FR-1057695 Château de Vêves, Belgium

The Castle of Vêves (French: Château de Vêves) occupies a rocky platform just outside the village of Celles, in the province of Namur, Belgium. It is classified as Major Heritage of Wallonia. According to tradition, the site has been occupied by castles since the time of Pippin of Herstal (7th century). In the later Middle Ages, the area fell under control of the Beaufort family, which oversaw the construction of a stronghold here in about 1230.

The present castle, in the form of an irregular pentagon and flanked by six round towers of varying size, dates largely from around 1410. Successive restorations modified especially the walls of the inner courtyard, one of which is lined with a distinctive half-timbered gallery of two levels, and another of which was given a red brick facade in the Louis XV style. The northern frontage is crowned with a small cupola containing a clock. (Source: Wikipedia)

This lovely postcard came from Bernard in France. (Postcrossing, October 2018)

BE-395337 Parcel delivery (Paketzusteller) 1895

This postcard has the captions “Paketzusteller” and “500 Jahre Post” (both in German) but came from a postcrosser in Belgium, Veronique (22 October 2015) so I am not sure whether the illustration is that of a Belgium or a German postman.

BE-322615 The colours of the Belgian flag

Julian Key (1930-1999) is one of the main Belgian poster artists of the second half of the twentieth century. This poster was created by him for L’Art Belge which was one of the events during Expo 58, also known as the Brussels World's Fair (Dutch: Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling, French: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles). Expo 58 was held from 17 April to 19 October 1958. This was the first major World's Fair after World War II.

What is interesting is that Key has employed the colours of the Belgian flag in his poster.

The colours of the Belgian flag were taken from the arms of Brabant, a province in the former Low Countries (today Belgium and the Netherlands). The arms of Brabant show on a black field a yellow lion facing the viewer's left, with a red tongue and nails. The heraldic description (blazon) of these arms is "Sable a lion rampant or armed and langued gules".

This postcard came from Daerden (21 November 2014) Postcrossing.

SW CL-207 Belgium - België - Belgique

Belgium is a federal monarchy in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters as well as those of several other major international organisations such as NATO. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres (11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 11 million people.

Belgium is home to two main linguistic groups: the Dutch-speaking, mostly Flemish community (which constitutes about 59% of the population), and the French-speaking, mostly Walloon population (which comprises 41% of all Belgians). Additionally, there is a small group of German-speakers who are officially recognized.  Belgium has a unique form of a federal state with segregated political power into three levels:

1.The federal government, based in Brussels (the capital).

2.The three language communities:  the Flemish Community (Dutch-speaking);
                                                           the French Community (French-speaking);
                                                           the German-speaking Community.
3.The three regions:    the Flemish Region, subdivided into five provinces;
                                    the Walloon Region, subdivided into five provinces;
                                    the Brussels-Capital Region

This postcard was sent by heartcore1985 (24 July 2014) Swap-bot.

Graslei - the beautiful heart of Ghent (Gent), Belgium

Ghent (Gent) is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province.

Most inhabitants of this city will agree that Granslei is the most beautiful place in Ghent.  Together with the Leie River and the Korenlei on the opposite side of the water, this is Ghent’s prime highlight and the bustling heart of the city. From the 11th century until the late Middle Ages, the quays of Graslei and Korenlei served as the city’s main port as well as a major trade centre for grain. The buildings at number 9 and 12 are former guildhalls of grain traders and the building at number 10 used to be a wheat storehouse. Today this medieval port with its unique row of historical buildings is the meeting place par excellence. Young and old, inhabitant and visitor, everyone meets on one of the many café patios or simply by the water. This is the thriving heart of the inner city.

This postcard was sent by Sofie (13 March 2014) who has written to me partly in Dutch.
The stamp is VERY interesting - it has a chocolate scent.  Belgium besides beer is also famous for its chocolates. 
 

Belgium beers and flag

This postcard showcases an important product of Belgium - beer.  These various types of beer are shown against a backdrop of the Belgium flag.

The national flag of Belgium contains three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red.