La Grand Place, mix of styles
There are many roads that lead to Brussels but to discover its essence you have to travel without preconceived ideas. Nothing to think about concrete and bureaucracy. Nothing to imagine yourself in the rain surrounded by gray officials. Think better of a crossroads of cultures and paths, in a place that knows how to add attitudes, that values difference and is committed to it, think of Europe in its purest form, with its irresistible bohemia, its well-cared avenues, its charming cafes, its most sophisticated, their multi-racial avant-garde and their desire to surprise. Think of chocolate and surely you are right. Let yourself be guided by the details and you will find a corner where you can feel at home. We offer you ten secrets in sight, ten unique keys to understand how the soul of a fascinating and endless city vibrates, perfect to satisfy a thousand moods.
1. Alchemy on the Grand Place . Surely you know her, if only by sight. It is the Grand Place, the jewel in the crown, the mixture of styles capable of forcing the Japanese to take their eyes off the viewer and look directly at it. What you probably don't know is that these emblematic facades keep a secret message: the seven steps necessary to make the philosopher's stone. A curious theory that the Belgian writer Paul Saint-Hilaire unveiled in the middle of the last century. Like all of them, it has detractors, but if you want to see the place with different eyes, take a look at the following. The square, rebuilt in 1695, pays homage to the three Greek styles; Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Or in masonic parlance, it symbolizes the three steps of learning: apprentice, fellow, and master. The square is reached by seven streets, to continue with the equivalence, the seven operations necessary to obtain the famous stone. And something else still, the streets divide the majestic houses of the place into groups of seven. From there you can interpret the symbols and if you want to meditate calmly and with good views, we suggest you stay at the Auberge Saint-Michel, in the same square. 15 rooms so you don't miss a single detail.
two. plasticize your look . There is everything in life, and for having there is even a Museum dedicated entirely to plastic. A material loved and hated in equal parts, but that can be very artistic. Phillippe Decelle's private collection brings together his best creations in quantity and quality. The craziest and most extravagant ideas, the most practical and safe, the ones you would never have imagined. The Museum goes through the golden years of plastic with originality and mastery, from its appearance in 1960 to the oil crisis of 1973. You will surely fall in love with it. Go crazy with one of the five desks of former French President Georges Pompidou, enjoy the roundness of the egg chairs and don't miss the suggestive shape of the first toothbrushes.
When the world revolves around plastic
3. The pleasure of looking: Maison du spectacle. The Bellone. It is one of the most beautiful facades in the city and without a doubt the most hidden. Today it is a Center dedicated to the Performing Arts but if you go during office hours –remember that they close here at 18:00- you can take a quiet look at this architectural marvel. If you like to collect mental photos, don't miss it. Built, almost better carved, between 1697 and 1708 by Jean Cosyn, one of the architects who rebuilt the Grand Place, it is full of almost perfect details. And again, if you like the symbols, you will enjoy it twice as much. The number seven is repeated endlessly. Start counting.
Four. An oasis for chess. Greenwich Cafe. This curious café, born in 1914, is a mythical place for chess lovers and among its illustrious and historical clientele it boasts the pride of having been one of Magritte's favourites. The great Belgian painter seemed to give peace to the warmth of his yellow lamps and the symmetry of his meringue plaster walls. If you like chess and want to measure your talent, have no doubt, here you will duel with the best players in the city. By the way, if you go, be sure to visit their original services, they are perfect for Facebook…
5. Zinnekenpis. dogs pee too . Yes, and Brussels has counted on them. To not miss them. They idolize the Mannekenpis –the well-known pissing boy- they found him a girlfriend, Jeannekenpis and now the famous couple has a pet: the Zinnekenpis. A funny statue of a little dog peeing very close to the sober Stock Exchange building. The work is by the artist Tom Frantzen and wants to pay homage to Belgian popular culture. Just in case, when you approach the place, take a good look at the ground, it doesn't lift much and it's so well recreated that you even dodge it and miss it.
La Bellone, one of the most beautiful facades in the city (and the most hidden)
6. The movie of your life. Salle Gran Eldorado. You should definitely see it in this cinema, an exquisite pearl of Art Deco that is however not very well known. Perhaps that lack of fame makes it even more desirable, although its grandiose sun-shaped dome, the copper of its lamps and the extremely comfortable seats certainly help a lot. If you like this style, take your time, discover the thousand bizarre details of this very personal movie theater, from the head of an elephant to a hilarious jungle scene. The truth is that the film at the end is the least of it.
7. The keys of Freemasonry. Belgian Museum of Franc-Maçonnerie. Everything you always wanted to know about Freemasonry and never dared to ask. A compendium of knowledge that will at least make you think for a few hours. And free because there is no entrance fee. From its historical origins to the meaning of its symbols, such as the mythical compass. If you get involved, you can even take home a couple of magical recipes to start trying, or ask to join the club... You'll also find out which famous people have joined before you, and if you get it right with the guide, you'll be able to visit all four temples only for masons that hide the backlog of the Museum.
8. The most rogue underground. Bar Le Magasin 4 . It is in the heart of the city, but the street that guards it is rather unappetizing, however it is part of the charm of this unique and unrepeatable bar, a place of pilgrimage for those who understand a lot about the coolest alternative scene. And as the movement is demonstrated by walking, the first thing you will see will be a large wooden gate covered in graffiti. Clear things. Once inside it will seem to you that the third world war took place yesterday and you without knowing it. It is also part of the charm. The music matches the ensemble but they hit all the beats: hard rock, funk, pop, ska, reggae and of course experimental.
Belgian Queen: the least important thing here is eating
9. Curiosity killed the cat. Hotel de Passe Studio 2000. Or not. Go ahead that this type of site enters the one you want and we do not position ourselves. But yes, it is a passing hotel, in other words a brothel. That yes, the most curious of Brussels and as announced to the four winds, also the most discreet. And you will wonder why. Because it has two doors. One for those who go bare-faced and another for those who prefer to remain anonymous. In any case, and as it does not stop offering the services of a hotel, you can rent a room with or without a movie without any problem or with more company than yours. If your objective is not to enter but to let yourself be carried away by curiosity and browse a little, know that for some strange reason that nobody explains, the entrances are full of statues dedicated to the Virgin Mary and various Saints. You know, healing in health.
10. With a good taste in the mouth. Belgian Queen restaurant. And to finish a classic that knows how to reinterpret itself. A restaurant that never stops being trendy. An obligatory date with society since it opened its elegant eighteenth-century doors in 2002. The food, with a marked tendency towards the national, can also flirt with the original, but the truth is that people do not come here to eat. They come to look and to be looked at. It is the ideal showcase, the place where you will occupy a good position in the who's who of the city. And a tip so you don't sin as a rookie. The transparent glass doors of the toilets only become opaque if you turn the latch. No using them while you tell confidences to your best friend!