BEYOND BRUSSELS

RODERIC DUNNETT journeys to Antwerp and Gent
and finds good things on offer at de Vlaamse Opera

Opera Festivals - Buxton, Longborough or Grange Park in the UK, Castleward and Wexford in Ireland, Salzburg, Gottingen, Drottningholm and Aix-en-Provence in continental Europe, or Glimmerglass in the USA - fill the summer and early autumn. But where should one seek out that little extra treat during the long winter season?

One option in the UK is to stretch your tentacles further : plan a reduced price weekend Eurostar ticket, enjoy the smooth journey through Kent ('admiring the fields and watching the cows', as President Mitterand mockingly put it) and make a beeline for France or Belgium.

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