Here’s the real star of the Grand Place. Hôtel de Ville is comprised of a group of buildings built around an internal courtyard. The side facing the square was built in the 15th century. The stone façade features Gothic gargoyles and reliefs of nobility. The 96-meter tall tower is topped by a statue of St-Michel, […]
Tag Archives | Brussels
Maison du Roi
The Maison du Roi is one of the many eye-catching structures surrounding Brussels’ Grand Place. How can you go wrong with arches, verdigris statues and mini-spires? It certainly did not start out so grand. In the 13th century, the Maison de Roi was known as Broodhuis, (Bread Hall), and was indeed a wood building that […]
Brussels City Museum
Don’t know much about Brussels? Stop by this small museum for a crash history course. The first floor displays wall tapestries, goldsmith work, ceramics, paintings and altars. On the second floor, view old maps, architectural relics, more paintings and my personal favorites, the miniature scale city models. The third floor has historical documents, manuscripts and, […]
Église St-Nicolas
This Romanesque church dates back 1,000 years to the origins of Brussels, though little remains of the original chapel. Its 11th-century lines are concealed by a 14th-century Gothic facade and the repairs made after the French bombardment of 1695, from which a cannonball is still lodged in one of the pillars.
Église Notre-Dame du Finistère
This church has a simple exterior and a beautiful baroque interior. Although the original church was built in the 15th century, what we see today was built in 1708. A big draw is the gigantic statue, Our Lady of Finistère, which was transported from Cap Finistère in Spain. The 18th century pulpit depicts the Tree […]
Delirium Café
2,004 beers, 15 on tap. Cheese menu. We walked in here on Sunday afternoon and had a hard time deciding where to begin. So we started with a bitter Trappist beer, then moved to a dark house brew. We’re looking forward to sampling more on our next visit. We sat in the very comfortable basement […]
Mary Chocolatier
In Brussels, a city full of chocolate shops, Mary is a stand-out. Founded in 1919, the chocolatier uses natural, high-quality ingredients. Mary offers more than 70 pralines, many adhering to the original recipes. We carefully selected a wide assortment of 18. Each one was excellent – really, really beyond description. They were gone by the […]
Sofitel Brussels (Or, Mike Ness & Us)
Where else might you spot Mike Ness in the flea market going on right outside the front door? Aside from housing musicians during the Rock Werchter festival, this hotel is a great value and incredibly comfortable. It had a nice roof deck, a stylish bar and a Neuhaus chocolate shop. Place Jourdan 1, Brussels
Eat This Pizza
Mamma Roma. Brussels. This pizza is shockingly, overwhelmingly outstanding. Angelo and I tried to think of better pizza we’ve had. Nowhere in the U.S., including NYC and that one place in New Haven. Nowhere in Europe, including Italy (although the owner learned pizza-making in Italy before modernizing it for this shop). The crust is sourdough-ish, […]
Rock Werchter
You and 79,999 other music fans, frites, beer, sunshine…what could be better? Held annually since 1974, this 4-day music festival has grown to one of Europe’s largest. Until the 1990’s, it mostly attracted Flemish attendees, but has recently grown more international in scope to include Dutch, British and Australian contingents. And at least two […]
