I guess you will be interested in old architecture. Most towns in Belgium have very old sections with impressive citizen houses, churches, castles, fortresses,... Most tourists don't know but Bruges is completely rebuild, most of the houses you see aren't that old. But they are rebuild, with the old material in the old style. This goes for most town in the Flemish part of Belgium. With two wars going over the country most town centres are completely rebuild.
Personally, I know dendermonde very well. While this town is not as impressive as Bruges or gent, you still the old defences, water surrounding the town called 'de forten' (translated: the fortresses). Parts of its main church go back to 1000 AD. This is a subject which interests me personally: the defence systems build a long time ago (I grew up surrounded with them). If you take a map of the wide area of Antwerp, you can easily recognise them. I live near Mechelen, within a kilometre there are several concrete bunkers. You'll find these traces of war everywhere. The train from Brussels to Brugge passes through Gent, so this connection won't be a problem. I suggest you go to the Gravensteen in Gent (literal translation earl's stone: the stone house of an earl). This is an ancient fortress in the middle of town. Antwerp has something similar, next to the river (never visited this one). In Brussels there are tourist busses who drive around the whole day (Central station is an easy way to get on). You buy a ticket for a whole day. The busses (easily recognisable) drive through the whole Brussels area and stop at predefined stops. If you see something interesting you jump off at the next stop walk around and get on the next bus. I suggest Ipre (Ieper), this was war zone in the first World war. The graveyards (several hundreds, each with thousands of graves) are very impressive, they make you think about war and the consequences. There are ship lifts... - the largest in the world: http://services-techniques.met.wallonie.be/en/the_counterweighted_lift_/ - an older one: http://www.hainaut.be/tourisme/parcdescanaux/Ronquieres.asp There are several nice castles (chateaux) on the country side: This link is in Dutch, but it shows several nice building organised in several ways: http://www.belgiumview.com/otl1/pa000016.php4 Tell me if you're interested in a specific subject, I can try to look it up... Bart P.S. I work only 200 meters of 'Manneke Pis', and yes, it is really not impressive >>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 20/04/2005 18:34:33 >>> I'm off for a week in Brussels and Brugge. Any tips on good photographic subjects there? (Other than the infamous manneken pis) Dan M
