Week 4

This week I am a grass-widower, so I had more work than usual. However I took the opportunity to test our new bike and went for a tour around the Ixelles ponds and into the park Bois de la Chambre a suitable name to this natural extension of the large recreational area of La Forêt de Soignes south of the city. It also has a beautiful pond with a small island and a restaurant. Although the weather was not particular good there were a lot of people in the park.

The excursion was followed by a Sunday roast at a Pub close to the Ixelles ponds. This reminded me of the years in UK. More or less every Sunday we took a trip to the countryside, went for a nice walk and afterwards we enjoyed a Pub lunch, each time in different places. This particular one is the De Valera’s Irish Pub. It was nice and friendly and the roast (today roast beef) was not bad at all. The dish was served with all the usual trimmings and NO pommes frites! Thanks for that.

This week I got a warning, a big red note on one of the garbage bags, wrong content. It is actually very serious and if you don’t watch out the commune can fine you. In this case the bag contained some frigolite but they didn’t tell me what to do with it. White bags are for no recycling stuff (food etc.); blue is for metal plus packaging material of paper for food and finally yellow bags are for newspaper, paper boxes and wrapping. Glass is to be put in separate collection centers in the neighborhood.

Part Three: Localization

My ambition is to get to know the Belgians by eating their food and drink their beers. So we hit Place Jourdan and the world famous French Fries place Mansion Antoine. Here my wife had her first “real” pommes of all pommes. The Belgian French fries are special and they are fried twice to make them perfect.

Anders eating THE Pommes Frites

The pommes frites are served in a paper cone with mayonnaise for instance. Okay, they were good, not too big, not too small and very crispy.

In addition, they are served with a large variation of different sauces. The line was long, sometimes very long but there are a lot of these carts (frietkots) all over Brussels, if you can’t wait for this special one that is. Yes, they even have a museum to the honor of their beloved French fries.

So let’s go over to the beer of the week. I decided to take on one of the specials, not a Trappist this time. My choice this week is a Duvel. The beer comes from a family owned Flemish brewery, Duvel Moortgat Brewery, founded in 1871. The Devil (Duvel) is the translation of this strong golden pale ale.

Duvel - The Devil

It is seriously strong 8,5%. The original yeast is supposed to come from Scotland around World War 1. During a period of financial difficulties the brewery also made Tuborg, the famous Danish beer. I like the Duvel with its dryness and bitterness but still with a sweet taste. Altogether this  makes the beer a pleasant thirst-quencher. It has a unique position among the Belgian special beers. Its glass is beautiful and perfect for containing the aroma of this rich beverage. Try it as an appetizer!

Belgium is a monarchy and the king is King Albert II. He is also head of state. The king is married with three children. The Royal Palace of Brussels is a beautiful building and a popular tourist attraction as well, especially during summer after the National holiday when the Royal Palace of Brussels is open to public. It is then possible to admire the prestigious state rooms laden with history. This tour is available until the beginning of September.

The Royal Palace of Brussels

Next week there will be a lot of travelling on my schedule, but I will do my best to continue my explorations of Brussels.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• In search for the best beer (an ongoing quest for the perfect pint)
• Moules and other seafood
• Culture
• Markets
• Politics; http://lerecorddumonde.be/ In Brussels a watch is counting down for a country without government. (Iraqi is holding the record)