Now Playing on Travel with Rick Steves
Program 670a: Weekend in Brussels; The Temporary European; My Town
Release Date: 07-19-2025
Description
A Brussels-based tour guide offers his recommendations for making the most of a weekend in the Belgian capital. Then one of Rick's co-authors joins us to explore what it means to become a "temporary local" when traveling, and how it can help you actually relax on your next vacation. And listeners share ideas for enjoying areas they know well, as long-term locals — including Maine's Acadia National Park and the art museums of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Guests
- Tour guide Hilbren Buys
- Cameron Hewitt, author of "The Temporary European" (Travelers' Tales)
- Journalist Egill Bjarnason, author of "How Iceland Changed the World" (Penguin Books)
Related Links
- The Rick Steves online guide to Brussels.
- A guide to museums in Brussels includes the Tram Museum that Hilbren recommends.
- Lonely Planet calls Les Marolles the best neighborhood in Brussels for you to feel like a local.
- Since we recorded our interview with Hilbren Buys, he has relocated to Paris, and now works as a riverboat captain on the Seine for Paris Water Way.
- Cameron Hewitt shares travel photos and thoughts in his blog entries.
- Readers at Goodreads have high praise for Cameron's book, "The Temporary European."
- Caller Carol recommends the glass art exhibits at the Imagine Museum, and viewing the Salvador Dalí works at the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Note, however, that the Dr. Barbecue restaurant has closed since we recorded her call.
- Egill Bjarnason is the author of "How Iceland Changed the World."
- The Bobby Fischer Center chess museum is open daily during the summer season, just outside Selfoss.