I was looking forward to the respite of Belgium knowing that I would get to see a college friend and that the town would be easily revealed. I say easily revealed because each and every city I visit has a specific character but it sometimes takes you longer to flesh its special characteristics out. Some cities reveal themselves to you immediately and some make you work for that moment of revelation - much like people.
I haven't heard much about Brussels. Sure, people talk about the waffles, the fries, the chocolate and the beers, but they don't have much to say about its character and what distinguishes it from its neighbors. As the seat of the European Union, it certainly has a heady mix of people populating it - mainly for work. They come from all over Europe and certainly give Brussels an International flavor. But I wanted to know about Belgians. Perhaps staying with an American isn't the best way to find this information out, but I actually think I left Brussels with a good sense of its style. I say style because towards the end of my trip, I think I was able to pick a native Belgian out from all the rest. They are cool, quirky, low-key, self-assured, attractive and intriguing. The most attractive girls will wear the ugliest pair of nerd glasses you have ever seen, but will rock them and be the prettiest girl in the room. The same for the guys. There was a Portland style about the city.
I climbed off the train and headed for the Starbucks in the train station to meet up with Mr. Wheel - aka Will MacPhail. Now that I am a proper adult (snort) - it is nice to know there are people out there who knew you before this maturation process took place. Hugs were exchanged, luggage shifted and off we went to Will's darling little apartment only a couple steps away from the EU headquarters. The tour was brief as it is a studio apartment - but painted a lovely robin's egg blue with a detailed white European ceiling. What does that actually mean? It means that there was a design carved into the ceiling that you see over here quite frequently....not a flat ceiling, but one with character. It wasn't sunny but it wasn't gray and rainy....just overcast. A stop at the market had us laden with good Belgian beer - of which Will has become a local expert (just my kind of guy!) - and off to a Park we went.
Warning - for those of you planning to visit Belgium any time soon....BEWARE!!!! The beers are ALL high alcohol beers. Each Belgian beer is like drinking 2.5 or 3 American beers in one sitting! This is great, of course.....until you inevitably fall back onto the monochre of...."OK, just one last beer"....one last beer IS NOT 1 last beer, it is 3 last beers....and can swiftly lead you into dangerous territory!! So it was on Night 1 in Brussels.
Quick lesson on Belgian beer....there are many....many, many, many....but I just focused on the Trappist Beers. Trappist beers are beers brewed in a Trappist monastery. For a beer to qualify for Trappist certification, the brewery must be in a monastery, the monks must play a role in its production and policies and the profits from the sale must be used to support the monastery and/or social programs outside. Only seven breweries currently meet these qualifications, six of which are in Belgium and one in the Netherlands. The current Trappist producers are Achel, Chimay, Koningshoeven (the Netherlands), Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvleteren. Trappist beer is a controlled term of origin: it tells where the beers come from, it is not the name of a beer style. Beyond saying they are mostly top-fermented, the beers produced by the Trappists have very little in common.
The neatest thing of all....is that each beer has its own specific glass for serving. Of course, all the ones I tried (all of them except the Netherlands one) were delicious, but I think I liked the Orval the best - maybe because of the glass....I can't remember.....a common problem after imbibing several...
Day 2 dawned and after a homeade egg sandwich by Mr. Wheel, we set off to attack the city - only a loose plan in play. First up, a tour of The Palace (Palais Royale). Will was quite surprised to find the Palace open and it was at his behest that we went inside. It was strange, because as he claimed it is NEVER open, each step closer in we went....it felt like we might be doing something "illegal" and we were constantly in fear of hearing "Stop, what are you doing"...but in either French or Dutch. This didn't happen and we finally confirmed that the Palace was indeed open and that it was FREE to wander through. FREE?? How can it be free?? Nothing has been free since leaving London. Free it was, though. My favorite part of the Palace was the chandeliers. They were just gorgeous - massive, sparkling, each one unique and in EVERY room. One room in particular - the Throne Room - had 28 of them!! At the end of our tour, we stumbled into a room that was being used for a Modern Art exhibit - or something. They had used green beatle wings to completely cover portions of the ceiling, the fireplace and an entire chandelier. I have never seen anything like it. Who thought of doing something like that?? Covering structures in millions - yes, millions - of beatle wings?? Someone did, though - and the color green is seared into my brain.
Up next.....Brussels' famous little man....Mannekin Pis
Why Mr. Pis is so famous, I'm not quite sure...nor was Will. But famous he is....even though he is only about 2 ft. high - and simply pisses into a tiny bowl of a fountain. Nevertheless, he is considered a Brussels landmark - so I went to see him. Looked at him, took my obligatory photos - but was really more keen to see all his different outfits - over 700 now from all over the world. Alas, I couldn't convince Will to accompany me to look at Doll Clothes - no matter how I tried to dress it up (pun intended) - looking at Doll Clothes is looking at Doll Clothes...aka not manly. So, off to the Art Museum we went.
Belgian Art....one word for it....CREEPY!!! Will and I wandered through many galleries and enjoyed a lot of what there was to see...mostly 15th-18th century...but the one word that kept coming out of our mouths was....CREEPY. Lots of scenes of hell, disfigured men and women, horrific scenes of torture, fire and brimstone, rapes, destruction, agony and terror. Like I said....CREEPY! And the portraits of people were not much better....one afflicted looking person after another....dark, dour and smile less. CREEPY. Still - we enjoyed finding one weird painting to outdo the other in creepiness and upon leaving, I had a smile upon my face. Not all art is sunny, awash with colors and filled with flowers....especially the Belgian art, for sure!!
Dinner - a new adventure - Congolese Food. I will always be haunted by a documentary I saw in college - in Mr. Asafa Jalata's class (remember him, Rachel??). It was about the conquest and colonization of Africa and I'll never forget seeing the one-handed Congolese - tortured by the Belgians. After visiting this wonderful place (Brussels, NOT the Congo), it just boggles the mind to think such horrors took place. Well - now that I think about that....after seeing their art, it shouldn't surprise me one bit! Dinner was great - and some of the cheapest beer in the city!! Chicken and Rice - a little spice to it and cold beer to wash it down. Ahhhhhhh.....
Sunday, Day trip to Ghent. I was pretty set on visiting Bruges before I landed with Mr. Wheel - but upon consulting with the local expert, Bruges was forsaken for Ghent. Will called Bruges a medieval Disneyland thronged with tourists, but that Ghent was still under the radar, just as beautiful and his preference. This was confirmed by one of his friends, so Ghent it was. I was definitely not disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed my little jaunt up the railway. In true Beth fashion, I got off the train, full of confidence, eager to see the city, make the most of my day (a mere 6 hours or so)and arrive back in Brussels content with my little journey. 1. I left the train station, got on the tram and proceeded to go in the wrong direction (of course...b/c I didn't inherit my mom's sense of direction....and anyone who thinks Bill is any better has yet to be with him as he follows his magic iPhone to hell and back before admitting that it took us the wrong way!) 2. Managed to tear my only pair of pants on a nail....on a Sunday when NOTHING is open. The Ghentians (I have no idea if that is what they call themselves) got much more than an eyeful that evening. And 3. managed to miss my train back b/c I somehow took the L-O-N-G tram to the station and I got distracted ogling buildings along the canal. It was worth it though....the ogling was better here than in some other cities.
One of Ghent's main claims to fame is a painting housed in a church and at 4 Euro, it had better be no ordinary painting!! Turns out, it is not one, but many paintings forming a large 11x15ft altarpiece called "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Van Eyck. For your 4 Euro, you get an audio guide that explains all the hidden meanings, points out the tiny details, reveals the symbolism and attempts to tell you what the overall point of this strange thing is. Unfortunately - nobody really knows and "Van Eyck Scholars" (how would you like to be one of these?) still cannot agree about certain aspects of this painting. Nevertheless - the audio guide was well worth it, because it forces you to really stop and look. The detail is astounding, the perspective makes it look totally lifelike and the more you look at it, the more you come to appreciate the accomplishment. Well worth my 4 Euro.
Linen and Lace also abound in Ghent. I couldn't really do any shopping, though...because it was Sunday. This has been hard to get used to over here. I'm accustomed to places opening late and closing early....but not being totally shut up. I found one shop that was open, bought myself something nice and paid too much for it, I'm sure. The irony being that because it was the only thing open, it was for tourists and therefore, more expensive. Sigh.
Since I did not do a canal cruise in Amsterdam, I figured I better do one in Ghent since canals and canal houses abound here as well as Amsterdam - and the colors are similar. I climbed aboard my little boat, squeezed in amongst some Italians and sat back for my 45 minute cruise. I cannot say I learned too much because the tour was conducted in English, German and Italian. I tended to zone out when the other languages were spoken and by the time I realized that English was being spoken again, I had missed part of what was being pointed out. C'est la vie. The breeze was wonderful, the sun was out and I really do love the feeling of being on water. At the end of the cruise, I bumbled along - i.e. walked but with my head up looking at buildings instead of watching where I was going. A few stumbles but thankfully no spills. As said above, I missed my chosen train back and tore my pants within the next 30 minutes - but Ghent was a big "Win" overall. I would love to return....on a weekday....to truly enjoy more of what it has to offer.
Monday turned out to be a Belgian Holiday...Will and I still aren't sure for what, though. So - since nothing was open - we did what any smart 30 somethings do....found a bar to drink!! We both had our computers with us so it wasn't a totally wasted day....and no day can really be called wasted when there is Belgian Beer about!! The evening came, we met some of Will's friends out for drinks and my last taste of Belgium's famous fries - omg, these guys are totally sinful and obscenely delicious. They are fried, then fried again....sit waiting on you, and then when you order them....they are fried up once again to give them that nice crisp to the outside. A sprinkling of salt a large dollop of mayonnaise (don't hate me...it is sooooo delicious) and there you have it. With a big Belgian beer in hand, you might swear you were in heaven!
Night came and with that, the end of my Belgian adventure. Onwards to Berlin and then Warsawa and Krakowia. One last thing, though, that I will totally lay at Will's feet is introducing me to HBO's Game of Thrones - hahaha. I had managed not to watch it since I no longer had HBO after leaving Wilmington. Will showed it to me...and hooked me on yet...ANOTHER show on HBO!! Sigh... I am now plowing my way through the books and have enjoyed living in the "fantasy" world of Knights, Kings, Imps, Dragons, Dothraki and Sers....as I continue upon my own adventure.
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