BELGIUM

FACT FILE

Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands Capital: BrusselsCurrency: Euro €Climate: Temperate; mild winters ,cool summers , rainyReligions: Roman Catholic-75%, Protestant or other-25%Official languages: French-40%, Dutch-60%, German- less than 1%Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchImportant cities: Brussels, Antwerp, Namur, Ghent, Brugge

WAFFLESThe waffle is a Belgian culinary specialty. Each part of the country has its own recipe. The most famous are the following: the Liege's waffles, the Brussels' waffles, the soft waffles, the waffles made of puff pastry, the hunting waffles, the seasonal filled waffles with fresh fruits (cherries, prunes, apples, blueberries, apricots), etc. The Liege's waffles are smaller, sweeter and heavier (more filling) than the Brussels' waffles. The Brussels's waffles are big, rectangular (circular in the US) and very light. They are eaten warm with toppings.

BELGIAN CHOCOLATES

Belgian chocolate is considered to be the gourmet standard by which all other chocolate confections are measured. Even the Swiss, known for their own high quality chocolate, imported the basic recipe from French & Belgian chocolatiers. Belgian chocolate pralines were created by Jean Neuhaus in 1912 & they could be filled with a variety of nougats or creams, such as coffee hazelnut , fruit or more chocolate. Leonidas, Neuhaus, Godiva & Nirvana are chocolate companies which are famous for their gourmet pralines. Belgium also has famous chocolate boutiques such as Pierre Marcolini.

BELGIAN LACEThe intricate lace patterns in Belgium are unmatched in any other country. The lace trade rose during the early Renaissance and reached its peak in the 18th century. Emperor Charles V decreed that lace-making should be a compulsory skill for girls in convents and beguinages throughout Flanders. Lace became fashionable on collars and cuffs for both sexes. Belgian lace is bought today mainly as a souvenir, but despite the rise in machine-made lace from other countries, the quality here still remains as fine as it was in the renaissance. Lace also has its place in museums. Situated close to the Grand Place, the Musee du Costume et de la Dentelle (Museum of Costume & Lace) has a permanent collection of fine lace.

EUROPEAN UNIONThe European Union or EU is an international organisation of European states, established by the Treaty on European Union . The original impetus for the founding of (what was later to become) the European Union was the desire to rebuild Europe after the disastrous events of World War II, and to prevent Europe from ever again falling victim to the scourge of war. At present, the European Union comprises 15 member states- France, West Germany, Italy, Netherlands. Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, UK, Denmark, Greece, Spain , Portugal, Finland, Sweden and Austria.

ATOMIUMThe Atomium was the main pavilion and icon of the World Fair of Brussels (1958), commonly called Expo 58. It symbolised the democratic will to maintain peace among all the nations, faith in progress, both technical and scientific and, finally, an optimistic vision of the future of a modern, new, super-technological world for a better life for mankind. At 102 metres high, with its nine interconnected spheres, it represents an elementary iron crystal enlarged 165 billion (thousand million) times. It was dreamed up by the engineer André Waterkeyn (1917-2005). The spheres, though, were fitted out by the architects André and Jean Polak.

MUSEUM OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

The Museum of Musical Instruments or Musée des Instruments de Musique is located in Brussels. With over 7000 pieces, this museum houses one of the largest collections of musical instruments in the world. The first floor starts off with salon room music, music boxes small and large, which were normally reserved for the rich households. There is also the beginnings of musical history with displays of accordions (the poor man’s piano) and some dulcimers (domestic instruments). The second floor is dedicated to musical history from all over the world, Africa, Asia, Europe and Pacific. The displays show that music has been with us since the beginning of civilization. The last floor is called “Strings and Keyboards” showcases the guitar, violin and piano.s