Anyone has been to the above places and can offer some tips on restaurants and sightseeing tips?<BR><BR>We are planning a trip in early May and we don't speak a word of Flemish or French! <BR>Help!

Yes I do meam BRUSSELS. <BR>Thank you.

Elle, type "Ghent Trip Report" to pull up my post titled: "Ghent, Belgium. A Trip Report".<BR><BR>It's a bit wordy, but should have some of the info you're looking for on Ghent and Brugge.

I just returned from there and Paris two weeks ago. I really liked Brussels and Brugge. I wasn't crazy about Ghent, but would definitely go there for a day - the Mystic Lamb was amazing. If you need/want any other information, please feel free to email me. You don't need to know any Flemish - most people speak English; many speak French as well. Have a wonderful time! I was amazed at how much I enjoyed Belgium - it was beyond my expectations in many ways!

Here is some terrific information on Bruges that I lifted from a post by Wes Fowler:<BR><BR>Ghent has some interesting things going for it. Like Brugges, it has some magnificent Flemish architecture lining its major canal, the Grasslei. In the heart of the city, not far from the Grasslei you'll find Gravensteen. Known as the Castle of the Flemish Counts it's actually an imposing fortress that dates to the 12th century. With over 20 towers and a defensive gallery circling the inner castle, it's a massive complex. There are fine views of the city and its canals from the ramparts of the castle keep. <BR>St Bavo's cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal) not far from the Grasslei houses one of the most influential paintings in Western Art, the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Jan van Eyck. An altar screen, it dates to the early 1400s and consists of 20 panels with well over 100 figures painted in meticulous detail. <BR><BR>Just as an aside, stop at a sidewalk cafe and order one of the local beers. <BR>It's "Delerium Tremens" and served in a brandy snifter sized glass with little pink elephants embossed thereon. <BR><BR>If you're interested in chocolate, check out Daskalides shop at 1 Henegouwenstraat. <BR><BR>Do give emphasis to Brugges over Brussels, however, consider that hotel prices in Brussels are steeply reduced on Friday and Saturday nights since Europe Union bureaucrats and businessmen have retired to their home for the weekend. If you're interested in antiques, you might want to visit the Parc des Expositions in Brussels where an international antiques show is being held between March 24 and April 1. <BR><BR>Here are some dining ideas in Brussels: <BR><BR>Go to Brussels’ Grand Place, one of Europe’s most stunning squares to whet your appetite. Stop at No 10, just east of Hotel de Ville. It’s the Brewers House and has a beer museum and a small restaurant reminiscent of a 17th Century brasserie. Have a beer and then walk diagonally across the square to the narrow street along the west side of the Maison du Roi. After two very short blocks, you’ll find yourself surrounded by restaurants, most of which have astonishingly ornate displays of fresh seafood outside their doors. Prices here are high and geared to the tourist trade. The displays will certainly stir your appetite. Back track to the Rue du Beurre, turn right walk past St. Nicolas church and the Bourse, cross the Boulevard Anspach (Anspachlaan), continue another 3 or 4 short blocks to St. Catherine's square behind the church. You’ll find this area lined with fine inexpensive restaurants. <BR><BR>Have a beer! After the Czech Republic, Belgium has the largest per capita consumption of beer of any country in the world. There are over 400 breweries in Belgium producing an extraordinary variety of beers, most of which are only locally distributed. Each brewery has its own distinctive glass for the beers it produces. Many restaurants and bars prominently display the glasses of the various types of beer they serve. Seems much more sophisticated than our “Bud Lite” neon signs. Brussels has a beer named “Mort Subite” (Sudden Death) available at Chez Marcel in Brussels. Its name refers to a type of game once played in bars, not to its effect upon you. Try a Lambic (Lembec) beer, to which fruit flavors have been added after fermentation. Framboise is raspberry flavored, Kriek cherry flavored. Try one of the Trappist beers. Chimay is a rich dark ale brewed according to centuries old methods. Avoid “Jupiler”; it’s like Budweiser. Order tartines with plain fromage blanc or onion flavored “pottekees”; they’re tiny pots of soft sour cheese for spreading on thin slices of toast to accompany your beer. <BR><BR>

And, here's more info from Mr. Fowler on Ghent (hope this helps!):<BR><BR>Ghent has some interesting things going for it. Like Brugges, it has some magnificent Flemish architecture lining its major canal, the Grasslei. In the heart of the city, not far from the Grasslei you'll find Gravensteen. Known as the Castle of the Flemish Counts it's actually an imposing fortress that dates to the 12th century. With over 20 towers and a defensive gallery circling the inner castle, it's a massive complex. There are fine views of the city and its canals from the ramparts of the castle keep. <BR>St Bavo's cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal) not far from the Grasslei houses one of the most influential paintings in Western Art, the "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Jan van Eyck. An altar screen, it dates to the early 1400s and consists of 20 panels with well over 100 figures painted in meticulous detail. <BR><BR>Just as an aside, stop at a sidewalk cafe and order one of the local beers. <BR>It's "Delerium Tremens" and served in a brandy snifter sized glass with little pink elephants embossed thereon. <BR><BR>If you're interested in chocolate, check out Daskalides shop at 1 Henegouwenstraat. <BR><BR>

I'm so sorry, but I posted the same info twice on Ghent. Let me try again for Bruges:<BR><BR>Street Markets<BR>There's a flea market all day on Saturdays at Vloeienmarkt in Brugges.<BR><BR>Brugges dining<BR>The Marktplatz in Bruges is much like the area around the Grand ‘Place in Brussels, that is, lined with tourist oriented restaurants with menus priced higher than those just a city block or two away. <BR>When we were in Bruges, we enjoyed a small restaurant on Simon Stevinplein called Aquerel. It’s a small family run place with outdoor seating that serves superb chicken and is reasonably priced.<BR>Le Due Venezie is an inexpensive Italian restaurant at Kleine Sint-Amandsstraat 2, just off the bell tower square. You’ll rub elbows with other diners and wait staff (the tables are really jammed together), be convinced disaster is about to strike (from the frenzied attitude of the waiters and maitre‘d) but have an enjoyable, filling and reasonably priced meal. <BR>Right next door is The Stove, one of the few European restaurants we’ve encountered where no smoking is allowed. Tiny, with a limited menu, it does offer excellently prepared cuisine. <BR>For a quieter environment and traditional Belgian cuisine, try the Brugse Bistro at 58 Noordzandstraat a street which leads off the bell tower square. Here's the place to splurge.<BR>On one of the alleys between Noordzanstraat and Steenstraat (perhaps Dweerstraat?), we found a restaurant/bar that served excellent typical Belgian food. Don’t know it’s name; not even sure it had one. It was on the south side of the alley immediately adjacent to a budget hotel and totally unimpressive from the outside. It consisted of a long, dank appearing narrow room with a bar on the right and what appeared to be a terrace in the rear. There were a couple of bicycles and backpacks stacked outside. Inside no one appeared to be over 21 years of age. Food, particularly the Flemish stew was great. If you can find it, give it a try. <BR>The café ‘t Brugs Beertje at 5 Kemelstraat serves over 300 kinds of Belgian beers along with snack food: farm pates and cheese with bread. <BR><BR>Regarding beer<BR>With over 400 varieties of beer in Belgium, it’s almost impossible to make recommendations. It’s easier to tell you which beers to stay away from, namely “Jupiler”, “Leffe” and “Stella Artois”, three mass-market beers with all the character of Bud Lite. <BR>Look instead for a Chimay, either Chimay Red, Chimay White or Chimay Blue. These are all Trappist monastery beers and excellent. The colors refer to the color of the crown cork on the bottle. (Yes, many of the Belgian beers are corked in the bottle!) <BR>For Lambic beers, try Timmermans’ Lambic, Gueuze and Kriek. All are fruity and truly distinctive. You can encounter cherry, raspberry, peach flavors in the lambics. It’s a bit disconcerting to drink a ruby colored beer with a thick pink head and carbonation as delicate as that of a fine champagne. These may be the beer for you; they're known as "ladies' beers". <BR>For something truly distinctive, look for Gueuze Girardin, a complex beer with hints of apples, sherry and cedar. <BR>

p.s. Thank you, Mr. Fowler, for your past posts that were so helpful in planning my upcoming trip to Bruges! And, Elle, have a wonderful vacation!

First of all, it's Brugge or Bruges, NOT Brugges. And since it's in the heart of Flanders, the preferred name is Brugge. <BR>I spend a great deal of time in Gent (Ghent) and usually suggest to our visitors that they skip the city and try Leuven instead. It's more compact than Gent and has similar sights yet is off the Brugge-Gent-Brussel beaten path.<BR>The St. Catherine area is full of interesting restaurants, but it's also full of pickpockets. Street crime has risen sharply throughout Brussels in the last two years. That doesn't mean people shouldn't try the restaurants there; they should be a little more aware than usual. Popular "splurge" restaurants with the locals include La Manufacture on rue Notre Dame du Sommeil and La Quincaillerie on rue Page. Also, I recommend people take the 92 or 91 trams up to the "Ma Campagne" stop, get off and walk UP the Chaussee de Waterloo to try any of the numerous local favorite restaurants like Toucan, Parachute, Imamiah, Lettres a Elise, and so on. It's a nicer neighborhood than the St. Catherine's area. OR take the 92 tram a little farther out to St. Job and try any of the really attractive brasseries and restaurants that cluster around the St. Job square. <BR>Your English will do you fine in Flanders; you might want to practice a few Dutch phrases; ditto for French to use in Brussels. We tell everyone visiting Brussels to try Le Nemrod on the Blvd. de Waterloo (at the Louise metro stop) for coffee or beer before this cafe, a Brussels institution, closes in June to be remade into a Christian Dior store.<BR>Btilke (Bruxelles, Brussel or Brussels--take your pick)

Elle,<BR>I just topped a post<BR>"for anyone going to Belgium ...."<BR>The article was fascinating, and the greenhouses are supposed to be spectacular.<BR>Have a great time!