Hey everyone!

I'm moving from Istanbul to your beautiful country later this year. I'll be moving in with my Belgian partner in Brussels, but I'll actually be commuting to Bruges for a post-grad program in business management at Howest. I'm super excited for this new chapter, but I'm definitely starting fresh when it comes to my own social and professional life here.

I have a background in tech, startups, and product management, and I'd love to get the ultimate local "starter pack" of advice from you guys.

A few things I'd love your input on:

• Making Friends: I know having a local partner helps, but I really want to build my own circle too! How do you guys meet people organically? Any cool clubs, social sports, or community hangouts you recommend?
• Networking: I'm a tech and startup nerd. Where does the local business crowd hang out? Are there any meetups, hubs, or events I should definitely check out?
• Learning French: I want to dive into French ASAP. Do you have any favorite language cafes, laid-back classes, or immersion groups that actually work?
• The Job Hunt: Any tips on navigating the local job market, especially for an expat looking in the tech/product space? Or a student job that I can keep it up during my studies.
• The "Avoids": What are the classic newcomer mistakes? Also, any tips (or warnings) for surviving that Brussels-to-Bruges commute?
• Fun Stuff: What are your absolute favorite hidden gems, dive bars, parks, or weekend routines?

I'm completely open to whatever advice you want to throw my way. Thanks..

Belgium's national Museum Week is running 17–24 May, with hundreds of activities across the country. The full programme is huge (worth a browse), but if you're around Brussels, Namur, Leuven or West Flanders later this week, a few museums are throwing some genuinely unusual evening openings.

Five picks:

🎨 Design Museum Brussels — a "one-on-one" with an object from the reserves Pick an item normally locked away in storage and get a private tête-à-tête: hear its story, and (with a bit of luck) maybe touch it. Followed by a guided tour on crystal or children's furniture. Thursday 21 May, 18:00–22:00 — €10 (free with the Museum Pass) — info & tickets

🏦 National Bank Museum (Brussels) — a rare evening opening, free for everyone This one's normally only open weekdays during office hours, so you've probably never been. The 19th-century banking hall is genuinely impressive. You'll find out (among other things) why euro notes are so hard to counterfeit, and there's an optional guided walk through the city centre to see buildings connected to the Bank's past, present and future. Thursday 21 May, 17:00–22:00 — free — info & tickets

🌃 Nuit Blanche in Namur — 17 cultural venues open until midnight, all free The big Wallonia one. Laser art at Le Pavillon, compose your own music at Le Delta, irreverent folk songs at Musée Félicien Rops, mysteries to solve at MusAfrica, the Citadelle and Computer Museum NAM-IP. Plan a route or just wander. Everything is free except the Téléphérique cable car. Friday 22 May, 18:00–midnight — free — full programme

📚 KU Leuven University Library — humour hidden in the collections The "Spotvogels" exhibition shows that 17th-century students doodled in their margins and caricatured their professors just like everyone else. Smartphone in hand, you hunt for absurd humour hidden in the busts and paintings of the reading room, then climb the library tower for views over a lit-up Leuven. Ends with an hour of old peasant jokes featuring Emperor Charles V, told by Prof. Johan Verberckmoes. Thursday 21 May, 18:00–22:00 — €10 (free with the Museum Pass) ⚠️ The exhibition itself is in Dutch only — but the tower views and atmosphere work in any language. info & tickets

🎭 Ribbon Museum in Comines — improv comedy in a textile factory The Musée de la Rubanerie usually tells the story of how laces, candle wicks, seatbelts and ribbons get made. For one night, the local improv team takes on Parisian troupe Imp'Act in the factory-decor of the museum itself. Unexpected setting, unusual evening. Saturday 23 May, 19:00–21:30 — €10 — info & tickets

A couple of practical things:

• All five events are open to anyone — no pass needed. The Museum Pass (€64.95/year, 260+ Belgian museums) just happens to cover the Design Museum Brussels and KU Leuven nocturnes for free, so if you're already considering one, this is a good week to use it.
• Vote for "Masterpiece of the Year": at the end of the week one object gets crowned. A teddy bear? A Keith Haring? A miniature car? Vote before 25 May and you're in the draw to win an overnight stay for two in a museum city.
• Full programme: hundreds more activities (daytime, kids, workshops, behind-the-scenes tours) at semainedesmuseesbelges.be.

Anyone planning to go to any of these? Or got a favourite Belgian museum you'd push everyone towards? Drop it in the comments.

A great tapas bar / restaurant in the center of Antwerp with a view of the Cathedral of Our Lady. I really recommend going there if you visit Antwerp!
They have this amazing concept of towers with tapas on them.
The cocktails there are also very nice.

EDIT: Geen idee waarom iedereen zit te flippen. Ja, ik heb merkpartner aangeduid omdat ik dacht dat dat noodzakelijk was als je een post maakt over een restaurant etc. Dit is een oprechte review, GEEN samenwerking. Calm down everyone.

Belgium's biggest single-day spectacle meets the Ardennes' most photogenic weekend. Ascension Day on Thursday is a public holiday, and most of the country bridges Friday for a four-day break, which means there's an unusual amount happening outside the big cities. If you've been waiting for a reason to explore Wallonia, this is it.

⚠️ Practical PSA

Thursday 14 May is Ascension Day (Hemelvaartsdag / Ascension) — a public holiday. Most shops, banks, and public offices will be closed on Thursday. Many Belgians bridge Friday 15 May, so expect long-weekend crowds at popular destinations, especially the coast and the Ardennes. Train services usually run to a Sunday/holiday schedule on Thursday, with normal service resuming Friday — always double-check your journey at belgiantrain.be. If you're heading to Bruges, read the highlight below and plan around major road closures in the city centre from 08:00 onwards.

⭐ Weekend highlight: Procession of the Holy Blood — Bruges (Thursday 14 May)

Once a year on Ascension Day, over 1,800 costumed participants parade through the historic centre of Bruges carrying a relic believed to contain the blood of Christ. The Heilig Bloedprocessie has taken place since 1304 and earned UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status in 2009. It's part medieval pageant, part living theatre — biblical scenes from the Old and New Testament are performed by singers, dancers, and actors in Burgundian-era style, followed by the relic itself carried by the Noble Brotherhood of the Holy Blood.

What to know:

- The procession starts at 14:30 at the Dijver and takes about 90 minutes to pass any given point along the route. It finishes at the Burg around 17:30.

- Watching from the street is free. The route runs through Wollestraat, Steenstraat, Zuidzandstraat, 't Zand, Noordzandstraat, Markt, and Burg — pick your spot early.

- Grandstand tickets are available (€12.50 adults / €4.50 children under 16) through In&Uit Brugge.

- Traffic warning: Vehicle access to the city centre is prohibited from 08:00 on most inner streets, and from 13:00 on the full procession route. Arrive by train (Bruges station is a 15-minute walk from the centre) or park outside the ring road.

Whether or not you're religious, this is one of Belgium's most visually spectacular cultural events and an extraordinary reason to visit Bruges on a weekday.

🏛️ Brussels

A quieter weekend in the capital while the rest of the country heads out — but still a few things worth your time.

- Conversation Poem (Hôtel des Douanes, Tour & Taxis, opens 14 May — until 24 July): The Proximus Art Collection marks its 30th anniversary with a free exhibition at the historic customs house on the Tour & Taxis site.

🦁 Flanders

- Procession of the Holy Blood (Bruges, Thursday 14 May — see highlight above)

- Japanese Garden (Hasselt, open Tue–Sun 10:00–17:00, public holidays 13:00–17:00): Mid-May is wisteria season in Europe's largest Japanese garden. The famous purple wisteria vines drape over the event square's picnic area, and the garden's 2.5 hectares of ponds, bridges, and tea house are at their most lush. €7 entry. Hasselt is ~80 minutes by train from Brussels. Combine with the Jenevermuseum in town for a full day out.

🐓 Wallonia

This is Wallonia's weekend to shine. Three very different events, all worth the trip.

- Han-Vol et Vous! — Montgolfiades (Han-sur-Lesse, Thu 14 – Sun 17 May): Forty hot-air balloons from across Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Switzerland descend on the Domaine des Grottes de Han for four days of flights over the Famenne countryside. Balloons launch at sunrise (~07:00) and again in the evening (~19:00) — the evening flights are the most spectacular. On the ground: a kids' village with bouncy castles, an artisan market with 80+ exhibitors, a "Moonlight Show" with fire jugglers and pyrotechnics, a trail run through the famous caves, and a vintage car exhibition. Access to the take-off plain and ground events is free. Balloon rides can be booked in advance (~50 min, check the official site). This is the event's comeback after a hiatus in 2024 — the first edition in the new annual format.

- Namur en Mai (Namur, Thu 14 – Sat 16 May): For 30 years, this street arts and fairground festival has transformed Namur's old town into an open-air stage. Over 70 performances across three days — circus, cabaret, storytelling, acrobatics, parades — with many free shows on the streets and squares. Ticketed "invited company" shows in courtyards and indoor venues are available via day and 3-day passes. It's the kind of event where you turn a corner and find acrobats hanging from a building or a fire-eater in a medieval courtyard. Programme and tickets

- Fondation Folon — "Prenez l'Air" (La Hulpe, Thursday 14 May, 11:00–17:00): Every two years on Ascension Day, the Folon museum hosts a poetic outdoor festival in the grounds of the Solvay Park: kite-building workshops, watercolour walks through the park, origami demonstrations, taiko drumming, and guided tours of the museum. The current temporary exhibition, Kengo Kuma: Architecture in Dialogue, celebrating 160 years of Belgium–Japan friendship, is also open. La Hulpe is 20 minutes from Brussels by train. The 227-hectare Solvay Park is free to walk through year-round.

- Beer Lovers' Marathon (Liège, Sunday 17 May, 09:30–16:30): A full 42.195 km marathon through Liège where costumes are encouraged and 16 of the aid stations serve a different Belgian beer alongside fries, waffles, and black pudding. It's the 10th edition, themed "world travel." You don't have to run to enjoy this — the route passes through Liège's most scenic spots and the atmosphere along the course is pure carnival. Registration is €150 and fills up, but spectating is free and highly entertaining. A free "Beer Lovers' Village" at the Palais des Congrès offers 32 beers and food trucks.

🌿 Nature tip: Sonian Forest in late spring

Skip the coast this long weekend (everyone else is heading there). Instead, try the Sonian Forest (Forêt de Soignes / Zoniënwoud), the ancient beech forest stretching across the southern edge of Brussels into Walloon Brabant. In mid-May the canopy is fully leafed out — the light filtering through the cathedral-like beech columns is extraordinary. The forest is accessible from several train stations (Groenendaal, Boitsfort, La Hulpe) and connects easily to a Fondation Folon visit if you're doing "Prenez l'Air" on Thursday. Entry is free and it's never crowded on weekdays. Our wiki has more tips: Getting Around Belgium.

📸 Guess the location by the photo, our traditional weekend challenge!

Four days, three regions, zero excuses. Whether you're chasing hot-air balloons in the Ardennes, watching a 700-year-old procession in Bruges, or stumbling into street theatre in Namur, tell us what you got up to this weekend. And if we missed something, drop it in the comments!

A short clip of a warm tajine served at the table. I really like the reveal moment when the lid comes off and the steam comes out.

Still learning food video editing and restaurant promo content, so feedback from restaurant owners or people in hospitality is welcome. What would you improve: the shot, pacing, text or music?

This Saturday was Europe Day across Brussels, and most visitors instinctively queued for the Parliament or Berlaymont, both had long lines all day. We popped into the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Committee of the Regions (CoR) instead, which share the Jacques Delors building on Rue Belliard, and walked straight in with no line, even at midday.

If you've never heard of these two institutions, you're not alone, they're the EU's advisory bodies. Europe Day is genuinely one of the best days to discover what they actually do.

What was on inside:

- Sit in the plenary chamber where members debate. You can take any numbered seat with headphones and microphone

- Attend a special Europe Day session and put your hand up to ask a question

- Wander between dozens of regional stalls run by local governments and cultural associations from across the EU (Castilla y León, Maramureș, Comunitat Valenciana, and many more)

The regional stalls were quite the highlight. Almost like a free tour across Europe in one afternoon: Romanian painted eggs and embroidered blouses, Spanish wines, hand-painted Trypillia ceramics, traditional crafts demos, friendly people happy to talk for half an hour about their region. Excellent way to scout your next holiday while talking to the regional representatives.

Tips for next year (Europe Day is always 9 May):

- Skip the Schuman crowd and start at the Jacques Delors building (Rue Belliard 99-101, next to Leopold Park). Free entry, no booking

- Doors typically open 10:00–18:00; midday is heaviest at the bigger institutions, so this is also a great rest stop if you're doing a full institution-hopping day

Quietly one of the best stops of the day. Did anyone else make it out this weekend? Curious how Parliament and the Council looked from the inside, so share the pictures

Airvoy 是一款旅行 eSIM，用户可以通过观看一些短广告在 190 多个国家赚取免费移动数据。无需信用卡，无试用期，无每日流量上限。观看一些广告，根据奖励等级可获得 100 MB、500 MB 或最多 1 GB。流量不足？打开应用程序，观看更多广告。每天可以赚取的流量没有上限——用户可以在单次旅行中累积多个 GB。如果你想完全跳过广告，付费计划从 $2/天起。

这就是模式。看广告，得流量。没有噱头，没有小字条款。

🌐 Web: https://airvoy.app/
🤖 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.airvoy.airvoy
🍎 iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/airvoy-esim/id6751522296

为什么这很重要

2025 年有 15.2 亿人国际旅行（UN Tourism）。几乎每个人在降落时都面临同样的连接问题。

在国外基本上有四种选择：

• 运营商漫游——传统运营商对国际漫游的收费高达 $12 美元每 GB。仅后台应用活动——邮件同步、iCloud、应用更新——就可能在一天内悄悄花费 $200+，即使你没有碰手机。
• 机场本地 SIM 卡——有效，但你会失去你的家庭号码，一下飞机就得找商店，每个国家都需要一个新的。
• 仅限酒店 Wi-Fi——在你坐出租车、乘火车或试图找到你的 Airbnb 时就不够用了。
• 旅行 eSIM——越来越成为常旅客的默认选择。2025 年售出的新智能手机中有 60% 支持 eSIM，这意味着大多数人已经拥有硬件却不知道。

Airvoy 属于旅行 eSIM 类别，但其模式是目前其他提供商没有的。

它实际如何运作

• 下载应用程序，用 WhatsApp 或 Apple ID 登录
• eSIM 一键安装——无需二维码，无需更换 SIM 卡，无需去服务亭
• 看一些短广告 → 立即赚取流量
• 你的常规家庭号码仍然有效——Airvoy 作为第二条线路安装，因此来自家庭的通话和短信仍然正常
• 免费层永不过期。这不是欢迎积分或首次旅行奖励。这是应用程序每次、在每个国家、无限期的运作方式
• 在流量达到 80% 时会有低流量提醒，以便在失去连接之前充值，而不是之后

这适合谁

普通旅行者在国外每天使用 1–2 GB 的数据——Google Maps、WhatsApp、查找餐馆、分享照片。7 天的旅行就是 7–14 GB。按照运营商漫游费率，这可能要花费数百或数千美元。

Airvoy 特别适合以下人群：

• 预算旅行者或背包客，有时间通过观看一些广告换取免费流量
• 频繁旅行者，厌倦了在每个国家购买新的本地 SIM 卡
• 进行 短途旅行，觉得付费月度 eSIM 过于繁琐
• 想要一个 免费备用数据源，与主要连接一起运行的人

市场背景

全球旅行 eSIM 市场在 2025 年估值为 $22.4 亿，预计到 2032 年将达到 $1250 亿——年增长率为 65%。从实体 SIM 卡和运营商漫游的转变是结构性的。仅在 2024 年，旅行者就因意外漫游费用 collectively 损失了 $600 亿。大多数手机中已经存在更好解决方案的基础设施。定价模式只是在广告赞助的数据改变了这一方程之前没有跟上。

Airvoy 真正代表什么

Airvoy 正在为移动连接做 Gmail 对电子邮件和 WhatsApp 对消息传递所做的事情：消除价格障碍，让任何有手机的人都能保持连接，无论他们身在何处。旅行时保持在线不应该花费 $200 一天。Airvoy 的赌注是不必如此。

I run a small free vegan directory as a side project, and this week I went through every "fully vegan" listing for Belgium I could find. Cross-checked HappyCow, the visit.brussels list, the travelersanddreamers Leuven guide, The Bruges Vegan blog, Yelp, Resto.be, Greenplace.today, and the venues' own websites. Goal was to confirm which places are actually 100% vegan, currently open, and have a real address.

A few things I didn't expect:

1. Ostende and Charleroi have zero 100% vegan venues.
2. Leuven punches massively above its weight. Population ~100k, but four fully vegan venues: Life Bar, Het Strand, Tabi Loo, and Pepas. Pepas is Belgium's first fully vegan frituur (their words: "de eerste volledig veganistische frituur in België"), which I didn't know existed. Per capita, Leuven has more 100% vegan options than Brussels does.
3. The 100% vegan map of Belgium is heavily Flemish. Out of 81 fully vegan venues I could verify across the country, the Flemish region holds the strong majority. Wallonia outside Liège is almost empty: Mons, Tournai, Namur, Charleroi together have ~2 fully vegan venues. Whether that's a market-demand thing or a not-yet-built thing, I don't know, but it's striking how sharp the divide is.
4. About a third of "fully vegan" entries on third-party lists are now wrong.
5. Brussels' vegan density is in Saint-Gilles, not Brussels-1000. Archie, Lazlo, L'Alchimiste, Mo Mo, TerTer, Taylor's are all clustered in the 1060 postal code. If you stay in the city centre you'll think Brussels has fewer vegan options than it does - Saint-Gilles is where the cluster actually lives.

Posting this here mainly because I think the data points might be useful for anyone planning a trip or doing a similar audit. The directory itself is at plantspack.com if you want to poke around - it's free, ad-free, no affiliate links. If you spot something I have wrong (closed venue, wrong level, missing place) let me know in the comments and I'll fix it.

P.S. there is a big chance i'm missing some great places, so looking forward to any feedback and contributions.

📍St Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and Tervuren park😍