The Adventures of Tintin was drawn by a Belgian artist while Rene Magritte puzzles; on the topic of art, the Netherlands are the home of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh. If you like a range of beer, Belgium will not disappoint; if you want to explore a familiar brew, visit Amsterdam’s Heineken Experience. If you like fries or waffles, Belgium, arguably, has the best; if your gastronomic tastes are more suited to dairy, the Netherlands is known for its cheese. In the realm of the fanciful,

There’s a lot to try when it comes to the cuisine and delicacies of these countries. Waterzooi is a creamy Flemish stew of fish, butter and eggs. Of course, there’s plenty of herring, and broodje haring is a small sandwich of it with pickles and onions. Crevettes grises—small gray shrimp—are everywhere; have them in fried croquettes with sauce (often béchamel). Snert is Holland’s version of a pea soup.  Cannibale is Belgium steak tartare seasoned with mayo and onion and served on sweet white toast with capers and cornichons. Bitterballen are Delicious, deep-fried crispy meatballs. You can’t travel through these countries and not have the frites (French fries), perhaps with patatje oorlog (peanut satay sauce) or a patat speciaal (curry ketchup, mayonnaise and onions). A true Indonesian-Dutch experience is to enjoy a rijsttafel  (rice table), a feast of a dozen or more dishes. Of course, then there’s the famous waffles in Belgium and Dutch pancakes in Holland. Finally, try the signature Jenever (type of gin), or have it together with a beer, known as a kopstootje, meaning “head butt”.

The Diary of A Young Girl (A. Frank), The Dinner (H. Koch), Amsterdam: A Brief Life of a City (G. Mak), Tulip Fever (D. Moggach), Cheese (W. Elsschot), The Apothecary’s House (A. Mathews), The Adventures of Tin Tin (Herge), Bottom’s Up in Belgium (A. le Sueur), The Discomfort of Evening (M. Rijneveld).