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.
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.
Belgium is no longer for sale, and with its newly formed interim government, it'll be a unified country until at least March. That'll give politicians three more months to hammer out permanent agreements on constitutional reforms and economic policies.
After a six-month negotiating period, you'd think citizens would be relieved, but most of them haven't been too bothered by the lack of central government. While the suits argue over autonomy for French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders, the people continue to assert their cultural identities--as they have for centuries.
Not much will change for travelers to Belgium; you'll still need two languages to navigate the country. But now that a settlement's come through, you'll have something to discuss with the locals while guzzling another beer.
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by amandak
