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]]]> amandak 2008-08-15T09:00:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/5/5/93755/70049

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]]]> amandak 2008-05-06T09:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/3/3/144822/1088

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.]]> egw 2008-03-03T15:23:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/2/21/01327/9911

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]]]> benh 2008-02-22T12:30:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/12/6/92848/0907

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...]]> markj 2007-12-06T09:29:52-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/9/19/0216/79230

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]]]> amandak 2007-09-20T09:30:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/5/17/71043/3562

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]]]> amandak 2007-05-17T09:00:02-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/