mmm-yoso!!!

Ghent Day 1: Tierenteyn-Verlent, Kaas Mekka, Yuzu Chocolatier, and Gruut Brewery

If you'd ask the Missus and I what our favorite city in Belgium was, the answer would be unanimous. It would be Ghent. Unpretentious and quite easy to like and navigate, not quite as touristy as Bruges, we loved the vibe that this city of 250,000 gave off. Ghent is but a 40 minute train ride away from Brussels. And like Bruges, Ghent has those wonderful canals as well.

It's just not crawling with all those tourists......

And a strange thing happened to us here....in a way, we even forgot we were tourists. That part of the brain which dictates the places to be and the places you need to see got shut off. Instead, we just enjoyed the city. From the time we caught Tram #1, getting off near Het Gravensteen (The Castle of the Counts), walking to our apartment near Vrijdagmarkt, we felt so at ease.

The city is full of "market squares". Indeed, we were staying one block away from Vrijdagmarkt - Friday Market Square. Having stowed our stuffs, we headed out, down the street to Groentenmarkt - Vegetable Market, which ironically has the ever bustling Meat Market right next to it.

The interior of the structure is quite impressive; the place was built without nails, and hams still hang form the ceiling......this was once the only place in the city where meat was allowed to be sold. These days it's a bustling restaurant.

Right across the way is this famous shop.

Tierenteyn-Verlent is known for their mustard and has been selling it since 1790. I read that it is still made in the basement of the shop.

It's some heady stuff. Guaranteed to clear those sinuses and quite good as well. We bought a small jar, but it cracked before we got past Bruges.

Luckily, I've got some great friends and Candice bought us a bottle when she returned from her trip to Ghent.

Tierenteyn-Verlent
Groentenmarkt 3
Gent, Belgium

We were having so much fun that I totally forgot to take photos until we were close to City Hall. Along the way there's a little portal and a street; Werregaren Straat, walking down the alley, the faint smell of urine in the air, you'll be on "Graffitistraat" - Graffiti Street.

This is Ghent's solution to Belgium's strict laws on graffiti; it is basically illegal and the penalties stiff. Ghent has designated this street as an expression free zone for Ghent's graffiti artists.

Some of the creations are quite amazing.....

We passed many landmarks along the way, like Saint Nicholas' Church which was built between the 13th and 15th century. This is considered one of the "three towers of Ghent".

Most of the grand historic structures in Ghent are in the area of Saint Bavo Square.

In retrospect, we should have been better at playing the tourist, but we were just enjoying the city.

South of this area, down what seem some rather small streets is Ghent's shopping area, full of interesting shops. We saw this one; named Kaas Mekka.

This was cheese heaven. We couldn't help but purchase some for our next two dinners.

Delici-yoso!!!

Kaas Mekka
Koestraat 9
Ghent, Belgium

Exploring further down the street we started coming across crowds of people....apparently there was some kind of major sidewalk shopping festival going on.

A very festive kind of vibe going on.......even a band or two along the way.

It looked like some folks even brought their own chairs and sat outside restaurants and bars....enjoying the sun and a nice beverage (and a nap?) or two.

It was in the area right across the river that we found the first spot I wanted to "hit". We were on the hunt for chocolates for my MIL and I'd heard some great things about a shop named Yuzu.

This shop is the result of former archaeologist Nicolas Vanaise's passion for Japanese and Middle Eastern Culture and chocolate. The flavors presented are a product of his travels. This was by far the best; and most interesting chocolate we bought on this trip.....flavors like Whiskey and Cuban Tobacco.....

Yuzu
Walpoortstraat 11
Ghent, Belgium

This made a nice addition to the "collection" we put together for my MIL.

Right around the corner from Yuzu was another one of my target destinations. Even among the beer-focused Belgians; Gruut Brewery is unique. Before hops were used for beer making, a mixture of spices were used instead. This medieval mix was called gruut; the namesake of Gruut. Annick De Splenter is the owner and brew master here.

The place looks quite low keyed from the outside, but was quite busy. There was one large table of folks who were obviously on a "beer tour" and each beer was introduced and explained to them in detail. Meanwhile other folks were reading, chilling, just hanging out, and having a nice time.

We basically tasted everything before deciding on what we really wanted. My favorite was the Amber; which had some caramel tones, and a touch of sweetness. The beer has a really nice tongue coating texture and there is even a mild bitter finish so you're not really missing the hops.

It was a nice beer and we ended up buying a four pack to take with us back to the apartment.

Two ambers and two of the Missus's favorite.

The Blonde, which was very drinkable, light, fizzy, with an interesting herbaceous finish. Nice beer for a hot summer day....I'm kind of wishing for a pint of this today since it's been really humid here in San Diego.

They gave us a couple of Gruut Coasters when we bought our beer.

One quick thing. If you visit Gruut and are male, make sure to drink enough beer so that you'll be able to visit the restroom. The urinals are quite "unique".....

"Feed me, Seymour -  Feed me all night long........"

Gruut Stadsbrouwerij
Grote Huidevettershoek 10
Ghent, Belgium

As you can tell....we were having a blast!

Thanks for reading!

Antwerp: Frituur No 1 and other stuff

Heading back from our visit to MAS, we stopped off at Grote Markt. Things were quite festive here as there was a children's festival....at least that's what I think it was, going on.

As we walked back to our apartment, there was a bit of unfinished business to take care of. We'd been in Belgium for a while already and I still hadn't had any frites. This was easy enough to resolve as Frituur No. 1 was right at the top of the street we were staying on, Hoogstraat.

I stood in line with the combination of locals and tourists and got my frites......with curry mayo, which I really didn't care for. The frites were decent, nothing amazing....in fact the Missus was totally unimpressed. Not light and crisp enough on the exterior...lacking that richness and not quite fluffy enough inside.

Still, I finally got some frites, right?

Frituur No. 1
Hoogstraat 1
Antwerp, Belgium

One thing we loved about our street was that there seemed to be a lot of local traffic on it in spite of being one of the streets leading to Grote Markt.

We could get meat, vegetables, bread, a few steps form where we were staying.

On our last evening, we decided to just relax....I used the kitchen, which like the rest of the apartment was amazingly set-up with pots, pans, seasonings, dishwashing liquid....you name it. The place is called Apartment Ahome Awayfromhome, and rightfully so. The owner Gis was so easy to deal with and all the details were just perfect.

From the De Koninck to the laundry detergent the place is probably among the top 4-5 apartments/residences we've stayed at....totally worth it, even with the 55...yes we counted them; steep steps to climb. In case you're wondering; you can find more info about the place here.

Anyway dinner was simple......ingredients from right up the street.

After dinner we took a walk. Things had kind of settled down......

We took a nice stroll, then returned to the apartment.

I watched the news, the Missus caught up on emails....I did a post, then we set out again. Like I've said many times, Antwerp is very relaxed and easy to enjoy....though it kind of gets you itching for more and I could tell the Missus was ready for a change. This was perhaps a bit too sedate for the Missus.

There is quite a diversity to the city. We especially noticed it at night. As groups of young men...and women of all ethnicities headed to their favorite watering hole.

And still, things were quite calm. The music on the street ended by 10pm. I had my Floreffe Tripel and watched the news on the television while the Missus went to sleep.

Tomorrow, we'd be back at that beautiful train station; headed to our next stop.

Thanks for reading!

 

Antwerp Day 2: Restaurant A La Ville and the views from MAS (Museum aan de Stroom)

After our stop at The Chocolate Line, we did a short backtrack. We stopped at Wapper Sqaure and took a look at the Rubens House, the former residence of Peter Paul Rubens. In the end, the Missus really wasn't feeling much like visiting places like these so we headed back to the Grote Markt area.

We were getting hungry, it was time for lunch. We headed past the square, near the old meat hall.....I had thoughts of stopping at Hofstraat 24, but the Missus decided to try somewhere else.

On the street named Zirkstraat, the Missus found the place where She wanted to have lunch. It was named A La Ville. When the Missus asked me what that special was; Parmentier de Carnard, I told Her it was like a duck shepherd's pie.....She was sold. The Missus wanted a break from the hearty, somewhat heavy food we'd been having, so this Mediterranean - French Bistro just seemed to fit the bill.

The menu seemed very French, the hostess was quite nice, not overly friendly, but quite accommodating. The interior is the basic white and black, with concrete walls. Behind those black curtains is quite a large dining area; I guess for dinner and such.

The Missus of course, got the Parmentier de Carnard, which started with quite a sizeable salad. Dressed simply, topped with a quail egg, after days of hearty, hefty, meals in the Czech Republic and Antwerp, was something She really enjoyed.

The parmentier was without a doubt the highlite of the meal. Nicely flavored shredded duck confit, quite a bit of it actually, mixed with nicely seasoned mashed potatoes, It was the exterior was nicely browned and crisp.

It was quite rich and filling.

I ordered a couple of items, starting first with Bone Marrow and Escargot.

The sauce, which was beef based was nice and light, the bone marrow rich and buttery, and the snails were much more tender than I expected.

I also ordered the Leek with Duck Bacon and Quail Egg.

This was probably our least favorite dish; the cured duck was quite bland and dry, the leek was fine, but this is like something I'd make at home and really didn't seem to be worth 14 Euros.

As we ate, we noticed several older couples arriving. The Servers seemed to know them all, I guess they're regulars. It was kind of nice......something we don't do here in the States. Enjoying a nice leisurely lunch is a lost art it seems.

Overall, a nice meal and good counter-point to all the Czech and Flemish meals we'd been having.

A La Ville
Zirkstraat 37
Antwerp, Belgium 

After lunch, the Missus wanted to check out the view from MAS, the Museum aan de Stroom - "Museum on the River" for the views of Antwerp. Thing was, She wanted to walk through the short Red Light District.....a strangely quiet, kind of seedy couple of blocks on a pedestrian street. The Missus didn't even know we were passing through when I told Her to check out the, ahem, "window displays". Some of those women looked pretty tough.....like they could probably body slam me if I made a wrong move. The Missus suddenly realized that all the other folks walking were men......and a few, rather scantily clad women..... For some reason, the vibe just gave me the creeps.

Located on the site of the old dockyards, the Museum aan de Stroom is quite impressive looking. It celebrates Antwerp's history as a major maritime center. For more about MAS, check this out.

We had come to check out the views. Just take the 10 story escalator ride up to the viewing deck.

You can see Cathedral of Our Lady in this one.....

And here's one of the Scheldt River. That castle is called t'Steen and is the oldest building in the city.

We were having a very relaxing time in Antwerp.....

 

Antwerp Day 2: Chinatown, Antwerp Train Station, Stadsfeestzaal and the Chocolate Line

Antwerp was proving to be quite interesting.....relaxed, laid back, even more so than Brussels. There were less tourists, it had more of a urban-local feel, even though we were staying close to the Grote Markt, there were businesses like a meat market, bakery, produce stands, that served the locals.

The Missus wanted to take a nice walk on our full day in Antwerp....to the train station, which I wanted to see anyway, then back.  So we set off from Grote Markt, taking some of the back streets.

We stopped at places the interested us along the way, like the very Baroque looking St Charles Borromeo Church. The most popular local citizen, the famous Baroque Painter, Peter Paul Rubens, was raised in Antwerp and spent a good part of his career in Antwerpen. Even this Jesuit Church displays the influence of Rubens who supposedly designed the decorative façade. In fact, there were 39 ceiling paintings by Rubens that were destroyed in 1718 when the church was struck by lightning.

There are wisps of Rubens everywhere, even on this plate. From what I can find, Dr Lazarus Marcquis was on of the physicians who treated Rubens, who died of heart failure due in part to chronic gout.

We eventually found ourselves in front of the beautiful train station....but first, I was distracted by this.

I have a thing about Chinatown's, whether in Lima, SF, Portland, Toronto, Kobe, or even pseudo-Chinatown's like Brussels, I just can't help myself. So I just had to check it out.

And of course, I could not resist the temptation to check out the at least one Asian Market....just to see what was being sold. Markets like this one stocked everything from Sriracha to Datu Puti and Silver Swan. And some of the prices were no joke....sheesh.

We also checked out the various menus; here are a few in case you're interested.

Chinatown is barely a street or two in Antwerp, but it's all interesting to me.

We took a turn and walked back toward the train station. At one of the streets parallel to those of Chinatown I saw one of my favorite signs. Folks, don't even think about "wildplassen" here, ok?

The Antwerpen-Centraal railway station itself is probably the grandest, most impressive train station I've ever seen. Hard to believe that this structure, finished in 1905 was once considered for demolition.

A look inside and it's quite easy to see why they call this structure the "Railway Cathedral". The restoration job on the place was completed in 2007 at a cost of 2.7 billions dollars. The glass ceilings, intricate work, marble, and stone makes a truly impressive sight.

There's actually a level which links the place to the "Diamond District" and 30 diamond shops.

It's easily my favorite site in Antwerp. I've never seen anything quite like it. When looking at my photos I still stop at the one's we took at the train station.....

We walked down the Boulevard named De Keyserlei, arriving at a large street named Frankrijklei. This was where the city walls of Antwerp once stood. Across the way you could see the beginning of the "Meir", the major shopping street of Antwerp. Here you'll run into a statue of another of Antwerp's favorite son's, the  Artist Anthony van Dyck, who was a favorite of England's Charles I.

You'll pass many....well, let's just say shops we know quite well on the Meir...... H&M, Forever 21.....H&M and Zara are everywhere in case you need something in a pinch.

But it's this ornate, but rather discreet portal that caught our attention. Through this passageway is Stadsfeestzaal, which is one heck of shopping mall.....let's just say it makes South Coast Plaza look like a trailer park.... Tons of gold inlay....there's actually a champagne bar! Yikes. I understand that this was originally built as an exhibition hall completed in 1906. It was destroyed by fire in 2000. Being a historic monument, it was rebuilt using the original plans and reopened in 2007. It is something to behold.....not sure about the shops in the place, the Missus wasn't moved; but with a grand staircase and such you can't help but admire the beauty of the place.

We our way through the place until the Missus became bored (I was already there) and walked back out into the sunshine of the Meir. 

Back out on the street we quickly noticed a place whose name I recalled. Dominique Persoone is a Belgian Chocolatier, whose rather audacious approach to chocolate, along with his self coined handle as the "Shock-o-latier" has earned him quite a following and reputation. He owns The Chocolate Line with shops in Bruge and Antwerp.

You really couldn't help but be impressed with the upscale boutique look of the place....my goodness.

And when the Missus saw the play on upscale shoes....well we just had to take our time in the place.

And while it's easy enough for me to dismiss the rather seemingly kitschy chocolate lipstick and edible chocolate facepaint, along with his nomme de guerre. The chocolate "snort" made me stop and reassess.

And while some of the creations like the various chocolate sculptures and such, were obviously done to impress in the name of commerce.

A snort of chocolate, hmmmm.....what would that do to my already ravaged grey matter? Perhaps I'd change my name to Cadbury? Or perhaps start a campaign to save the "chocolate bunnies"? Who knows, as my train of thought was interrupted with the Missus telling me; "ok, I've got some chocolate, let's get going. Aaaand, I didn't buy any of those chocolate shoes.......can you imagine, shoes of chocolate, like feet and eat them, ick...." And so my Chocolate Gandhi moment was permanently interrupted. 

We had bought some to add to the collection for my MIL and had a few that seemed interesting ourselves.

Interesting, but we enjoyed what we got from Pierre Marcolini and Yuzu in Ghent more...... But not being a "sweets person" who's to say, right?

Antwerp Day 1: Dinner at De 7 Schaken, bicycles, the best beer in the world(?), and other stuffs

After walking around the Grote Markt area we headed down South. Stopping at various shops in the Fashion District, finally heading down to the area called T'Zuid, which basically mean "South".

This gentrified area is now a very trendy part of Antwerp. Eight avenues extend from Marnixplaats - Marnix Square. The statue in the square is named Schelde Vrij - Scheldt Free which commemorates the settlement with the Dutch that allowed free passage of ships on the Scheldt River.

Stopping here, we took a nice leisurely stroll back to Grote Markt via various side streets.

The weather was a bit strange, passing clouds would make it seem like rain was on the way, then a few minutes later the sun would be out. This pattern kept repeating itself the whole day.

Before we knew it, dinner time had arrived. There was a place I'd heard about, right across the street from Den Engel. 

I don't quite remember how this place ended up on my list, but it did. Located on the main square, I had my doubts, but this pub/restaurant, ended up being pretty good.

There's a bar area and an attached restaurant, which looked rather rustic. The menu had a few Flemish specialties along with stuff like salads and spaghetti....spaghetti?

The Missus was overjoyed to be back in Belgium and be able to order stuff like the Oude Geuze Vieille, which She thoroughly enjoyed.

I just loved my draft Tripel Karmeliet, which seemed much lighter than here in the states. The was a definite spice-pepperiness to the flavor and it was much more carbonated and fizzy than I recalled. It was a heck of a glass!

What did the Missus get? Well, that was quite predictable...Sausage and Stoemp of course. This version came with Flemish style bacon, which was delicious.

As for the rest of it; I preferred the version at Le Fin de Siècle in Brussels.

I went with the braised pork cheeks with chicory.

It arrived in a nice sized pot. The flavor was nicely beefy and the sauce was pretty good...definitely beer in this one. Loved the texture of the braised chicory and the sweetness that cooking it this way brings out. The beef had kept shape but was spoon tender.

The meal came with frites, which I wasn't really impressed with...and mayo of course.

We must have been hungry as we polished off this very hearty meal.

I celebrated being back in Belgium with another beer; this time a draft La Chouffe, which was bit more hoppy than I recalled. Like the Karmeliet, this seemed really light for an 8% ABV brew. I was definitely enjoying being back....

De 7 Schaken
Braderijstraat 24
Antwerp, Belgium

Dinner done, we headed west to the Riverfront....there's really not much to see here, parking lots and such.

Actually, the view of the Grote Markt area from here is much nicer.

One thing we quickly noticed about Antwerp. There were more folks riding on bicycles than anywhere else we'd seen on this trip.

The Missus quickly got into the habit of taking photos of bikes parked around Grote Markt. Here are a few from Her collection.

That little splash of color just makes them look so cheerful.....

While walking back to our flat, I noticed this beer store. I talked the Missus into taking a look. I love the collections some of these places had. While looking in the back of the store a name got my attention......well, it actually screamed out at me.

If you're a beer nerd, it would do the same to you....though probably more intense that what I experienced.

For some, the Westvleteren 12 is the holy grail of beer. It is often mentioned as being the "Best Beer in the World". I asked the clerk behind the counter about this and he sheepishly looked at me and said, "yes, it is the twelve.....have just come in today and I have not put away." He immediately grabbed the case and put it behind the counter. But not before I got a bottle. I was interested because I had worked this beer into a part of our itinerary later on during this trip. 

So later in the evening, I opened the bottle.....and my goodness....now I like quads, but this was really boozy and bready....with sweet tones.....it was a bit much even for me. Needless to say, I started having doubts about what I had planned.

Still, we were enjoying our time in Antwerp. It was not overly touristy, the folks rather relaxed, the food decent.....there was nothing to not like.

Thanks for reading!

Antwerp Day 1: Grote Markt and Den Engel

*** No food in this one....just more beer. Wouldn't mind at all if you just decided to come back tomorrow!

When I mentioned we were going to Antwerp to some folks who had been to Belgium I was asked "why"? Why? I dunno....doing the Brussels - Ghent - Bruge thing sounded fine, but I wanted more and it just seemed like Antwerpen would be a rather nice, laidback destination after Prague. It was a total slamdunk getting to Antwerp. Get the train from the airport and in an hour or so, you are checking out the beautiful vaulted glass ceilings of Antwerpen-Centraal Railway Station.

It's a stunning site; no wonder they call this the "Railway Cathedral". Until arriving here, São Bento Station in Porto had been the most impressive.

We soon figured things out and caught the metro, getting out at Groenplaats. The apartment we were staying at turned out to be awesome. In spite of the 55 narrow and steep stairs, it was equipped with everything we could want and the small things were taken care of, stuff like laundry detergent, even a couple of bottles of de Koninck, the local beer as a welcome. The woman running things was also a joy. The location was amazing, on Hoogstraat one of the main arteries leading to the main square, Grote Markt. The street had a mini-mart, bakery, produce stand, and meat market.

The Grote Markt is lined with Guild Houses, each one topped with a gold statue or emblem. The City Hall, adorned with flags of different nations really stands out. As does the interesting fountain in the center of the square. Is that really someone throwing a severed arm? You bet..... The Brabo fountain depicts the end of the legendary and feared giant Druon Antigoon who guarded the Scheldt River the main river that flows through Antwerp. The giant would demand a toll for anyone crossing the river. If he was refused, the giant would sever the hand of the person and throw it in the river. Silvius Brabo a Roman soldier vanquished the giant and severed the arm of the giant, flinging it into the river.

Such a story called for....well. a drink of course! We were happy to be back in Belgium and were in dire need of some liquid refreshment.

There were two places that I'd heard of right on the square....in fact, they were right next to each other....and looked almost exactly the same. Strange this city where arms are flung into rivers and two different bars next to each other look like twins.

We chose the one on the left; Den Engel. Why? I dunno...maybe because I'm left handed, or because my left leg is lsightly shorter than my right leg so I just tend to lean left?

The was Antwerp, so we both had a De Koninck. It's a bit dry and almost like a lager....in fact, I would have never thought this was Belgian. The Missus didn't care for it very much, though I thought it was fine.

Den Engel
Grote Markt 3
Antwerp, Belgium

The one great thing about having a drink here was the view of the square and especially the 400 foot tall Cathedral of Our Lady.

Walking over to the cathedral, we noticed this plaque written in Japanese.

I was intrigued....what was this all about? Upon returning I did a little bit of research. This plaque, donated by Toyota is to commemorate at story, written by an English author, about a Flemish boy, that's become a classic in Japan. The story? A Dog of Flanders. If you're interested in the who/what/where/why, I really like this post, it covers the story about the story....about the story.

The day was starting to pass us by....it was time to "hele" as we would say back home......

Upon returning home, I noticed a set of photos of an elderly couple making their way through Grote Markt that the Missus took.

I found the photos sweet and touching......with the hope that perhaps this would be the Missus and I someday......

Brussels: Shopping for dinner, "Chinatown?", Pierre Marcolini, and Moeder Lambic

Lunch had been a wonderful, but pretty rich meal. Since we had an apartment, we decided to self cater dinner and dropped by a couple of the nearby shops.

Some nice cheese from the cheese shop, tomatoes, head cheese and prosciutto from the nice gourmet shop on Rue St Catherine. There's a good sized Delhaize Supermarket on Anspach where we picked up greens for a salad......we just needed some greens after all of this. And beer of course......

And so we headed back to the apartment with dinner all set. It would be nice to relax since we'd bee flying to Prague in the morning.

Funny thing, I hadn't even heard of a "Chinatown" in Brussels, but then we passed a short strip of Chinese restaurants and markets right across the Stock Exchange Building (the Bourse), so of course we had to check at least on of the markets out.....man, it was sticker shock.

Try almost 17 Euros for a small bag of frozen Jiaozi.....

The Asian vegetables seemed pretty scarce and did not look in very good shape as well.....

The Missus couldn't help but laugh when She saw this......

Man, it would be tough if we lived here......

We also checked out the menus and offerings of some of the Chinese Restaurants on the street.....

And decided to stop after seeing the 6,80 Euro ($9.25) price for 4 pieces of Shiu Mai.....then of course those places that serve Chinese-Vietnamese-Thai-Sushi......

We headed back to the apartment and took our usual afternoon nap, awakening a short while later. It was time for us to shake off our grogginess. The sun was out and wasn't scheduled to set until almost 10pm, so we headed back to Place Poelaert and the Upper Town.

We passed by several sections of Brussels' midievel city wall and Eglise Notre Dame a la Chappelle, which is Brussels' oldest existing church.

We got to the Marolles neighborhood and took the elevator up to Place Poelaert. All the rain and dreary weather had been chased away, it was now a bright and sunny afternoon. Too bad we were leaving the next morning.

The view from here when the sky is clear is quite nice. You get to appreciate Brussels....

We strolled around the Upper Town area, antique and designer shops, and some interesting cafes and restaurants as well. Love Joel Robuchon, not sure about his sushi though.....

My MIL loves chocolate....we were in Belgium, so we decided to get her a collection of chocolate from our travels....but not just ordinary stuff...i.e. Godiva, Neuhaus, Leonidas....no we'd try and get her a variety with a little meaning, not just the usual tourist stuff. It just so happens that Pierre Marcolini's flagship store was right along our path back to the apartment.

Winner of the 1995 World Cup of Pastry and known as a master chocolatier, this would be a good start for my MIL's collection. The variety of flavors and chocolates of various regions made this quite an interesting experience for us, which would suite us well later on.

The shop actually looks more like a fine jewelry shop, boutique, or gallery than a chocolate shop. So we made our first purchases for my MIL here.

I think it was a nice start..... 

The day was so bright and beautiful, folks were out and about, the cafes (the beer cafes) seem to be doing great business with folks enjoying the weather. It was a perfect chance to check out the Fontainas location of the legendary Brussels' beer bar Moeder Lambic.

The Missus and I immediately loved the place....there are no airs...what few tourists who came in and stared in awe at the beer list of unfamiliar and familiar brews were treated graciously and there was harmony with the locals....who seemed to appreciate the fact that folks were making the effort to find the place...which isn't hard, but like Le Fin de Siècle, you pretty much either just run into the place or have to seek it out.

It's easy to just stare off into space at the listing of beers familiar and unfamiliar. The Servers were really nice with the 2 parties of tourists we saw....

The Missus and I, knowing how analysis-paralysis would be, just went for it. She ordered a Gueuze Tilquin and I a De Ranke Guldenberg.

We've had Tilquin here in the states, but this was a bit different; you could make a out a bit more fruitiness, though it was still pretty funky and puckery-dry. The Guldenberg was a nice tripel, a bit more hoppy than what I expected, with almost the feel of a boozy saison. A very nice beer. This place should be on any list if you're in the area and enjoy beer. We'd go to the original location of the Moeder Lambic on our way back, which we laso loved.

Moeder Lambic
Place Fontainas 8
Brussels, Belgium

It was a beautiful afternoon. On the way back to the apartment we passed a bar that had a street musician playing an electric violin, I wish I recorded it.......he started playing as we passed...I recognized the music right away. I Love Rock and Roll.....a Joan Jett classic! It seems like all the places we visited (in both the Czech Republic and Belgium) loved American and English music...whether rap, death metal (Moeder Lambic in St Gilles), Jazz, or good 'old Rock n' Roll. Honestly, I think it might be our greatest export. As the violinist hit the chorus, the entire street broke out and sang with unbridled joy and spirit:

"I love rock and roll
 So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
 I love rock and roll
 So come and take your time and dance with me....."

It was just the cherry on top of the sundae for us.....ending a very nice afternoon.

We returned to the apartment we were staying at smiling. Like most of these type of units we've stayed at; there's no lift, the stairs can be narrow and somewhat steep. We were rewarded in that this was a single unit above a a gallery that was closed the two days we were staying there. There was also a wonderful, older cat named "Sushi", mellow and sweet, he was a good ambassador for the place. The bedroom and bathroom was on one floor with a kitchen nook above.

It was a nice place to make a quick breakfast, or do a quick post, like I did, or have a nice little dinner, like we did on this evening.

With of course, some beer.......most stores sell singles here; and those Belgian's go for less than 2 Euros a piece, so how could we resist?

The Missus prepped a quick breakfast for us, we'd be heading out early for our next stop.....Prague and the Czech Republic..... 

Brussels: Morning at Grand Place, Upper Town, and Viva M'Boma

Morning's are our favorite time when we travel. We're usually early birds, so we get going fairly early to check out the the sights  in the peace and quiet. Speaking of peace, as much as we found amusement in Manneken Pis, we kinda enjoyed "Manneken Peace" a lot as well. This street art is about a block from MP, just around the corner from where we were staying.

Wanting to see Grand Place in the morning, we headed back up the three blocks. A pleasant walk without the crowds and the smells of waffles in the air.

The buildings of Grand Place looked so stately at this time of the morning.

The most impressive building is easily the Town Hall (photo right) with its 300 foot tall tower. It's quite difficult to capture the entire building in a single shot. The photo above is of the "Maison du Roi" or King's House, which is also called the "Broodhuis" in Flemish since buildings in this spot served both as a bread market and an administrative building for the rulers of the House of Hapsburg. This structure was built in 1890 and now houses the City Museum.

Each of the guild houses surrounding the square has it's own statue crowning its roof. Many of the buildings are named by the statue or some detail or decoration on the building. This is probably how people found these buildings before the advent of the address. On the bottom right of the photo below, you can see a swan above the doorway. This place is known as the Swan House. All of these places have a place in history. In 1847 -  1848, this building contained a bar, which was the place where Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx met and drafted the Communist Manifesto.

We had pretty good timing. Just as we were leaving delivery and sanitation trucks invaded the peace and quiet of Grand Place. We headed back to the apartment and had some tea and planned our morning walk. After checking out some of the markets in the area we headed uphill and a few streets later we were staring at the Palace of Justice and the Infantry Memorial.

We turned and headed down the rather busy Rue de la Regence at a leisurely pace until we came to one of my favorite little parks in Brussels; the Place du Petit Sablon. There are 48 columns surrounding the park. Each one is topped with a statue which represent the ancient craftsmen of Belgium.

Within the park there are 10 larger statues of Belgium's great thinkers of the era. I was surprised that I actually knew some of these; especially Gerardus Mercator, the great cartographer whose Mercator Projection revolutionized accurate navigation in its time allowing for "true direction" calculations. I'd read about some of these folks over the years but have to sheepishly admit, I didn't know they were Flemish/Belgian.

The garden itself is quite beautiful and peaceful, a nice oasis to relax and recharge; even on a overcast and drizzly morning.

The two fellows adopting the rather Shakespearean pose above the fountain in the park are Lamoral, Count of Egmont and Philip de Montmorency, Count of Hoorn, simply known in Belgian history as "Egmond en Hoorne", who stood against the Spanish Inquisition and rule. Both were executed; beheaded on June 5th 1568 in front of the Town Hall in Grand Place. One of the events that sparked the Eighty Years War which eventually led to an independent Dutch Republic.

Across the street from Place du Petit Sablon resides the very gothic looking Notre Dame du Sablon which took about 149 years to build. Along with the wonderful stained glass, there is a small wooden statue of Mary, a copy of the original which was destroyed by Protestants that had healing powers. In 1348, the statue was located in Antwerp, it spoke to a woman named Beatrix. It instructed her to take it....she snatched the statue, boarded a boat, and headed to Brussels. When a crowd of Antwerpen citizens tried to stop her; the statue froze them in their tracks! The statue arrived to great fanfare in Brussels and this church was built in its honor.....you'll see several images of boats around the church.

After this short visit we headed down (up?) the street, past the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, which ended with us staring at the Royal Palace.

We actually enjoyed the view looking down from the Mont de Arts Steps which started across the street from the Royal Palace.

After this it was window shopping in the areas surrounding Grand Place, then off to the neighborhood of St Catherine for lunch. Initially, I thought we'd grab unch at the very popular Nordzee Seafood Bar, but the Missus was interested in something more substantial....I knew just the place.

Located close to where Rue St Catherine become Rue de Flandre, a street full of cafes and shops, in the former location of a butcher shop resides "Long Live my Grandmother", the very well known and recommended Viva M'Boma, which was described as a shop that creates dishes from all parts of the animal except the "squeeks...moo's....and baaa's".

We were seated right at the front window....we had arrived right when they opened.

The biggest dilemma for us was what to order......the veal kidneys? Horse steak? Steak tartare.....Lamb tongues???

The one thing we did know was that we'd be having some beer....though we were still showing a bit of restraint at this point, it was just one, the 1882 Gueuze Girardin (white label).

 Funky to the nose, typical gueuze flavor, the finish mildly dry.

I love head cheese, so we had to start with the "Homemade Pressed Pork Head", which was the best head cheese (and we had quite a bit) on our trip.

The mustard vinaigrette was such a nice foil for the porky goodness.......I finished every little crumb of meat on the plate.

The Missus went with the Pot au feu with Veal Cheeks, Oxtail, and Marrow.

The Missus marveled at how each different cut had retained its own flavor....each different from the other The flavors just popped in the very clean well prepared broth. I loved the perfectly rendered bone marrow. It was just the perfect texture of meltingly globby. It's not the under roasted piece of pencil erasure that is the norm here in San Diego.

I really enjoyed my Veal Sweetbreads in Mustard Sauce.

While the mashed potatoes were velvety smooth, they were a bit too much of a "butter wonderland" for me. Those fantastically steamed, firm yet creamy sweetbreads were just plain delici-yoso! The mustard sauce added just the right amount of ooomph to conteract the rather rich texture of the sweetbreads. You got a nice, slightly metallic finish that seemed pleasant. Even the Missus, who is not a big fan of sweetbreads just loved this.

This was a wonderful lunch stop for us. The service was professional without being stuffy....our server had a sense of humor and was quite efficient. We'll gladly return whenever we're in Brussels again.

Viva M'Boma
Rue de Flandre 17
Brussels, Belgium

After lunch it was time for some shopping....we'd be self-catering dinner, then a nap of course!

Thanks for reading! 

Brussels: Grand Place, t' Kelderke, and Le Fin de Siècle

I'm not sure exactly when the Missus and I decided on Belgium as a destination, but somewhere after the New Year, the Missus's love of Belgian brews ignited, and airfare to Brussels seemed reasonable...Prague had always been in the picture, but Belgium, well, that decision was a rather late one.

Which is how we found ourselves in a terrible line at passport control. Honestly, it wasn't even a line at all, just a mass of people in a hallway, more of a cattle pen perhaps, for what seemed a distinctively unorganized entry to the "Capital of the European Union". We basically stood an hour and half in a huge blob of people before making it the actual line for passport control and customs. The folks here are very friendly and nice though. You also seem to have to walk through the entire airport to get to baggage claim (luckily we only had carry-on). It was a slam dunk from there. We found that public transportation in Brussels, like most big cities in Europe is an absolute joy. Down to the lower level and the Express Train to Brussels Centraal Station. The folks at the apartment we were staying at, above an art gallery just a few blocks from the station, perfectly situated for us, gave us impeccable instructions. Within a few minutes we had the keys, gotten some good tips on the area, had climbed up the rather narrow stairway, showered, and were on our way.

We were but three blocks from what became our landmark......

The famous Manneken Pis. You know how they say, "you can't miss it"? Well, in this case, you could miss it if not for the crowds that surround this tiny statue of a little boy peeing.....

The only other constant in the area is the cloying smell of waffles and chocolate, so thick that you can almost see it.

In spite of all the tourists, we quickly noticed that the pace here was quite laid back, unlike Rome, things were low stress, no hard sell, seemingly no scams.....

Grand Place, the former central market square, UNESCO Heritage site, the heart of Brussels, is just a few blocks from Manneken Pis. Also known as Grote Markt in bilingual Belgium, it is indeed a grand sight, even as the clouds rolled in and drops of rain started pouring down.

With the rain falling, it seemed like a good time to get something to eat. Both the Missus and I were starving after our long flight(s). We had been for warned about the "restaurant row" on Rue de Bouchers, by guides, online, and even the folks at the apartment. However, we didn't want to be slogging around, a bit groggy from lack of sleep (I can't sleep on flights), in a city we weren't familiar with. Enter t'Kelderke, located in Grand Place. Yes, it's a tourist restaurant of sorts, downstairs in the cellar right on Grand Place.

I really came to enjoy this type of cellar restaurant. I think there's something rather comforting and cozy, in spite of the darkness.....

Our Server was a rather nice fellow, not overly friendly, but amicable......

Hey, we were in Belgium, right? So it was time for a beer. Not much on the list here, so we started with a Grimbergen Tripel. Kind of light for a tripel, mild citrus tones, not very boozy, and fairly thin tongue feel.

Much like the restaurant itself, it was agreeable, nothing that would challenge you in any way.

The Missus started with the Carbonnade Flamande, the classic Belgian Beef and Beer stew.

And stoemp of course. The stew was ok, the flavor beefy but a bit too sweet, the beef also had a decent flavor, but several pieces were much too tough and fairly dry. The stoemp tasted of too much parsley.

I ordered a Horse Steak medium....which was cooked to a perfect medium.

While the frites were something that could have out of a bag with SYSCO on it; definitely not up to what I would consider Belgian standards, the horse was pretty good. Perhaps not the most gamey, nor sweet horse I've had, more like a powerful grass fed beef sirloin. The Missus absolutely loved it. The Server recommended a mushroom sauce which was served on the side. It had a nice flavor, perhaps a bit heavy on the butter, but not bad.

One thing we quickly noticed, which was a recurring theme was that things weren't overly salted....a nice change of pace from what we're used too.

Overall, a decent meal in a very high tourist area.

T'Kelderke
Grand' Place 15
Brussels, Belgium

By the time we worked our way back up to daylight, the rain had long passed and things had dried up a bit. Before we headed back to the apartment for a nap we headed out the other end of Grand Place and to the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. Built in 1847, this place claims to be the oldest operating shopping mall in Europe.

I really loved the neo-classical design which bestowed a sense of elegance to the glass covered arcade. You really expect great works of art to be lining the walls instead of windows to various chocolate shops and cafes.

We then headed through Rue de Bouchers, wall to wall restaurants waiting for tourists and past the Church of St Nicholas.

 Running right into the huge building known as the Bourse - The Stock Exchange Building. Here's a photo of the front form across busy Boulevard Anspach.

Funny thing, we'd just arrived and in the matter of minutes had seen most of lower town sights!

We headed back to the apartment and took a well earned nap. In spite of the rather heavy lunch (and beer), we awoke hungry. We headed on out, walking past all the places we passed before. You notice much more the second, and third time around. Near MP there's this mural of Tintin, the world famous cartoon created by Brussels born cartoonist Hergé.

The Missus and I really enjoyed the murals and street art of Belgium.

Crossing Anspach and past what we call "Brussel's Chinatown" (more in a later post), we got the area known as St Catherine. We really enjoyed the vibe of this area, which seemed even more laid back. The area is dotted with cafes, restaurants, food shops, and such.

Just south of the area on a rather non-descript street is a place I really wanted to check out.

Not much of a sign to speak of, communal seating, the menu is written on a chalkboard (in French - but I heard the Servers explain the dishes in English to some folks), nice selection of beer (served at the perfect temp), this is the type of no-nonsense places I love....though if you'd move this to San Diego it would be full of hipsters and called a Gastropub. And it would make a killing. The prices are right, the service can be on the brusque side.....until they understood that we really appreciated the food and drink. You don't hesitate here....you spot an opening and you go for it.

Decisiveness wins the day here. If they are busy feel free to walk up to the bar and politely order your beer; which in my case was a Trappistes Rochefort 10, a wonderful brown quadrupel with a slight raisin and a wonderful, smooth, tongue coating texture. Man, now this was a beer to sit and savor. As you can tell, I was really starting to get into this.

The Missus ordered what might be Her favorite Gueze of the trip; a Mort Subite. This seemed to have the right combination of a mild fruitiness along with all the sour attributes of a Gueze without being too dry. Something interesting we found was that folks were somewhat surprised that the Missus, a woman, enjoyed sours.

Of course we ate......this time I ordered the Carbonnade Flamande(made with Chimay) which we both really enjoyed. The beef was perfectly cooked, very tender, but not falling apart. The flavor was a nice beefy, with a balanced sweet and savory thing going for it.

The Missus just had to order the Sausage and Stoemp.

Without a doubt the best Stoemp I've ever had. The Missus really enjoyed this, especially the sauce, which I believe was also made with beer, mustard, and probably beef stock.

This was one of our favorite meals of the trip....

The price at 34 Euros ($45) we thought was very reasonable.

Le Fin de Siècle
Rue des Chartreux 9
Brussels, Belgium

After dinner we walked around a bit, enjoying the public art.

We stopped by a Carrefour Express and picked up a couple more bottles......just for a nightcap, right?

The Belle-vue Gueuze was very basic, not too sour, middle of the road, with nothing that really stood out.

The Brugge Tripel was quite effervescent for a tripel. Kind of boozy, with some mild fruit. Not the nice texture that I like in a tripel, but not bad.

Yes, we were having a heck of a time....can't you tell?

I realize this was a long one. If you hung around 'til the end, I thank you for reading!

 

Where in the world are we - the home stretch

We leave for home in the morning. This has been a heck of a trip.....

Perhaps not as challenging as Tunisia or amazing as Peru or Angkor, but this trip has been pure joy for us. We've learned so much.

And also seen quite a bit.

We visited several cities and even took a short trip into an area not in most guides.

In a search of the "Holy Grail" of beer.

We've been having blast and doing a ton of walking.

And even though it's been overcast and even rainy most of the time, it hasn't dampened our spirits.

For some reason we didn't visit many museums.....just a few.

Yesterday we returned where everything started.

 

We ate rather well on this leg of the trip. We didn't go for anything particularly fancy, but had some great meals.

 

Well, our glasses are empty....

 

And we're missing Da' Boyz, so it's time to come home.

Thanks for reading!

 

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