House of travel Northern, Central & Eastern Europe Brochure 2017 | Page 14

Experience
Belgium
A ny country where hot chips dipped in mayonnaise are a national favourite has
Fast Facts
Country Name: Belgium
Population: 11 Million
Capital: Brussels
Currency: Euro
Time Zone: 10 hours behind New Zealand
(except during daylight saving)
Electricity: Current is 230V, 50HZ
Plug is a 2 point round-pin adaptor
Festivals and Events 2017
10
Jun Werchter Rock Festival
Jul Tomorrowland Festival, Boom
04 Jul Ommegang, Brussels
Sep Wallonia Festival, Namur
Sep Belgium Beer Weekend, Brussels
27 Nov-03 Jan Christmas Markets, Brussels
to be a great place for travellers. Tuck into your share while visiting this pocket-
sized nation that manages to pack a surprising amount of history into a very small
area. Belgium has special significance for Kiwi travellers. More than 4700 New
Zealanders are buried here in about 80 cemeteries throughout the country. A
growing number of Kiwis now make a pilgrimage to these wartime resting places
and to the battlefields of Flanders. They will always be assured of a warm welcome
from the locals too. While you are in Brussels head for the Grand Place and absorb
the atmosphere among the elegant guild houses before you go in search of the tiny,
but very famous Mannekin-Pis statue. One place that definitely deserves a longer
stay is Brugge. This medieval town is perfect with its network of picturesque canals,
glorious medieval Gothic architecture and preserved stone cottages. A boat trip on
the picturesque canals of Brugge allows you to admire the city’s most beautiful sites
from a totally different angle. You may even see women sitting outside their front
doors making hand-made lace. Those in search of works of art will want to check
out the Rubens and Brueghel paintings, but the most famed artwork of all is the
beer – Trappist monks have been making it for centuries. Then there are the utterly
sumptuous handmade chocolates.