My favourite part of the Netherlands.
Exactly. But I'd be more than happy to give the southern part to France, as a nice present. Including Brussels.
I love Belgium and I love Belgians. Their country has failed, but its failedness is charming and its incompleteness and incorrectness - as opposed to the Dutch neurotic, bizarre tendency to be perfect by regulating everything - is charming. Belgium is truly a beautiful country (I'm being completely serious here), it's truly a shame I always try to cross it within an hour (and repeatedly succeeded in doing so) when driving to France. Sorry, neighbours.
On the political level, its media are sooo taboo-ridden. I read a good article about the difference between Flanders and the Netherlands in terms of openness to controversial ideas recently - the Netherlands being much more open to them -, but it was in Dutch. At the same time, the Flemish public seem to be much more "revolutionary" than the laid-back Dutch, which scares me a little.
I love Flemish Dutch language, by the way.
