The Capital of Europe

As previously announced, the past weekend was spent in the capital of Europe, known as Bruxelles or Brussel or by some languages, incapable of properly writing location names, as Brussels, which is neither here nor there.

With a group of about 15 students we set out from the stately station of Maastricht and boarded the train to Liège, which doesn't have a stately station but has one that is a complete mess - but it is currently being renovated (and has been for the past few years) so it is even more confusing than it would be in normal situations (and it seems like it won't be worth it, as the station will mix a 1920's building with modern architecture, creating some sort of ugly monster).
The train then passed through the familiar city of Leuven, making clear once again the difference in wealth between Flanders (Leuven) and Wallonia (Liège); the locomotive continuing its voyage, we entered the mixture of Flemish-Wallonian culture that is the district of Bruxelles, the only place where one can find people who consider themselves Belgians (except if the Royal Family are abroad or in one of their countryside palaces, of course) and a strange combination of different cultures - a very charming brew, many must agree.

Bruxelles is a huge city, of which I only saw a fractions, primarily the city centre and the European part, including the building(s) housing the European Commission. It is funny to see the differences in the city - from the grand medieval Great Market to the Art Nouveaux buildings of Victoire Horta to the modern EU and NATO buildings, there's something in every style and many of them are truly impressive, like the Brandenburger Tor-like building in the Jubelpark housing the Royal Army and Military Museum, the Museum of the History of Art and "Auto-world", a museum that probably has a lot of enthusiastic fans around the world, among which I cannot count myself.

The only museum I visited during the weekend was, unsurprisingly, the Army and Military Museum. Its collection can only be described as impressive, showcasing a huge collection of portraits, armour, uniforms, contemporary drawings and paintings, weapons, planes, tanks, musical instruments, etc. Sadly I only got about half an hour to view it as the place closed at the surprisingly early time of 16:30, giving a subtle hint five minutes in advance, when they turned off all the lights. Even though my visit was short, it was enough to make me appreciate the vastness (and value) of this Belgian collection of war-related objects. Their sets of full plate armour on display - of the highest quality - must number over three dozen, and they have virtually every imaginable type of armour (yes, even equestrian armour) produced between 1300 and 1600, including a rather rare surcoat with tiny metal plates still attached to the inside. The fabric of this armour doesn't usually stand the test of time, so to see one complete and showcased in a museum both surprised and pleased me. It was indeed excellently done, and it was also the finest collection of armour I have ever seen.

Mieke, our guide, also took us around the city on saturday evening (visiting pubs, tasting some local beers, including the rather delicious Gueuze Bière) and showed us some of the places you will never see when you go on your own, including Bruxelles from the top of a huge parking building and through the tiny streets within houses.
Surely there is more to write about this wonderful visit on this page later on, but I do not have the time now. I realise I have hardly spent a word describing my companions on this trip, and I shall do so later on, as well as give some account of the mass we visited, the peculiar pancake restaurant, the most expensive hotel and its butler, and the American embassy. But don't worry, I won't waste any words on that travesty, Manneken Pis.

Quote of the Day:

"No, applejuice is finished, is finished!" - our French waiter