As football (OK, soccer) stadiums go, this is one of the old school ones. No fuss, no mess. There…read moreis no over-priced food and drinks. The tickets to enter are reasonably priced to see the top division Belgian team in action. If you go, make sure you go around back to the home sections. Once you get through the gates, there is a bar on the right and a few wagons to buy burgers and fries and other food. There is also a place to get some gifts; the fan shop has team shirts, scarves, pins, etc. Worth getting a souvenir. The stadium is just across the Belgian cultural border on the Flemish side. Believe it or not, there is a big difference as the Flemish speak English and this isn't often the case going to a game in Wallonia, the French speaking side. Take advantage of it and make some Belgian friends.

This was my greatest discovery in Ghent: a gallery in a medieval house (with modern extension) that…read moreshows such beautiful ceramics that I couldn't resist buying one - I'm still not sure if I shouldn't have bought 2 or 3. Very, very beautiful pieces - not only from the host. And the 15th century furniture adds to the charm.

This gets three stars for being the only museum of Gent's history. I did learn quite a bit, but I…read morefound the setup to be very frustrating. I got the audio tour since I don't speak Flemish. Unfortunately, it turned out that for the most part, the audio tour just replicates the main placards in each room that are already in English. For the other pieces with audio excerpts, the tour is organized very poorly, where sometimes it just describes an object, and other times, the number is near a specific object, but the description is for the entire room. This really could have been done better. The woman at the front desk was very adamant that I lock up my bag, even though this didn't seem to be mandatory policy for the museum, and they charge for the lockers. Overall, this was not a great experience.

Regardless of the content of the collection, this is an all star museum. The galleries are…read morewelcoming, visually stimulating, creative, and interactive. I learned a lot about Gent (mostly from the interactive maps), and felt immersed in the story of the place throughout the visit. The biggest drawback was that all of the labels are in Dutch so it wasn't always easy to know much about the objects I was looking at. On the flipside, I wasn't expecting there to be much English and the fact that all of the large wall panels are in English made the trip very informative and allowed for me to follow along through the course of history. As an added bonus they have free wifi and a really great little cafe with outdoor seating.

Pierre Cornelis Stadium is the home of the Belgian second division team, Eendracht Aalst. Although…read morethe team is now in the second tier, they have a great fan base and a trip to the stadium is well worth the trip. The stadium holds just 7,500 fans but it is full of characters who produce a great atmosphere. When I was there, it was carnival weekend and all the crazy Aalsst men were dressed up like women! I was told that this wasn't a weekly occurence. But every week the fans are passionate and friendly to foreigners (like me) and being Flanders, lots of English is spoken. The stadium is from 1928 but obviously has gone through some renovations over the past decades, but not too much where it lost the old time feeling. Aalst is just a short distance from Brussels, so if you're in the capital and it's the weekend then check out Eendracht Aalst for a fun experience of soccer!

With so many churches and galleries to visit in Bruges, the Diamantmuseum (Diamond Museum) offers…read moresomething out of the ordinary. The museum focuses on the history of the diamond trade in Bruges and its effects on the local and international economy. The museum is small enough that you can see the entire exhibition in only an hour or so, but you definitely leave with a greater appreciation for the gem stone industry and the work that goes into crafting each individual raw stone into a glittering gem. There are very few actual high quality diamonds on display (obviously you want to sell those), but there is a jewelry store attached to the museum if you want to find a nice gift to take home with you. Overall, a nice step out of the ordinary and a cool place to relax and learn about Bruges' past.

We had to wait to go inside. Its not because there was a long line, it was just no one was at the…read morefront to admit us in. I thought it would be interesting, but its a lot of reading just posted on the wall. This was just a tourist trap. I would skip this museum and the lamp and choco-story as well. Save your money and buy a hot chocolate from a restaurant instead.

In my previous visits to Ghent, I had not run across this historic residence. My colleague and I…read morewere strolling after lunch and happened upon it. He said he had walked through it in the past but there were no tours at the time (that has changed). He thought it was actually an old hotel, though, in reality, it was a palacious residence when it was occupied. For a freebie, this was a great opportunity to see an upper-class European residence dating to the 18th-Century. It also gave a peek into the 19th-Century since many of the updates current at that time were still evident. What fascinated me the most was the fact that this house was constructed over the top of five existing houses when it was built. Hence, the layout was a bit unique. Even though the house has not yet been fully restored and furnished, it allows for a worthwhile tour. What has been restored is quite nice because they have tried to remain as authentic as possible. For example, they have contacted the original supply houses for the wallpaper and have matched it to the originals in many rooms. The ballroom is impressive with its parquet floor and the paintings made to look like reliefs are particularly interesting. The staff here are exceedingly friendly and engaging. The tour guide did a great job in explaining the nuances of the structure, particularly the evolution of the updates. This place is worth seeing if you are in Ghent. This facility is only open afternoons Friday, Saturday and Sunday so you have to plan accordingly.

This is definitely a must go activity in Ghent! We lined up a little before it opened at 10am and…read morebought our tickets there because it was easier than doing it online. I had read that the audio comedy tour is actually pretty funny so we got those and walked around with our little devices. The tour was informative and insightful and added to the walking around. There was a clear noticeable difference in those who had the tour and knew what was going on versus those who did not do the audio tour and were just wandering. The castle itself was pretty cool to walk through and I liked how things are numbered so you can progress through them at your own pace. There's some steps so definitely recommend bringing sneakers.

I enjoyed my visit here. I recommend buying tickets online in advance so you don't need to wait in…read moreline or wait longer to enter if the place fills up (which that happened to me). Entrance gives you a guided tour in a variety of languages that was entertaining for all. I enjoyed being able to walk around the grounds and see most of the place. The views up top were also nice. Great way to spend about two hours of your time and soak in some castle time.