(Continued from Brussels: Grand-Place (Dévastation et Récupération))
Featured Photo: “Grand-Place Guild Houses, Alight with Pride” Brussels, Belgium—2024 |
I was standing in the midst of the Grand-Place with a colleague who worked in our Brussels office—it must have been one of my business trips in 2008—admiring the beautiful, historic guild houses all around. I made a remark about how amazing it all seemed to me. My colleague shook his head and said, “You know, these are not the original buildings. Those were destroyed during the war.”
I looked at him uncertainly but nodded anyway, as if I understood what he meant. But it didn’t make sense. “The war?” I thought to myself. “World War II? Perhaps World War I?” I looked around again; it was clear these buildings were old, it was right there in front of us, proudly displayed in gold above the doors.
Obviously, I was not well versed in European history. Later I learned he was referring to the not-so-well-known War of the Grand Alliance—sometimes called the Nine Years’ War—in which the United Provinces of the Netherlands, including much of what is now Belgium, and their allies were fighting the expansionist exploits of Louis XIV of France. In 1695, under orders from the French king, canon batteries blasted Brussels with incendiary bombs, leveling the city center, including the Grand-Place.
Remarkably, the defiant citizens of Brussels re-erected the buildings within five years, and it is these wonderful rebuilt structures that residents and tourists alike enjoy today.
Fast-forward a few centuries from the Nine Years’ War…the Grand-Place had not been targeted in the 2016 bombings in Brussels. Still, it was the Grand-Place that represented the heart and soul of Brussels to me, exemplifying the resilience of its people. So, when I re-entered the Grand-Place on the first morning of my visit in 2024, I felt reassured of Brussels’ recovery from the terrorist attacks as I took in all the familiar sights: the rows of guild houses…
…including Le Cygne, home to the butchers’ guild…
…and the statue of St. Boniface, high atop the tailors’ guild house.
I was once again enchanted by the grandeur of the Hôtel de Ville…
…and the ornate Maison du Roi, which curiously had a security fence set up in front. I worried there might be some imminent threat to these gorgeous buildings, but an air of calm still seemed to permeate the square around me.
Fifteen minutes later, I set out to visit one of the museums that was new to me, then returned in the afternoon to the Grand-Place, which I now found filled with a significant police presence.
Feeling nervous and perplexed, I asked an officer what was happening. He pointed to the red carpet rolled out behind him and said it was a State Visit from the Grand Duke and Duchess of neighboring Luxembourg.
It was then I looked up and noticed the flags of the two countries flying side by side above the entrance to the Hôtel de Ville.
Relieved that all was right in the Grand-Place, I wandered off for more sightseeing, grabbed a Hoegaarden at La Falstaff café, replete with its Art Nouveau trappings…
…ate a nice dinner on the Grand-Place, then slept well in my centuries-old hotel room. The next morning, I visited another new museum, then found myself—as in 2007—standing in the Grand-Place at lunchtime. Given the precedent, it will come as no surprise that I found myself once again feeling hungry and thirsty.
I remembered the previous morning, while exploring the area around the Grand-Place, I’d come across Au Brasseur Taverne, the restaurant where I’d eaten lunch in Brussels during my very first visit. I was delighted to see it still appeared to be open for business, although it was closed at that early hour of the day.
With high hopes, I now left the Grand-Place and strolled again down the Rue des Chapeliers for a mid-day meal.
And finally, 17 years after my long-ago lunch, I opened the door and entered the warm, welcoming wood-paneled interior of Au Brasseur Taverne, with its bright windows, cheerful beer posters tacked on the walls, and a ‘70’s Disco light ball on the ceiling. I scanned the space—sparse with customers—then stopped at the bar, which was well-equipped with several Belgian beer taps…
…including the popular Delirium Tremens. The beer’s name, along with the delightfully fitting pink elephant logo, are playful allusions to the medical term for severe alcohol withdrawal. This pale ale is smooth but strong, packing a boozy punch at 8.5% alcohol.
I asked the barkeep whether I could sit at any table (she said “yes”) and then I enquired if I could see a menu. I was crestfallen to learn they no longer served food. (I hadn’t noticed the menu boards were no longer posted beside the door.) But she kindly offered a bowl of peanuts, somewhat larger than the one I’d had before.
I hungrily accepted the bowl and asked if they offered beer flights. She nodded, “Yes, samples of six Belgian beers,” but added that I did not get to choose the beers since the selections were pre-set. I said that was fine, then sat down to munch my lunch of peanuts.
She brought over a well-worn wooden paddle, with beer names painted on the side—La Trappe, Brugge, Kwak (but no Leffe)—crowned by six small glasses of beer ranging in color from light honey to rich copper to opaque black.
I lingered over the delicious but heady beer—the peanuts no match for the high alcohol in the brews—recalling the sights I’d seen so far during my latest visit. Much of it had been familiar, but a surprise still awaited.
I settled the bill then wandered away in search of my friends, to begin our sojourn together. That evening, the three of us tucked into a proper dinner at Le Roy d’Espagne, one of my favorite restaurants on the Grand-Place.
When we emerged, I was surprised to see another light show was underway. It started somewhat modestly, faint colors illuminating the Hôtel de Ville…
…becoming more intense as darkness fell.
The lights seemed especially stunning on the spire…
…and façade of the Town Hall.
The sky continued to darken, and we turned toward the guild houses to witness the lights at their most flamboyant—captured in today’s Featured Photo—a veritable ROYGBIV rainbow projected individually onto the buildings, giving each its own unique color.
We returned the next evening to enjoy the light show again, but it didn’t happen. The Hôtel de Ville and guild houses were still beautiful in the nighttime, but lit only by white floodlights.
The following day, we set out on the rest of our trip, visiting the amazing Belgian cities of Antwerp, Ghent, and Bruges. But we kept recalling the amazing light show our first night in the Grand-Place.
I later read the lighted rainbow we’d watched was a practice run for Brussels’ Pride Month, which began a few weeks later; that explained why we saw it just that one night. Still, the jubilant lights felt fitting: the pride, the resilience, and the joie de vivre of the people of Brussels, visible in abundance in the Grand-Place.
Let me wrap-up my travel tale this way: if you find yourself in Brussels, I suggest you spin around and take in the grand sights of the Grand-Place. As for my trip in 2024, I felt I’d come full circle since my first visit in 2007, and I’m hopeful it won’t be my last journey there. My wife let me know she’s interested in seeing Brussels and I have to say, I can’t wait to share this wonderful city with her!
How fortunate you were there the night they practiced the multi-colored lighting! That was so beautiful and made for a fantastic featured photo. Now that this series has concluded, I am glad to have traveled along with you on your Belgium trips via your stunning photos and entertaining prose! Well done!
Indeed, the timing was most fortunate! Glad you read along through my several journeys to Brussels. Maybe we can go there together someday…there are so many wonderful things to see!
For some reason, I had to go to the comment section to see the pictures this time! Marvelous, as always, but your writing did conjure up some imagery by itself (and my memory of previous posts). The lighting on the spire and the town hall was awesome!! I’m sorry to leave Brussels, as you made me feel like I’d been there. Thank you for that, and I look forward to the next trip!! Also, those beers look good, especially since I shouldn’t drink anymore!
Hi, Mike. Thanks for your perseverance…glad you were able to see the pictures. And thanks, as always, for your comments and compliments. (Oh, and the beers WERE really good!) I am happy you felt like you traveled along with me; that was what I was hoping when I wrote the series of posts. Goodbye for now to Brussels. But I hope to return to Belgium to tell travel tales about other cities there. I am now working on another long-ish series that will take us to another continent. Bon voyage!