Most people say Belgium is boring. Derek Blyth doesn’t agree. For the past 27 years, he has been exploring remote and hidden places in Belgium and writing about his discoveries. “After 27 years, I think I can confidently say that Belgium is the strangest country in the world,” he says.
His new book Hidden Belgium is a guide to more than 300 mysterious and hidden sites he has uncovered, like the Boeing 707 plane parked on a factory roof, the doorway in Liège that leads to a secret orchard, a flint tower in Limburg topped with four giant animals and a tiny town near the German border that was once a country with its own flag, national anthem and language.
Blyth says he wrote the book mainly for expats living in Belgium and tourists who want to go a bit deeper into the country, but he says it has also captured the attention of Belgians, who say they are finding out about places they never knew existed. “I hope this finally puts an end to the myth of boring Belgium,” he says.
The book is on sale at Waterstones in Brussels and stores across Belgium, price €19,95
The Brussels Times
