JIM HAMILL
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BELGIUM

WESTERN europe
I had a three week work assignment in Leuven, Belgium, which may not sound like the most glamorous location, until you look at the label of a Stella Artois bottle and see Leuven is where the main brewery is located.  While the aroma of hops filling the air may not be the most pleasant smell to wake up to, the 100 or so bars offering ten glasses of Stella Artois for $20 later in the evening helped to dull the effect.  That the Plaza Leuven bar accommodated me and my co-workers and put on the Phillies' World Series game helped to make the nights out an even more enjoyable experience.

The obvious dish at every meal is mussels - even though the mussels originated in the Netherlands, the Dutch do not possess the cooking mastery of the Belgians.

Belgium is pretty easy to get around as all the major towns are connected by train - Brussels, Antwerp, Brugges, etc.  All the towns kind of look the same, even Brugges with it's canals and "Venice of the North" claim.

I think as a self defense mechanism the country developed hundreds of beers and great tasting chocolate to offer to and appease invaders - I mean that as a half joke, I do think somewhere in the country's defense budget is a line item for chocolate.
  • Lifetime Travels
    • Best Of... >
      • 2014 World Travels
      • Videos
    • Africa >
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Kenya
      • Tanzania
    • Asia >
      • East Asia >
        • China
        • Hong Kong >
          • Essentials
          • Attractions >
            • HK Free
          • Coffee
          • Cooked Food Centre >
            • Best Cooked Food Centres
          • Culture
          • Dining
          • Districts
          • Expat and Colonialism
          • HK Skyline
          • Nature
        • Japan
        • Macau
        • South Korea
        • Taiwan
      • Indian Sub-Continent >
        • Bangladesh
        • India
        • Maldives
        • Nepal
        • Sri Lanka
      • Southeast Asia >
        • Brunei
        • Cambodia
        • Indonesia
        • Laos
        • Malaysia
        • Myanmar
        • Philippines
        • Singapore >
          • Singapore >
            • Singapore Layover
            • Central
            • Coffee
            • Dining
            • Hawker Centers
            • Kopitiam
            • Suburbicity
        • Thailand
    • Europe >
      • Balkans >
        • Bosnia and Herzegovina
        • Bulgaria
        • Croatia
        • Moldova
        • Montenegro
        • Romania
        • Serbia
      • Central Europe >
        • Austria
        • Germany
        • Czech Republic
        • Hungary
        • Slovakia
        • Slovenia
        • Switzerland
      • Eastern Europe >
        • Kazakhstan
        • Russia
        • Ukraine
      • Nordic >
        • Iceland
      • Western Europe >
        • Belgium
        • France
        • Ireland
        • Italy
        • Netherlands
        • Spain
        • United Kingdom
    • Middle East >
      • Israel
      • Jordan
      • Qatar
      • United Arab Emirates
    • North America >
      • Canada
      • Cuba >
        • Trinidad
        • Cuba Videos
        • Havana
        • Cienfuegos
      • Mexico
      • Panama
      • Puerto Rico
      • United States >
        • New England >
          • Connecticut
          • Maine
          • Massachusetts
          • New Hampshire
          • Rhode Island
          • Vermont
        • Mid-Atlantic >
          • Delaware
          • Maryland
          • New Jersey >
            • Morristown
          • New York >
            • Lake Placid
            • Westchester - LI
          • Pennsylvania >
            • Pittsburgh
            • The "T" >
              • Upper Susquehanna
              • Poconos
              • Lancaster County
          • Washington DC
        • South >
          • Alabama
          • Arkansas
          • Florida
          • Georgia
          • Kentucky
          • Louisiana
          • Mississippi
          • North Carolina >
            • Cameron Indoor
          • South Carolina
          • Tennessee
          • Virginia
          • West Virginia
        • Midwest >
          • Illinois
          • Indiana
          • Iowa
          • Michigan
          • Minnesota
          • Missouri
          • Ohio
          • Wisconsin
        • Central Plains >
          • Idaho
          • Kansas
          • Montana
          • Nebraska
          • North Dakota
          • South Dakota
          • Wyoming
        • Southwest >
          • Arizona >
            • Phoenix
          • Colorado
          • New Mexico
          • Oklahoma
          • Texas
          • Utah
        • West Coast >
          • Alaska
          • California
          • Hawaii
          • Nevada
          • Oregon
          • Washington
    • Oceania >
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    • South America >
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      • Chile
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    • Useful Links >
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  • Philadelphia Story
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    • And Everything Else
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    • My Background
    • Site Navigation
    • Contact Me