisieurope . com croisieuroperivercruises . com
Euro River Cruises Leslie Bailey | eurorivercruises . com
Globus Family of Brands ’ Avalon Waterways Pam Hoffee | phoffee @ globusfamily . com globusfamily . com
Scenic Cruises Joe Maloney | joe . maloney @ scenictours . com scenicusa . com
Tauck Tom Armstrong | tarmstrong @ tauck . com tauck . com
Uniworld Wesley Bosnic | wbosnic @ uniworld . com uniworld . com
Author ’ s note : It ’ s fitting that I would be the Courier writer charged with our coverage of Belgium , France and the Netherlands . Shortly before press time , I sent out the last forms to apply for Dutch residency . Based on how persuasive my application seems to a group of faraway bureaucrats , I will be packing up and shipping out for a graduate program I ’ ve been accepted to in the city of Leiden . So , with some qualifiers ( I ’ m still waiting for an official welkom ), this is my last issue as a full-time writer for this magazine . When I interviewed here late in 2013 , fresh out of college , our former editor Penny Whitman asked if I liked to travel . I ’ m sure I said yes . But now I would say I love travel , and many NTA-ers had a part in that .
46 January 2018