• lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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    2 days ago

    IDK, that one time Germany tried to travel through Belgium to get to France everyone got all pissed…

  • Rooty@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    You guys just need to get a good civil war rolling, stoke those Flemish-Wallonian tensions, arm a couple of separatist movements, maybe genocide a village or two, just ask the Balkans - fastest way to put you on the map as a real country.

  • ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one
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    1 day ago

    So “Belgium” is a country just like “New Zealand” is also a country. What’s next? People claiming Sealand isn’t a country!?

  • Frostbeard@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Am I the only non Belgian to enjoy Belgium? Decent cities like Brügge, Ghent, Antwerpen, Leuven and Brussels. Trappist Beer, Kriek, Moules frites. Excellent comics like Spirou, Tintin and Thorgal. And as a Norwegian I can relate to a football team full of stars that don’t win shit. (Norway can never even qualify dor anything)

    It shows that I have only ever been in Flandern, but guess there are stuff in Vallonia to.

    • CareHare@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      I love this comment. The different spellings of the names (Dutch, Fr*nch, English and some made up spelling) made my day.

      We actually hate our own country most of the time, so I don’t mind everyone shitting on us. Thank you for enjoying your stay, love from Ghent.

    • abbadon420@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      No, there really isn’t anything to do in Wallonia. Flanders is where it’s at. Wallonia is good for camping, because they have the Ardennes, but that’s shared with France and Luxembourg.

      I had to go to Charleroi a few times and it’s just the dirties, old, rust belt, industrial town I’ve ever seen. The Antwerpen harbour was a breeze in comparison. Even the Wallon, Flemmish border in Brussels is very noticeable.

      If you’re still not convinced, than I guess driving from France into Dinant was kind of nice. Also the river in Leige has a certain appeal to it at night.

      • DacoTaco@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        I disagree, hard. Wallonia has the ardennes which is more than a camping spot. A family trip there for a week is sweet. Waking up in the hills, only seeing trees and hear water and birds is heaven. Sit by the pool if its hot 👌
        Then there is night sky photography, hiking paths, monuments, caves, …

    • naeap@sopuli.xyz
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      2 days ago

      I fucking love trappist beer! :⁠-⁠D
      Although my favourite is La Trappe, so Netherlands again…

      But I need to hand it to Belgium, that you guys really have nice beer and I absolutely enjoyed the Delirium!

    • JadenSmith@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      I’ve been to Bruges and it is always going to be one of my favourite places on Earth, and I’ve literally only been once and for a few days at best.

      Be careful with the lambic beer, is a warning I was given and one I give to everyone whilst there (since I visited back when I was able to drink alcohol). It’s too damn tasty, and very easy to be rather drunk before you even know it.

      • Frostbeard@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I don’t think there much else. Some viking history perhaps. Over 400 years under Danish tyranny followed by 80 years by Swedish rule sort of made sure nothing happened from 1200 to 1900

  • Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 days ago

    The best possible proof that Belgium is not just a place set up by The Netherlands and France as a network of gas stations to travel between those countries is that the roads in Belgium are visibly worse than in The Netherlands or France (really: you can tell exactly were the border is when driving into and out of Belgium by the change in the condition of the road).

    The problem for the Belgium friend is that he’s not keen on admitting that if Belgium wasn’t a real nation but rather a Franco-Dutch partnership, it would be better run.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Not only that, the colors also suddenly change. Drive into Belgium and the sky and grass and everything suddenly turns dark grey. Arrive in Luxemburg, and its like crossing from hell into heaven. Everything suddenly is shiny, the grass is painfully bright light green, the sky is hyper blue…

  • Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    The national mascot of Belgium is a naked toddler urinating in public. They are not a serious people.

  • FMT99@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    If it was designed as a logistics network between France and the NL it would have a decent road system

  • Sergio@slrpnk.net
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    2 days ago

    Historically, it was a vast network of arms depots built by Germany to help them… uh… “travel to” France.

    • wieson@feddit.org
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      2 days ago

      Historically

      You use that term rather lightly. Idk, if I think “historically” my mind goes further back than 120 years. At least to the Spanish Habsburgs’ occupation, maybe even Burgundian era, Lotharingia, the Franks or the Belgae tribes.

      It is technically history, but that’s like saying: “Historically, I nourish myself with broccoli pizza” just because I had some yesterday.

  • thefluffiest@feddit.nl
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    2 days ago

    Anyone claiming Belgium was founded because of its road infrastructure has never traveled those roads…

  • A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Wait so Belgium is the New Jersey of Europe? Do they also have the inexplicable “littering allowed” zones or is that just us

  • Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    No we know Belgium. They’re the people living well because their grandparents murdered countless of Africans.