“The temperature outside is one degree centigrade,” my aircraft’s speakerphones crackled at touchdown at Brussels airport on a cold, frosty morning. Smug in the belief that I’d coped with far worse in snow-encrusted Norway, Alaska and the Arctic Circle, I strode out of the airport brusquely.

But my confidence crumbled like the Berlin Wall as soon as I exited the airport’s cosy innards to the whirligig outside. A gust of wind ripped through my jacket like a blade of knife, forcing me to pull the woolly closer, press my cap tighter over my skull and push the gloves further down my wrist.

And so the gnawing cold remained the recurrent leitmotif of my five-day sojourn across the region of Flanders in Belgium, only worsening with a sporadic cloudburst to send me scurrying to protect myself (as also my Nikon DSLR) from frequent ele-mental assault!

Not that the inclement weather diminished, in any way, the pristine beauty of Flanders. This Dutch-speaking northern part of Belgium — wedged 
between the North Sea and the Netherlands in the north, and Wallonia and France in the south — is picture-postcard turf. Brussels, the capital city of Belgium, my entry point to the region, was followed by visits to Ieper, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp.

With its UNESCO World-Heritage medieval béguinages, belfries and town centers, and glutinous canals, lanes and bridges, the region looks like a richly embellished carpet. As I peered through my camera lens time and time again to capture a slice of its life, I soon realised that there was really no need to ‘compose’ a shot here. From any angle, Flanders looks visually arresting anyway!

It is also perhaps one of the most misjudged regions in Europe. Much more than “waffles and chocolate country”, although, admittedly, it was great fun sampling these in the interest of ‘journalistic research’!

Brussels

Shorn of the arrogance that typically characterises political capital cities, at the heart of Brussels are its narrow labyrinthine streets that spread out like arteries to its busy periphery.

Intriguingly, the bilingual capital of Belgium — with French and Dutch as 
official languages — offers the experience of visiting several cities all at once. Being home to both the EU and NATO headquarters, it is also known as the ‘Capital of Europe’ hosting a diverse European and international resident population. “We have people from every corner of Europe here as well as communities from Africa and the Middle East,” our amiable guide Didier Rochette informs us. “Locally, there are local Flemish [Dutch speaking], Walloons [French speaking] and Bruxellois [bilingual] communities which further enhance the city’s cultural complexity.”

The demographic pluralism stretches to Brussels’ architectural landscape, which is peppered with a smorgasbord of design styles from Art Nouveau to Art Deco, rococo and Baroque. Stunning examples of architecture are everywhere, with contemporary artists and designers leaving their own distinct imprimatur on the city.

However, the best part about being in Brussels is that there’s really no need to queue up at a gallery — or cough up precious Euros — to view ‘art’. Splendid works of art are everywhere — on the streets, squares, in eateries, around corners... This has a downside too, of course. Such omnipresent beauty is hazardous for overzealous photographers (like yours truly) who click furiously in public spaces, unmindful of traffic and pedestrians!

Near the city’s Town Hall (close to the famed Grote Markt), I’m drawn to the bronze image of a little kid pissing water (Manekin Pis), Belgium’s most iconic figure. “For national holidays and special occasions, the pissing boy gets to dress up: he’s been Elvis, a Samurai warrior and Mozart. He’s been known to piss beer and wine, too!,” Didier informs me.

The resplendent Grand-Place — the pivot around which Brussels seems to flow — is a beautiful medieval square lined with ornate 17^th-century guildhalls, antique stores, quaint little cafes and fine chocolate shops, some of which are owned by iconic chocolatiers such as Pierre Marcolini and Jean Galler.

European cities offer sundry ways to expand your waistline. However, Bru-ssels elevates this activity into a fine art form. Temptation lurks at every corner. From crisply-fried potato treats to vast vats of moules (mussels), or the natio-nal dish — waterzooi — soaked up with chunky loafs of bread, the city is a gastronomic heaven.

But chief among the city’s culinary delights is chocolate. The fact that Belgium produces 170,000 tonnes of chocolates every year in over 2,000 chocolate shops is hardly surprising. Chocolatiers sell light, dark or white chocolate in every conceivable permutation and combination.

Apart from the ubiquitous pralines, you’ll find sculptures and artisan crea-tions whose mere sight will send saliva rushing into your mouth!

Ghent

Unlike Bruges, which is dominated by tourism, Ghent has a buzzy workaday feel to it. A vibrant metro with a busy cultural calendar, it offers a jazz festival in July, a film festival in October and sundry other events to lure visitors throughout the year.

The city ain’t big. In fact, I covered most of its main attractions — its churches, old stone facades, canals and bridges — on foot in less than a day, located as they are within a single square kilometre. Galleries, cafés, weekend markets and waterside activities on the banks of the River Leie are also within easy access.

Once the most important centre for wool and cloth in medieval Europe during the Middle Ages, Ghent was one of the richest and most powerful cities in Europe. The impact of its rich past can be witnessed in a trove of imposing buildings, churches and especially the houses of rich traders. The 91m-high belfry, which adjoins the Cloth Hall, is perhaps the most photographed. A beautiful medieval fish market, now morphed into offices and a brash modern brasserie, is also one of the city’s star attractions.

The city juxtaposes the trendy with the traditional, offering an interesting mix of glitzy cosmopolitanism with the laidback-ness of a provincial town. Many young people I spoke to said they preferred living in Ghent instead of the densely packed cities of Brussels and Antwerp.

The city also boasts the largest student population in Flanders, giving out a fun and energising vibe. Youngsters can be seen everywhere — sipping froth-topped coffee at cafes, snapping selfies in the streets, striding past in trendy apparel or laughing and joking in the parks.

However, what came as a revelation to me was that Ghent is the “vegetarian capital of Europe”. It observes vegetarian cuisine every Thursday — a so-called ‘Veggie Dag’ — that is aimed at helping combat climate change through less consumption of meat.

Hewing to the city’s tradition, I dug into a toothsome all-veggie lunch at the Max Ghent restaurant — located smack dab in the heart of town. And felt quite virtuous about it!

Post-lunch, we plumped for a canal ride, inclement weather notwithstan-ding even though it meant being ensconced in fleece and blankets. It turned out to be mood lifter — a splendid way to soak in the city’s sights and sounds.

Bruges

Enveloped in loveliness, Bruges is a city of gentrified neighbourhoods. It has a glittering canal encircling it like a bejewelled necklace. And upon these glutinous water bodies, you may opt for a gondola ride or stand at their rim to soak in graceful swans/ducks gliding effortlessly on them.

Bruges was the economic capital of northern Europe in medieval times. It still carries a stamp of affluence. Not to mention an enviable architectural legacy showcased through its Basilica of St. John, the Town Hall, the Law Courts, the Church of Our Lady, the St. John Hospital, the bell tower and more.

Bruges’ charm is indeed arresting. One moment you could be immersed in the shadows of low-ceilinged rooms and the rich textures of brick walls and cobble stoned courts. The next, you could be gawping at al fresco art in an ancient square or tucking into delicious food in a 13^th century restaurant with a haunting past!

Antwerp

This thriving Flemish city — the hub of diamond trade in Europe — gives out a distinct upscale vibe. More than 70 per cent of world’s diamonds after all are traded in Antwerp, our guide informs us, with its distinct diamond quarter hosting some of the world’s leading cutters, polishers and makers of the girl’s best friend.

As a major international port, Antwerp has also benefited from its diverse demography with the Spanish, Austrians, Dutch, French and Indians enriching its cultural tapestry and social matrix over the decades.

Due to its culturally rich history, Antwerp is also a big draw for Flemish and foreign artists, writers, intellec-tuals, and actors. Not to mention that the city is also Belgium’s ‘style capital’ with a crop of beautiful hotels, restaurants, and fabulous places to shop.

I stumbled upon Kammenstraat — the mecca for the fashion-forward — and found the street to be a delight not only for its wares (shoes, apparel, fashion products) but also for the fine study it offers in the art of window dressing.

On the last day of my Flanders visit, I browsed at the Antwerp flea market on an incandescent afternoon. In no time, the place engulfed me with its 
rich atmospherics. Traders hawking all manner of goods — from trinkets to treasures, shoes, apparel, handbags, curios, food, cheeses to live chicken — were a treat to watch!

I rifled through the racks of a bookseller, rummaged through the assorted wares of a curio seller showcasing African masks, lamps, ivory bangles, picture frames and more.

Eclecticism is clearly the over-arching narrative here, an apt microcosm of a warm-hearted city that embraces one and all with fervour.