Ghent

Ghent is the biggest city and the capital of the East Flanders province. During the middle ages it became one of the biggest and richest cities of northern Europe; growing greatly because of the trade allowed from the two rivers Sheldt and Lys. The current population of Gent is 237,250 people which makes it the second most populated city in Belgium. Every year the town hosts a ten day street festival known as "Ghent Fests." During these ten days there are a variety of street performances and music festivals that take place. There are on average around 2 million people that will go attend the Ghent festival starting on July 21. People claim Ghent to be not as touristy as Brugge to the north, however I beg to differ. Ghent offers some really cool and interesting sights such as their walled castle in the middle of town. Another example is the medieval square which includes a magnificent Cathedral; as well as the Belfort en Lakenhalle. Dating from 1425 to 1445, this Gothic Cloth Hall and Belfry tower form a magnificent medieval duo. Though I am not particularly familiar with any restaurants located in Ghent, I do have some suggestions including Brasserie Pakhuis, Jan Breydel, and Keizershof.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent (Ghent)

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/belgium/ghent/restaurants.html (Ghent Restaurants and attractions)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentse_Feesten (Ghent Festivals)

http://www.europeword.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/europefestivalghent.gif (Ghent Festivals picture)

Vive la Belgique! Levendig Belgie!

When talking of tourism, many people think of France, Germany, or England, etc. Unfortunately, many people skip over one of the more important countries in the EU (European Union), Belgium! Other than Europeans, many people don't realize that Belgium is the capital of the EU, sort of like the Washington D.C. of Europe. Belgium is run by a parliamentary system, although they still have the traditional king and queen. Currently the king of Belgium is King Albert II. Belgium is a country that is split into two main regions; Flanders to the north, and Wallonia to the south. There is also a small German speaking portion along the south eastern border near Germany. Flanders is traditionally known for their beautiful tapestries, beautiful medieval towns, and their World War 1 battle sites. The people of flanders speak a dialect of Dutch known as Flemish. Some great tourist cities of Flanders include Gent and Brugge. Wallonia to the south is the French speaking part of Belgium. This is the part that I lived in, for the two years that I was there. I lived in a town called Waterloo which many people may know to be where Napoleon Bonaparte was finally beaten by the English. Another big historical town of Wallonia is Bastogne, where the World War II battle of the bulge took place. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is the centerpiece of the entire country, literally. Brussels splits the country into it's respective two regions. There is no language barrier here, however, most of the people will be found speaking French.

http://astro.temple.edu/~dcm/european-union-flag.gif (European Union Flag)

http://www.33ff.com/flags/XL_flags/Belgium_flag.gif (Belgian Flag)