sophie
where are you originally from?
belgium
people
on a scale of 1-10, how well does your country speak english?
8, the dutch side is very fluent in dutch (duh), english and french. the french speaking side are less competent with languages but have notions in them all.
can you give a key phrase/word/expression that people in your country usually say?
how do i say “hello/thank you/please/sorry” in your language?
salut! coucou! hallo! / merci, dank u well / s’il vous plait, alstublieft / désolé, sorry
what do people in your country usually do for fun?
it’s a pretty laid-back scene — more about going to pubs than clubs!
food
best food? weirdest food? local food to try?
you need to have a moules frites and of course chocolate!
best drink? local drink to try?
all the beer! – in brussels hit up the delerium bar for an insane selection!
how is breakfast served in your country?
many belgians have bread with spread in the morning or cereals
culture
the best festival to attend?
belgium has loads of great festivals! from tomorrowland to pukklepop to dour! however a good one thats probably under the radar is overijses grape fest! (lots of wine!)
which sport are you guys crazy about?
all sport is taken very seriously in belgium! notably football and tennis
what is the craziest thing to do in your country?
speak french to a dutch person :s (don’t do it – it won’t go down well!)
what excursions and/or activities do you extremely suggest that visitors must do?
if you’re into history, ypres has some fantastic wwi and wwii memorials
are there any local customs a visitor should be sensitive to?
watch out for the languages in the different regions – speak english if you’re unsure of what one to use!
places
what is/are the most surreal places/landmarks to visit?
the atomium is a classic – a giant atom that you can go inside and have a meal in! a bit strange but its also close to mini europe which is funny too!
if not in brussels we have the mannequin piss, a fountain of a small boy peeing. legend has it he saved the entirety of brussels burning down by putting the fire out!
can you name a place that most people have not heard of? a secret spot perhaps!
i could be cheeky and put the whole country as many people have never heard of it!
where can visitors find the best beach?
de haan – just a really cute long beach town and not far from oostende
if i’m staying for less than a week, which city should i choose?
brussels! cheap trains go everywhere from there. grab a 12-26 student railcard if you can as will get you round places really cheap!
country
in one word or sentence, how do you describe your country?
linguistically complicated
how many days at least should a visitor spend in your country?
around a week – brussels can however be used as a base to see other areas easily! only a couple hours train ride to leave the country and visit paris or koln or aachen!
when is the best time to visit?
summer time/ spring – you’ll get nicer weather. however christmas time is nice for all the markets.
can you give interesting trivia about your country?
our country went 589 days without a government!
travel
are you a traveler? which place is your favorite so far?
i am! so hard to pick! indonesia for its marine life however had an amazing time road tripping the outer hebrides (scotland) on my own!
what’s your best travel story?
it’s probably not my best, but my most cringe-worthy is parking my car in a locked residents car park in barcelona, struggling to explain to this lady that i’d made a mistake and needed to be let into the garage to get my car out. once getting to the car i had to make a 5000 point turn to get it out of the space as two massive cars had parked next to me d:
why do you love traveling?
the world is like a book, if you don’t travel you only read the first page – and i’m an avid reader! i am fascinated by people and as a result culture.
about you
instagram: @sophieseestheworld
e-mail: sophiesee@live.be