Discover Belgium: 50 Reasons Why It's More Than Just Fries and Waffles!
Discover Belgium: 50 reasons why it's more than just fries and waffles! In this video, we will show you the rich tapestry of Belgian culture, history, and tradition that goes beyond its world-delicious fries and waffles.
Join us as we uncover 50 unique aspects of Belgium that set it apart as a must-visit destination in Europe. Get ready to broaden your perspective and discover why Belgium is so much more than you might think. From the cobbled streets of Brussels to the medieval charm of Bruges, from the lush landscapes of the Ardennes to the vibrant festivals that fill the air with joy and laughter, Belgium is a country filled with surprises.
We explore its languages, world-class museums, rich historical sites, varied cuisine, and the warm, welcoming spirit of the Belgian people.
You forgot that Belgium is the home of the best and most unique festival in the world, Tomorrowland ❤️ It’s a great country loved it so much. Greetings from Italy and looking forward to the next Tomorrowland
❤️❤️ Belgium is such a nice place to be indeed
tomorrowland is a Dutch creation.
@@henkhemming6674 no Dutch 🤡 it’s Belgian and the owners are Belgians too. Dutch aren’t able to host anything this great 😂😂😂🖕 They are just great in lying and being extremely arrogant. 🤡
@@henkhemming6674 Absolutely not. It was created by 2 Belgian brothers Michel and Manu Beers. It's thank to the Belgian creativeness and festival culture that the festival has become a worldwide brand, unlike similar festivals in The Netherlands.
nah...ID&T
As a Belgian it’s always funny to hear people try to pronounce Dutch, French or German. België is actually pronounce like this: Bell, the first part of guillotine and then the e-sound from the.
I was coming to the comment section to just say that too... :-P How the names and places are pronounced is hilarious...
My Great-Grandparents immigrated to the United States in 1901 from Belgium; they were from the village of Staden in West Flanders. I visited the town in 1997 and got to talk with the Mayor, who was a wonderful man. All the people of Belgium were so friendly and helpful!
thanks for sharing!
Hi, I'm from Staden *waves* Glad you had a good experience. Not sure who you talked to, but we had a female Mayor back then. ;-)
My Grandmother with her Son which is my Father immigrated to Australia from Belgium in 1967. They were from Kalmthout in Antwerp. I still have to go and visit as we have relatives there. Belgians are rare in Australia so I am proud of my heritage😊🇧🇪
staden was like 10 min from where I grew up in Belgium, my father was born there
If people only think Belgium is only Fries, Beer, Chocolate, and Waffles then they are not visiting to really appreciate the true nature and historical aspect of the country. Gr8 video.
You are 100% right! Thank you :)
Greetings from the oldest town of Belgium - Tongeren. Since 15 BC people are living here.
As a Belgian, the point about the taxes being so high really hurts
Rembrandt paintings are the best ever created.
Rembrandt is Dutch, not Flemish/Belgian.
1:43 07 I never knew that Coloma Castle was such a big attraction but if you want to visit it's located in the town of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, a few km south of Brussels. The Castle of Gaasbeek can be visited the same day, it's only a few km by car. 1:54 The French always try to appropriate anything they like as "French". That includes our Belgian fries or singers such as Jacques Brel. 2:56 The little boy also stands for the defiant nature of the Brussels people. 4:01 13 Wrong. Flemish is not a mix of Dutch and French but simply Dutch as spoken in Flanders. Differences are similar to those between British, American or Australian English for example. There is a certain influence of the French language as we live together with French speaking people. The dialect of Brussels is a mix of (Brabantian) Flemish and French. 5:38 Sinterklaas and de Kerstman (Santa Claus) are 2 different people. The first one was a bishop, the second one as we know him now basically an invention of Coca-Cola. Hence the red-white attire. Both are celebrated in Belgium. 12:46 46 I recommend De Haan as a beach resort. It is different from any other beach resort as it doesn't allow high-rise buildings and has other strict building regulations. 13:41 47 Belgian wildlife usually will not try to kill you. Watch out for that Malinois though. Yet by far the most dangerous predator in Belgium is the 2-legged human. 13:48 49 Most Christian Belgians are not zealots however and religion won't be part of their daily life. Except when there is something to celebrate (with lots of food and drinks) of course. 14:04 50 I never heard of that wedding tradition. But then weddings (and divorces) are not my speciality.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insiders tips with us! Feeling honored that a Belgian watched the video
@@all-about-europe Loved the video, just ... please don't butcher my language like this 😱 It's pronunciation is nowhere near what you did 😅 Belgium is considerded as one of the best places in the world te be an athist We are world leading experts at removing explosives You missed out on the special status of some beer's as a 'abdijbier' You missed out on the king being more of a ceremonial role, not anyone who is able to use his power. Obviously Belgium is not just about beer and Chocolate and fries and stew ... there is also mattentaart, gentse neuzen, jenever, zeetong, Witloofrolletjes , ... Now for some truly famous people: Django Reinhardt: Legendary jazz guitarist and composer, Reinhardt, of Romani descent, is considered one of the greatest guitar players of all time. He significantly influenced the development of jazz music and inspired generations of musicians. Vincent Rijmen: Belgian cryptographer, Rijmen, along with Joan Daemen, co-designed the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). AES is a widely used encryption algorithm that has become a global standard for securing sensitive data. Hergé (Georges Remi): The creator of the world-famous comic series "The Adventures of Tintin." Hergé, a Belgian cartoonist, introduced readers to the iconic character Tintin and his adventures, becoming a beloved figure in the world of comics. Marguerite Yourcenar: Although she was born in Belgium and became a naturalized American citizen, Yourcenar was a prominent Belgian-born French writer. She was the first woman to be elected to the Académie française and is best known for her historical novel "Memoirs of Hadrian." Paul Janssen: A Belgian pharmacologist and the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical company known for its significant contributions to the development of medications. Paul Janssen's work has had a lasting impact on the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare. Jan De Nul: Belgian entrepreneur and founder of Jan De Nul Group, a leading dredging and construction company. His company has been involved in major international projects related to infrastructure and environmental engineering. Adolf Daens: Adolf Daens was a Belgian priest and politician known for his advocacy for workers' rights during the late 19th century. He played a significant role in highlighting the harsh conditions faced by the working class and worked towards social reforms in Belgium.
Coloma Castle used to be a boarding school....... That was before the roses !
It’s the GI’s that called the fries french fries as they thought they were still in France and as opposed to Wallonia.
6:42 €500 bills are gone since 2016. 11:38 the Belgian flag is an unconstitutional flag. According to the Belgian constitution, it's horizontal and Red yellow black. 🟥🟥🟥🟥🟥 🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
We don't only have sinterklaas on december the 6th, but also Santa Claus on december the 25th!! 😉
And Sint-Maarten in some regions on November 11th (these regions don't celebrate sinterklaas on december 6th)
Belgium is a beautiful country, the city is very aesthetic, the food is incredible. You can relax here everytime.
"the city is very aesthetic"... which one?
belgium also the birthplace of the new beat and electronic body music genres of music with belgian acts such as front 242, a split second, lords of acid, and poesie noire.
Thanks for sharing!
'Me a Belgian wondering what Belgian waffles are'
LOL
Correct, as a Belgian too I saw my first "Belgian waffles" in the States, later in many other countries too but never in Belgium. Must be an invention from the town Belgium in Wisconsin, certainly not from our country Belgium.
@@Coco45ize Arrogance knowns no bounds.
Belgian waffles are actually a butchered version of our waffles that they tried to replicate after an expo in 1964 in the united states where vermeersh presented the brussels waffles
Merci infiniment pour ce partage - - très informative. La Belgique est superbe! Et les femmes font plaisir aux yeux ❤️🔥!! Merci encore !
De rien ami!
Long Live the Kingdom of Belgium ❤️🇧🇪
❤️❤️
Incredible!!! 😮
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed
Thank God
Flemish is Dutch. Not a mix of Dutch and French.
Just, helemaal correct, merci om dat duidelijk te maken. 😀
Tenzij je Oost vlaming of West fluut zijt. Dan zen er fransche woorden tusschen. Moar allez, doar goan we nie over vallen, wé.
We zeggen toch santé 😂
We dó use quite some French words or linguistical influences from France, in a way that sets us apart from the Dutch language as spoken in The Netherlands... My Dutch friends (Haarlem) do say "...je ne parle pas baguette..." or simply "...baguette..." when I'm using too much French words as I would do in Flanders, so I know I have to 're-Dutch' it a bit...
Wonderful video
Many thanks
Viv' la Belgique! 🇧🇪
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Vlaanderen boven. Belgie barst!!!
I’m so happy ! I live in antwerp ❤
Nicely summerised. I didn't know the Coloma Rosegarden, never heard of it before (which is a shame, really). But: the Belgian Malinois part of the wildlife?? Never met one except as pets (incredible dogs, btw)... You might mention foxes and wild boars instead ;-) Red poppies aren't really 'national flowers'. They indeed symbolize consolation and to remember the dead, especially the victims of WW I (as it is in Great Britain)
thank you for letting us know!
We even have wolves now ;-) and the Malinois shepherd is the best known, but still the "Tervuren" and the "Groenendael" magnificent dogs
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We celebrate depending on the region either Saint-Nicholas or Saint-Marten. During Christmas Santa Claus is also a part of it, although it´s just a Americanized version of Saint-Nicholas we celebrate him as well
Hello I am from Belgium and I like to point out that there are a lot of thighs in this video that are not correct. Point 14: In belgium when it comes to language there are 4 regions: Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels and the Germany Community. - In Flanders we speak Flemish (Flemish is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is referred to as Flemish or Dutch). - In Wallonia they speak French (The French language is also known as Belgian French or Walloon French and differs very little from that of France or Switzerland. - In Brussels they speak Flemish and French (Many people in the capital are bilingual or even trilingual if you add English, but French is still more dominate in Brussels) - The Germany Community, well they speak german. There is also some presence of French because it borders Wallonia. (This German part was given to Belgium after WW1 as war retribution because of the German attack on belgium). Point 20: We celabrate Christmas on the 25 Dec. and Sinterklaas (Sint-Nicolaas) on the 6 Dec. On Christmas (Kerstmis) we have Santa-Claus (Kerstman) and on the 6 Dec. we have "de dag van Sinterklaas" (The day of Sint-Nicolaas). I personlly don't know the origin of this character but many people just view it as a story for the kids and a day where the kids get presents. Point 23: Belgium is a founding member of the European Union and one of the first wave countries to adopt the euro on 1 January 1999. Hope this helped.
Certain regions celebrate saint-Marten on 11 november instead of Saint-Nicolas.
start van de Euro in België is 1/1/2002, niet 1999; tenzij U met adopt iets anders bedoelt...
J’aime mon pays
Flemish isnt a mix of French and dutch!!!
Vlams is vlams! hahaaaa Vier moe brandn!
NIce video, Thank you ! Just for clarification #31 @ 9:16 is really about the city of Brugge (Bruges in English) and their Brugse Kant (or Bruges Lace). They thank me there already ;-)
It's Jean-Claude Van Damme. One thing, I like about his name, is that you can tell from it what country he's from.
Yes you can clearly see he's Belgian just because of his French name and Flamish last name!
@@all-about-europe In the good old days when French was still the dominant language our administration would insist on every citizen both French and Flemish speaking obtaining an official French name at birth. A typical example would be the famous comic "Suske en Wiske" which are colloquial Flemish names for François and Louise. Today we see more - sometimes very old - Flemish names such as Heike or Soetekin.
Certainly when you hear his real name; JC Van Vaarenberg ;-)
@@thierryroberfroid9400 Good point!
Godiva chocolate, etc is for tourists. We have amazingly good independent chocolate makers ('chocolatiers') all across the country. There's no comparison. To be honest, when it comes to food and drink, we're in a league of our own.
Je suis Belge je vis depuis trop longtemps hors de mon pays. J’aime mon pays même si on se moque de nous
Nice video, you forgot. Duvel, stella ( beer ) tomorrowland ( festival ) antwerp have the 2e biggist haven.
AND AUDREY HEPBURN WAS BELGIEN
Ik ben von België
Santa claus is on christmis and sinterklaas is on 6 december. It are 2 different holidays
And we actually have lawys on our chocolate since 1894 that every chocolate produces in belgium has at least a 35% pure cacao in it So even the cheapest chocolate is good
Yummy! Can't wait to eat Belgium chocolate again has been a long time... what is your favorite brand?
Thank you! Yes indeed :)
@@all-about-europe cote do´r is the best
@@all-about-europe The best daily use brand found everywhere is Côte d'Or. Godiva, Neuhaus, Leonidas, Wittamer, ... are rather known for their pralines. Leonidas has outlets everywhere, don't know about the other ones.
Belgium's land area is 30,528 km square? That gives it an area of some 930,250 square kilometers, nearly twice the size of France!!
Flemish is basically Dutch except for some dialectical, often local differences and, yes, a few French downloads, but it is definitely not a mix of Dutch and French.
Wonderful county ❤❤❤
it is!❤️
If you are going to click-bait each thumbnail with a pretty woman the typical Belgian one would have to be a not so tall 1,70m well-proportioned (not too slim, not too fat) one with a rather cute girl-nextdoor face with salt'n pepper blonde/brown hair. The cute and pretty exterior won't show the feisty character though. A Belgian woman is quite capable at domesticating all her pets, including husband and children.
Flemish is not a mixture of French and Dutch. I don't know who on earth told you that. Flemish is the variety of the Dutch dialects, spoken in Flanders, the northern part of the country. It is called "Flemish" because in medieval times a large part of "Flanders" consisted of the "County of Flanders".
Love from Pakistan 🇵🇰💕
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belgium has three official languages. Dutch is spoken by 60% of the population, french 39%, and German 1%
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My pug has vicious gas. I'm choking here.
Flemish is not a mixture of Dutch and French, just a given name for Dutch in Belgium.
Toilets are always free for customers, only with major events it can be different. I married in Belgium and I am a native, but never heard of the flower exchange nor the handkerchief with my wifes name on it traditions? Maybe that is a custom in the south?
No it isn't a tradition on the south part of Belgium either, i live in the french speaking part of Belgium and i have never heard of this custom. I thought it could be a tradition in the north :) seems not.
Yes, it's also chocolates
And the pretty woman on the video cover was just сlickbait lol 😉
Interesting video overall but quite a lot of mistakes in it. Also, nobody ever mentions that Waterloo is in Belgium. That’s of historical significance. I’ve never heard of any of the marriage customs you mentioned either….odd.
some of the traditions you mentioned are long gone tho... but great video nontheless!
Thanks!
Carnaval of Binge , LOL.
Clearly the narrator doesn't know about the "Flamand" language he ralked about...
Do you want to visit Belgium? Let us know why (not)! 😄 👇👇👇 Check out these other videos: Discover The Netherlands: Best Organized Country in the World? kzhead.info/sun/erCcnsNrq36Cqn0/bejne.html Discover Luxembourg: Richest Country of Europe that Most People Don't Know Even Exists kzhead.info/sun/YLaYmJmqiHVuook/bejne.html
If you can stand their arrogance..
Hello Would you help to land my trip? If so what the cost would be ? Thank you.
@@lukkaskour arrogance? Real non migrant belgians are nice and friendly... And yes i am belgian.
I'm belgian to, i meant the dutch arrogance.@@arizotje
"et cetera" is "a famous Belgian".
best comment
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Eindelijk en video over belgie waar de reacties niet zij maar belgie is stom omdat bla bla bla
I was born here end still live here end good morning end those other words you didn't say correct
je heb er paar fouten
Lace is from the city Bruges not Brussels
also from Brussels!
@@ulrichgarriau7731Several Belgian cities have their own variety, Mechelen is one of them.
Your pronunciation of Belgian Cheeses, Castles, beers, cities, etc needs some practice. The names of Belgium's coastal cities sound hilarious. The red Poppy would be our flower, I've never heard of it before.
Sadly enough, also the highest taxation in Europe. On 9th June 2024 Flanders puts an end to its being plundered.
I hope so but i dont think so brother
@@S-Christ After Wallonia has raised the scarlet standard high and Flanders has raised on high the bonny black lion, we'll be waiting for a Belgian gov forever.
@@vanbrabant6791 true, a new world record in the making or a very fast vivaldi 2
Brussels is also the capital of Europe plus you forgot Tommorowland, wtf 😅😅
Europe does not have a capitol since its not a country, brussels is just were the EU headquarters are.
A lot of these are just wrong in the details... for example the carnaval is in Aalst and they make amazing big decorated trailers wich are created over the whole year not few weeks it’s such a big 3day party you have to been there to really understand it, admitted Belgium has it’s problems but those do not weigh up to all the benefits and beautifullness of it!! Belgians tend to underappreciate how good we really have it here, 95% of the world would be shocked to hear what we have and get here
The fruits of a Christian civilization.
34,35 are wrong
anyone can read a Wikipedia page out loud and add some meme images and video's ...
Damm I think there was not a single name or word that was not butchered by this guy.
flemish is not a MIX OF French and Dutch. it is A variety of Dutch dialects. of all nonsense I have heard Here this was the most disturbing one
if you're gonna talk about locations and items please learn how to pronounce the names 😭😫
I never heard someone butchering all the Dutch and French names so badly 😂
Jan van Eyck was dutch from Bergeyck and Rubens was german
And Magritte was Brasilian😂 Ensor was Polish
van Eyck was born probably in Maaseik. And Rubens was born in Germany from Antwerp parents. His father got into trouble because he made the wife of William of Orange pregnant😊.His mother returned to Antwerpen with her sons😊
so what@@chrisdeschepper7038
Rembrandt was italian, Van Gogh definetely german...
and God is moldavian?@@jefthe841
that hancerchief that is lokal. that popy flower ? never heard of it. and you als forgot to mention : we have the highest taxes , but the lowest pensions. and we have 5 gouverment (6 if uo count for the EU , wich we also have to pay for) . another thing is = 80% of the population doesn't like their gouverment . dont call belgium a democratie . we can only chose politician who are allowed to sit on the ballet. if you want to star a new political party , you need permission from some other parties. voting isn't the same in diffent parts of belgium. for a seat in parlement : in flanders you need 45.000 votes , in the wallon part you need only 30.000. there are twice as muchh dutch speaking people than french speking. but they both get 50% op the seats in parlent . so a vote in the french part : f its value is 1 then a flemish vote has a value o 0.70. don't call it a democratie.
For everyone of you that never heard of the poppy, go learn just a litlle bit of history. WW1 greetz from someone living in flanders fields.
flanders is a small part of the whole belgium. @@S-Christ what is a tradition in a small part isn't generally all over all belgium.
The flower thing is bullshit
WW1 in Flanders fields, not bullshit at all.
@S-Christ the flower carpet in bxl. Dumɓ fk. I'm from Flanders and I respect what the British Irish and my great grandfather fought for
@@tyson00001 13.35 is what i was talking about, dont know why you bring up the flowercarpet in brussel ( you dumb fk). Respect for what the uk and others did is exactly why i said the flower is not bullshit. Polite internet hero.
Belgium is the most boring country.
Why?
It’s your comment that’s boring, no wonder imagining your Hispanic origins😂😂
@@michelwolfs2273 aww don't be so sensitive Belgje 😘 Belgium is just a non country, boring people and boring cities. Nothing to do.. We Dutchies still love you as our boring little brother tho 🥰
And what do you have dutchie, amsterdam??? Hoeren en drugs thats it. Die vind je hier ook in elke grote stad.
fries are french
No way! Long live Belgium! Death to French imperialism!
belgium DEAD!!! @@yagi3925
The funny thing about this is that this "issue" about French fries being actually Belgian is basically American. In French fried potatoes have no nationality, they're just "pommes frites" or simply "frites". For the Brits and other English speakers they're chips.
who cares @@jfrancobelge
fries were offered to american soldiers in the war , and because it was the part that spoke french , the soldiers called it french fries. go look in th famous kitchens in paris : no fries there.