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Published: June 16th 2005
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I've officially slept on my first airport floor! It was terrible. Catching a 6 am flight out of Dublin may be economical and timed well for a daytrip to the land of chocolate, but having to curl up on the dustladen floor beneath the escalators was too economical for me. Apparently a good tip for airport naps is the arrivals area - they cush it up for those who are waiting for others.
First brush with braying footie fans - a pack of prematurely acromegalic losers armed with warm six packs. Recall that this is 5am in the morning. I watched, disoriented and exhausted. They cartoonishly inhaled beer after beer, interrupting only to cackle madly at each others' sodden remarks and to shove beers in the hands of nondrinkers. The whole plane stank with their sweat.
Bussed into Bruxelles-Midi, train-station close to my heart for being equidistant between Paris and Amsterdam. Figuring I didn't have the luxury of being an ambling sort with just a day in town, I made a direct line for the Grand Place, the heart of Bruxelles and its tourist magnet. Got sidetracked in the Moroccan district for tea, and spent over an hour investigating
The hot new style??
The Crossing Guard Look is BACK! an extensive camping goods store. Liquidoma, as its called, gave me some great ideas about how to survive on the road, and also some good chuckles due to its similarity to the word Liquorama.
Bruxelles does not seem to have alot to it, but what it does have, it concentrates. It practically gags on its own excess. There's diversions aplenty, and countless outlets where one can invest in any of Bruxelles' famous specialties:
Beer
Chocolate
Waffles (called gaufres)
Lace (I had no idea)
Honey (ditto)
Mannekin Pis (Statues of a naughty young boy urinating)
While it's no surprise that beer DOMINATES this town, you'd be surprised (possibly upset) by the fervored admiration of Mannekin Pis. I'm unsure what part of the curious Belgique soul is so moved by this icon of juvenile behavior. He is surrounded by myth and has become Belgium's national symbol. Which, to my mind, is totally reassuring.
But enough of that. What's truly exciting is the beer. It's omnipresent. It's offered in selections regularly exceeding 10, 20, and 50 beers. Some restaurants or beercafes offer 100 or 200 different beers. It's mindboggling. The choices are overwhelming. So, being in doubt, I scanned
Hundreds of kinds of Honey
Free honey lozenges inside. the tables for the oldest, ruddiest, most stereotypically Belgian looking group of men, and ask for what they're having.
Floreffe Tripel 7.5%!A(MISSING)BV, Two and Half Stars
BEER!
BEER!
BEER!
BEER!
This is what it's like to look around an intersection in downtown Bruxelles.
It is available at practically every business. It's around every corner, on every floor, out every window, just next door...ALWAYS. It looms overhead and floods out from below. Beer leaps out from behind closet doors and thrusts a poncey chalice of foamy nectar all up in your grill. Inescapably delicious.
The Delerium Cafe (property of the Huyghe Family Brewery) is not only ground zero for the marvelous and obfuscatory beers of the Delerium Brewery, but also lays claim to the largest assortment of beers available in the world. With over 2000 different beers available in addition to wines, artisan gins, a lengthy list of mineral waters and (it must be noted) a page of beer flavored cheeses, Delerium flexes its muscles in a truly American way. I had the goofy barman take the camera into the coldroom to take a video of the stock. Once I figure
??
I think this was homemade. a way to post them, I'll get them included.
Before I continue my description of the Delerium Cafe, I want to make clear that it's only because of my notebook that I have any recollection of that night. So without further ado, I'll put down my notes, verbatim.
Delerium is "cutty"as Bay Area slang would have it. It's hard to find an alley off an alley off an alley. And of course it's at the end. Not really a prominent location for such a remarkable menu. The menu must weigh a pound or two. The barkeep is quite Belgian and inoffensive. He is cooperative and eventempered. It reminds me of the Dutch- masters of their emotions. He even takes/shoots a video of their beer storage for me. It's predictably epic. I'm 2 beers in and already smashed. Smashed barely in control of my motor skills. How'll I make it back through the Belghetto to the tren stacion @ 11:40. Gusto, joie de vive and G.U.T.S. Since it's only 5:50, I'm going to need to moderate myself BIG-TIME, like the homie Peter Gabriel used to say. Carmeliet Tripel 8.0%!A(MISSING)BV, Two Stars
Liefman's Goudenband 8.0%!A(MISSING)BV, Two and
Laughing Seal Teapot
A highlight of the antique teapot collection curiously on display at the BRUSSELLS CHOCOLATE MUSEUM.... a Half Stars
My note on this one reads, "put me on my ass"
To reiterate, it's 6pm and I've got 3 more beers to try and a downtown to stumble around and left baggage to retrieve prior to departure. The left baggage stings considering the lockers are nearby, more accessible, and cheaper. GO FOR THE LOCKERS!!!! Lord, I'm just getting drunker by the second. I attribute it, in part, to my sleep deprivation. I'm back in the game. I've got some bar food to dilute the beer. Gouda chunks! Not even that gregarious Bulgarian I just met could have the fortifying effect of cheese. He collects beer posters, even the ugly and uninteresting ones. Ah well.
Delerium Nocturnum (draught) ??%!A(MISSING)BV, Three Stars
I can't believe it. They're playing that Breakout song that Smithee loves so much. Does this make Brussels fantastic or abhorrent. And what of its Franderlander amalgam language. It has just enough moonman feel to it to win my heart. Final thoughts - enjoy a nice day in the sun in Brussels. Try some of their chocolate (although avoid the ripoff chocolate museum), and if you can afford it(I couldn't),
You got what it takes?
As the blog reveals, I clearly did not. some of their famous mussells on the Rue des Bouchers. If you've got a raging drunk on, then you might consider walking several miles to what looks like a large park on your map. To each their own. I found it particularly gratifying to roam the unloved regions of BX and see people going on about their daily routine. I bought some chocolate covered gaufres and wandered through a neighborhood full of neat little bars, restaurants and painted buildings. I know there's more to Brussels, but I'm not in the mood to hunt for it.
Next stop: The overnight train to Berlin, city of the future.
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Christine
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Mannekin Pis
Also of note, not only the obsession with this juvenille statue - but the fact that they change the clothes on the statue every day!