Brussels Again... III

It is hard for me to divide up the photos from Brussels the way I have for other cities. As I said earlier, nothing happened the way I planned.

I set out to find the Chocolate Museum and found myself passing the Galeries Royales St Hubert (St. Hubert Gallery), which I had wanted to visit but thought too far away. Minutes pleasantly snowballed into more than an hour, as I walked in and out of shops that were just opening for business. Postcards, books, music, movies, handbags, chocolate... browsing in the most elegant surroundings possible! Stepping out to making my way to the Grand Place, I walked through a maze of alleys with restaurants and cafes, each alley seemed to specialize in a particular cuisine or ingredient. Turning in to the Grand Place an old socialist banner greeted me. The buildings around the World Heritage square are guildhouses, dating back to the early eighteenth century. In a way then, the banner and the buildings juxtapose two visions of society. But most tourists are not thinking about political economy issues as they flock this location, taking photographs and reading their guidebooks.

At this point, it was closing in on 1 pm (or 1300 to put it in European terms), and I knew I had lost interest in the museums altogether. The day had taken on an entirely different mood, and I just wanted it to stay that way. I decided to wander towards the Sablon area and have my lunch at the Museum of Art. On my way (the short way I was shown at the end of day 1 by my friend), I walked into the most amazing bookstore: the Librairie Van Der Elst at the Galerie Bortier, Rue de la Madeleine. If you go to Brussels and you read even a little French, do visit this store. I did not buy anything but was sorely tempted (as I had been earlier at Tropismes in the Galeries); the only reason I did not buy is that I did not trust myself to actually read a whole book in French.

Emerging from this store, a look over the shoulder yields this view (right) and straight ahead is the imposing ascent to the royal palace.

As one makes one's way, the first building on the right is the Royal Library, whose walls indicate at least three kinds of writing in Belgium, the third being graffiti.

The open expanse is relieved by two tree-covered promenades. I feel, once again, for all those who praised kings and planners who planted trees alongside roads for the comfort of travelers.

Walking past the Old England building, I headed for the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. Well, to be perfectly honest, I had thought the cafe's looked interesting the day before and the bathrooms seemed clean. Both these are very important when you are wandering around a strange city (in my view)!

The Museum is housed in a building that appears to have belonged to the Gresham Life Insurance Company, which seems to have operated around the world.

The Museum has three cafes, and I found the least fussy one. And the emptiest. I had to keep walking to another restaurant to remind the staff that I needed someone to bring me a menu, take an order, bill me, etc., etc. But the cafe I sat in was very appealing.

Reading in the cafe was inspiring on two counts. First, I was reading in French after many years, and it was wonderful to feel like I could actually follow without too much struggle. Second, I wanted to go look at the work that I was reading about. So another unexpected move: I decided to actually visit the Museum of Fine Arts and bought a book that marked the twelve most important paintings for a hurried visitor to see in the Ancient Arts section.

Traffic is not the only annoying thing in Belgium. As I had lost my way yesterday through the streets of Brussels, I now was at sea in the Museum. It is a large museum, but the largeness is accentuated by the lack of easily evident maps and directions. I just wandered and wandered till I completely lost interest in ancient art, and decided to look for the Modern Art section. Not easy, that either. I found the section and a helpful (not) attendant told to follow the "Circuit Vert". Thank you, very much, I would and tried, but it would have helped to know where the circuit was headed and in which chronological or thematic direction. I accept that two things are possible: The Museum is badly organized or I am just not capable of finding my way in such places. I suppose both are true to some extent.

So did I see any paintings worth seeing? Of course, but in my increasing confusion and frustration, few registered. I wanted to see the Death of Marat, but did not find it. I saw yet another 'Babel Tower' painting and wondered about the fascination of painters from a certain time for that theme. I saw paintings by Rubens, Seurat and Magritte among others.

I realised at this Museum that I do not notice sculpture for the most part. I kept walking around sculptures as if they were load-bearing pillars or traffic regulators. The Euro Visions photography exhibition was advertised everywhere and I thought finally I would see that at least. But it was not very exciting and I just wanted to leave by the time I found it, so I spent the rest of my time in that building searching for the exit. That I took one photograph at the Museum and it was of the view through a museum window (above left) tells you in one image what my experience was like.

The rest of my day was as the beginning had been. I wandered around with no plan, ending up at the Galeries for a drink before we left. And this is the opening I have waited for since I began blogging the Brussels trip: reading about Poirot drinking tisanes, I used to wonder what they were and what they tasted like. Then I figured out that they were herbal teas or infusions. Thrice in one and a half days in Brussels, I drank the most marvelous fresh mint tea. This divine decoction is made using freshmint leaves. They are boiled in water with a small spoon of black tea. The result is something I will dream of till I return to Brussels. Mark my words, not chocolate but mint tea, is what you should travel here to consume.

Postscript to the day was a short walk to the English bookstore, Sterling Books. The walk back from there took us past the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral.

As we drove out of town, this is the view emerging from the tunnel in front of the Arc de Triomphe at Cinquantenaire Park.