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Belgium Belgium, most of us don't know where it is, although we're pretty sure where it is not located. We constantly confuse the country with its EU headquarters capital, Brussels (sometimes thinking they are two separate nations). And we haven't quite figured out how Dutch speaking Flanders and French speaking Wallonia fit into the puzzle. Worse, we cannot mention Brussels and I am not kidding without saying, "When in Brussels, check out those sprouts!" We think that's hilarious. In other words, we've long been utterly clueless about this surprisingly enticing land, but that little switch in our cultural head is finally being flipped on. Suddenly the word is travelling through trendy international circles that Brussels is the epitome of understated cool. A mix of Paris sans l'attitude, Amsterdam minus the red-eyed frat boys, the fun of Madrid and the under-hyped creativity of Seattle, skirted by soft rolling hills and with a style all its own. Brussels may well be the next American hotspot, where writers flock to pen books about the Belgian charms. Before long, we could be seeing bestsellers like A Year in Brussels or Under the Walloon Sun. Slowly but surely, we're uncovering the treasures of Europ's hidden gem as well as figuring out exactly where it is on the map. In fact, some of us have even deduced that it is the country's geographical location situated between France, Germany and the Netherlands, all of which lassoed the land in the past that makes Belgium what it is: dripping with fabulous architecture, swimming in culture, brimming with fireside nooks for drinking and eating, and layered in international complexity. There is more information on Belgium in our Student Guide: Brussels
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