Also, a little fun fact: Belgium produces about 220,000 tons of chocolate a year!!! I can see why, because it’s absolutely delicious.

I spent about a week in the city of Liège. You can read about my related post about Belgium here. It’s a small city located in the Wallonia (French speaking region of Belgium). The city is close to the borders of the Netherlands and Germany. The climate here is a bit overcast at times and is like the Seattle, Washington area. Since it rains quite often here, you’ll notice the lush greenery of the country. And if you’re from California like me, where it’s currently dry, you will find this to be a nice change of scenery.

I love baked goods, especially European ones, so one of my first indulgences while on vacation is to try pastries and other sweets. If you’ve never had European desserts or bakery items from France of Belgium, you’ll note they don’t taste overly sweet or sugary (most of the time). This is what I like about their pastries.

I was lucky enough to be staying with my boyfriend’s family. Of course, I asked my boyfriend for recommendations regarding good bakeries in the neighborhood. He immediately told me about a local bakery, named Delecta, which was within walking distance from where we were staying. He said his grandparents and family had been frequenting this bakery for many years. We were immediately greeted upon arrival and we had the hard choice of deciding what delectable items to purchase.

I’m highlighting some of the items we can’t get in the United States and I thought were unique.

FRANGIPANE:

This is typically a baked good with almond flavoring. The almond flavoring in this was interesting and unique. I’ve never had any other almond-flavored food with this taste. The almond flavor was strong, not overpowering, but great. I also loved the icing on top of the pastry. This pastry was my favorite!

MOCHA:

This had a light mocha flavor which was not overpowering and was not overly sweet. I also like the assortment of nuts surrounding the pastry.

CANARD:

I had to get this because it was too cute! It’s in the shape of a duck! It basically was filled with cream and some puff pastry for the base and amidst the body of the pastry were some chocolate shavings sprinkled about. The top of the duck had caramelized sugar and was hard to keep the duck-like shape.

We also got some regular and chocolate croissants(oh the Belgian chocolate!). There’s also another goodie included (can’t remember the name). The long rectangular bar was very dense and had some raisins in it.

There were many other items to try, but I think we got enough to satisfy our cravings at that moment.

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Business Information:

Delecta Bakery

Rue Puits-en-Sock 84 4020 Liège Belgium

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As detailed in my most recent post, we similarly took the train from the town of Liege to Bruges. It took about under three hours to get there and it costs about 44 Euros roundtrip.

I really appreciated exploring this city and the cobbled streets to take-in the architecture. After exploring the city and the various shops, we decided to get a bite to eat. There are a lot of restaurants and café’s here, but I find it’s always good to try a place that includes some local dishes to see what the region offers.

We decided to check out the restaurant Maria Van Bourgoundie which had traditional Belgian fare.

CHICKEN WATERZOOI

I opted for a lighter dish of the chicken waterzooi which is a stew dish and was originally made with fish. Today, using chicken is much more common. The dish consisted of chicken, a thickened vegetable broth, cream, egg yolk, and vegetables. The vegetables included: carrots, onions, celery, leeks, and some potatoes along with many different types of herbs.

I really liked this dish and thought it was perfect for a somewhat breezy and chilly day. The stew was not overwhelmingly rich, but had the right balance of flavors and after I finished it, I felt satiated and not overly full. I also always love the combination of the vegetables in this dish, so this was a winner for me.

CARBONADE FLAMANDE

My boyfriend ordered the Carbonande flamande, a traditional dish offered in Belgium. It’s a hearty beef and onion stew made with beer and is often accompanied with frites (or fries) or potatoes. He also paired the dish with a Belgian beer (of course) Kasteel. I don’t drink beer, but I’ve always heard Belgian beers are quite rich and have some of the best beers in the world (per my boyfriend, lol).

This dish is quite rich, but very flavorful and you can most definitely taste the bold flavor of beer infused throughout the meat and sauce. Thyme, bay leaves, and mustard accompany the dish. The dish has a slightly sour and sweet flavor. After eating this dish, you might want to go for a walk to loosen the tightness in your belly : )

After grabbing lunch, we decided to walk around the town to visit the various shops and the Markt square. There are a ton of shops to choose from and there are a lot of cute little trinkets and other things to pick-up for your friends and loved ones. Items in the shops were also reasonably priced.

Bruges is also known for their water canals. It’s quite lovely to view the many boats passing by. You’ll also see people being taken by horse carriage around the town. Tremendously cute and quaint!

Also, we happened to stop by a little park area where there were so many swans! I’ve never seen so many swans in one place.

To sum up, if you happen to be or are traveling to Belgium, Bruges is a great place to explore. Even though there are tourists here, it’s not quite as touristy as bigger cities such as Brussels. The town also has a very calming atmosphere and was one of the highlights of my trip.

Restaurant details:

Maria van Bourgondie

Guido Gezelleplein 1, Bruges 8000, Belgium

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It’s very worth indulging in the delicious Belgian waffles anywhere in Belgium, but I chose to do so in Brussels. (Sorry U.S., go to Belgium to get the real thing). There are so many flavors to choose from and whatever sugary notion tickles your fancy can and will be satisfied.

I took a trip from the city of Liège (where my boyfriend’s family lives) to Brussels by train. Liège is a charming city with friendly and welcoming locals. It’s nice to see people banter with each other and the familiarity amongst those who live in this quaint city.

The train is very efficient and it gets you to Brussels from Liege in around an hour. It’s also super comfortable and I found the time really flew and before I knew it, I was in Brussels. A trip from Liege costs about 30+ Euros roundtrip. They have ticket machines where you can purchase tickets or purchase directly from the ticket counter.

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and is like many urban cities. There’s a hubbub of many people and tourists alike and lots of commerce.

BELGIUM WAFFLE WITH STRAWBERRY SHAVINGS AND WHIPPED CREAM:

This Belgium waffle was very fluffy, just the right amount of sweet, and I absolutely loved the strawberry-flavored shavings. It gave the waffle some extra oomph. Throw in some airy and decadent whipped cream, and it’s a done deal. Delicious, delectable, and extremely satisfying. The smells emanating from each waffle shop invite you to go inside and indulge!

You can find waffle stands and businesses all throughout Belgium and of course many are in touristy spots in Brussels. We found this spot by walking just a bit outside of the touristy area of the Grand Place.

HIGHLIGHT VIDEO FROM ANOTHER WAFFLE STAND:

You can view the video snippet here.

This snippet includes another waffle stand’s offerings and as you can see, there is much to choose from: fruit toppings, chocolate (oh la la), and much, much more. It also includes a blown-up version of Mannekin Pis, the most well-known symbol of the people of Brussels. Look at all the yummy choices available! You’ll have a hard time making-up your mind which type of Belgian waffles to try.

Brussels Eight and Three

Rue du Marche aux Herbes 21, Brussels Belgium

To learn more about me, you can go here.

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