Proud towers, pituresque market squares with magnificent town halls, canals and bridges: Flanders owes everything to the sea and trade. With its cities like Bruges, Antwerp, and Ghent, Flanders has been one of the most important centers of Western art and culture since the middle Ages. The traces of flemish masters such as Rubens or Van Eyck are much a part of Flanders as the desire for pleasure and good food. It is no wonder then that the creative Flemings also draw comics, brew 100 different beers, invent chocolates, cook masterfully, and of course make the best French fries.