A curious Swede in Brussels

A little bit late this week due to a couple of days in Spain over Easter. For those people who stayed put in Brussels, they had a fantastic week, so I was told. The weather in Spain was not good at all, if you wonder.

Easter egg

Belgium has about 11 million people and together with the Netherlands and Luxemburg they were known as the Low Countries in the old days. The region was called Gallia Belgica during the Roman period and was also recognised as the battleground of Europe, especially after two world wars.  As mentioned earlier there are mainly two languages spoken; Dutch in the Flanders region and French in the region of Wallonia. There is also a small German speaking part as well. This mixture has had a large impact over the years resulting in various complicated, political and cultural conflicts.

The flea market at Place du Jeu de Balle is in the centre of Brussels and takes place daily. Here you can find everything from junk and antiques to bargain buys and rip-offs. About 200 dealers turn up every day from 7am until lunchtime.

Flee market

It’s a great place to find things you never knew you really wanted, and at knockdown prices. The area around the market is also quite nice with shops and bars for an afternoon stroll after the market closes. We found a little bar with live music.

Baguette

Why not grab a Baguettes for lunch? It comes with a large variation of different spreads and is sold in every corner, it seems.

One of the old authentic bars in the centre is the Bon Vieux Temps at Impasse Saint Nicolas 4. “The Good Old Days” is an excellent name for this picturesque bar which has been here for over 300 years.

Bon Vieux Temps

The interior looks like an ancient Gothic church, complete with stained glass windows. Perfect to get the evening started.

A beer to go with could be Westvleteren 8 (blue cap) (formerly Extra), 8% . This one is in my opinion not so close to the no 12, which is on top of my list, as some ratings indicate.

Westvleteren-8

This is a lighter version of no 12 but still a very nice Trappist beer, dark and complex taste just like its big brother.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• In search for the best beer (an on-going quest for the perfect pint)
• More seafood
• Cheese
• Parks
• Culture
• Markets
• Politics

Facts of the week;

Drink; Westvleteren 8%

Food; Baguettes with different spreads

Location; Bon Vieux Temps Impasse Saint Nicolas 4

Point Of Interest; Place du Jeu de Balle, Flee market

Yes, it is spring and flowers in every corner of the city. Outside Brussels you find the well-known Blue Forest in full bloom. The ground is completely covered by Blue Bells this time of year.

Blue Forest at Hallerbos

Many people have been making pilgrimage the last couple of days to this fantastic forest. An absolute must if you are in the area this time of the year. It can’t be described in words it needs to be experienced.

Before we move on the serious nightlife I forgot to mention a nice little and very typical appetizer to your Moules Frites, the delicious croquettes filled with cheese or shrimps.

I let my girls describe a weekend in Brussels with their own words!

Guest blogging in Bruxelles:

Like the old saying goes… What happens in Bruxelles, stays in Bruxelles.

BUT we promised our old dad to blog about our experience here in the European capital, so here it comes…the censored and short version of what “really” happened. Since Mina already been here for a week she took the lead and Amanda quickly learned the ropes.

The first night out together can be summarised in these following words (in no particular order), and you can only begin to imagine what really happened;

Motorcycle, rugby players, an official Pee guard (kissvakt), the GERMANS, shirt and fly, rave in the deep forest, the fun of speaking French without actually knowing a single word.. and of course BEER (and lots of it).

By the way, we found the famous peeing girl… and No, it wasn´t our mom, though she´s been quite preoccupied with feeling the urge the whole weekend. She (mom) was there when we discovered the peeing girl and she captured the moment by dropping her camera into the girls pee… Surprise, surprise!

Peeing Girl

After 4 hours of sleep, our über tiredness began to take its toll. We decided to try one new piece of heavenly chocolate at every chocolatier we passed on our way through the city centre… but we quickly understood that this desire would never be fulfilled. Do you know how many chocolatiers there are in Bruxelles? No? We neither… but there are A LOT! One on each corner. It’s a dirty job but someone gotta do it. But as you might tell, we are not the ones to complain. Our favourite piece of chocolate (so far) is champagne truffle (Mina) and Desire (Amanda).

Chocolate girls

In the mist of a great Belgian hangover, lack of sleep, after miles of walking, A LOT of chocolate, beer and mussels and with a sprinkle of fluff a new dance was invented in a dark and smoky pub in Bruxelles…. The Eye dance!!

After a weekend in Bruxelles you understand, and of course pay the price in the morning, that you can’t drink as many beers as you can back home since they are twice, or in some cases, triple the strength!!!

Kwak girls

Maybe that’s why they have special ” tools” to help you drink/hold the beer (Kwak Beer).

Since we’ve been drinking a lot of beers we’ve also been visiting the little girls room (and in some case mother nature’s own bathrooms). One question remains: WHY ARE THEY SO SMALL? Amanda is still admiring two girls who managed to enter the toilet at the same time. How did they both fit in there?

So to sum up; It’s been fun and we will definitely be back for more. We still haven’t found the best Belgian beer, though Kwak is a good candidate… One thing’s for sure… we know which beers not to drink again!

Over and out!

Mina & Amanda Hoffmann

PS. Elephant Rose = NOT a hit! DS.

Unfortunately the girls didn’t remember the name of the Night Club they visited on Saturday but I managed to find it: It was the Jeux d’Hiver: A trendy Disco at the edge of the woods (Bois de la Cambre) , frequented by the youthful smart set – BCBG (bon chic, bon genre).

The beer mentioned above is the Pauwel Kwak, a so called full-bodied Belgian Specialty Ale with an orange colour and nice foam. It comes with an unusual wooden hold for the pleasantly shaped glass. The taste is sweet, caramel and a little bit yeasty. Very soft and smooth so I understand why the girls like it. For those who don’ know there is a nice story behind the wooden hold. The brewery claims the glass was designed by the innkeeper Pauwel Kwak in the early 19th century for coachmen who would stop at his coaching tavern and brewery named “De Hoorn” (making it easy for them to hold the beer while driving the coach). However the beer and the glass were launched much later in the 1980s.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• In search for the best beer (an on-going quest for the perfect pint)
• More seafood
• Cheese
• Parks
• Culture
• Markets
• Politics

Facts of the week;

Drink; Pauwel Kwak 8,4% speciality beer

Food ; Croquettes with cheese or shrimps or potato

Location; Jeux d’Hiver trendy nightclub in the woods (Bois de la Cambre)

Point Of Interest; Blue Forest at Hallerbos @ Dworp

Spring continues to make progress here in the centre of Europe. Rumours are that the bluebells already is here (a couple of weeks early due to the nice temperatures recently). This means that I need to get out to the Blue Forrest this week, before it is too late. It is supposed to be something spectacular.

Ice cream in the park

One of my daughters is in town so a request for a pub crawl was on the list. We hit the by now wellknown places like Le Cirio, A La Mort Subite, Poechenellekelder and Delirium Café, yes it was long evenings.  Of course Moules Frites was also on the agenda and Chez Leon was revisited which I didn’t have any problems with:-). She is also a cider lover the Geuze was in her taste but so was the sweet Kriek. She suggested that the Floris Mirabelle Lambic fruit beer, with a slightly perfumed taste, was a perfect remedy for bad breath.

The Delirium Tremens Café

The Delirium Tremens Café has a selection of 2,000 different beers which makes a very big menu. Not surprisingly the bar has won the very prestigious Guinness book of world records ion 2004 for being

Café sign

the establishment with the most commercially available beers. The tavern is quite noisy so be prepared and mostly frequented by a younger clientele.

Night Owl?

There were some Night Owls on the way home.

Villo

A perfect way to spend a sunny Saturday is to rent a bike from one of the many Villo stands.

Biking in Bois de la Cambre

These bikes are available all over the city and you can easily check where to find one and a stand to leave it after your trip on the Internet (http://en.villo.be/ ). So that’s what we did and took a long bike tour into the beautiful Bois de la Cambre. This is is an urban public park on the edge of the La Forêt de Soignes. The park lies due south of Ixelles ponds and is linked to the city via Avenue Louise, which was built at the same time the park was laid out, in 1861. It comprises a small lake with an island in the center, called Robinson’s island. It is considered by many as one of the finest parks in Brussels. In 1877, the chalet Robinson was built on the lake’s island. The chalet was destroyed by a fire in 1991. It has now been rebuilt, with a restaurant.  An electrical ferry boat is linking the island to the shores of the lake.

Market at Flagey

Afterwards we had a perfectly grilled chicken bought at the market on Flagey in the morning.

One new beer this weekend was St Feuillien Blonde, a Belgian strong Ale 7,5%. This light ale has a deep golden colour. It has a distinctive bitterness and a strong malty taste. The overall effect, however, is a slight dryness some similarities to Duvel which I, by the way, like much better.

St Feuillien Blonde

To top it up this weekend we participated at the Manneken Pis Hash run on Sunday. It was a warm and nice excursion into La Forêt de Soignes around Groenendaal.

Until next week, enjoy the spring.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• In search for the best beer (an ongoing quest for the perfect pint)
• More seafood
• Cheese
• The Blue Forrest
• Parks
• Culture
• Markets
• Politics

Facts of the week;

Drink; St Feuillien Blonde, Belgian strong Ale 7,5%

Food ; Grilled Chicken, still warm from the market at Flagey (Saturday and Sunday)

Location ; The Delirium Tremens Café, 4 Impasse De La Fidélité just off the famous rue des Bouchers.

Point Of Interest; Bois de la Cambre and rent a bike

With temperatures over 22 degrees on Saturday it felt quite good to be in Brussels and experience spring a little bit earlier than in Sweden. Most times when you come in with taxi from the airport, you will notice a large arch before you disappear in the Belliard tunnel.

Parc du Cinquantenaire

So I decided to have a closer look and walked up to Parc du Cinquantenaire (a little bit difficult to pronounce but it means park of the Fiftieth Anniversary) or Jubelpark, in the easternmost part of the European Quarters. This is a large classical garden and has very symmetrical paths, a haven of peace in the midst of the noisy traffic, houses a lot of treasures: the Big Mosque, Islamic centre of Brussels, the statue of the green dog and the Pavilion of human passions by Victor Horta. The museums of Art and History, Aviation, the Army and Military History, the Royal Institute of Art Heritage and the World Palace of the Automobile are housed in the buildings.

Overview of the park

Most houses, of the U-shaped complex which dominate the park, were built for the 1880 National Exhibition. The centerpiece triumphal arch was erected in 1905. The surrounding 30 hectare park esplanade was at that time full of picturesque gardens, ponds and waterfalls. It housed several trade fairs, exhibitions and festivals at the beginning of the century.  There are now talks about re-building it once again to hold large events like European Summits, trade shows and festivities.

The arch

The Brussels restaurant scene is a lively mix of haute cuisine, robust Belgian favorites, and food from all over the world. The top Brussels restaurants rival the best Parisian restaurants; so, alas, do the prices. But one of the joys of the city is the quality and value of its smaller, neighborhood restaurants. You’ll find everything from tapas bars to African buffets, as well as excellent and affordable bistros and plenty of good Vietnamese, Italian, and Portuguese restaurants.  And, of course, at almost any hour, you can grab tasty double-fried frites with mayonnaise for dipping from mobile frituurs around the city.

Now it was time for moules frites and I decided to visit Chez Leon.

Chez Leon

This more than a century old, very jovial restaurant has expanded over the years into a row of eight old houses, while its franchises can now be found across Belgium and even in Paris. However this is the original and while it’s huge and looks like a tourist trap, the moules are excellent and it’s packed every day.  It’s a reliable choice on the restaurant-lined rue des Bouchers. A smaller portion only costs 13€ with frites and a beer, not too bad.

Moules Frites

Not very far from last week’s bar you will find another classic bar A La Mort Subite.

A La Mort Subite

The staff watches over the rows of tables with a practised aloofness, while customers sit on uncomfortable bench seats. For exploration, test  Gueuze Sur Lie,  yes the brand name is Mort Subite just like the name of the bar. Mort subite means “sudden death”  it comes from playing darts and the last round before people broke up was called just that.

Lambic is a very distinctive type of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium and in Brussels itself at the Cantillon Brewery. Is the most wine-like beer produced anywhere in the world. An acquired, but very sophisticated taste, and unlike conventional ales/lagers, lambic beer is produced by spontaneous fermentation: it is exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria. It is this unusual process which gives the beer its distinctive flavour: dry, vinous, and cidery, usually with a sour aftertaste.  Lambic is now mainly consumed after refermentation, resulting in derived beers such as Gueuze or Kriek. More recently, some lambic brewers have added sugar to the final product of their fruit beers, in order to make them less intense.

Lambic Gueuze Sur Lie

Gueuze is the traditional way that you will find lambic served. It is made by blending older lambic that has a been aging in barrels for many years with a livelier younger lambic. The old lambic has a complexity and depth of flavour but is usually flat while the young lambic gives the beer its fizz. You can expect the beers to be dry, sour and somewhat fruity with a complex range of flavours and each brewer has its own distinct taste. Mort Subite feels like a refreshing cider maybe my wife would enjoy it better than I did.  I felt it too sourly for my taste. Gueuze Sur Lie has been fermented after bottling for at least 1 year.

Lambic Blanche

The unblended lambics can be mixed with wheat beers (weissbier/witbier). This has been done with the Mort Subite White Lambic it is light and refreshing which makes a good candidate for a hot day and this one was more in my taste.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• In search for the best beer (an ongoing quest for the perfect pint)
• More seafood
• Cheese
• The Blue Forrest
• Parks
• Culture
• Markets
• Politics

Oh yes, spring is definitely here. Japanese cherry blossoms of course and they are just around the corner from our flat, just like the magnolia trees.

Cherry blossom

ducklings

Magnolia

We took the tram no 81, down to the Justice building. One has to be careful with the trams they are big, fast and always right of way. Jumped off at the Galgenberg hill, where in the Middle Ages criminals were hanged, now the spectacular Brussels Palace of Justice building is there with a grand view over the town.

Palace of Justice

It is the most important Court building in Belgium and is a notable landmark of Brussels. The building was designed during the reign of Leopold I in the eclectic style by architect Joseph Poelaert and ready after 17 years in 1883. It is the biggest building constructed in the 19th century. Due to the huge size of the land needed for the construction many people needed to be moved. As a result of the forced relocation of so many people, the word architect became one of the most serious insults in Brussels. To Pope Leo XIII’s anger the Brussels Palace of Justice came to be bigger than St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The building is currently 160 by 150 meters, and has a total built ground surface of 26,000 m². The 104 meter high dome weighs 24,000 tons.

The cupola

The pope made an agreement with Leopold I that there shouldn’t be any cupola to avoid comparison with a church. However Leopold I died before the construction started and Leopold II decided to put a cupola on it anyway.  Adolf Hitler was very fond of the architecture and this influenced other Nazi buildings. The archive kept there during the war was destroyed by a fire. As a result the cupola was demolished but rebuild 2,5 meters higher.

The tram journey continued downtown and we strolled over to the old Bourse. Now it was lunchtime and we stumbled into a nice typical Belgian café.

Taverne Le Cirio was founded by Francesco Cirio, a farmer who ran a successful tomato canning business in the 1800′s. He started a chain of small taverns to promote his products; Le Cirio was built in 1886 and most likely the last one. It is famous for the half en half, white wine and sparkling wine mixed.  The place itself is a marvellous retreat of perfectly preserved Art Nouveau: stained glass, ornamental brass, carved wood and marble-topped, iron-legged tables, with toilet facilities that are also magnificently antique. Outside you see the old Bourse building and inside you can have a beer or coffee. It is a very relaxed and laid-back atmosphere in this genuinely likeable bistro.

With this background I had Carbonnades flamandes, a Flemish beef stew.

Carbonnades flamandes

This is the national dish of Belgium. The taste is hearty and satisfying and they use a lot of dark beer in the preparation. Accompanied by a glass of Belgian beer, what more to wish for on a warm spring Sunday?

Chimay Triple Blonde

This week I tasted one of the Chimay Triple Blonde 8%. This top fermented Trappist beer, refermented in the bottle, is not pasteurised.  It has a golden slightly hazy colour with a carbonated and nice bitter after taste. Not the best tripple but very nice indeed.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• In search for the best beer (an ongoing quest for the perfect pint)
• Moules and other seafood
• The Blue Forrest
• Culture
• Markets
• Politics

Wood Anemones

So, where shall we start this week? With spring of course, it has arrived to Brussels, as you can see.

Earlier, I mentioned the Ixelles ponds and I decided to find out more about this very beautiful part of Brussels. We need to go back a couple of years to the beginning and see where Brussels comes from. The city is actually built on a riverbed or a wetland originally. The word Brussels seems to come from an ancient Dutch word (Broek sel home in the marsh) meaning just this. The river Senne plays an important part in the founding of the city. Officially this happened in the year 979. Along the shores grew an important trade route between Bruges and Ghent, and Cologne. The commerce made Brussels expand rapidly. Today with over 70, 000 foreigners living/working in Brussels the city still plays an important commercial role in Europe. Of course the EU institutions are also an vital part of that.

The Ixelles Ponds

Back to the ponds of Ixelles, these were spared by a 19th-century campaign of drying the wetlands of the Maalbeek valley between the Abbey of La Cambre and Flagey Square.

Abbey of La Cambre

They offer a unique architectural and artistic setting. The ponds are an extension of the original gardens of the Abbey. Perfect for an art nouveau walk, with, as main representative for that style, the building of the National Broadcasting Institute on the Place Flagey. Here is also a market on Saturdays, quite nice to visit (hrs:08-13).

Walking or running is a normal exercise for us and this Sunday we did a nice walk near Seneffe. Here we found a masterpiece of classical architecture, the grey-stone castle of Seneffe, is a must see. The castle has fine examples of 18th-century parquet, wooden skirting, moulding, furniture and silverware. The castle also contains a unique silver museum and a lovely park.

Castle of Sennefe

On the way back we visited the impressive St Gertrude’s Cathedral in Nivelles from 1046. The cathedral is well worth a visit and it is very close to Brussels, just ½ hour due south of the city.

St Getrude's Cathedral

Lunch time in a local restaurant in Nivelles where we had Stoemp which is a dish in the cuisine of Belgium and the Netherlands. It consists of pureed or mashed potatoes, other root vegetables and can also include cream, bacon, herbs and spices. It was served with sausage and bacon, quite on the heavy side but tasty.

Stoemp

Grimbergen blonde

This week I chose one of the so called Abbey beers. It is a range of strong ales but they are not made in monasteries. You may say that it is the commercial breweries answer to Trappist. Some have names indicating a business relationship between an abbey and a commercial brewery. Several of these monasteries did actually brew in the past and the idea is that the Abbey bears are brewed using the old recipes. The Norbertine abbeys of Leffe and Grimbergen, for example, have royalty agreements with breweries. One of these beers is Grimbergen Blond, an average beer (6,7 %) brewed by Alken-Maes Brewery today owned by Carlsberg. They also brew other known beers like Maes Pils, Kronenbourg (also owned by Carlsberg), Ciney among others. This beer has some similarities with Leffe Blond. It is a however a little bit sweeter and quite good.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• In search for the best beer (an ongoing quest for the perfect pint)
• Moules and other seafood
• The Blue Forrest
• Culture
• Markets
• Politics

It is a little bit late with this update, but I have been busy traveling outside Brussels. Next week I am off skiing, taking a break in Norway (that is actually this week:-)). You will get you some updates anyway.

By the way, I have some problems with the sidewalks in Brussels. Yes, they are in really bad shape all over the town. The tiles are loose, broken and there are large holes everywhere. Not a big deal you may think, but as it is the same bad condition everywhere, then you start to wonder. I haven’t found any explanation more than there is a lot of reconstruction work going on everywhere and the fact that not many pays any local tax. It is not like this in other big cities, this lack of maintenance.

Place Royal

There are a lot of nice buildings in Brussels, like the Place Royal, the square were the main marketplace until the Palace of Coudenberg was burnt down in 1731. It was after that rebuild like a copy of Place Royal in Reims. The principal building on the square is the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg. On the western side of the square is the main building of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. The Palace of Justice are south of the square, and Brussels’ town hall is west of the square. At the centre of Place Royale is a statue of Godfrey of Bouillon, the leader of the first crusade in 1096, riding on horseback.

EU is all over the place, as you can expect. The capital of EU holds many institutions like the Parliament, earlier described. Of course there is also some kind of Government, called the Council consisting of the 27 leaders of the EU countries. The Council is the main decision-making body of the European Union. The ministers of the Member States meet within the Council of the European Union. Depending on the issue on the agenda, each country will be represented by the minister responsible for that subject (foreign affairs, finance, social affairs, transport, agriculture, etc.). The Presidency rotates every 6 months. Last period the Presidency was hold by; yes Belgium the country without a Government (how does that work?). Now Hungary is holding the Presidency during the first half of 2011. The headquarters is situated in

The council building

the building Justus Lipsius at the Schuman roundabout.

After all the Pommes Frites last week, I will take it easy with the foodstuff and prepare myself for some serious Belgian food in the near future. One thing I noticed is the French and German influence. Many restaurants have French quality and German size of portions.

Rochefort Trappist no 10

Regarding this weeks beer, I decided to dig deeper into the Rochefort Trappist, top of the line beverage with the no 10. This beer has always had very high scores and indeed it is something out of the ordinary. It is close to Westvleteren in quality but doesn’t quite make it all the way. The beer is dark with a very rich complex taste (like most Trappist beers). The alcohol level is 11,3%! Yes, that’s a lot of % for the money. My recommendation is to save this lovely beer till the end of the evening.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• In search for the best beer (an ongoing quest for the perfect pint)
• Moules and other seafood
• Culture
• Markets

Facts of the week;
Drink; Rochefort Trappistes 10, 11,2%, a dark Trappist beer, close to the top of the list
Food; French quality and German size portions
Location; Place Royal
Point Of Interest: Justus Lipsius, center of power

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)

Week 3 Everyday routines

This week was also a very hectic one. It took us three trips to IKEA getting the basics in place and for accomplishing a personal touch to our apartment. Parking is a mess, daytime fee is 40€ per day and 15€ fine so most take the fine instead of paying. I have secured a place in a garage close by. The weather is unfortunately turning cold not two digits anymore. Another thing, now when I am in that mood, something has to be said about the amount of dog pooh? It´s disgusting! The sidewalks are so dirty, but enough of that.

Last Monday it was Valentine, all hearts in Brussels, or maybe not! A big strike due to an incident, a couple of days ago, between a passenger and bus driver resulted in a walk-out on the underground, buses and trams. Everybody was forced to take the car, except those who lives in the city 🙂 . It resulted in a total chaos and gridlock.

A lot of happy faces ….

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Part Two: Working

So the everyday routines are slowly falling into place. For me, it is the meetings and the daily planning of activities. The main difference, now being here in Brussels, is the fact that it´s much easier to find suitable time slots compared to squeezing in meetings into my three day travelling schedule from Sweden.

Where to start? Why not with the EU Parliament, the large shining buildings, that is holding the assemblies with the elected representatives from the 27 EU member states. Together with the council they form the highest legislative body within the EU. It consists of 736 members which is the second largest democratic electorate in the world after India. With 379 million voters in 2009 the delegate’s form the largest trans-national electorate in the world. The Lisbon treaty also gave the Parliament full control of the whole EU budget.

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So what about the beer this week?

Yes, I decided to start from the very top with Westvleteren 12, voted the best beer in the world until recently when an unknown Swedish brewery (for me not being an expert) in Närke managed to take the gold medal.

So I got a bottle at Beermania. The beer is very difficult to get hold of nowadays because of their reputation and they are as well very pricey (over 10€/bottle). One strange thing you will notice, it has no label. No 12 is recognized only by its yellow cap, (10,2% introduced 1940) both 8 (blue cap 8%) and 12 are bottle conditioned and can be saved for a special occasion. Their logo doesn´t fit on the cap but are visible on the crates, if you are lucky to buy one. They also have a blonde beer with a green cap (5,8%). 1838 the brewery started and it was the only Trappist brewery that managed to keep their copper vessels during the war. The monks stated “We are not brewers. We are monks. We brew beer to be able to afford being monks.” To buy directly, you need to call in advance and you may order just one crate per person. I will investigate this and get back. The monks at St Sixtus still refuse to be interviewed and there have been rumours that the beer might be sold on the open market, but so far this hasn’t happened.

Okay, I have to admit it is an amazing beer, with an extremely complex taste, raisin and plumbs, sweet and fruity that makes you feel soft and warm inside. I really liked this beer, although it´s strong, there was no alcohol taste what so ever. It was just marvelous. This will definitely set the bar for future tasting.

I heard that they sell this beer in Sweden at 40€ per bottle in the pub? Anyone would like to order?

This weekend we took the chance to get a little bit further out of town, about 15K to the south end of the big forest named La Forêt de Soignes. Well over 4,000 ha of forest make it a fantastic place for recreations. You can walk along many small tracks and easily get lost, if you aren’t careful. We went to a little village called La Hulpe and to a beautiful château with the same name.

Lost in the vilderness

It is partly a park but it has also wilder areas and some small ponds.

The Domaine Solvay (as the forest also is called) and castle host regular shooting of films, television programs and commercials. You can rent the dining room of the castle to organize dinners, cocktail receptions, seminars, conferences, weddings and other special events. The area has some similarities with England with large ivy, holly, boxwood and rhododendron giving the park some green also during wintertime. The forest is linked by small paths and continues out in the main woodland almost all the way up to the Ixelles Ponds in Brussels (15K north). We might test that someday.

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Belgian chocolate is something special, so they say. There are more than 2,500 chocolate makers and 100,000 of tons are exported each year around the globe. My dear colleague Mike recommended Leonidas as a good choice and value for the money. It was of course big business during Valentine.

Coming weeks:

• EU continued
• Pommes Frites, what is it all about, really?
• In search for the best beer (an ongoing quest for the perfect pint)
• Moules and other seafood
• Culture (Museum Night Fever!)
• Markets
• Politics; http://lerecorddumonde.be/ In Brussels a watch is counting down for a country without government. (Iraqi is holding the record)

Facts of the week;

Drink; Trappist Westvleteren 12 Yellow (10,2%) dark beer, best in the World?

Food; Belgian chocolate

Location; Castle La Hulpe

Point Of Interest: EU Parliament