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Tags: New Routes / Brussels Travel / Airline News / American Airlines / United / → All Tags

Brussels Sprouts Air Routes To Go Up Against Eurostar

If you're looking to make a tour of European capitals, or just have business that takes you from London to Brussels, what is the typical route you'd take between the two capitals? Thanks to the English Channel Tunnel, the answer is easy: the Eurostar from London's St. Pancras Station straight to Brussels Midi Station. There are also ferries that get the job done, but rest assured that the Eurostar is the fastest and most convenient way.

If this is the case, then why are American Airlines and United joining a bevy of other low-cost carriers and European airlines in flying between London and Brussels? The new routes, which at 218 miles are slightly shorter than a hop between Chicago and Toledo, are obviously for the convenience of American and United passengers making a switch in London.

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Tags: World War I Travel / Historical Travel / Battlefields / → All Tags

Last British WWI Soldier Dies; Leaves Gripping Account of Trench Warfare Hell

Britain's last remaining World War I soldier, Harry Patch, died at the age of 111 today, leaving behind a collection of gripping stories about the inhuman conditions he and his comrades faced in the trenches of Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium, during the battles of Passchendaele and Pilkem. The BBC has an amazing roundup of Patch's memories of his time in the war, in which he describes the muddy trenches - a mere three feet wide and six feet deep - that he had to occupy for days on end. The soldiers were mired in filth for months at a time, with the constant companionship of legions of lice:

From the time I went to France - the second week in June 1917 - until I left 23rd December 1917, injured by shellfire, I never had a bath ... For each lousy louse, he had his own particular bite, and his own itch and he’d drive you mad. We used to turn our vests inside out to get a little relief. And you’d go down all the seams, if you dared show a light, with a candle, and burn them out. And those little devils who’d laid their eggs in the seam, you’d turn your vest inside out and tomorrow you’d be just as lousy as you were today. And that was the trenches.

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Tags: Belgium Travel / Museums / Museum Travel / → All Tags

We See London, We See France, We See The Belgian Underpants Museum

There's a new museum in Belgium with a name that sounds much sexier in French than English: it's the Musee du Slip or … Underpants Museum (see what we mean?).

This museum just opened up in Brussels and features a large collection of framed underwear, which has been worn at least once by a celebrity and even comes with a certificate of authenticity. Many of the celebrities are Belgian ones who may not be quite so well known to the rest of us—see the blue and white striped boxer shorts the Belgian finance minister donated to the museum —but there are plans to internationalize things a bit.

For example, the artist in charge, Jan Bucquoy, is trying to get the underwear of supermodel and French First Lady Carla Bruni. And the meaning of a museum full of underwear? Apparently they're fulfilling our "utopian longing for an equal society". Right, we feel things are much more equal now.

Related Stories:
· Celebrity Underpants Exposed at Museum [The Age]
· Brussels Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: florriebassingbourn]

Tags: Vegetarian Travel / Green Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags

The City of Ghent is Becoming a Part-Time Vegetarian

Locales from Philly to Dubai are racing to attract the eco-conscious set by touting their environmentally-friendly eating, sleeping, shopping and transportation options, but Ghent, Belgium just took it to another level by becoming the first city go all-vegetarian once a week.

The picturesque Flemish town—best known for its medieval castles and cathedrals—has declared every Thursday a veggiedag (veggie day), when all residents and visitors are encouraged to go without meat in a nod to the overwhelming amount of greenhouse gasses emitted by livestock.

There won't be any bacon police roaming the streets (at least not yet), but government employees and politicians have agreed to abide by the meatless decree, and schoolchildren will be brought into the fold as well. The city is currently printing 90,000 "veggie street maps" to guide people towards vegetarian eateries.

Sounds like a great idea to us, and totally doable—as long as chocolate and beer are still allowed.

Related Stories:
· Belgian city plans 'veggie' days [BBC]
· Belgium travel coverage [Jaunted]
· World's Best Vegetarian Restaurants [Jaunted]

[Photo: jbgranick]

Tags: The Jauntys / 2008 Travel Awards / Travel News / Movie Set Travel / → All Tags

2008's Best Travel Movie Is...

If you're like us, you see travel everywhere, so of course 2008 was a marquee year for travel movies. (Let's face it, for us, everything is a travel movie! We almost went to Passaic, New Jersey because "Be Kind Rewind" told us to.) Whether you preferred Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn strung out at the ticket counter as their dream holiday vacation gets canceled in "Four Christmases," a Hawaiian vacation via "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," flying below the radar with Bond in "Quantum of Solace" or the magnificent cross-country train sequence starring the orphans of "Slumdog Millionaire," nearly every trip we saw depicted on film made us say, "Yeah, we've been there."

Well, we haven't actually been hired guns of this type, but our favorite movie trip had to have been the one undertaken by Ray and Ken, two killers sent on a mission in Martin McDonagh's "In Bruges." The exact business of the men (played by Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell) isn't clear right away, so they fall into arguing about what to do with their off hours. Ken is a guidebook slave, while Ray would much rather take a detour from the obligitory historic sites to see what the locals are up to.

Get some sleep or get a pint? Obey your scary-sounding boss's instructions or cut loose and face the consequences? It's only later that the ramifications of the pair's decisions truly become clear. The thrilling conclusion of this flick made us simultaneously want to visit Bruges and never set foot in Belgium. Ever. If you missed it in theaters, check out "In Bruges" on DVD with your (adult) relatives. It's proof that no one returns from a trip unchanged.

Related Stories:
· Belgium Travel Guide [Jaunted]
· Movie Set Travel: Quantum of Solace [Jaunted]
· A Boxing Day Vow: Next Christmas, a Luxury Hotel in Bruges [HC]

[Photo: cinemapolis.org]

Tags: Belgium Travel / Brussels / Diving / → All Tags

Surprising Scuba Diving Hotspot: Brussels, Belgium

We always thought that Belgium was only famous for its tasty chocolate, but it's also home to the world's deepest swimming pool--and you're welcome to go SCUBA diving there.

The 105-foot-deep Nemo 33 has a tropical feel with the water kept at 33 degrees Celsius (91 F). You can learn to SCUBA there or just enjoy your own dive while your non-diving friends sit in the restaurant and watch you descend into the human aquarium.

A safety warning: We recommend diving in Nemo 33 first, before consuming the required ton of Belgian chocolate. Eating the sweets first could lead to serious sinking problems.

Related Stories:
· Nemo 33 [Official Site]
· The World's Deepest Swimming Pool [UK Times]
· How to Do a Belgian Chocolate Deal [Jaunted]

[Photo: medialoog]

Tags: Museums / Belgium Travel / Food Travel / → All Tags

Museum Opening: Belgium Loves (Not French) Fries

Bet you didn't know that some people think French fries should really be called Belgian fries. The belief that fries were first invented in Belgium is so strong that quirky collector Eddy Van Belle has just opened the Friet Museum in Brugge.

The museum takes up three small floors in one of Brugge's oldest buildings and covers the (controversial) history of fries, even heading back to Peru in 15,000 BC to a possible beginning to one of the world's favorite snacks. There are also all manner of related artifacts including both antique and modern deep fryers, and even a film to teach you how to make the perfect fry.

Entry to the Friet Museum is a reasonable €6 ($9), but of course you'll also have to factor in some purchases of fries--even if you weren't hungry to start with, seeing all these displays is going to give you a bit of a craving. The museum sells them in paper cones or you can find them on pretty much any corner you look in Brugge. Just don't ask for French fries when you place your order.

Related Stories:
· Land of the Friet [Guardian]
· Friet Museum [Official Site]
· Belgium Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Scott Ableman]

Tags: Anniversary Travel / World's Fair Travel / Attractions / Tourist Attractions / Big Things / → All Tags

Brussels Remembers 1958 With Space-Age Monument

Fifty years ago, Brussels invited the world over for the first World's Fair after the death and destruction of World War II. Expo 2008 will be held later this year in Zaragoza, Spain, but Brussels is celebrating anyway with exhibitions like "Expo '58: Between Utopia and Reality," in conjunction with the renovation of the fair's most durable remnant, the Atomium.

Built in the shape of a crystallized molecule of iron, the Atomium, like the Eiffel Tower, was intended to be a temporary monument but ended up redefining the city where it was constructed. After the jump, another startling view of the Atomium and some more history.

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Tags: Beer / Belgium Beers / Mancations / Brewery Tours / → All Tags

Mancationing at a Monastery

Belgium might not be at the top of your list of mancation destinations, but after suffering through six-packs of Pabst and MGD while scraping for travel funds the first thing you could use is a quality beer. And man, those Trappist monks deliver!

Breweries like Chimay and Rochefort have long been crafting beers that come closer in flavor and complexity to fine French wines than to the ambers and lagers common in the US--many can even be aged. Across Belgium, there are only six Trappist monasteries that brew these rich ales, and some have been doing so for over a hundred years as a way of sustaining their needs. (Rochefort has been at it since 1595.)

Almost all of the monasteries welcome tours, but only Achel has a brewery and cafe right inside the abbey, so you and the guys can sit and enjoy while watching monks prepare the brew. They even have a guest house for only €28 ($41) per night, so you won't have to stumble back into town.

Related Stories:
· Drink in the Atmosphere and More [NZ Herald]
· Achel Brewery [Official Site]
· Give Us a Belgian Beer [Jaunted]
· Belgium travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo:emotionblogger]

Tags: Adventure Dining / Restaurants / → All Tags

Adventure Dining: The 150 Foot High Restaurant

Any restaurant where the appetizer is paying for "weather risk insurance" immediately gets classified under adventure dining. While it sounds completely nuts, Dinner in the Sky is becoming the new must-have dining experience for the Über rich.

The restaurant is based in Belgium, but is completely mobile. It is a portable table with 22 chairs attached that is lifted 150 feet in the air by a crane. For a mere £10,000 they will drive their crane and table to most of Europe and let you create your own grub a la high.

While the views are no doubt breathtaking, reviewers say forget about chatting with your neighbor: the winds at 150 feet make quiet conversation impossible, so you better be ready to yell.

The table and crane are currently in Orlando at an amusement park convention, just in case you are looking to book the experience. Somewhere Larry Ellison is already on the phone...

Tags: Belgium / Belgian Chocolate / Belgium Beers / Sales / → All Tags

Belgium Was For Sale

Too slow, Jaunted readers, too slow. If you'd been paying attention to Belgian eBay this week, you could've been the proud owner of your very own country. An ex-journalist put his nation--"Belgium, a kingdom in three parts"--up for sale in frustration at the fact that powers-that-be still haven't formed a proper government, 100 days after a general election.

Bids for Belgium got up to €10 million before eBay pulled the nation off the auction site, saying selling the country was "unrealistic". Pity, because we wouldn't have minded owning Belgium ourselves. Or at least the bit with all the chocolate and beer.

Related Stories:
· eBay Stops Sale of Belgium [AFP]
· How To Do A Belgian Chocolate Deal [Jaunted]
· Give Us A Belgian Beer [Jaunted]

[Photo: MissyH]

Tags: Chocolate / Travel Media / Budget Travel Magazine / → All Tags

How To Do A Belgian Chocolate Deal

So you're traveling through Belgium and you suddenly think: Duh! Belgian chocolate! Gotta get some! If you've been ignorant enough to land in Brussels or Antwerp without a chocolate strategy, then we have some tips for you, courtesy of Budget Travel. Recommended shops include Burie in Antwerp, Mary in Brussels and the Leonidas chain across the country.

The biggest tip of all is good news: you really can't go wrong anywhere. Belgium has strict control on its chocolate production process so you nearly always get something tasty. Don't try to bargain with a chocolatier, as prices are set either by piece or by weight. And if you want to taste test first, the tip is to try a smaller mom-and-pop store rather than a big chain.

If you have enough willpower to have leftovers you want to take home, be warned that high quality chocolate often should be eaten within two weeks (it might contain fresh cream) and kept in your carry-on. If you can resist it.

[Photo: marjesb14]

Related Stories:
· How to Buy Chocolate in Belgium [Budget Travel Online]
· Tasty Belgium Chocolate [Jaunted]
· Chocolate Inside and Out [Jaunted]