[Picturesque view form the Ghent Belfry Tower]
The Emperor was recently lucky enough to visit the historic Flemish cities of Ghent and Bruges, Belgium.
[The canals of historic Bruges]
The Emperor was impressed with the abundance of medieval architecture, history and culture.
Not to mention a wide range of *strong* Belgian beers, world class chocolates, waffles and fries, that all helped fuel the Emperor's cultural excursion.
For the cities of Flanders see: http://www.discoverflanders.com/
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I am reminded that great, great .... uncle Julius took a campaigning holiday through Belgium in 57BC and found the locals to be somewhat more unruly than they are now. Writing in his own war commentaries of the Belgae, Aquitani and Gauls, Caesar noted:
"The Belgae are the bravest of the three peoples, being farthest removed from the highly developed civilisation of the Roman Province, least often visited by merchants with enervating luxuries for sale, and nearest to the Germans across the Rhine, with whom they are continually at war."
[Caesar, Bellum Gallicum, I.1.3]
"The Belgae, they said, were the only people who half a century earlier, when all the rest of Gaul was overrun by the Tuetoni and the Cimbri*, prevented the invaders from entering their territory - the recollection of which made them assume an air of much importance and pride themselves on their military power. "
[BG, II.4.2]*A considerable achievement, as the migrating hordes of the Tuetoni and Cimbri went on to rampage even the Italian peninsula, defeating Roman armies and further terrifying a generation to the menace of the barbarian north.
