28 Feb
I got up at 0350 to go to airport in Napoli. Arrive in Brussels at 1230 and checked-in to Bloom Hotel at 1330. I mention the hotel because it was very new European: stylish and different. I chose for location and cost and found a unique place.
I spent the afternoon visiting the south side of Brussels: Saint Gilles and Ixelles. Lots of more recent (post 1900) construction- Art Nouveau and Victor Horta Museum. Of course, I sampled a couple of local cafes and watched people. Fun stuff, but I got lost way to much and walked more than I wanted. Oh well- so goes the adventure.
That night, I went to In ‘t Spinnekopke, a wonderful restaurant famous for specialties made with beer (in addition to others). The highlight of my dinner was Rabbit cooked in a Gueuze sauce(unique sour aged beer traditionally from Brussels and nearby Lambik) and draft Cantillon Lambik (very rare) to drink. I wandered to several famous cafes near by including Le Becasse (lots of people drinking traditional Lambik in ceramic pitchers) and Bon Vieux Temp (very old, lots of locals).
And yes, after walking everywhere, my legs were sore.
Beers sampled: Jupiler Pils, Orval, Lindeman’s Gueuze, Mort Subite Kriek, Cantillon Lambik, Cantillon Geuze, Pawal Kwak (total: 7, ~2 Litres)
29 Feb
The hotel served a wonderful breakfast mixing great European cold stuff (cereals, cold cuts, strange fish, you name it) and more traditional American stuff—with great Kaffe.
I wandered into the center of Brussels visiting a little before things were really moving (9am) and visited the Cathedral (wow! Huge!) , the Grand Place, and of course Manneken Pis. During a stop at Brew Pub of the Grand Place, I met a group of Americans from Arizona who had just got of their flight. Wouldn’t you know it, they were brewers and beer lovers going to… Sint Niklaas for the beer fest. I would run into them at two more places of the course of the day and then spend a lot of time with them on Sunday near the end of the festival.
My great beer/food experience this day was at Poechenellekelder (say it three times fast). It was right next to Manneken Pis—but was not touristy—it was very traditional with an amazing beer menu and a waiter who both knew the beers (“I want a beer that is dry and kind of like De Ranke…”). I ate bread with traditional Brussels cheese- soft, sharp, and very tasty (especially with beers he helped me choose). And yes, the guys from Arizona made a guest appearance while I chilled and watched the locals inside and the tourists outside.
My other fun event for the day was buying chocolate for Kirtsen and the girls. Leonidas, Wittamer, Neuhaus, and others. The Girls enjoyed large Easter eggs made with chocolate that hid marzipan animals inside. Kirsten covets her pralines with fresh crème fillings- about a kilogram of them. I think she may let me go back to Belgium again just to get the chocolate.
I ended up playing it easy that night after assessing my painful legs—I was lucky the joints were doing well but muscles had been neglected for awhile recently. I went back to the hotel to rest during the early evening and ended the night at Bier Circus.
Beers sampled: Artisanal Brew Pub sampler (4x15cl), Zinnebier, Gouldebund, Giradin Gueuze, Karmeliet Tripple, Timmerman Lambik, Westverletren 8, Westverletren 12, Unknown Saison (Total: 12, ~3 Litres)
No comments:
Post a Comment