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LOOKING PAST BRUSSELS<br />
There is more to Belgium than meets the eye, it’s not only about major cities like<br />
Brussels, the capital of Belgium, there is the often overlooked towns such as<br />
Hoogstraten and the surrounding area, that should really be explored too.<br />
Take Hoogstraten for example, with a population of around 20,000, it lies in the Flanders<br />
region on the northern borders of Belgium. Historically, it would have started out as a<br />
small town but has developed and has be<strong>com</strong>e internationally known for its strawberries,<br />
although tomatoes still remain its main crop.<br />
Flanders, a particularly flat area, with part of the region bordering the North Sea, is<br />
today known for its agriculture, yet is rich in history. Although not the largest area of<br />
Belgium, it is the most populated.<br />
Flanders saw one of the greatest losses on the Western Front in World War I, in particular<br />
the battles of Ypres and with the well preserved and maintained wartime memorials, it<br />
remains a popular location for visitors to admire the many historic sites, that bring back<br />
memories of the historic and world changing events that have gone in years’ past<br />
Other reasonably sized towns are located nearby such as Tilburg, Breda and Turnhout,<br />
which are also worth visiting to see a different side of Belgium, away from the major<br />
cities. These towns will give a true taste of Belgium, including the history, architecture and<br />
culture, that has not been exploited for tourism like many of the major Belgium cities such<br />
as Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent have.<br />
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