A boring country?
Belgium undoubtedly has an image problem: art limited to dreary old oil-paintings;
buildings full of faceless Eurocrats; and cuisine peaking at moules-frites!
Certainly when my brother’s family relocated to Brussels last month, I had some doubts - but I also saw it as a fantastic opportunity for the kids to learn a new
language and culture, and a smart career move for the parents to where the real
power lies. Plus it’s a fun new place for
us relatives to visit – including what remains for me the thrilling, baffling
concept of going under the sea in a train. Maybe the Belgian capital has been sadly
underrated?
Art, far from being absent, was there in
abundance: from the traditional equine
statues and fulsome nudes, to more contemporary stuff – the well-known
Magritte, Tintin and Brel, but also rope sculptures, graffiti-art and playfully-decorated oversized sprouts! There are
also dozens of museums, though this time we only managed those dedicated to flight
and musical instruments – mainly to eat and admire the views!
Buildings are also surprisingly
varied. Whilst it’s no Gaudi-inspired
Barcelona, there are plenty of impressive examples of art nouveau
architecture. Even the glass and steel
modernism of the European Parliament is impressive in its own way - not the grandeur
of Westminster, but what it lacks in style it makes up for in
influence... And as for the Grand Place,
this is surely one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, up there with
Sienna and Krakow - and must be breathtaking when carpeted with flowers
every other August.
Cuisine, too, was a pleasant surprise – we
would have avoided mussels anyway, even before learning that their favourite
food is poo, but had lovely fresh waffles in the park, and delicious Leffe and
Kriek beers at lunchtime (the latter was crisp and tasty, nothing like the
recent trend in sweetly artificial fruit-flavoured beers). And, unlike their Gallic neighbours, the Belgians
offered decent veggie food – even when I thought I’d played it safe with a lasagne
I actually got layer upon succulent layer of mouth-watering spinach and
pasta. As for dessert – what could beat Belgian
chocolate?
Anyone can criticise. But don’t believe all you hear. Contemporary Brussels offers a positive ABC
of Art, Buildings and Cuisine – this is certainly not A Boring Country!
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