A week after linking Belgium, with Ghent, Brussels, and Antwerp to WorldPride in Amsterdam, the Pride Express will now return the favour and link the Netherlands, with Utrecht, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam to Antwerp for Antwerp Pride on Saturday 8 August 2026.
ANTWERP | Middelheimmuseum presents ‘Monster Chetwynd. A Friends Making Machine’: first Belgian solo show and open-air exhibition for British artist
The Middelheimmuseum in Antwerp will present ‘Monster Chetwynd. A Friends Making Machine’, the British artist’s first museum solo exhibition in Belgium and her first-ever open-air show, from 16 May to 11 October 2026.
NS will not run EuroCity trains to and from Brussels to Eindhoven
The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) is not adopting Dutch train passengers union Rover‘s proposal to extend the EuroCity Brussels-South to Breda route to Eindhoven Central instead of Rotterdam Central, the organisation states.
REVIEW | Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa Eki Nishiguchi
Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and…
ANTWERP | St James’ Church (Sint-Jacobskerk) fully reopens after seven years of restoration
After an extensive seven-year restoration, the monumental St James’ Church (Sint-Jacobskerk) in Antwerp will fully reopen its doors to the public. From Friday 15 May, visitors will once again be able to explore the church and its rich heritage in all its glory.
BELGIUM | Beyond Darklands 2027, themed ‘The Ember Dunes’, from Tuesday 16 to Monday 22 February in Antwerp
Once upon a time Jeroen Van Lievenoogen started a kink and fetish festival called LeatherPride Belgium. That became Leather & Fetish Pride Belgium, and then Darklands, which was initially used to name the daytime activities. In 2026 the festival was rebranded Beyond Darklands. In 2027, Beyond Darklands will take place from Tuesday 16 to Monday…
PASSENGER PACKAGE | European Union wants seamless rail travel with one ticket across Europe, but critics see major obstacles
On 13 May 2026, the European Commission has unveiled sweeping plans to make rail travel across Europe simpler and more integrated, promising easier booking, stronger passenger rights and smoother international journeys. But shortly after the proposals were published, railway experts, passenger organisations, and others argue the reforms risk becoming too rigid, too complex and ultimately…
Belgium slips to 4th in European LGBTQIA+ rights ranking: stagnation and unaddressed gaps
Belgium has dropped from second to fourth place on the Rainbow Map & Index 2026, ILGA Europe’s annual ranking of LGBTQIA+ rights across the continent. The ranking, published on 12 May 2026, reveals a troubling trend: while Belgium has long been regarded as a pioneer in LGBTQIA+ rights, its failure to address critical gaps has…
RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2026 | Spain breaks Malta’s decade-long hold on Europe’s LGBTQIA+ rights top spot
As the rules-based international order fractures and democracy is under pressure from east and west, Spain‘s top ranking in ILGA-Europe‘s Rainbow Map of 49 countries on LGBTI human rights laws and policies stands as proof that political courage remains the most powerful answer. Belgium retains its score of 85% but falls to forth in the ranking,…
GERMANY | Introducing Cologne
November and December 2017. During my solo trip to Taiwan – the vacation which was a catalyst to start Trip By Trip – I met Ugo. Fast forward to August 2025. Ugo is touring Europe and we decided to meet up. Showing him Antwerp was an option, but fitting the metropolis into his itinerary was…