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Belgium
First ensure you’ve had a couple of kwak beers in their proper glass, then head upstairs to Toone’s theatre with its puppets dangling from the eaves, take your place on the bench – and be prepared to not understand very much. Fear not though, this is normal. This is Bruxellois.
This time it is an adaptation of Hamlet, transported to the backstreets and canal of Brussels. There is a bit of hanky panky between King and Queen, a regal ghost burning his bottom on the fires of purgatory, and someone has caught the “English” flu. Sitting near the front you can appreciate the arms behind the artifice: 7 young puppeteers are needed to perform the show, and the lead puppeteer (Toone VIII) is also ticketmaster, barman and answerer of baffled-tourist questions.
“To be or not to be: that is the cwestion…” We’ll say this in English, that way everyone can say they didn’t understand a thing”, says one of the characters. But perhaps this Bruxellois dialect isn’t so tricky after all. There’s a spuuk in this play, you know, and a snotneus, and a stoemmeriek (stupid person). Mostly performances are in French Bruxellois, but once a week you can try Flemish Bruxellois (and be even more confused). The dialect survives mostly as a strong accent and vocabulary: you’re most likely to hear it amongst the older generation and Flemish speakers.
In the interval, you can drink yet more beer amongst retired 30 year old puppets in the tiny museum-cum-bar. Meanwhile I’m mulling over a line from the performance, “Justice is a snail. It will come in its own time.”
Performances at 20:30, and at 16:00 and 20:30 on Saturdays.
Check online to see what is playing, and reserve places online or by telephone a couple of days beforehand if you can.
www.toone.be/
Impasse Sainte-Pétronille, Rue du Marché-aux-Herbes 66, 1000 Brussels
+32 2 513 54 86
Google map: bit.ly/PYFjRD
* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels
One of the largest film collections in Europe, complete with library, archives, three theatres and six or seven screenings daily. No wonder the man responsible for all that, Nicola Mazzanti, is uneasy.
“It’s better to be the last than the first”, he says, referring to the new and unknown challenges of digital film preservation; “and in Belgium, we’re at the avant garde of problems!” Of the 70,000 individual titles, some are holding up well, but some are in dire need of conservation, and staff can only restore about 100 of those a year. Amongst these titles can be found most, if not all, of Belgian film history and elements of US and international film history that are unique, spanning the period from 1896 to the present.
It falls to Nicola to ensure that the vast collection is accessible to the public, and in Cinematek’s bewildering offering contemporary, experimental and classics are all catered for. This Summer you can catch popular French cinema from the 1960s, lesser known Danish cinema and a scattering of films starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. Silent films have featured ever since Cinematek was founded in 1938; and these are always accompanied by a live pianist. There are also plans to screen films to orchestral accompaniment. Be warned that films are always shown in the original language with subtitles in French and Dutch! In between all of these screenings, researchers and enthusiasts can visit the reference library to seek out some obscure title, book or poster – consult the online
catalogue or email the staff in advance so they can check they have it and can extract it for you.
As for me, watching puzzling films in the Cinematek will be all the more appealing now I know about the mysterious strip-lit bunker, where miles upon miles of films are coiled up waiting in drums. 140,000 of them is something like the correct figure, including feature films each around 3000 metres long. “It’s a resource management problem”, sighs Nicola. Films are unstable and need to be stored somewhere cold and dry; “which is not easy, because cold is usually not dry.”
www.cinematek.be
Baron Hortastraat 9, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
+32(0)2 551 19 19
Google map: bit.ly/IPAVkZ
* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels
The European Parliament's new visitor centre finally provides a place to visit about the European institutions.
Upon entering the exhibition you are given a personal media guide which can be in any of the 23 EU languages. You then use this tool to unlock a huge range of different interactive elements throughout the exhibition. My favourite part of the centre however, was the 360° film which lasted about 10 minutes and immersed us in the Parliament action, while finding out about how it all works.
Definitely something to take visiting friends to see! It also has a gift shop and cafeteria, which is a nice place to spend your Sunday afternoon.
www.europarl.europa.eu/parlamentarium
Rue Wiertz 60/ Wiertzstraat 60, B-1047 Brussels
Belgium
+3222832222
Google map: bit.ly/xpX5JD
Take refuge in Frederic’s shop, where you can revive flagging legs with a cup of rich hot chocolate. No instant stuff this; but basically just melted chocolate, including the speciality Fredericisime, with no sugar and just a little honey, that you might not like but will knock your socks off. Along with the large and imaginative chocolate selection there are hot chocolate spoons, chocolate spreads, and ice creams. I must try the “Belgian sunshine” - I like a chocolatier with a sense of humour!
www.frederic-blondeel.com/en/presentation/
Quai aux Briques/Baksteenkaai 24, 1000 Brussels
+32 2 502 21 31
Google map: bit.ly/x8SWpl
* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels
Founded in 1919 in Brussels, since 1942 Mary has been the chocolate supplier to the Belgian royal family. There are only three shops in the country, and the brand has
shunned expansion and stuck to its retro-style packing, discreet service and pralines named after Princesses past and present. This is about class, but there is nothing to be concerned about on price! Chocolates are still made by hand by around ten employees in a former armaments factory.
A browse through the brochure reveals that chocolates should be kept between 15 and 18 degrees, avoiding rapid changes in temperature. “In truth, however, our chocolates seem to disappear rather quickly.” You bet they do.
www.marychoc.com/
Rue Royal/Konigsstraat 73, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
+32 2 217 45 00
Google map: bit.ly/zyRZ1L
* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels
Pushing open the door of this rickety townhouse you have become a child in a book, sneaking inside a mysterious attic. Your gaze fixes on piles of cardboard boxes, two enormous stuffed tigers and heaving wooden display cabinets as old as their contents.
There is a logic to the displays, but you notice that this is not applied rigidly. There are train sets, dolls, cowboys and Indians and piggy banks competing with model kitchens, tin soldiers and wind-up ladybirds. There’s wood and metal, but not so much plastic. Teddy bears can be found everywhere, along with wooden toys to climb on and plenty of corners to play hide and seek. Through a window you glimpse a workshop where dolls’ limbs and broken rocking horses hang, just waiting to be nursed back to life. Other children laugh and chatter away as they clamber on the exhibits, and the adults seek out their own childhood toys and rarer items such as a Noah’s ark, paper theatre or dolls houses behind glass. They’d say the only thing that’s missing is a coffee shop.
Then I stumble across André, the curator of the museum tucked in a room downstairs, working with a young apprentice. He says that as a father of six children, he found he was always packing and unpacking toys. The idea for a museum came automatically thirty years ago, and it has now been in its current location for 22 years. “It’s dusty, noisy and full of bric-a-brac”, he smiles. “But people still really like it.” The children will tell him that he has understood the interactivity part all right, unlike many other stuffier museums. “A toy has to be played with”, André says. Luckily it is easier to acquire toys that are a little worn, and that explains the 35,000 objects, the 700 or so teddy bears, the vaults underground and the crammed attic above. “It’s a lot of work”, says André of the constant tidying, unpacking and restoration, “but really it’s a pleasure.”
He’s even written a book about working at the museum, with a name strikingly similar to that of a famous film. Thinking about it, this place is the perfect setting for a film, if only the toys came alive after dark …
www.museedujouet.eu
Rue de l'Association/Verenigingstraat 24
1000 Brussels, Belgium
+32 (0)2 219 61 68
Metro: Madou or Botanique
Google map: bit.ly/vAouzO
* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels
Summer may be over (if it was ever really here) but there is plenty to look forward to in the Autumn. I’ll be heading to the 2011 Biennial Art Nouveau event, taking place over the final four weekends of October, and this year with a special focus on Victor Horta (born 150 years ago). Visitors sign up for guided tours of Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings: this appeals to my interest in the architecture of this period, but also to my incurable nosiness, as many of the places featured are private houses not usually open to the public! Each weekend covers a different area of the city. You can either book a passport for a particular weekend, or buy a pass for the whole event. The website helpfully lists some Art Nouveau bars and restaurants to try as well.
The event is organised by voir et dire Bruxelles: a roundtable group of tourism associations – each with their own specialism and offering a variety of bus, cycle or walking tours in French, Dutch or English. If you miss the biennial event, keep an eye out for their themed tours taking place at other times of the year.
www.voiretdirebruxelles.be/biennale
www.voiretdirebruxelles.be/
2-4 Rue Royale, 1000 Bruxelles
+32 (0)2 563 61 51
Google map: bit.ly/obSjyQ
* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels
“It’s not really a museum – or it was, or might have been”, muses Jan Bucquoy. I allow my eyes to flit around the room and take in his collection of wall collages. I see Napoleon, Michael Jackson,
Lenin, Hitler - all with brazen red lips and lacy fabric on their heads. Only Magritte’s head has an apple instead, “I thought that surrealism was already strange enough!” Chuckles Bucquoy. Moving over to take a closer look at one of the exhibits, I read the solemn notice:
“Please complete the aforementioned coupon and return it together with your pants.”
So here I am in Brussels’ anti-Museum of underpants, which has persisted in various locations since its creation in 1990, fanning the infamous reputation of its already infamous creator. Of course it’s an anti-museum because it doesn’t just represent dead things: the owners of some of the pants are very much alive! And for Bucquoy this is not art for art’s sake, it is reminding us that we all wear underpants, that we are all ... equal! Giggling aside, perhaps there’s some truth in the juxtaposition
of power and lace: stern portraits of Sarkozy, Clinton and de Gaulle all seem less intimidating with a pair of frilly ladies’ smalls on their head. And what of Bucquoy? “No, the Director doesn’t wear pants”, he says, mischievously.
This small sample of Bucquoy’s extensive collection is displayed in De Dolle Mol, a weathered Flemish bar re-opened after rising rents forced it to close; and now supported by the Flemish community, sometimes hosting musicians and cultural events. Linked to the liberation of women, the birth of the Flemish Amnesty International movement and the B-generation, this place has always been the home of dreamy revolutionaries and self-styled outlaws, and seems to be attracting fans from the school-age generation as well. On Thursday or Friday evenings you may even bump into Bucquoy.
21 May in Belgium used to be the day for Bucquoy’s mock “Coup d’état”. There’s no need for that at the moment, as Belgium has no elected government, no mandate for raising taxes, and for Bucquoy, things are working rather well. So his focus is on future projects: touring the Musée du Slip to New York or London; sending out another 1000 letters to solicit new exhibits; directing the second part
of his film “Camping Cosmos” (which will again feature Noël Godin, perhaps the original and most successful “entarteur” ever – cream pie throwing tormenter of public figures such as Bill Gates and Bernard-Henri Lévy). But, Bucquoy grins, “I always come back to the pants.”
De Dolle Mol is open Wednesday to Sunday from 16:00
Rue des Eperonniers 52, 1000 Brussels
Google map: bit.ly/p96Qus
* Bec is our Been there local for Brussels. You can view her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/Becinbrussels
This airy former textile warehouse designed by Victor Horta was saved from sad decline and converted into an exhibition space and research centre. Adult enthusiasts of the bande dessinée will enjoy a couple of hours studying the various displays, showcasing different illustration techniques derived from etching, photography and pastel and acrylic painting. Pick up a folder at the ticket desk with information in English on the artists and exhibits.
There’s a series of pictureboards from the museum archives and a study library, reading room, brasserie and well-stocked bookshop. The centre organises themed guided tours, workshops and temporary exhibitions; but if, like me, you didn't grow up with bande dessinée on your shelves, you could probably do with some more interactive illustrator demonstrations or Tintins to clamber over. Currently it’s not really a place for young children or those of us with limited attention spans!
www.comicscenter.net/en/home
20 rue des Sables (Zandstraat), 1000 Brussels
+ 32 (0)2 219 19 80
Google map: bit.ly/qsUJSN
Rebecca is our Been there local for Brussels. You can read her page and tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/brussels-local-rebecca.jsp.
She has her own blog at: www.becinbrussels.blogspot.com
On Friday evenings from June until September the Apéros Urbains offer after-work apéritifs outdoors and music to unwind to. The venue changes each week, giving you the excuse to explore a new area of Brussels. On 24 June the 100th edition will take place in the Bois de la Cambre, and later there will be the 15 July appearance at Bruxelles-les-Bains (open 1 July - 7 August). True, the Brussels canal is certainly not Paris Plage, but curiosity may still get the better of me this year!
Attendance at the Apéros varies somewhat according to the location and most importantly what the weather is like, but they can be very popular. Note that if it's raining, it will all be called off ...
I would like to recommend an Art Nouveau bus tour operated by ARAU (Atelier de Recherche et d'Action Urbaines), a non-profit local resident's group of architects, designers and interested citizens. The tour takes you to the most extravangant houses of the time around 1900, explaining not only who built it, but also who lived in it and what happened to the building throughout the century. The tour includes visits to the interiors of some Art Nouveau buildings, some of which are not open to the public.
The tour guide we were lucky to join was a very entertaining man, who also told us a lot about city developement and the way Brussels deals with its historical monuments.
The tour takes 3 hours, price is 17 Euro, online reservation possible. For details see: www.arau.org
Google map: tinyurl.com/nmfoha
For a quality lunch, pay a visit to the Museum Brasserie, which is in the Museum of Fine Arts overlooking the Palace Royale. It has a menu terroir of Belgian cuisine cooked by the Michelin-starred chef Peter Goossens.
www.museumfood.be
Rue de la Regence 3, 1000 Brussels
Google map: tinyurl.com/njs39t
Pop over to the Royal Museum for Central Africa and the Geographic Arboretum in Tervuren - it's the best green space in Brussels.
Then head to "Het Park"in the town square for fantastic cuisine.
www.africamuseum.be/
Leuvensesteenweg 13 3080 Tervuren, Belgium
Google map: tinyurl.com/mrk8s6
DVD devotees should ascend to the top floor of the Inno department store on the pedestrianised Rue Neuve, for the Media Markt store.
This major European chain sells general electronic devices plus a fair selection of CDs but excels with its choice of DVDs at competitive prices.
Art-house and world cinema titles which would be hard or impossible to find in the UK are well represented though remember to check that foreign language films have English sub-titles!
(There is also a branch of Media Markt in Antwerp on De Keyserlei close to the Central Station.)
Brussels makes a great weekend trip with children.
Not so big and overwhelming, with so many "must sees," as Paris, but more than enough to keep you busy.
And there is loads of great chocolate - need I say more?
Don't miss MIM, with more than 1,000 ancient and rare instruments from around the world.
There is a lovely cafe overlooking the city on the top floor.
The best place we've found to stay with kids: Novotel Centre/Tour Noire. It has a cool hammam/indoor swimming pool surrounded by rocks which creates a very cool atmosphere. It is walking distance to Grand Place, also to many waterside restaurants and off-the-beaten path neighborhood places and playgrounds, good ethnic restaurants nearby, easy access to train station.
If you have more than a weekend, take a day trip to Bruges, Antwerp, or any other place in Belgium: distances are short!
The KVS Bol theatre is dazzling. It’s an impressive example of how well Brussels can occasionally weave together traditional and modern design and produce something uniquely memorable.
Following extensive refurbishment, it reopened in 2006 to reveal a stage that sits inside a vast ball encased within the walls of its 19th Century building.
Most performances support the Flemish language, and shows in French or English are not uncommon. But if you can’t attend one of these, try having a drink in the gorgeous second floor bar.
Everyone knows about the "Manneken Pis" - Brussel's famous statue of a little boy urinating. But, does anyone know about the "Janneken Pis", the little girl?
This statue is much more difficult to find and much less famous. Janneken stands in a very narrow, dead-end street in the Rue des Bouchers. I only remember seeing one very small signpost!!
Recommend all visitors to check out the Théâtre de Toone - an atmospheric and authentic puppet theatre that transcends language and uplifts any visit to the city
In the Rue du boucher there is a very small side road named the Schuddeveldgang.
If you walk that through you will see a very small alley at your left.
Walk it right till the end and you will come to one of the two entrances of Theatre Toone. This place consists out of several rooms and one is the theatre room where you can enjoy a traditional local puppet show.
If there are no plays performed then the whole establishment is open as pub.
The Union is a bohemian piratical bar in a bohemian, piratical area (St Gilles). It was originally the home of the Union of St Gilles football club (holders of the longest unbeaten record of any football club in Belgium) and now plays host to punks, hippies, and stoners of every description (although I wouldn't recommend lighting one up there, new Belgian legislation regarding cannabis notwithstanding).
The décor is composed of insane clowns, grinning pirates, a nice poster of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and various other head toys that will both amuse and fascinate the casual observer. Some nice runework in the loos is representative of the anarchistic spirit of this counter-cultural icon.
St Gilles, the 'Parvis'; nearest tram stop: Parvis de St Gilles
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