We spent only one day in Brussels.
Not enough time to feel the pulse of a city that hosts the European
Commission, Council of the European Union, and European Council, and is the
most important seat of the European Parliament. But the nature of these hectic,
multi city, multi country tours, is a frenetic pace at which sight seeing is
accomplished.
As we walked from our hotel to the nearest railway station, I noticed dirt and grime around me. Public spaces were covered in graffiti. It was surprising because our hotel was in a pretty good part of town, near the Royal Museum of Fine Arts and the Grand Place. Moreover, I was just coming in from Amsterdam, a place where people could and did, sprawl out in public places just to enjoy the weather. Plus of course the expectation that Indians have of 'foreign' countries being so spanking clean that you can eat off the road.
A bit of reading that I have done since returning home reveals some
suprising facts. A news report from 2014 notes that nearly
34% of the population in Brussels lives in poverty and that Brussels has the
most imbalanced labour market in Europe. 25.7% of children grow up in families
where no one works. One in
three children in the Brussels-Capital Region lives in poverty. According
to a Unicef report on global child poverty, 17.2% of Belgian children live
below the poverty line.
This might
perhaps explain (although not justify) the horrific bomb blasts that took place
in Brussels in March 2016. Violence and terror as a means to express anger and
protest is sadly becoming the order of the day.
Moving on to
more pleasant thoughts....
The husband,
a rabid Tintin fan, was determined to visit the Herge Museum. In fact, it was
the reason why we were visiting Brussels at all!
The Herge Museum is located in Louvain-la-Neuve on the outskirts of
Brussels at 26, Rue du Labrador. It is dedicated to the life and works of
Georges Remi the creator of Tintin, who wrote under the pen name Herge. The
museum which opened to the public in June 2009, was designed by architect Christian
de Portzamparc and cartoonist Joost Swarte. It is a three storey building
containing interesting photographs from Herge's childhood, family and working
life. It also has rooms dedicated to the various characters in his books - from
the major ones - Tintin, Haddock and Calculus to the supporting cast like
Nestor and Jolyon Wagg.
Audio guides are available in English and French and are included in the
cost of your ticket. So be sure to pick them up from the counter at the
reception. There are lockers where you can deposit your bags and walk around
freely. The museum is very spacious and airy and not overcrowded with exhibits
which makes the time you spend here very enjoyable.
A little
extra information - if you're in Brussels later on this year, plan a trip to
Musee Herge and take a wheel chair tour of the museum atrium. On 3 December
2016, which is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, the museum
is organising a free wheelchair tour to raise awareness of disabilities.
Back in Brussels, we
walked down to the Grand Place, not far from our hotel. According to Wikipedia
"The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is
surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city's Town Hall,
and the Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. The
square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in
Brussels. It measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 361 ft), and it is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site." And I must admit that this was the first time I had
heard of anything called the Grand Place (said she in a small and ashamed
voice).
The origin of the Grand Place dates back to the 11th century
when an open air marketplace was set up on a dried up marsh near the Fort on
Saint Gery Island. By the 13th century, three indoor markets were established -
a meat market, a bread market and cloth market - because of which sales carried
on even during bad weather. These belonged to the Duke of Brabant. By the 14th
century, the area passed into the hands of the local authorities. With the
building of the Brussels City Hall, the Grand Place became the seat of
municipal power. In a show of one-upmanship, the Duke of Brabant built a large
building right across the city hall as a symbol of ducal power. This was built
on what used to be the bread and cloth market. It is now known as the Maison du
roi (King's House) in French. In Dutch it continues to be known as Broodhuis or
Breadhouse.
The Grand Place saw war, destruction and rebuilding over the next few
centuries and continued to serve as a market till November 1959. In 1998, it
was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tucked away amidst the many souvenir shops, in the by lanes of the Grand
Place, is yet another object of art - Manneken Pis or simply Little Boy Pee, a
61 cm tall bronze statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain.
There are many legends and stories behind
the statue. Wikipedia claims the most famous one to be of one Duke Godfrey III
of Leuven, a two year old aristocrat, who led his troops in battle while
hanging from a basket on a tree. He is said to have urinated on the enemy
troops and defeated them. A compelling story about the Terrible Twos! The most
plausible seems to be one where a wealthy merchant, visiting Brussels with his
family, had his son go missing. The search party found the boy urinating in a
garden. The merchant had the statue built as a sign of gratitude to the
locals.
An interesting tidbit of information is
that the statue is dressed in different costumes every week according to a
schedule that is displayed on the railings surrounding the statue. The little
boy has an impressive wardrobe and the costumes are displayed in a permanent
exhibit inside the museum in the Grand Place. All the work with the costumes is
done by a non profit called 'The Friends of Manneken Pis'.
With that our sight seeing around Brussels
came to an end. It was a really tiring day for me, having traveled from
Amsterdam and then spent a good part of the day on my feet. It was also cold
with occasional rain on that day. By the end of it, I was ready for a hot bath,
food and sleep.
Before I sign off on this post, try your hand at these trivia questions.
Leave your guess in the comments section. And I'll provide the answers in about
a week's time:
1. Musee Herge is located at 26, Rue du
Labrador - what is the significance of this
Ans. Tintin's address in the comic series
2. What is Snowy called in the French
version of the adventures?
Ans. Milou
Ans. Milou
3. How are Thomson and Thompson related?
4. Name Captain Haddock's family home
Ans. Marlinspike Hall
Ans. They are not related. They are doppelgangers
4. Name Captain Haddock's family home
Ans. Marlinspike Hall
5. What is the origin of the writer's name
'Herge'?
The reverse of Georges Remee when initialled (GR = Herge)
The reverse of Georges Remee when initialled (GR = Herge)
