Brussels, a Lawyer's perspective
I have begun my collection of empty Belgian beer bottles, there are not many bottles on the streets so the only option is for me to buy them full, take them back to my flat, and drink them. Life can be tough when the
streets are clean.
Last night I went to the Gym. I took the elevator up to the third floor (and back down again). In the sportscentre I swum with old people, and sweated with European Commissioners in the sauna, it was steamy, and hot, and smelt eucalyptus. Half an hour of invigoration was enough and I left in a healthy spirit, and found a pub that serves Guinness. Then I went to a restaurant for Belgian beer (11%), steak, frites, I had a fag and read TinTin. A healthy life can be tough when fags are cheap.
Van Gogh said the Grand Place was the most beautiful market square in the World. I never knew that Van Gogh had gone to the market squares in Tibet or Nepal in order to compare beauty. He must have been very busy what with drinking absynthe and killing himself. Magrite is the famous surrealist painter from Brussels (apple-head in a suit with bowler hat on). There's loads of Magrite in the Modern Art Museum (MAM as I call it) and since ganja is easy to find it is very entertaining.
The music scene is huge. Much of it is free too. There's a Jazz jestival, gay techno festival, reggae festival, rock festival, spanish festival, brugge market festival and festival of festivals (God knows what goes on at
that one). The music scene is really thriving, and humming and the clubs are all really cheap and open very late. In the summer there are free outdoor club-style dances in the parks. In the week you can find every
type of music - Drum&Bass, Reggae and a splattering of Euro techno. Recyclart is the crusty club, underneath a railway bridge near Gare de Midi. There are hippies, graffiti and dissolute youth. All the big names come to
Brussels.
If you are square you can visit the European Parliament and the Commission. Their buildings are big, shiny and full of European numptys with important Daddies. But each to their own, I prefer the common Belgian people.