Central Brussels is divided by a hill into Upper Town and Lower Town, and there are many stairs up and down the hill connecting the two. At the top of the hill is the Palais Royale (the Royal Palace).
The Belgian flag was flying when I walked by, which means that the Belgian king, King Albert II, is somewhere in Belgium.
Here are a few photo from St. Michael's Cathedral, which was built between 1200 and 1500 -- around 700 years ago! I didn't know there were buildings that were so old.
There are so many languages spoken here. I have heard lots of French, Flemish, German, Dutch, and English. I don't know much about Flemish. Could someone share some information with me about it?
French is the official language in Belgium. A few French words I have learned: oui (yes), bonjour (hello), au revoir (goodbye), merci (thank you).
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2 comments:
Kyle,
What great pictures! After doing a little reasearch myself, Flemish is a popular "informal" term to refer to Belgian Dutch, Dutch as spoken in Belgium. 'Flemish' refers to two specific dialects of Dutch alone, namely East and West Flemish.
Dutch is the majority language in Belgium, being spoken by about 59% of the population. As in the Netherlands, the pronunciation of Standard Dutch is affected by the native dialect of the speaker.
Happy Traveling,
Your Favorite Media Specialist
Thanks for the information, Ms. Young!
Kyle
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