Brussels
Culture - Brussels could be described as
a cosmopolitan city. And and a city of “human
proportions” the versus large metropolises like
New York City, or the sprawling giant of London. Some
Belgian’s may critique Brussels as an ‘artificial
capital’ and a boring city where EU business
men and women jet off to other countries for the weekend
leaving the city barren on the weekends, but others
know better. They know that Brussels has some of the
highest quality cuisine in the world, the best beers
and most variety of beers, world- renowned chocolates,
the most beautiful Gothic, Baroque, and Neo-Classic
architecture, and museums full of amazing –
beautiful masterpieces.
Palais Des Nations is a classic
example of the ‘classical facades” as
well as the “Royal Palace.” And you should
be sure to check out the variety of Art Nouveau and
Art Deco houses in and around the neighborhoods in
Brussels. Just take as stroll around the different
sections of Brussels – especially the Ixelles
and EU region and you will find some beautiful houses
with lots of character.
The Grand’ Place (Grote Markt)
is just oozing history and cultural associations.
Just stand in the middle of the Square and take in
the fantastic architecture all around you –
which is the most stunning, it’s for you to
decide. The Gothic Style Town Hall is so impressive,
and then swing around behind you and you have “the
House of the King” – La Maison de Roi
– does that get your vote but before you decide
look left and right at all the individual guild houses
that surround the rest of the Square. Maybe it’s
the Grand Place Brussels in totality that you’ll
remember – this is the Square that is so often
described as the most beautiful in Europe. On a Sunday
morning there’s a traditional bird market at
the Grand’ Place on Sunday mornings. The square
is also lined with Beer pubs/cafes and some tourist
restaurants.
What’s really neat is that, by tradition, every
neighborhood in Brussels has it’s
own special market – the bird market, the flower
market, the antique market, the flea market, and the
horse market .
Brussels abounds with festivals
as well. The Ommegang Festival the first Thursday
in July is when over 2000 people walk past the King
of Belgium. This event dates back to the 16th century
and the costumes represent this time. Then there’s
the traditional Flower Carpet (tapis de fleurs) laid
every second year - spectacular in mid August - the
even years 2002, 2004, when the whole square is covered
with begonias to a design. And at Christmas time the
Square becomes a skating rink. So you can see that
Grand Place is the cultural heart of Brussels.
Brussels’ Culture life is
split among the French and Flemish and you’ll
find some areas where French language dominates and
others with Flemish as the default language of choice.
At all places I visited, French seemed to be the preferred
language.
The range of excellent museums in
Brussels also testify to their cultural heritage.
There’s traditional cuisine - you simply must
try the Moule et Pomme Frittes (mussels & French
Fries) – a Brussels signature dish. If you love
seafood you will definitely be in love with Brussels
as almost every restaurant has Moules et Pomme
Frites on the menu as well as the Belgian
classic Waterzooi soup (a chicken or fish dish with
a cream-based sauce and finely sliced vegetables),
which you can order with fish or other types of meat
as well. Mussels are prepared in many ways –
steamed and served with white wine, beers, Thai, etc
– choose your preference. If you want to make
sure the mussels are truly delectable – it is
best to order them in any month that does not have
an “r” in the name – these are the
high seasons for mussel gathering and they are much
more abundant and fresher then, though they are good
all year round as well. Look for light-colored mussel
meat in the shells – if the meat is dark it
could be because it is not as fresh.
Brussels claims the honor of inventing French
Fries (frites) and they have the best frites
I have ever tasted and I normally don’t eat
French Fries, but these were so exceptionally delicious
I couldn’t resist. They are famous for serving
frites with mayonnaise and some have a variety of
mayonnaise flavors. I went to the small restaurant
sort of ‘shack,’ “Maison Antoine”
(Place Jordan) and they served up the classic pom
frites in a cone style wrap with 5 different mayonnaise
flavors to choose from for dip. Absolutely the best
fries I have ever tasted – Belgians absolutely
have the edge on French Fries and they should, they
originally invented French Fries, not France as many
think.
Believe it or not another cultural treat in Brussels
is their world-renowned chocolates and the famous
waffles, served up plain (made with a rich egg batter)
to be eaten by hand to the waffle with whip cream/chocolate
sauce. The restaurants also offer great deserts –
some of my favorite is the French style puff pastries
with custard in the middle, drizzled with chocolate
and topped with whip cream. Find a seat on a bench
nearby and enjoy.
And lastly when it comes to Belgian Beer
– you simply cannot get any better – especially
if you opt for one of the rich aged trapist beers.
Belgium has over 400 beers – a lot for such
a small country. The history goes that St. Arnold,
the patron saint of brewers is the reason for this.
During the plague that broke out across Europe in
the Middle Ages, St. Arnold convinced the Belgian
population to drink Beer instead of water as beer
is boiled and water isn’t.
They have several styles of beers including
the Trapist beers, White Beers, Lambic beers, Abbey
Beers, Vlaams Rood, Oud Bruin, and Saisons style beers.
Please see links under “Links” heading
for some great informative Belgian
Beer websites. In my opinion and many other’s
opinion, Belgian has the riches, highest quality and
quantity of beers than any other country and I am
not even a beer fan normally. So that tells you something
– Belgian Beer is aged and fussed over in the
brewing, storing, and tasting process as much as fine
wine is elsewhere. I recommend the Triple Karmeliet
(fruit beer) Beer (about 9 - 11% alcohol, a strong
fruity rich beer) and the Triple Westmalle (about
9 – 11% alcohol, a rich creamy smooth nutty
beer). Be careful and resist the temptation to sample
them all at once – they are too strong for that.
One is enough for me – filling and satisfying.
