If you find yourself in Brussels this year with the family, you may want to make a stop at Belgium’s Museum of Natural Science. They have an exhibit running through to September 2012 which will let you get a feel for the way animals make their way around the world. You’ll see, for example, how the human perspective of the world is shallow in comparison to the varying degrees of sensitivity that some animals have.

Senses! is an interactive exhibit directed at children over the age of 6. If you’ve got a toddler, don’t worry – there is a 3-6 years route. This exhibit will tantalise your senses, giving you the chance to understand the world the way animals see it – in forty different sensory experiments.

You’ll have the chance to sniff out drugs with Police dog ‘Thor’, and go moth hunting using sonar like a bat. At Senses! you can also track rats using infra-red like a snake, and locate nectar the way bees do detecting UV light.

This exhibit will also give you the chance to understand your own interactions with the world. They have experiments to let you find out which frequencies you’re able to hear and you’ll also be able to look at your taste buds under a microscope as well.

Entry to Brussels Natural History Museum is free if you purchase a Brussels Card which will open up all the best tourist hotspots in Brussels.

Tags: Belgium, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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Museum Night Fever in 2011

The days are finally getting longer, which means the beginning of spring is crawling ever closer. This time of year generally means anticipation for the various carnivals, but for those who find these celebration a bit tiring in their all-out debauchery and retina-burning costumes, Brussels is putting on a more cerebral but equally fun festival.

On 3rd March, the Museum Night Fever will see more than 20 Brussels museums open their doors from 7pm to 1am to create a uniquely modern, funky vibe across the city. Celebrating its 5th anniversary this year, the Museum Night Fever is squarely aimed at the young & hip people of Europe. Last year, 14,000 visitors descended upon the Jewish Museum of Belgium, the Belgian Comic Strip Centre, the Museum of Natural Sciences and many more.

The Museum Night Fever is organised by the Brussels Museum Council and around 500 volunteers, drawn mostly from the art scene in Brussels. They set up a cultural programme extending to DJ sets, performances and workshops as well as afterparties in various clubs and bars.

This promises to be a superb event, so we thought we’d give you an early heads-up to book your P&O Ferries tickets in advance. You can travel to Zweebrugge from Hull for as little as £90 each (leave on 2nd March, return on 5th, with three adults and one car).

Tickets and a detailed online programme for the Museum Night Fever in Brussels will be available here from 6th February onwards.

Image credit: Museum Night Fever

Tags: Belgium, P&O Ferries by Matthias Scherer
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Utrecht has started its preparations early. Since mid-2011 Trajectum Lumen has illuminated choice parts of the historical city with aesthetic light displays created by artists in the little known field of light-art, from all across the world. Trajectum Lumen is the name given to these displays, there’ll be switched on for the public’s enjoyment until 2018, when Utrecht is given the honourable title of Cultural Centre of Europe.

The lights are on 365 days a year as soon as the sun goes down, so if you’re planning a stay in Belgium it’ll be well worth a night time jaunt through Utrecht. Trajectum Lumen makes for a novel way to see the city. You can download a map from their You can find out more about it here. and go about looking for yourself or get on one of the pre-arranged tours and get a bit of the city’s history whilst you look around. Trajectum Lumen also offers private tours for groups of up to 20 if you plan to go as part of a large party.

Over the next few years more and more works of light-art will be added to Trajectum Lumen especially next year which will bring celebrations of the 300th year anniversary of the Treaty of Utrecht.

So there’s no stress on the time factor for Trajectum Lumen, about as little stress as you’ll get on A P&O Ferries crossing to Belgium

Tags: Belgium, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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If one of your new year’s resolutions is to get more cultured, then you should consider putting the Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair on the itinerary of your next P&O Ferries trip to mainland Europe.

Don’t be put off by the name – the BRAFA might contain some of the most precious pieces of art in Europe, but that doesn’t mean non-art buyers won’t be able to appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship on display. On the contrary, it might be the gate to a more thorough appreciation of European art.

On 14 000 square metres of exhibition space in the renowned Tour & Taxis (Avenue du Port 86 C/B) complex in Brussels, current and future art fans can marvel at the hundreds of artworks showcased by exhibitors from all over the world. The French exhibitors Galerie Berger, for example, will showcase their selection of intricate 17th and 18th century furniture.

Elsewhere, Galerie Ludorff from Germany will give visitors the chance to marvel at some of their incredible artworks, which focus on German expressionism and contemporary art.

Modern paintings and sculptures, ceramics, photography as well as African and Oriental art, tapestry and jewellery will be on display from Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 January.

There will be the chance to take daily guided tours and to relax in the magnificent restaurant and bars adjacent to the art fair.

The Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair takes place in the heart of Brussels, which is easily reachable from P&O Ferries port Zweebrugge (60 miles by car).

Tags: Belgium by Matthias Scherer
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With Brusselicious drawing all eyes to Belgium’s capital it’s very easy to forget the Port city Antwerp. This metropolis has historically been a site of world trade, its central location made it strategically important for naval operations. Whilst food lovers will be flocking to Brussels this year to be entertained as well as sample gourmet cuisine if you want to avoid crowds why not head to the coast instead and make the most of the fresh good delivered to Antwerp, it’s rich culinary history will tantalise your taste buds and you won’t have to wait as long as you would at the Brusselicious food festival. Alternatively if there is a specific event you want to attend in Brussels but the rest isn’t to your fancy then you could quieten things down afterwards and journey north to Antwerp.

We’ll start with the obvious; Belgium is famed for its chocolates, amber-hued beer and waffles that should really be a class C drug. But as a Port City since the 16th century Antwerp has seen an influx of exotic seasonings and spices, people from all across the world have brought new dishes and ways for cooking to Antwerp making it a hub of diversity with all an abundance tantalising menus so you can find whatever tickles your fancy or just go for something new.

It’s highly recommended you try out the seafood dishes; Belgium is famed for its mussels, you shouldn’t pass up the chance to try fish dishes. Belgium has its own Shrimp Fisheries so you can have them in abundance all over the country.

So don’t let your tongue suffer this January, a P&O Ferry will get you to Belgium so you can enjoy all the cuisine of a world port like Antwerp!

Image credit: belgianchocolate

Tags: Belgium, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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The Brussels Beer Tasting Tour will take you all across the city and give you a drink at each stop – what better way to see Belgium?

A lot of us get the blues in January. An entire year to wait until next Christmas, the weather is a bit naff and everybody’s joined a gym and ‘gone healthy’ as part of their short-lived New Year’s resolution. To stand apart from the healthier-and-duller-than-thou crowd why not go on a beer tour in Brussels? For £50 per head you’ll get a 3 hour professional tour and free drinks. They have children’s prices but for the life of us we can’t imagine why. Tour groups have a maximum limited of 20 people per party.

These tours have a central meeting point in Brussels so it’ll be easy to get under your way. Belgium is the beer capital of the world so you’ll have some of the finest suds available on this tour. It’ll be a real master class and an excellent chance to extend your repertoire. Have a few drinks and do something other than wait for it to stop raining this January.

The tour itself takes you around some of the most notable pubs and cafes in Belgium. There’ll be a bit of a history lesson to go along with the tasting so you can appreciate the wares just that little bit more. There will be food on the tour to keep you steady on your feet, and if you book a small group tour then a hotel drop off at the end of the day will see you back home safely. The final stop is at the Grande Place, a beautiful landmark in the heart of Brussels teeming with life even in the colder months.

All the well-known ales will be available – if you want to play it safe – as well as the lesser known pale ales. We also insist that you try the Trappist brewed bevvies, they’re favoured on a hot summers day but who’s to say a winter jar by the fire won’t go down well, too?

To get to Brussels for an excellent alternative this coming January snag a P&O Ferry over to Belgium you can take your car and fill ‘er up on all your favourites.

Bernt Rostad

Tags: Belgium, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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The last November week just started, meaning it’s ridiculously close to Christmas – are you excited yet? If not, and you have the leisure time for a short break before the holidays, we suggest you take inspiration from the Belgians and check out the Antwerp Christmas market.

The 10th December will mark the beginning of this year’s festivities in one of Belgium’s most beautiful cities. A spectacle involving fire jugglers, acrobats and a light show will be put on for visitors, but there will be plenty of opportunities to sample local foods and handicrafts until the first week of January.

A number of different squares (including the city’s main square, Grote Markt) will be covered in more than 90 stalls and chalets, lovingly decorated and lending the already fantastically cosy city an air of calm and festivity. Traditional food and drink (try the waffles, the croquetttes or the sweet cougnou bread!) will be for sale to keep you warm.

There will be plenty of nativity scenes and an ice rink for the kids – what better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with a walk along the cobbled streets, only stopping off for a mulled wine before engaging in some shopping in one of the many boutiques?

To get to Antwerp, you can take a P&O ferry to Zeebrugge, from where it is only about an hour’s drive to one of the loveliest Christmas market’s you’re likely to see.

Tags: Belgium by Matthias Scherer
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This Saturday will kick off Christmas celebrations in the Belgian capital with the first installment of Electrabel Nights. A series of weekly shows at the Grand-Place in Brussels open to all.

Electrabel Nights isn’t your standard lighting of a Christmas tree, with a couple of carols and a guest appearance from Santa. Each weekend through to New Year’s Day there will be mind blowing shows from world renowned performance artists, mixing music and lighting with their own special talents to wow you through the festive season.

Some of these acts include gravity defying gymnasts, crystal musicians in costumes of mirrors, fire eaters and moon-climbing acrobats. There will, of course, be a choir on Christmas Eve so if you are planning to spend the Christmas period in Brussels you’ll get your fill of the traditional as well.

The Grand-Place will be well and truly decked out, with a gigantic light sculpture that will send shimmering rays across the entire city. This will surely be one of the Christmas Wonders of Europe in 2011.

The showcase starts on the 26th November with a performance by master jugglers ‘Feeding Fish’. This British troop have performed in over 33 countries, there astounding blend of choreography with pulse raising music and psychedelic lighting will have you entranced as just the beginning of Electrabel Nights.

To get to Brussels in time for Electrabel Nights 2011 a P&O Ferry can take you on the crossing from Hull to Zeebrugge, from which the Country capital is just a short journey.

Image credit: Abhishek_Kumar

Tags: Belgium, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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