More than just sprouts (Dinant (Belgium))

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Dinant (Belgium)
Date:	10/08/09 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful little town

Disadvantages: None

Despite extensive travelling throughout Europe, I've always given Belgium a miss. A mixture of high prices, rain and well - being seemingly flat and boring like Holland but without the windmills or drugs kind of turned me off the place. However, I had my eyes opened by a short but memorable journey through the East of Belgium that took me from the border with Holland near Maastricht down to the Ardennes.

Heading along the highway and reaching the brow of a hill to see the magnificient drop down to Dinant and the early part of the Meuse valley was definitely one of the highlights, Dinant is fabulous looking (the picture here doesn't do it justice at all) - look at this one instead: (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4 7/Dinant_JPG02.jpg).

Now technically Dinant is a city in Belgium but it's pretty small and with a population of around 12,000 - I shall not be calling it any more than a town so as not to confuse you!

So as you can see Dinant comes up to the waterfront of the River Meuse and is emphasized by the enormous rocks perched directly behind the town with a citadel at the top. If that wasn't enough to give a small town a dramatic look, there's also the enormous gothic Collegiate Church of Notre Dame which looks like it belongs in a large city and seems a little out of place in this rural town.

The town is known for its baked goods and is full of culinary delights, the town itself is famed for producing the hardest biscuit - the couque and where better to break your teeth than next to the Meuse with the rock face watching your back!

Following the Meuse is a great trip and it's worth driving along it and into France, Dinant is definitely the best looking town enroute though.

Summary: A great place to sightsee