Among travelers, Hasselt isn’t as well known as some other Belgian cities. But that’s what makes it such a fun place to explore: it’s off the beaten path and there’s no tacky souvenir shops, no chain restaurants and no risk of running into busloads of tourists. It’s the real Belgium,…
Ever been to Hasselt? Hasselt, the capital of Belgium’s eastern-most province, is often overlooked by foreign visitors and Belgians alike. It doesn’t have the quaint charms of Ghent or Bruges, or the international cachet of Brussels or Antwerp—but that’s what makes a visit to Hasselt both surprising and rewarding. Each…
The most surprising thing about the new Bruges Beer Museum is that it’s the first of its kind in Belgium. How is it possible that a country with such a rich beer culture and a worldwide reputation for brewing didn’t have a museum dedicated to its most beloved beverage? That’s…
On a perfect spring day in early May, my husband and I stood in the courtyard of a seventeenth-century farmhouse, sipping hand-mixed cocktails and chatting with our fellow guests. Our host, Didier Bastiaens, mounted an overturned apple crate and welcomed us to Vrienden van de Smaak, a moveable feast that travels…