elllo - English Listening Lesson Library Online
image
Views #1264 | Intermediate (B1)

Best of Belgium

Chris talks about some of the nicest places in his home country of Belgium.

Ade: Good afternoon Chris, tell me, we want to know what are your favorite places in your country?

Chris: My favorite places in my country. Well Belgium is actually a city country, I mean we have ... of course we have a beach which is a pretty long beach. It's not the most beautiful one but it has, I mean a lot of opportunities for children to play to make these nice sandcastles. When the tide is low you can go jogging, play ... play even tennis on hard sand beach. Then apart from the beach we also have our hills, I mean they're not that high, I mean the highest one is about 700 meters, it's a nice place full of nature where you can have nice walks and you can also ride a bike. There are nice tracks to ride a bike. And then of course you have the cities, I mean best cities, there is ... my city is Antwerp, that's where I come from. Antwerp is of course really known for it's commercial port, nice shopping opportunities, also night entertainment. Night time entertainment is really nice in Antwerp.

Ade: Really!

Chris: Of course, you should try it. I mean if you come once, I'll be your tour guide.

Ade: Oh, thank you so much.

Chris: And if you come ... I mean you should come three days, but I mean it's nice to visit three days, I wouldn't come longer, three days. One day to see Antwerp, another day to see, for example, Brugges. Brugges is a really idyllic place, it's a really romantic place with the river running through town, some nice ancient buildings, chocolate shops in every corner. We can try the real Belgian chocolate. And then of course you have our capital, Brussels, which is full of history. I mean Brussels you see one history place next to the other, and museums, plazas, our famous Manneken Pis as they say.

Ade: Oh yeah, I heard about it, it's the little children making pee.

Chris: It's our mark. It's Brussels brand let's say. It's Mannekan Pis. Everybody wants to see it and take pictures, I mean, it's full of people taking pictures of it, but it's actually just a little man, let's say peeing, and it's not, I think it's not more than 40 centimeters. That's it actually.

Ade: Nice.

Chris: And more, I think that's about it for Belgium. I mean, it's a nice country to live in. It's pretty gray. It has some nice cities. It has its beach. It has it's hills. It has everything, but it just doesn't have the good weather.

Ade: Ah, that's why all Belgians come to Spain.

Chris: That's right. That's why I'm living actually in Spain right now.

Ade: Ah, perfect. I hope you like it.

Chris: Sure!

Ade: OK, Chris, thank you very much.

Chris: No problem.

Answer these questions about the interview.
Audio Lessons about Phrases and Vocabulary

tracks

notesThere are nice tracks to ride a bike.

A track is a small road or lane. Notice the following:

  1. Some cities have special tracks for cycling.
  2. I like to run around the track.

every corner

noteschocolate shops in every corner.

Every corner means on every street corner or in many places. Notice the following:

  1. There is a Starbucks on every corner.
  2. On every corner, someone is selling something.

full of history

notesYou have our capital, Brussels, which is full of history.

Full of history means it has a rich past. Notice the following:

  1. That region is full of history.
  2. I knew that battlefield was full of history.

one --- next to the other

notesI mean Brussels you see one history place next to the other.

The phrase 'one -- next to the other' means there are many in one area. Notice the following:

  1. In Paris you see one cafe next to the other.
  2. In Asia, you see one convenient next to the other. They are everywhere.

gray

notesIt's pretty gray.

The phrase 'it's gray' means it is not sunny that much. Notice the following:

  1. It is often gray in England.
  2. When it is gray, I feel down.

Vocabulary Quiz

tracks • corner • full of history
gray • the other
  1. There is a cafe on every .
  2. There is a one bar next to .
  3. The weather is today.
  4. The downtown is .
  5. Just follow the .

Courses for Students and Teachers

One Minute English Videos

Views English Lessons

Mixer English Lessons

Learn Academic English with News Stories

About the Teacher / Creator

Hello, and welcome to elllo. My name is Todd Beuckens. I've been an ESL teacher for 25 years. I created elllo to provide teachers and students free audio lessons and learning materials not usually found in commercial textbooks.
Contact Me Here