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“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
There are many bars in Brussels trying to do something new and different. Some aim to re-create the music and surroundings of past decades, but there aren’t many places like Booze n’Blues, where you sense the owner’s nostalgia for his youth enveloping you with its dark red walls and jukebox.
References to Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, fraying momentoes and blues music wrapping you in a cocoon: here it is personal, like a bedroom left behind in a family home and not touched since.
The jukebox will accompany your evening, when it’s working. Likewise Fakir Hindou, the fortune
telling box on the bar, might provide an erratic prognosis of your future for 20 cents. Two attempts produced the same result: “everything will go according to your wishes”. I’m not sure it’s a good thing to have everything you want!
Booze n’Blues has been family-run for the last 13 years. The owner lives upstairs. Downstairs you could almost imagine yourself somewhere in rural America. But the owner has never been. “There’s a meeting of blues fans in Los Angeles every year”, his sister tells me. "I’d love to send him there, but he doesn’t like flying.”
Rue des Riches Claires 20, 1000 Brussels
+32 (0)2 513 93 33
Google map: bit.ly/rcdCPW
* 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
So you've walked (or stumbled) along the oh-so-touristy Leidseplein and its collection of pubs, clubs and cafes, all about as subtle as a pie in the face. Or maybe you're a return visitor to Amsterdam and you've grown a little wiser. Either way, you are looking for something better, cooler, and devoid of Eurotrash. I'd suggest you turn the corner and head to Bo Cinq.
A bar/lounge/restaurant on Prinsengracht, one of the main canals that make up the city center, Bo Cinq (I have no idea what that means - will have to check with them on my next visit) is a great spot for a drink or a bite to eat. Lined with red bricks on both sides of the long, low-ceilinged interior, this place just makes you 50% cooler and relaxed as soon as you walk in the door. The low-slung couches and chairs invite you to lean in or get close to people. If that's not your thing, the other room has a long bar made for standing and mingling.
The ambiance is great - toeing the line but staying well on the good side of pretentiousness, with good tunes and good-looking people hovering near the 30-year-old mark. The vibe is good for groups and singles, though you won't feel like you're in a meat market. Subtlety is the key to the place, in the food and the mood. Later in the evening, it fills up and the energy follows suit.
They have other things going on each week, including a canal boat tour that leaves from just outside its doors - check out the website: bo5.nl/index.php
It's not cheap, mind you, with pricey cocktails appetizers that are a little too precious for my taste - they quality is great, but one might prefer some heartier fare when having a few drinks. But overall it's well worth a visit.
(Tip: if you want to use your phone here or you're waiting for an SMS that hasn't come, head outside for a moment. Inside, you're surrounded by too much brick and only the heartiest of mobiles will have a signal).
bo5.nl/
Prinsengracht 494, 1017 KH Amsterdam
+31 20 622 0682
* Jeff is our Been there local for Amsterdam. You can read his profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/amsterdam-local-jeff-funnekotter.jsp and follow his tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/jefffunnekotter
Google map: bit.ly/pO3GJS
A mix of simple wooden tables, utilitarian steel shelves and brown floral seventies wallpaper.
Delecta is another of my favourite small Brussels bars, an intimate after-work venue both in summer and winter, where you can share bottles of wine and plates of antipasti or huddle round the stove when it’s cold. There is a good selection of beer and light meals: more interesting variations on the ubiquitous croque monsieur, quiches and lasagne. Thursday evenings host the popular “les apéros
du Delecta”, complete with DJ.
Rue Lannoy/Lannoystraat 2, 1050 Ixelles
+32 (0)2 644 19 49
Google map: bit.ly/pkPES7
It sometimes seems that there is not a bar in the world that Hemingway did not frequent. However, Hemingway Bar in central Prague takes inspiration from the watering holes of Hemingway’s era rather than staking an actual
claim on the author’s custom.
The bar, which occupies two cosy rooms, has a classic American bar feel: walls lined with bottles of spirits, lots of dark wood, leather furniture and soft lighting. Hemingway’s boasts an impressive and modern cocktail menu,
presented by very knowledgeable staff. The bar is particularly proud of its rum selection – it offers over 100 bottles – and its absinthe offerings.
The menu, like the bar itself, manages to be simultaneously comfortably familiar and strikingly modern. My personal favourite is the Jasmine Tea Cup – gin infused with jasmine tea, with lime cordial and fresh lime served,
brilliantly, in a china tea cup.
Lovely for an after dinner drink a la deux, or tres cool for drinks with the girls. Subtle glamour in the heart of Prague.
www.hemingwaybar.cz/bar-praha/
Karolíny Světlé 279/26, 110 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic
+42(0)773 974 764
Google map: bit.ly/qTiUPU
* Helen is our Been there local for Prague. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/prague-local-helen-ford.jsp and she has her own blog here: czechingin.wordpress.com/
A crescent of crushed white pebbles, the crystal clear water of Lake Pirihueico and a couple of snow-capped Andean volcanoes looming overhead. A simple, leaning wooden shack with a corrugated iron roof was the restaurant/shop. I bought a beer and a sandwich, slapped on the factor 30 and unfurled my towel while waiting for my bus to Argentina. The elderly Maipuche woman who ran the place provided entertainment when she decided to give her cat its weekly wash in the lake.
At the eastern end of Lake Pirihueico in the south of Chile's lake district. A breathtaking 90-minute ferry ride from the opposite end of the lake is part of the little-used cross-border route to San Martin de los Andes in Argentina.
Google map: bit.ly/pGl09h
You get a great view of Riga from the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu Hotel Skyline bar in the city centre – there are beautiful sunsets you can enjoy together with your friends with a glass of your favorite drink there! Radisson Blue Hotel you will easily see walking just some three minutes from the Freedom Monument to the historical centre (away from the Old Town). The bar opens at 3 - 4PM, but you can't always get the table near the window and you can't reserve. But you can go there and walk around enjoying the sights, and you can do it for free. The best thing is that from this place you can enjoy the lights of Riga at night. If there are any free tables on the left side of the room – you are lucky, the view from there is the best. They have also panoramic elevators (and the view from the toilets is worth seeing).
www.skylinebar.lv/en
Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija, Elizabetes Str 55, Riga
+371 67772222
Google map: bit.ly/nAcbWa
The Star at Night is a mixture of a bar, cafe, cocktail bar, bistro and crusty old pub, all rolled into one. It's usually frequented by gay clientele, but in Soho anything goes and it's one of the most relaxed and friendly places in town.
The short menu has over-priced tapas-style offerings in disappointingly small portions: Greek salad, smoked salmon, grilled Halloumi, tortilla and nibbles such as pistachios and olives.
The main reason to go is the great, chilled out atmosphere and the old-fashioned decor with an emphasis on old wood, which makes a change from the usual sleek, up-to-the-minute, minimalist places all around.
The Star also has a great collection of sign memorabilia, including a pet food advert, which the waitress claims is the 'most photographed sign in London'.
Drop by and you'll see why!
Don't let the Crossrail building works occupying 95% of the street put you off. The word on the street was that the Star would have to close, however they are digging their heels in and staying put, hopefully for a lot longer.
www.thestaratnight.com/
22 Great Chapel Street, London W1 8FR
+44(0)207 4942488
Nearest tube: Northern & Central line to Tottenham Court Road
Google map: bit.ly/ol8O52
This is a fantastic place that serves 30 Czech beers on tap and offers flights of five or 10 beers. It's the best place in Prague for sampling a great range of Czech beers. Make sure you don't miss it!
www.praguebeermuseum.com/
+(420) 732 330 912
Dlouha 46, Praha 1
Google map: bit.ly/rpyZcX
Located in one of the arches under the railway line, Secondo is a delightful cafe and second hand clothing emporium. The arch is crammed with all manner of retro clothing, furnishings, there's even a caravan and a dinky bubble car! The menu is great and customers can request bigger portions if required to give strength to sort through the vast selection of vintage and retro clothing. A DJ plays music from the 1950s and 1980s in the caravan on Friday and Saturday evenings. Great idea, great place.
www.secondouk.com
642 Voltaire Road, Clapham SW4 6DH
+44 7525 026 962
Northern Line tube to Clapham North
Google map: bit.ly/nXuugB
It’s sometimes confusing for tourists wandering around central Prague late on a Saturday night to work out where all the cool bars are. Answer: they’re underground. Beer cellars and underground space are frequently used and more often than not, a lot more fun than the tourist-focused bars at street level.
U Sudu is a great little bar on Vodičkova (just off Wenceslas Square) that is always open until the small hours. Chiefly a wine bar (although it also serves beer), U Sudu sprawls downwards like a vertical maze over several floors with each level having its own bar (and some table-football tables).
Warm and toasty but also rather smoky, it gets busy and can be a little claustrophobic, so possibly not somewhere to bring your parents.
www.usudu.cz/
Vodičkova 10, Praha 1, 110 00
+420 222 232 207
Open from 10.00 to 04.00 or 05.00 every day (03.00 on Sunday)
Nearest Tram: 3, 9. 14. 24 or 91 to Vodičkova
Google map: bit.ly/nqzlm0
Built in 1892 to house the head office of the Gooderham and Worts distilling company, the Flatiron was the first building of it’s kind constructed in North America. Known for its distinct narrow, wedge shape where Wellington Street merges with Front Street to form a triangular intersection, the building is an historic site. It has a mural on its back wall, making it appear to have more windows than it does. The Flatiron is still being used as an office building and there is a small pub in the basement with a large patio around the south side of the building. Beyond the pub, the building is open for viewing from Monday to Fridays from 9AM to 5PM.
49 Wellington Street East (near Front Street)
+1 416 703 1100
Google map: bit.ly/nbkpED
If you’re looking to find a place to wind down, The Esplanade is filled with restaurants and pubs. One of my favourites is Bier Markt. With over 100 brands of beer from over 24 countries, this Belgian brasserie has the perfect menu that pairs food and beer. And depending on what time of year you’re visiting, you will experience a “culinary feastivul,” ranging from fondue in February, shellfish in May, Oktoberfest in October and wild game in November.
www.thebiermarkt.com
58 The Esplanade, ON M5E 1R2
+1 416 862 7575
Google map: bit.ly/qwC8lI
Take the lift to the roof-top terrace for smashing views over the harbour. Open from 11.00 till 01.30 at the weekends and till midnight during the week you can book a meal or just enjoy a drink and the view. There’s live music and cocktails too. It’s a great place to cool off and chill out.
Passeig Colóm, 12, 08002 Barcelona
+34 93 268 90 90
www.hduquesadecardona.com/
Google map: bit.ly/pwC1kz
On the other side of the Cathedral, down Carrer de Montjuïc del Bisbe, which is to the right of the small square by the cloisters, you’ll find the Plaça Sant Felip Neri, a most beautiful square with trees and a fountain. The pock marks you can see in the stonework of the church were caused by a bomb dropped by the Italian Air force during the Civil War. All the people, mostly children, sheltering in the church crypt were killed by the concussion. The square is mostly made from buildings moved stone by stone when the Vía Laietana was opened. Across the square you’ll see the terrace of the Beautiful Hotel Neri where you can get a bite to eat and a drink from 10.00 till 23.00 and until midnight at weekends. If the square is not too busy, it’s a fine place to sit. Pop inside the hotel and wonder at the proportions of the stonework.
Sant Sever, 5, 08002 Barcelona
+34 93 304 0655
www.hotelneri.com
Google map: bit.ly/okgP2j
Café Flanders is on the corner of a pleasant square at the farther end of Gràcia, a square retaining much more local flavour than the other, more central ones. An ideal spot for relaxation and a quiet drink to regroup after shopping in Gràcia or visiting the nearby Park Güell. A fine selection of beers and wines. You can find them on Facebook.
As a curiosity, there’s a bronze statue of Rovira i Trias, one of Cerdà’s competitors in the tender for designing Barcelona’s Eixample; his plans, based on concentric developments around the old town, lie discarded at his feet.
Plaça Rovira i Trias, 1 Barcelona, 08024
+34 93 284 3070
Google map: bit.ly/pbXL76
The undisputed classic of the Plaça del Sol, the Café del Sol is a must if you’re in the area. The whole square gets jam-packed with tables and chairs to the point of making hard to tell to which bar is which. It would be a shame to miss it outside peak hours though.
Plaça del Sol 16, 08012 Barcelona
+34 934 155 663
Google map: bit.ly/mXmLRo
Located on the corner of the Plaça de la Virreina, the Bar Virreina has a great terrace with views of a modernist building by Gaudí’s assistant Francesc Berenguer and the church of Sant Joan, burned down during Barcelona’s Tragic Week in 1909. Berenguer who had built it, restored it; it was burned down again in 1936 and restored once more after the Civil War.
Back to business. The Bar Virreina has a good selection of imported beers and does a tasty sandwich.
www.virreinabar.com
Plaça Virreina, 1, 08024 Barcelona
+34932 379 880
Google map: bit.ly/rgsSxb
Exhausted and thirsty after negotiating the crowded Rambles? Tired after traipsing around the shops on Portal del Àngel? Pop into this four-star hotel on the Plaça de Catalunya itself and relax in the shade of the apsis of Romanic Santa Ana Church. (That’s two secrets in one.) Incredible as it may seem, 30 seconds from Plaça de Catalunya is a Romanic church complete with beautiful cloisters; this hotel backs onto it and you can see parts of it from the terrace. Open all day so you can have breakfast, a set lunch and a la carte dinner, as well as drinks. Don’t miss it.
www.oliviahotels.es
Plaça Catalunya 19, 08002 Barcelona
+34 93 316 87 00
A member of the same group as the Granados 83, the Claris offers cocktails and drinks on their rooftop terrace between 18.00 and 01.00. Lunch and dinner are also available. The Hotel Claris is located on the very busy Carrer Pau Claris and is a very handy refuge if you’re nearby and feeling the heat. Along with classic cocktails, El Terrat del Claris makes fine non-alcoholic cocktails for those who prefer them.
www.derbyhotels.com/en/hotel-claris/
Pau Claris, 150, Barcelona 08009. Spain
+34 93 487 62 62
Google map: bit.ly/qBo3Zl
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