The Dutch produce 650 million kilos of cheese every year. Two-thirds are exported, making Holland the largest cheese exporter in the world. On average, the Dutch eat 14.3 kilos of cheese per person per year. No wonder Holland is known all over the world as cheese country.
Gouda is the second largest cheese city next to Edam. The cheese of the same name is produced there.
Young Gouda tastes creamy and mild, the cheese mass is soft to almost creamy and of almost white to light yellow color. Only with a longer ripening period does an increasingly strong, spicy flavor develop. At the same time, the cheese becomes drier and darkens to an intense golden yellow.

Bruges - a city where medieval architectural beauties present themselves as if on a catwalk: magnificent patrician houses, the city hall like a magnificent shrine, the Belfried reaching for the sky, not to forget the canals, which are called "reien" here and because of which Bruges is called the "Venice of the North".
Bruges has been a World Heritage Site since 2000, and during the season and on public holidays it is crowded and quite touristy, but the early bird catches the worm.

Fact check:
Inhabitants: 262000, Restaurants: 734, Mood at first glance: bustling, vital, with big city flair, Mood at second glance: City for explorers, with hidden alleys, pubs worth experiencing and exquisite art, special feature: the city center is LEZ = low emission zone and completely car-free.
Motto: Nie neute, nie pleuje - don't complain, don't let it get you down.
So much for Ghent in a nutshell. Ghent is not only to be seen, but above all to be experienced. Take your time, let yourself be carried away by the hustle and bustle in the historic center, go on a voyage of discovery in the museums, enjoy what our culinary talents have to offer you or throw yourself into the nightlife. From the St. Michielsbrug you have the most beautiful view of the city, the St. Niklaaskerk is an impressive Gothic building, in the St.Baafskathedraal the famous Ghent altar by Hubert and Jan van Eyck from the 14th century can be found, the city hall shines in cool Renaissance style, in the Graffitistraat eager spray artists have gone wild - so there is plenty to do.

Antwerp - Belgium's secret capital. It is located on the Scheldt, is a world port, diamond city, a mecca for art lovers, a paradise for shopping fans with a top fashion scene. Antwerp is cosmopolitan and intercultural. People with kippahs and sleeper curls, people with ankle-length caftans or djellaba, people of all religions and skin colors meet here. The largest Jewish community in Europe lives here. On top of all this, the city is bursting with sights:
The train station with its monumental arrival hall is based on the architectural style of the Pantheon in Rome.
Since the end of 2022, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts has been in full splendor after a long period of renovation and is once again at the top of the art world.
Magnificent houses in neo-Gothic, neoclassical and Art Nouveau styles line up in Zurenborg. The neighborhood is still almost an insider's tip, and the street Cogels-Osylei and its side streets are rumored to be among the most beautiful in the city, if not the country.
The Plantin-Moretus Museum tells the story of letterpress printing and is in possession of the oldest printing presses in the world. It has been a World Heritage Site since 2005.
And we haven't even talked about the Grote Markt yet, with its magnificent city hall and Brabo fountain. Here you will learn about the amputated hand, the "Antwerpse handje", which is a popular souvenir in the form of almond cookies or in chocolate.
Then there would be the Sin-Annatunnel and the historic escalator, De Koninck the oldest brewery, the old alley Vlaeykensgang and much, much more if you had much, much more time.