Travel & Holidays in later life
Further along from Bruges, a 14-minute train ride delivers you to Ostend, centre of the Belgian coastline that stretches for over 40 miles of sandy beaches.
So, with excellent road and rail connections, you can use any of these cities as your base for exploring northern Belgium. If you want to mix sightseeing with Casino gambling, stay at Ostend or Blankenberghe. If you want to relax in a totally medieval setting, Bruges is top choice. Flower stalls give still more vivid colour to the square, which is also the venue for a Sunday-morning pet and bird market. Unlike Bruges, Ghent has grown and modernised. But there are still entire sectors where the 13th to 16th centuries are supreme, with richly decorated gabled-fronted patrician mansions. Dominating the inner city is the massive 12th-century Castle of the Counts of Flanders. A detailed exploration of spiral staircases, ramparts, crypt and dungeons can occupy an hour or two. In Antwerp, the highlight is Rubens. For a quarter-century the great Flemish artist and his pupils worked in his mansion in Rubenstraat. This town house has been reconstructed, decorated and furnished in 17th-century style to harmonise with the Rubens museumpiece treasures. Several churches exhibit the master's works, but the principal collection of Rubens and other Flemish and Dutch painters is located in the Museum of Fine Arts. In contrast to the art-city culture circuit, the port of Ostend is Belgium's liveliest seaside resort. Owing to proximity to Britain, it offers special catering for English-speaking visitors. Cafes stay open till past midnight. There's dancing, variety shows, night clubs, bingo. Along Ostend's promenade is a modern, glittering Casino. It has the lot: a concert hall seating 2500, nightclub with international stars, swimming, a fine restaurant, and gaming rooms for roulette and baccarat. Further along is a racecourse. Finally, a warning: weight-watchers must take care! Typical Belgian meals feature "frites with everything". In fact, if you want to irritate a Belgian, call him a "patate frite" - a fried potato. Steak and chips is a national dish and chip stalls are everywhere. Other wayside stalls sell waffles; or apple fritters coated wi  th sugar; or seasonal mussels; or pancakes with varied fillings.Work your way through a couple of main meals, stop off for mid-afternoon pastries, sample a few litres of the famous Belgian beer, and keep up your strength in the pavement snack department. You'll then understand why Rubens had no difficulty in finding the well-padded models whom he preferred for his masterpieces.
Read what else to see in Belgium ANTWERP for Rubens and rocks BRUGES - fast track to the Middle Ages BRUSSELS - visiting a Grande Place FLANDERS - Visit Ypres for Flanders Fields GHENT - A central base for Belgium's art cities "Books to read - click on cover pictures" or click on the links below DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp -- Covers all the main sights in these four art cities. The Rough Guide to Belgium & Luxembourg - Useful if you are also travelling to French-speaking Belgium, and not just Flanders. Insight Pocket Guide - Bruges - An ideal choice if you have time only for Bruges. It features a dozen itineraries and route maps. Flemish Cities Explored: Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Mechelen, Leuven and Ostend (Pallas for Pleasure) by Anthony Blunt - Excellent choice for anyone who wants to stay longer in Belgium, and explore the highlights in detail on foot.
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In Belgium, half the population speak French as their mother tongue, and the other half speak Flemish, which doubles as Dutch. Brussels is half-and-half, a totally
bilingual capital.
Bruges has a dream-like character. A network of canals is crossed by hump-backed bridges, linking cobbled streets and gingerbread houses. Hundreds of swans float peacefully on the Minnewater, the Lake of Love.