Wandering around Brussels Again

Today I decided to give wandering around Brussels another shot. It's been a few weeks since I last wandered semi-aimlessly around the city. Above you see one of my "discoveries": the Porte de Hal or Hallepoort. This is the remnant of one of the gates of medieval Brussels. To make Lori happy I also took a picture of myself in front of said gate.
Wandering was hampered today by typically schizophrenic Belgian weather. It alternated between dark/cloudy, thunderstorms, and brightly sunny/hot. During one of the windy phases, I stumbled upon this bizarre statue:
One thing that I've been disappointed with in Brussels are the much-hyped fries. Virtually all places selling frites are using frozen potatoes of questionable provenance. So I decided to do some advance planning for this venture. Perusing the web, I discovered a strong consensus that Maison Antoine is the best fritur in the city. The hype is much deserved...these fries are properly cooked in beef tallow!!! Sorry vegetarians. This makeshift stand that has gradually metamorphasized into a permanent installation is so popular that I had to stand in line for almost an hour. The frites were fantastic with a meaty essence from the tallow and exellent crunch. I'm not entirely sure they were worth waiting an hour behind an annoying German 6-year old but I couldn't leave Brussels without having the real thing (pictured below with sauce andalouse, a tomato-mayo conconction):
There was a massive outdoor market on the Jourdanplace where Maison Antoine is located. I was really excited because there were all kinds of cheeses, breads, and sausages to try. However, unbeknownst to me, the market began shutting down while I was in line for frites. So I did not get to buy anything afterall. Here you see the vendors taking apart their stalls:
On the walk home through Park Leopold, I spotted some wildlife: cute baby ducks!
And thousands of snails:
Maybe sea turtles are an endangered species because naked Belgian children have been strangling them all?

Namur

Today I visited the city of Namur, which is also the regional capital of the Walloon Community of Belgium (these are the crazies who are considering declaring independence from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium). The most important site in Namur is the large citadel overlooking the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre Rivers. As you can tell from the picture, this hill is pretty much a textbook spot to place a fortress. Which makes the history of Namur somewhat confusing. Few European cities have been besieged and conquered as often as Namur, despite its supposedly invulnerable defenses. Virtually every major power in European history has succesfully captured this citadel, sometimes more than once! The most recently successful besiegers were the Germans in 1914. Below is a picture of the most famous besieger: Louis XIV.

Note the citadel in the background and also note how undeveloped the countryside was in 1692.

Now compare Louis' portrait to the scenic shot above.

Above is a monument dedicated to Belgians who resisted German invasions in WWI and WWII.

By chance, Namur was having a massive street festival today. Too bad most of the tents were selling cheap sandals and other worthless crap. There was very little street food either, which to me is the most important part of any outdoor festival.

As always, churches figure heavily in the sights of any European town.

Here is the town hall.

Some sort of convent building

Finally, the mushroom omelette I had for lunch. It was completely mediocre as I've come to expect here. French-style cuisine must be in serious danger on its home turf. I'll take Lori's scrambled eggs ANY DAY over this overcooked undersalted disc.

Crepe!

I found a place that serves savory crepes! This one has ham, cheese, and a fried egg inside. A perfect lunch.

The Real Day 10: More sights in Brussels

Today I wandered the streets of Brussels after I was done at the archives. Above is a monument to Belgian King Leopold II. This is the guy that pretty much devasted the Congo in Africa and ensured that the Democratic Republic of the Congo would become the basket case it is today.

This is the church that is near the archives.

Here is a monument to the counts of Egmont and Hornes. They were executed as traitors to Philip II of Spain by the Duke of Alba in 1568. They became symbols of local resistence to tyranny in Belgium.

Statue of Godfrey of Bouillon, the noble who established the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem during the First Crusade. Bouillon is not too far away from Brussels.

Finally we come to the Royal Palace in the center of Brussels. It seemed pretty dead inside the grounds so I'm not sure anyone is actually living there.

Day 10: Antwerp

Today I decided to brave the unseasonal heat and humidity and check out Antwerp. This city of 1.1 million people is only 40 minute from Brussels by train.

And what a station to arrive at. Antwerp Central was recently ranked by Newsweek as the 4th most beautiful train station in the world. Unfortunately, it is undergoing some restoration right now which marred an otherwise fantastic scene. Above is an interior shot and below is the outside.

Like every other city or town in Belgium, Antwerp has a disproportionate number of old churches and cathedrals. Here is the Cathedral of Our Lady, which was begun in 1352.

Above and below we see statues commemorating the key folktale of the city. According to legend, Antwerp got its name after a diabolical giant named Antigoon who exacted a toll from anyone who wished to cross the Scheldt river. Antigoon supposedly chopped off the hand of anyone who refused to pay the toll and tossed it into the river. However, a Roman soldier named Brabo fought Antigoon and chopped off HIS hand instead. Hence the name: hand werpen (hand to throw) which gradually became Antwerpen. It's worth noting that this story is completely mythical and linguists have other theories about the name involving silt and rivers and such. But Antigoon and Brabo are much more exciting! Check out Wikipedia if you want more details. Check out Brabo tossing the giant's hand.

Next we turn to the guildhouses on the Grote Markt. These guilds dominated the commerce of Antwerp, which emerged as the center of the growing worldwide economy during the 16th century. Antwerp's merchents became the primary middlemen for spices, precious metals, and textiles. No other city had ever functioned as true global trade depot and Antwerp rapidly became the wealthiest city in Europe. This position would be short lived as a result of the Dutch Revolt which broke out in 1566. Antwerp ultimately returned to the Catholic fold but its economy never recovered its dominant position, which shifted north to Amsterdam.

Cool relief carving on a wall:

Another church:

It wouldn't be Belgium without odd statues of naked women:

Day 7: Brussels' Mascot - The Manneken Pis

For some reason this is Brussels' Mascot. It is mildly funny but completely overrated. I actually walked by it today as a complete accident. I was wondering why so many tourists were flocking around an otherwise unassuming street corner before I realized it was there. Long story short, everything in Brussels refers back to this tiny statue. You can buy all kinds of pee-related stuff from shirts to replica statues that are 5 times as big.

Day 6: Chimay Tasting for only $7

The only thing that's cheap in Belgium

Day 5: Turkish Pizza in Little Anatolia

So I've finally had a food epiphany about Belgium: Belgian food is generally crap in any of the restaurants I can afford to eat in. Virtually all restaurants in Brussels that serve traditional Belgian dishes have the exact same menu. They even look suspiciously like they are under the same ownership and management. To summarize, I can spend 15 euros on a mediocre meal OR I can spend 6 euros on a delicious Turkish pizza (Lahmacun).

This actually works out great for me because my room is in a heavily Turkish neighborhood in Schaarbeek called "Little Anatolia." There are literally dozens of Turkish restaurants that cater to an actual immigrant community. Competition is fierce and prices are MUCH lower than their Belgian competitors.

Tonight, I had my first lahmacun. For 6 euros, I got a giant boat-shaped pizza cooked in an actual wood-fired oven. The menu was enormous with dozens of topping combinations so I opted for a basic pizza split between minced/seasoned meat and cheese. As an added bonus, I got some Turkish sausage on top. The lahmacun arrived with a sizeable plate of lettuce, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and a lemon. I mistook this for a salad before I noticed all the Turkish diners topping their slices with the mix, sprinkling on some lemon juice, before folding it all in half to consume. Next time, I'll do it right ;) Needless to say, this meal was perhaps the best I've had yet in Brussels.

Here is a kriek or cherry-flavored lambic beer I picked up at the store. All you framboise drinkers back in Columbus need to realize how badly you are getting ripped off on your Lindeman's out at the bars. This bottle cost 1.5 euros.

Finally, we have the Botanique or Botanical Garden. I would have taken more pictures but there were far too many euro-douche teenagers around all the cool stuff.

Day 4: In Brugge (not Bruges)

Today I took a trip to Brugge. Way too many pictures to post so check out my album on Facebook.

Day 3: Ridiculous breakfast

This basket of bread wasn't even my whole breakfast! I went to Le Pain Quotidien for a petit dejeuner but there was nothing petite about it. Le Pain Quotidien is an all-organic bakery/cafe that started in Brussels but is apparently all over the world now. I wish one would make its way to Columbus. The breakfast consisted of: a basket of assorted breads, a soft-boiled egg, fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee, and an array of various spreads and preserves. A bit expensive but delicious!

After the archives, I did more wandering of the streets. I found A La Bécasse in a small courtyard through a nearly hidden passageway just a block from the Grand Place. Not many tourists inside though.

A La Bécasse still serves Lambic beers in the traditional clay pitcher.

They also have cheap (for Brussels) snacks, open-faced tartines, etc... to eat.

After polishing off this platter, I experienced a massive jet lag attack and collapsed into a 3 hour nap!

First Dinner in my Room

I didn't grill the jambon and mustard-cheese sandwich but I used a skillet because I don't have a plate!!!

First Day at the Archives

So today I got myself out of bed at 7:00 on the dot for my first day at the Archives Generales du Royaume (I left out the accents). I had no idea what to expect linguistically but was pleasantly surprised when 2 out of the 3 employees spoke perfect English. I guess that is what you get in a small country with powerful neighbors that has been invaded and defended countless times over the past 1000 years! Above is the outside of the archive.

Inside, it took no effort whatsoever to figure out the inventory system. I had my first documents within 30 minutes. This is a good thing because it turns out there is far more here for me to see than I initially expected. I'm going to have to gut it out every hour the archive is open to finish by my last day (July 17). Above you can see one of the documents I'm looking at. It is a record of military reward grants (ventajas) given to Spanish soldiers in the 1580s.

I worked straight through to 4:30 without collapsing! Afterwards I sat down at a nearby cafe to get a beer and some food.

I got a smoked salmon platter with various veggie garnishes and it was delicious! Next, I walked around for an hour. Big surprise: another old European country full of cathedrals!