There are some changes to the details for Belgian National Tourist Office offices in Canada and Great Britain:
Residents of Canada can dial tel. 514/457-2888 to be switched through automatically to the U.S. office in New York. For information covering Brussels and French-speaking Wallonia only (not Flanders), aimed primarily at Francophone Canadians, contact the Office de Promotion de Tourisme Wallonie-Bruxelles, 43 rue de Buade, Bureau 525, Quebec Ville, Quebec, G1R 4A2 (tel. 0877/792-4939 or tel. 418/692-4939; fax 418/692-4974).
For Residents of the United Kingdom and Ireland: Brussels and French-speaking Wallonia (and its German-speaking district): 217 Marsh Wall, London E14 9FJ (operator tel. 0906/302 0245; brochure line tel. 0800/954 5245; fax 020/7531-0393; www.belgiumtheplaceto.be). For Brussels and Dutch-speaking Flanders: 1A Cavendish Sq., London W1G 0LD (operator 0906/302-0245; brochure line tel. 0800/954-5245; fax 020/7307-7731; www.visitflanders.co.uk).
A great source for gay travelers in Belgium is Infor Homo, avenue de l'Opale 100, 1030 Brussels (tel. 02/733-10-24). Another source in Brussels is the gay and lesbian community center Telsquels, rue du Marché-au-Charbon 81 (tel. 02/512-45-87). For Flanders, try the Federatie Werkgroepen Homoseksualiteit, Vlaanderenstraat 22 (tel. 09/238-26-26), in Ghent.
Should the idea of staying on a working farm, or in a château, an old-fashioned country home, or even in an old school converted to a character-filled lodging, hold some charms for you, Belgium has two organizations that can smooth your path to the front door. In Wallonia, contact Gîtes de Wallonie, av. Prince de Liège 1, 5100 Jambes-Namur (tel. 081/31-18-00; fax 081/31-02-00; www.gitesdewallonie.net). For Flanders, it's the Vlaamse Federatie voor Plattelandstoerisme, Minderbroederstraat 8, 2000 Leuven (tel. 016/24-21-58; fax 016/24-21-87; www.plattelandstoerisme.be).
Brussels
Note the changed numbers for airport information: Brussels National Airport (tel. 0900/70-000 in Belgium; tel. 02/753-77-53 from abroad; www.brusselsairport.be).
The fax number of the Belgian Tourist Information Center is tel. 02/504-02-70. There are now tourist information desks in the Arrivals hall at Brussels National Airport and in the TGV/Thalys/Eurostar lounge at the city's Gare du Midi rail station.
Two bus companies provide service to points outside the city (and stop at some points within it): TEC (tel. 010/23-53-53), with buses orange in color, covers French-speaking Wallonia; De Lijn (tel. 070/22-02-00), with buses white in color, covers Dutch-speaking Flanders.
Antiques Fair, Tour & Taxis, av. du Port, Brussels. The top Belgian antiques dealers and selected dealers from abroad get together to show off their wares. Contact Foire des Antiquaires de Belgique (tel. 02/513-48-31; www.antiques-fair.be). Last 10 days of January.
The great little Welcome Hotel is an even better value than listed in the book: Its rates include an excellent buffet breakfast.
Diners at Master Chef Pierre Wynants's stellar restaurant Comme Chez Soi are emerging with even more of a spring in their step than usual. Under the influence of associate chef Lionel Rigolet, the dishes have been looking lighter in recent times -- even the Burgundian Bruxellois are having to conform to a faster, slimmer world.
The Brussels Bourse (Stock Exchange) stands on the grounds of a Franciscan convent, Les Récollets, that succumbed over the centuries to wars, fire and religious conflict. Excavations begun in 1988 uncovered the convent's foundations and a bunch of medieval tombs. There's now a small underground museum, Bruxella 1238, rue de la Bourse (tel. 02/279-43-50), on the site. The most important tomb is that of Duke of Brabant Jean I, who died in 1294. You can visit here only on guided tours that depart from the Musée de la Ville on Wednesdays 10:15am (English), and 11:15am and 3pm (French). The tour costs 3€.
Count me among those who are absolument shocké that the once elegantly named Palais des Beaux-Arts (Palace of the Fine Arts) cultural center has seen fit to change its name to the trendoid Bozar. If you recall your high-school French you'll know that when you pronounce Beaux-Arts -- and if you're in a particularly graceless frame of mind -- you come up with something that sounds like Bozar. So some bright spark thought it'd be a good idea to do it for you. Shooting is too good for this individual. Might I suggest that you indicate displeasure by, for instance, when someone welcomes you with "Bienvenue à Bozar," throwing up on their shoes.
The annual Brussels Heritage Days program on the third weekend of September allows you to visit some of the finest buildings in town that are usually closed to visitors. Around 60 sites are open. For more details visit the Information Center, Halles St-Géry, Place St-Géry (tel. 0800/40-400; Métro: Bourse), open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm.
Ghent
Ghent's main tourist office, Dienst Toerisme Gent, Predikherenlei 2, 9000 Gent (tel. 09/266-56-60; fax 09/266-56-73; www.gent.be); is open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to noon and 1 to 4:30pm. More convenient for personal visits, the Infokantoor (Inquiry Desk) in the Belfry cellar, Botermarkt 17A, 9000 Gent (tel. 09/266-52-32), is open April to October, daily from 9:30am to 6:30pm; and November to March, daily from 9:30am to 4:30pm (closed Jan 1 and Dec 25).
Antwerp
Close to the Antwerp Zoo and working in co-operation with it, a great attraction for kids is Aquatopia [ST], Koningin Astridplein 7 (tel. 03/205-07-40; www.aquatopia.be; Metro: Centraal Station), which opened its doors in 2003 in the Astrid Park Plaza Hotel building, just across the square from Centraal Station. The futuristic facility's 40 aquaria, set on three floors, are together filled with around a million liters (264,200 gallons) of salt water, and house some than 3,500 marine creatures, ranging from seahorses to sharks. Tropical rainforests, mangroves, wetlands, coral reefs, the ocean floor -- all, and more, are featured. No doubt the biggest thrill will come from walking through the clear-walled "shark tunnel," while watching smallish examples of these toothy denizens of the deep swimming around you. Multimedia applications and interactive computer displays complement the live action; even Nemo puts in an appearance. If you're visiting with children, you may want to spend at least 2 hours here. Aquatopia is open daily from 10am to 6pm. Admission is 9.45€ ($12) for adults, 7.45€ ($9.30) for seniors and students, 4.95€ ($5.20) for people of disability, and 6.45€ ($8.05) for children under 12.
Ostend
The resort's famous and plush Oostendse Compagnie Hotel, housed in the waterfront former Royal Villa, has closed. Its equally renowned Au Vigneron restaurant is reportedly looking for suitable new premises and may re-open. The old Royal Villa itself is to be put to a new use, perhaps as a museum.