比利时：天堂级旅游胜地

　　Belgium is truly the heartof Europe. Gorgeous castles are essentially combined with modern architecture,old-fashioned breweries supply beer and malt liquor to casual street cafes, andlocal people gladly welcome foreigners, insatiable of adventures.

　　Even the smallestBelgian town has a wide range of attractions to offer, starting from weirdmuseum exhibitions to magnificent abbeys and chalets. However, being short oftime can significantly reduce the number of sightseeing spots, which is why top5 places to visit might be distinguished.

　　从古怪的博物馆展出到华丽的修道院，亦或是村间农舍，即便是最下的比利时小镇都会有许多风景名胜。然而，停留时间的短暂会大大减少可供游览的景点数量，这就是为什么我们列出5个与众不同的必游之地。

　　It is obvious thatBrussels is a top travel destination in Belgium. The sightseeing tours usuallybegin from Grote Markt Square. However, one could be interested in Mini-EuropePark, where all the masterpieces of European architecture are put, in miniatureof course. Brusselians claim it is the only place in the world, where one canlook at such a big number of magnificent sites. In fact, the total number is300, among which the most cherished places are taken by Big Ben and WestminsterPalace, Eifel Tower and Triumphal arch, Berlin Wall and Brandenburg Gate,Acropolis of Athens, Seville and Barcelona, etc. It is impossible to deny thepresence of the European spirit.

　　布鲁塞尔是比利时旅游胜地已是众人皆知的事。观光之旅通常以市中心广场为起点，不过你也可能会偏爱“小欧洲”公园。那里，所有欧洲建筑杰作以模型的方式展现给游客。布鲁塞尔人宣称这是世界上一个能观赏到如此数量的华丽建筑的地方。事实上，公园里共有300个建筑，其中的有大本钟、威斯敏斯特宫、埃菲尔铁塔、凯旋门、柏林墙和布兰登堡门、雅典卫城、塞维利亚和巴塞罗那等等。在那里，你绝不能否认欧洲风情的存在。

　　Besides being one ofthe oldest diamond centers in Europe, Antwerp was also the home of Peter PaulRubens. Rubens House is nowadays turned into museum, devoted to the life andart of this notable artist. In fact, it was the house Rubens built for himselfand his family. Regardless, there are fewer paintings by Rubens, as mostly theyare exhibited in the world-known museums. On the contrary, visitors are offeredto observe his sketches, simple designs and portraits. In addition, the entireconstruction might be considered Rubens’ art work, as it was designed andperformed under the painter’s guidance, impressed with Italian Renaissance andBaroque styles.

　　安特卫普不仅是欧洲最古老的钻石中心之一，也是彼得·保罗·鲁本斯(Peter Paul Rubens)的故乡。鲁本斯故居现在已被改造为博物馆，展示这位艺术家的生活和艺术。实际上，这座房子是鲁本斯为自己和家人建的，而屋内鲁本斯本人的画作并不多，因为画作大多都被送到知名博物馆展出了。可是，游客们也有机会细细观看他的素描、简单的设计和肖像画。除此之外，此建筑本身就是一个艺术杰作，由鲁本斯亲自设计和监造，深受意大利文艺复兴和巴洛克风格的影响。

　　15 km away fromBrussels travelers might find Gaasbeek castle. This is one of top ten castlesin Belgium in all its glory. Notwithstanding it was founded in the 13thcentury, the modern image has been preserved since the 19th century. It has experiencednumerous renovations due to constant battles and fires. All in all, to date onehas a chance to observe a gorgeous interior adorned with magnificentcollections of Renaissance painters, museum archive abundant in the documentsof the 19th-20th century and marvelous gardens around. Recently, Gaasbeekcastle became a subject matter of Guerlain Company’s sponsorship. Therefore,regular exhibitions of perfumes are organized there.

　　出了布鲁塞尔再有15千米就是加斯比克城堡，一座享有比利时十佳城堡之一的荣耀的城堡。尽管建于13世纪，它现在的外观自19世纪以来便没有再变过。在历史上，它因战火洗礼而经过多次修葺。总之，时至今日，游客们有机会入内观赏它流光溢彩的室内设计、文艺复兴时期的杰作，丰富的19到20世纪档案以及周边设计奇妙的花园。近日，加斯比克城堡得到娇兰公司的赞助，因此会有一些定期的香水展出。

　　The spirit ofmedieval times might be noticed in historical center of Mechelen. Inparticular, it is an oval square, surrounded by city walls that were built inthe 13th century and partially ruined in the 19th. The main attraction ofMechelen is St. Rumbold’s Cathedral, situated nearby. Its carillon isconsidered the best one in Europe, so the city livelihood is almost undercontrol of cathedral chime-balls. 49 tollers were casted since 1640.

　　梅赫伦颇具古风的市中心最引人注目的它的中世纪风情。那是一个椭圆形广场，周边有13世纪建造的围墙环绕，虽然部分围墙曾在19世纪遭到毁坏。梅赫伦最重要的景点就是位于附近圣伯姆特大教堂。教堂的钟声被公认是全欧首屈一指，所以梅赫伦城里的一切的大事小情都是在钟声的指引下慢慢进行。从1640至今，已有49个个钟被使用。

　　While visitingBelgium, it is impossible not to taste a drink of a national importance. Thisclearly refers to a beer. It is hard to count and to name all the beer sortsand breweries, dispersed all over Belgium. In contrast, attending of some beermuseums is a must thing to do. One of them is arranged in Brussels,specifically Gueuze Museum of Beer-Making. Here enthusiasts also can tryBelgian champagne, made of old and new beer sorts.

　　在游览比利时的过程中，不能不尝一种国宝级的饮品。我指的显然是啤酒。很难一一列举分布在比利时各地的各种啤酒和酿酒厂。相反的，一些啤酒博物馆反而是必游之地，其中之一就是布鲁塞尔的贵兹啤酒酿造博物馆。这里，有兴趣的游客可以试一试由新旧不同的啤酒制成的比利时香槟。