Simon Warburton reports
It happens to be where the intricate bureaucracy of the European Union (EU) is housed, but Belgium certainly fights above its weight in so many areas including food, transportation, infrastructure and of course, beer in its Brussels capital.
After a hard day arguing about the merits of EU apple standardisation, the Brussels technocrats are extremely fortunate that they live in a city of some of the world”s most exotic brews and varied locations in which to drink them, in order to forget all about that committee excitement.
But never mind the many-tentacled institution that is the EU. Brussels ” now just a 2 hour 15 minute whisk away from London on Eurostar via the Chunnel ” is a hidden gem of a city with some genuinely original buildings ranging from ultra-chic and cool, to art deco treasures that really need a guide to find them.
Because spending one day in Brussels isn't enough, and two are barely sufficient to scratch the city's surface, Brussels Tourism is recommending "3 days in Brussels" to enable tourists to make their own discoveries. Take the bus tour. Good value.
The city is more than 1,000 years old and is a microcosm of all that makes up this small, complex country. Brussels forms one of the three regions of the federal state of Belgium, while it is also the crossroads of that essentially Belgian conundrum ” the head-on meeting point of the Flemish and Walloon communities. What this means is that rather like in Wales and Brittany, many signs are in two languages, in this case French and Dutch.
Given the plethora of institutions in Brussels such as the EU and Nato, it is not surprising that the streets resound to the languages of the world. Now that the new countries have joined the club, yet more polyglot skills are required and it can only be imagined having to translate Finnish into Portuguese or Maltese into Estonian, but each and every language has to be capable of being understood by the other.
Brussels is not the dour, grey civil servant inhabited city that is its image in the 21st century. In spite of the Eurocrats Belgium”s major city is the home of a constitutional hereditary monarchy. It has tree-shaded boulevards, splendid parks, imposing monuments, and magnificent buildings. If you are into history the church of Saint Michael and Saint Gudule, a 13th-century Gothic building, is famous for its stained-glass windows. Other important ecclesiastical buildings are N”tre Dame de Finist”re and St Jacques sur Coudenberg. Centrally the H”tel de Ville, in Gothic style, dates from the 15th century. You can visit the royal palace; the 18th-century Palais de la Nation; the 19th-century Palais de Justice; the Bourse and the Grand Place, a historic square, since 1998 a UNESCO World Heritage Site (above). Nearby there are major town houses in the Art Nouveau style, by the Belgian architect Victor Horta, added to the World Heritage List in 2000. Cultural institutions include the Free University of Brussels (1834; since 1970 two universities, one Dutch-speaking and one French-speaking); the ”cole Royale Militaire (1834); academies of letters, fine arts, and medicine; the Royal Library; and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. As for the performing arts Brussels is not that well endowed in that area but there is live theatre, music and ballet all the year round.
Don”t worry about hotels. For a city of less than one million population it is very well covered and it”s easy to take an inclusive two night Eurostar weekend break for well under ”200 each staying at a quaint city centre hotel. Eating out can be expensive (after all it”s a centre for well off diplomats) but fine competitively priced restaurants abound, offering cuisine from all over Europe (and beyond). Ask at the hotel front desk. They always want to help.
Getting to Brussels is hardly difficult. Never have there been so many options from which to choose ” and the prices are extremely competitive ” thanks in large part to the genuine alternative offered by Eurostar.
Not so long ago, Eurostar was facing trading hardship, but since the gradual up-grade of the UK rail link, journey times are constantly coming down. No-where is this more noticeable than on the Brussels route, where door-to-door times make the choice of air travel not necessarily ideal. For those in the south of England, the option of Waterloo or Ashford means fast connections and check-in, although the emerging St Pancras will mean a complete re-think for some. St Pancras will open up new markets from a huge area that is linked to London through that station, the next door Kings Cross, and Euston, a ten minute walk. By public transport it is a short bus ride or you can take the Circle/Metropolitan Line to the next stop.
For the moment, London”s air links to Europe”s political capital remain intact with VLM announcing record figures on its six times daily service from London City. As already reported in ABTN Southampton ” Brussels started last week. From Heathrow there is choice of BA and bmi whilst at Gatwick SN flies the former Virgin Express flag. Interestingly enough there are no services from either Luton or Gatwick. Clearly the budget market has gone for the train.
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