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Taking advantage of some exceptionally good travel offers from an on-line travel agent we recently spent a five-day “City break” exploring Belgium. We had been to Brussels before (a short pre-Christmas trip about five years ago) so heeding the advice of that CIAO sage Proxam we decided to see some more of the country than just the capital. We were also quite curious to experience for ourselves the suggested “Unity of Europe” there at the heart of the Community. Maybe we would be able to divine something of the truth behind all the current political and economical manoeuvrings. After all I have been more than happy to use the Euro because it has the attraction of being foreign – just as long as it remains so! I have also enjoyed other trips to foreign lands – it is the foreignness that makes them so appealing.
Julius Caesar encountered a fierce tribe (the Belgae) in Northern Europe when he set out to conquer the Gauls in 58BC. Since that time this area has been annexed, fought over and ruled in turn by the French, the Dutch, the Austrians and the Spanish. Belgium finally gained independence as a monarchy in 1830. However it was still invaded during both World Wars. The country remains a divided nation both culturally and linguistically. The Northern part is Flemish, taking its roots from Holland. The southern area (Wallonia) speaks French.
Belgium is the seat of the European Union. This is perhaps not surprising as it is a little country sandwiched between France and Germany. It has a very well developed infrastructure of motorways connecting most conurbations and its neighbours. The rail system remains nationalised (highly subsidised and loss-making, my spies inform me) and high-speed rail links are being forged at a great rate and further considerable expense. It is home to the third largest port in the world and has a large system of navigable rivers and canals. Brussels is also home to N.A.T.O. The countryside is largely flat.
The main centres of population (and the areas of most interest to the first time visitor) are Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent. We arrived by air and stayed in a recently renovated hotel on the Avenue Louise. This is a resume of our activities. I make no apology for the length of this review.
BRUSSELS.
The capital of Belgium (and home to its monarchy) is quite small and compact in comparison with other capital cities around the world. The most noticeable feature is the fact that it is a bilingual city (a constitutional requirement). Everything is repeated in both French and Flemish. Unlike most other cosmopolitan areas this is to the detriment of other languages, particularly English.
Belgium has a well-coordinated
travel system comprising of buses, trams and the Metro. Multi-journey tickets (currently €9 for 10 trips) are interchangeable between them. As a non-partisan observer, Belgian road sense was unfathomable and lane drill appeared non-existent. For the short term visitor car driving is something to be avoided. In the centre, the streets are narrow and often pedestrianised. However, given the nature of the uneven and often missing cobbles there seems little to indicate that this part of Europe has embraced the compensation culture (for personal injury!) or will facilitate the passage of the infirm!!
It is of particular note that many buildings of interest to tourists (Museums, Galleries etc) are closed on a Monday.
Brussels is divided into two areas by an escarpment: the Lower Town and the Upper Town. The former is the older medieval area and the latter was built up by the nobility and businessmen escaping the slums and seeking the purer air on the hillside.
The Lower Town.
The Grand Place is the central magnet for tourists and residents alike. The old square was destroyed by the French in the late sixteen hundreds. It was lovingly rebuilt over three years between 1697 and 1699 (date plaques are clearly visible on its buildings). The seven buildings which border the square now include the Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville), the ancient Guild Houses (Maison des Ducs de Brabant) and museums (Maison du Roi, Musée de la Ville) are elaborately decorated with carved figures. The roof line bristles with quaintly shaped gables, spires and domes. The street level is home to many bars and restaurants serving traditional Belgian food and varieties of Belgian beer. The cobbled square itself plays host to markets, pageants and concerts (there was a three-day jazz event in progress during our visit).
The famous Manneken Pis is a tiny bronze statue of a small boy urinating into a pool. It’s effigy features on many cheap souvenirs of the city. Situated on a corner in a side street (Rues de l’Etuve and du Chêne) a few hundred yards away from the Grand Place. Over the years over 400 suits of clothes have been donated for the figure (including an Elvis costume) which are housed in the Grand Place.
Galleries St-Hubert
Opened in 1847, this elegant shopping arcade is said to have been the first of its kind and has been copied in cities across Europe. With its ornate facades and vaulted glass ceilings it now houses boutiques, high class shops, galleries and cafes.
Rue des Bouchers
Just a few steps away from the Grand Place is a maze of narrow cobbled streets, packed on both sides by cafes and restaurants of every conceivable palate and style. They tend to be grouped by region (local and Belgian, sea food, Mediterranean, Chinese). Many have tables both inside and outside and many have large displays of their fresh produce (Fruits de Mer – fresh seafood and shellfish is a speciality). As you browse the menus you may well be accosted by the Maitre d’ with offers of preferential seating or special of the day.
A triangular “square” dominates this thoroughfare between the upper and lower town which in turn is dominated by the gothic church of Notre-Dame du Sablon which is famous for its stained glass windows. Like many churches in Belgium it also houses a large and ornately carved pulpit.
The square is home to many upmarket and expensive antique dealerships as well as fashionable eating houses (restaurants and patisseries) and bars.
The Museums
Our main miscalculation was of the Belgian opening hours (which I referred to above) and as our main day “at leisure” in Brussels was a Monday, we missed the Musuems. The major museums are in close proximity to each other. These include the Museum of Ancient Art, the Museum of Modern Art and The museum of Music.
We did however visit the Cathedral (of St Michael and Gudule), another Gothic affair which has seen much restoration work recently. This is the site of most Royal and civic ceremonies. It features a huge stained glass window dating from 1528 depicting “The Last Judgement”.
The Bus Tour
We decided to take an “orientation tour” of the city on the Saturday morning. Booked from our hotel, this included return pick-ups to the city centre and a discount on any of the company’s day trips. (We chose Bruges and Ghent). The tour itself was not the most efficiently organised that we had encountered. There was a half-hour uninformed milling around the booking office whilst firstly a bus and then a tour guide could be found. Then there was a walking excursion with commentary in four languages into the Grand Place in the pouring rain.
I will draw a veil over the actual trip itself but we were given fleeting views of the Royal Quarter and the Royal Palaces, the European Parliament buildings, Heysel Stadium, the Atomium, the Chinese and Japanese pavilions and the Parc du Cinquatenaire and its triumphal arch. It did include glimpses of the less salubrious suburbs as well as the sites of architectural heritage. It also included a stop off at a lace making house where there were ample facilities for the purchase of souvenirs.
Current rates: €20 per adult – lasts about three hours.
ANTWERP
We met up with my cousin Andrew on Sunday and took a day trip to Antwerp. He has been a Brussels resident for 25 years, is a confirmed Europhile and does something for the Commission. He negotiated the motorway system (E19), taking us past the headquarters of NATO on the outskirts of the city. Antwerp is Belgium’s second city and, although some 30 miles from the sea, is the site of the Europe’s third largest seaport. It is by far the busiest centre in the world for diamond trading.
The centre of the city is compact and despite Belgium’s involvement in the World Wars, its medieval heart of fine buildings and narrow streets is very well preserved. Pedestrian squares abound with restaurants, beer houses and statuary: the foremost is the Grote Markt. Most of the tourist attractions are within easy walking distance but they are also served by horse-drawn carriages and buses.
Of particular note (but off the tourist trail) is the Antwerp Central Station. This is the site of a major EU investment bringing high-speed rail connections to the city. The original station was built as a terminus in a north-south direction which requires a huge slow loop getting trains in and out of the platform. Over the last five years there have been colossal excavations to enable a three level mega-terminal that will allow high speed trains to travel straight though in an east-west direction. The station itself is a classic building with high vaulted ceilings and a huge dome over the main hall (reminiscent of the Grand Union stations in the US)
The Cathedral of Our Lady is the largest Gothic building in Europe, taking two centuries to complete. It dominates the centre of the city with its 404 foot spire. Inside it is massive with no less than seven naves. It has recently been fully restored and its vaulted ceiling and paucity of stained glass gives it a very light and open feeling. The cathedral boasts two priceless treasures – altar triptychs by Rubens entitled “Raising the Cross” and “Descent from the Cross” – dating from the early seventeenth century.
Rubenshuis
Pieter Paul Rubens (born 1577; died 1640) was an accomplished landscape painter but is best known for his portrayals of buxom women. He lived in Antwerp and with the proceeds of his work he built a large house on Wapper Street where he lived and worked for the last thirty years of his life and exhibited much of his work. He also laid out the formal gardens and outside pavilion which was an oasis of calm in the midst of city life.
Over the thirty years, the property has been fully restored and some of Rubens original works have been acquired for display. The studio has been set up as a replica of how Rubens would have worked on paintings in his time. It is interesting to learn that he would have described the work and prepared initial sketches. He would then have left the completion of the masterpiece to specialist painters and apprentices.
Of note is the gallery – a semicircular room with a domed roof modelled on the Pantheon in Rome – where a number of marble busts are on display. The house and gardens are now open to the public (€6.50 – closed on Mondays and public holidays).
GHENT
As part of a day trip by bus to Bruges we spent a morning stop-off on Ghent. Once again it is quite surprising just how much of the 16th century town centre remains, particularly around the medieval harbour on the banks of the river Leie. The quayside features many buildings built as the houses for the original guilds of the city.
St Baafskathedral
Another Gothic cathedral dating from the thirteenth century dominates a square on one side of St Michael’s bridge. It has a high nave supported by slender columns.
This cathedral is perhaps the “must-see” site of a trip to Belgium. In a side chapel (admission extra - €2.50) is one of the most remarkable paintings I have ever seen. Originating from 1432, the Ghent Altarpiece is a large polytriptych (nine panels) painted by Jan van Eyck. Said to be one of the earliest works painted in oils, it is titled the “Adoration of the Mystic Lamb” and is a representation of the Book of Revelation. Even after all these years the colours are vibrant, the artistry breath-taking and some aspects of design almost photographic.
BRUGES
Bruges is about 75 kilometres East of Brussels. We were dropped off at a car park and walked through some ornamental gardens to a small square where an optional lunch had been laid on. We were then directed to the Church of Our Lady which contains a statue by Michelangelo (Madonna and Child). From there we made our way to the Stadhuis (one of the oldest town halls in Belgium) and the market.
The trip included (for a further small fee) a half hour boat trip along the River Dijver – which gives a close up view of much of the medieval riverside buildings – and a visit to a family owned hand made chocolate maker.
Current rates: €32 adult (child €16) – duration 10 hours.
TO EAT; TO DRINK
As you may imagine, Brussels is a cosmopolitan city and prides itself on its local and ethnic appeal. As a small costal country, seafood and fresh produce is freely available.
Local lunchtime delicacies include tomato stuffed shrimp and shrimp toast. These rely on tiny but highly flavoured North Sea prawns. We spent some time in Ghent with a couple from Texas who declared: “where we come from that’s plankton”. Brussels is also famous for its mussels – prepared in a variety of ways but again always freshly caught.
For a main course try Chicken or Fish Waterzooi. This is a stew simmered in stock to which is added cream and white wine. It is served in a soup dish or tureen with pureed vegetables.
Another hearty stew is Carbonnades Flamandes. Large chunks of beef are simmered for hours in beer until tender. The gravy is a rich, thick, dark brown. Given the huge variety of Belgian brews no two stews ever taste the same.
We have also seen rabbit simmered in Kriek (a limbic beer flavoured with cherries) and pheasant roasted with chicory.
The complexities of language can be confusing. We dined at Tagawa, a Japanese restaurant on the Avenue Louise. The menu was written in Flemish and Japanese (with pictures, we opted for the safety of the tempura). The beer (Asahi) was a paragon of international co-operation too – a Japanese label brewed in the Czech republic and imported into Belgium by a company based in London.
We were quite conservative with our tipple tasting: Duvel, Tripel Karmeliet (both of which are available in Safeway supermarkets in the UK), Kwak and a highly alcoholic (8.2%) dark draft beer from a microbrewery in Bruges (beginning with 'H': maybe Proxam can help me out this that one!!). We found specialist beer shops in both Brussels (The Beer Temple) and Bruges which stocked a huge range of brews, dedicated glasses, beer mats, books and other ephemora.
SOUVENIRS
We bought beer, beer glasses, chocolates (of course). We brought back some Christmas decorations made from painted wood shavings. We stocked up on Pate de fois and Belgian genever (gin). This time we avoided the lace and tapestries.
CONCLUSIONS
Obviously in a five or six day stay it is impossible to see everything that even a small country has to offer. It is also impossible to give more than a flavour of the place in a review such as this. I could have mentioned the War sites (Napoleonic and two World Wars) or Tin-Tin . I could have detailed the museums but they will have to wait til next time. Overall we have had an interesting visit and a packed itinerary – and we came away with a distinct desire to return.
I shall be posting a review of our hotel (Hyatt Regency, Avenue Louise) shortly.
Belgium is a “must see” experience on so many levels.
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