What's Doing in Brussels

New-York Times on the Web
July 26, 1998
By ERIC SJOGREN

In This Article You'd have thought that Brussels acquired delusions of grandeur when it became the headquarters of the European Union in 1958. It goes farther back than that. The man behind the city's most pompous edifices, its widest boulevards and magnificent parks was Leopold II, the empire builder who, with the aid of Sir Henry Morton Stanley, founded the so-called Congo Free State in 1884 and ran it as a personal fiefdom before bequeathing it, and the dreadful heritage of colonialism, to his nation.

Urbanism was Leopold's second passion, and throughout his reign, 1865 to 1909, he initiated or supported innumerable projects to embellish his city. One of Leopold II's thoroughfares, the Avenue Louise, leads directly to the Bois de la Cambre, a vast, rolling park where Bruxellois come to picnic, play with the kids or just nap. In August, there are free Sunday-morning concerts, jazz and contemporary Brazilian sounds alternating with chamber music.

Another Leopoldian showpiece, the Avenue de Tervuren, is reached from midtown through a lengthy tunnel. As you emerge, the majestic arch straight ahead, built to celebrate Belgium's 50th anniversary in 1880, is called the Cinquantenaire. (Never mind that it wasn't completed until 1904 and inaugurated in 1905.) The chestnut-shaded avenue sweeps out along landscaped parks and woodland; on summer weekends, you can recreate the spirit of long-ago excursions by taking an open tram along the avenue from the Square Montgomery to the Africa Museum in Tervuren.

Events

Through Nov. 29, the Africa Museum (officially, the Royal Museum of Central Africa), 13 Leuvense steenweg, Tervuren, (32-2) 769-5211, features an exhibition of 150 extraordinary West African masks, on loan from the Barbier-Mueller collection in Geneva. Admission, about $5.50 (calculated at 36 Belgian francs to the dollar). They vividly illustrate the debt modern Western art owes to African inspiration.

The Hôtel de Ville, or Town Hall, on the fabled Grand'Place in the heart of Brussels is home to an intimate exhibition of paintings and sketches by the Austrian Expressionist Oskar Kokoschka until Sept. 30. He is represented by sun-drenched landscapes and portraits, and serene crayon sketches of nudes and still lifes. Admission, $5.50.

The Grand'Place itself will be the setting for the biennial Flower Carpet Aug. 14 to 16. The design is a closely guarded secret until the 700,000 begonias, from the flower-growing district near Ghent, are deposited to form a carpet measuring about 80 by 250 feet. For $2.20, you can view the carpet from the flower-bedecked second-floor balcony of Town Hall. The Gothic structure itself is a joy to behold these days, with centuries-old grime removed from the off-white sandstone. Information: (32-2) 513-8940.

This year's Summer Festival, until Aug. 31, will include concerts and other events at interesting sites, like the fine Baroque Church of St. John the Baptist on the Place du Béguinage. It will be used for two showings of Carl Dreyer's classic 1928 silent movie "The Passion of Joan of Arc" with improvised organ accompaniment (July 31 and Aug. 1 at 9 P.M.) and for a concert featuring Mozart's work for glass harmonica by Thomas Bloch and the Brussels Virtuosi on Aug. 28 at 8 P.M. The Belle-Époque Bibliothèque Solvay, in the Parc Léopold, is rarely open to the public, but it will be for a concert by the Hogarth String Quartet on Aug. 7. For reservations from Belgium, call 0800 21221; films $8.30, concerts $13.80.

For more audacious fare, try the Festival Bellone Brigittines Aug. 20 to Sept. 5, which presents a series of newly choreographed post-modern works for solo dancers and small groups from Belgium, France and Italy. Performances are staged inside the 17th-century Chapelle des Brigittines, a space as stark and vertical as a Piranesi etching, in complete contrast to its graceful Baroque facade. The chapel is at No. 1 Rue des Visitandines. Tickets cost $8.30; call (32-2) 506-4300.

Sightseeing

A single German buzz bomb fell on Brussels during World War II, but it destroyed the Toone Theater and all 75 marionettes. The theater rose quickly from the ashes, however, and the current proprietor and principal manipulator bears the title Toone VII. This trove of folklore serves as a pub during the day and puppet theater at night, with the company performing tongue-in-cheek versions in Brussels dialect of classics like "Carmen" and "The Three Musketeers." Toone is at the end of a very narrow alley, the Impasse Schuddeveld, which branches off the busy Petite Rue des Bouchers at No. 21. Performances at 8:30 P.M., tickets $11.10; telephone (32-2) 511-7137.

The Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate, which opened at the end of June, is right on the Grand'Place in the Maison des Ducs de Brabant, 13 Grand'Place. It provides a quick history of cocoa growing and chocolate making (demonstrations Wednesday, Thursday and Friday starting next month). Jo Draps, whose uncle created Godiva chocolates, is the museum's founder, and you can sample several brands of chocolate during a visit. Admission $5.50. Closed Monday.

The nearby Galeries St.-Hubert (better known by the names of its constituent parts, the Galeries du Roi, de la Reine and des Princes) are a world apart from the touristy blocks around Grand'Place. This shopping arcade, which opened in 1848, was among the first to use iron girders in soaring glass construction. It is also an early example of 19th-century neo-classicism, with Greek gods and heroes in their lofty niches looking down on the luxury shops.

Back in the 1920's and 30's, Belgian cars were all the rage, rivaling the Rolls-Royce as the choice of the rich and famous. Today you'll find a few of them -- like the Imperia -- parked in Autoworld, one of the vast exhibition halls that flank the Cinquantenaire arch. Some 400 vehicles are on display, and the star of the show is the Belgian Minerva that was produced in 1929, the most luxurious of many to be seen.

There are plenty of American cars, too. Call (32-2) 736-4165. Admission, $5.50.

Where to Stay

Until Aug. 31, most Brussels hotels will (on request) apply their weekend rates on weekdays, bringing luxury hotels more or less down to medium-range levels.

Le Dixseptième, 25 Rue de la Madeleine; (32-2) 502-5744, fax 502-6420, is a 17th-century mansion in the heart of the city, converted with great style into a hotel of 24 rooms and suites. Rooms, which overlook a pleasant interior courtyard, are decorated differently and have parquet floors and Oriental carpets. Doubles, $183 ($144 until Aug. 31).

Manos Stéphanie, 28 Chaussée de Charleroi; (32-2) 539-0250, fax 537-5729, a couple of blocks from the Avenue Louise, is also a converted and expanded town house. The marble lobby sets the tone, and the 55 rooms are decorated in Louis XVI style; the corridors are done up with Old Master-type paintings and antiques. Doubles are $230 ($111 weekends and weekdays to Aug. 9).

Budget: Les Bluets, 124 Rue Berckmans; (32-2) 534-3983, fax 543-0970 is crammed with objets d'art -- statuettes, stained glass, pictures -- and the 10 rooms reflect the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie of long ago. There is a grand piano in the salon, and breakfast is served at a communal table. Smoking is prohibited. Doubles are $50 to $68.

Orion, 51 Quai au Bois à Brûler; (32-2) 221-1411, fax 221-1599, is a complete contrast: whitewashed surfaces with bright red details. All 169 rooms have kitchenettes. Doubles have pull-out twin beds, and junior suites sleep four. Doubles cost $89, junior suites $133.

Luxury: The Radisson SAS, 47 Rue du Fossé-aux-Loups; (32-2) 219-2828, fax 219-6262, features different styles in its 281 rooms -- Oriental, Italian and Scandinavian -- surrounding a vast atrium. The Sea Grill restaurant, with two Michelin stars, is one of the city's best. Doubles start at $330 ($164 to Aug. 31).

The venerable Amigo, 1-3 Rue de l'Amigo, (32-2) 547-4747, fax 513-5277, with its sumptuous tapestries and Oriental carpets, is right behind the Town Hall, on the site of the old city jail. Lately it has undergone a face-lift that has freshened up 120 of its 185 rooms. It remains the discreet favorite among well-heeled travelers who prefer Old World-type accommodations. Doubles usually start at $250 ($153 on weekends, $215 on weekdays until Aug. 31).

Where to Eat

Unless you are happy to part with a couple of hundred dollars for dinner for two, you'll do well to stay with the prix-fixe menus, available in even the most exclusive restaurants. They're a good deal at lunch as well. Service is always included.

A visit to Villa Lorraine, 75 Avenue du Vivier d'Oie, (32-2) 374-3163, on the edge of the Bois de la Cambre, has an element of time travel to the days of tail-coated waiters and enormous silver dessert trolleys. From goose liver with truffles to dessert soufflé, you can easily spend $200 for a dinner for two with wine, but $49 a person will buy you a four-course prix fixe lunch, and a glass of wine costs around $4. The restaurant closes for three weeks in July and reopens Tuesday.

The name may suggest a steakhouse, but at La Maison du Boeuf, at 38 Boulevard de Waterloo in the Hilton Hotel, (32-2) 504-1334, the repertory has evolved during 30 years under the same executive chef to include a casserole of langoustines with spices and braised turbot. The restaurant, normally on the second floor, moves up to the 27th floor (and spectacular views) from July 27 through Aug. 24. Dinner for two with wine, about $220.

Bonsoir Clara, 22-26 Rue Antoine Dansaert, (32-2) 502-0990, is a fashionable new place on an old street where every other shop is a fashion boutique. In one of the two high-ceilinged rooms, one wall is decorated by a giant quilt. The Italian-influenced menu includes tartare of tuna with sesame, scallion and ginger, and veal piccata with soy butter. A three-course dinner for two is about $70 with a bottle of wine.

Ogenblik (Flemish for "just a moment") is a terrific bistro that has been going for 29 years at 1 Galerie des Princes, (32-2) 511-6151. Green-shaded lamps are suspended over marble-top tables. Waiters wear T-shirts, but the fare is ambitious, the choice enormous, and the prices on the steep side. Favorites include bavarois of tomatoes with goat cheese and duck breast confit with Provençal herbs. About $140 for a three-course dinner for two with wine.

't Kelderke (the Little Cellar), 15 Grand'Place, (32-2) 513-7344, dishes out typical Belgian fare to tourists and others from noon to 2 A.M. It's not haute cuisine -- stoemp, a potato and vegetable mash with bacon; huge meatballs (ballekes) with tomato sauce -- but the price is right.

A hearty plate of food costs about $28 for two with a glass of wine.

There are also many pita joints, especially around the Grand'Place, and hundreds of bars (euphemistically known as cafes) that will whip up an omelet or spaghetti. A quick meal with a beer is less than $20 for two.
 

Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company