Category Archives: Hip Guide to Belgium

Whether you come for a historical tour, a religious pilgrimage, or a taste of Belgian culture, you will find a warm welcome in Belgium. The Hip Guide to Belgium offers highlights of the country, and contains many tips for making your stay here more rewarding.
The Hip Guide to Belgium  is your source for hotel reservations, tourist information, events, reviews, shopping and much more! Don’t forget to visit our Belgium Photo Gallery! Bookmark this site, and visit whenever you need to find out what’s happening in Belgium.
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La Brouette

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La Brouette

Grand Place

Brussels

Salles De Banquets & Reunions

‘A Votre Disposition’

2 Triple Westmalle Beers – 7.20 euros (290 Belgian Francs) including IVA and service.

On the Grand Place, in Brussels, is a café named La Brouette, where we stopped by one Saturday afternoon for a drink. The ‘Place’ was packed, with stalls offering regional food and drink lined up in the center, and of course, hordes of tourists and locals milling around. We had a fine view and listen to the drum and fife band from Asturias in Spain, tried in vain to get a plate of mussels in Brussels, and settled for a beer; here.

It turned out to be quite the psychedelic experience as we were taught how to pour beer. Properly. By the waiter, by example. He also explained that with live yeast beers like Westmalle, to never drink it all the way to the bottom. This way one avoids drinking the majority of live yeast, clumped in the bottom of the bottle, and also avoids indigestion according to our voluble waiter.

The interior is splendid, and is probably a wonderful place for a grand dinner on the Grand Place. Enjoy!

Mesnil Eglise, Belgium

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I moved from Brussels to the little town of Mesnil Eglise (yes, Belgium) and see from the 75 habitants half of them are old and new tekno-hippies. From the solar energy professor to artists and bio food producers all invite friends to spend the summer in the woods of the Ardennes. This makes a lot of people smokin’ and roamin’ the 3 streets of the village… The melting pot with the original farmers worked well out during the last 25 years.

Flea Markets and More in Brussels

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Belgium has been a center of the art world for centuries, and the flea markets abound with some amazing finds. Bring a flashlight to look thru dusty stacks of canvases, and a magnifying glass for checking out those ancient sterling silver or gold hallmarks. Generally be prepared to have fun, but you might get dusty and thirsty.

The antiques markets in the area of Place du Grand Sablon are the best, and offer a myriad of objects d’art for visitors on the maze of streets emanating from the square, and in the square itself. Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm, Sundays 9 am to 1 pm. Famous for antiques from the 1900’s thru the ‘30s and furniture especially.

Daily there is a Flea Market (the Marche aux Puces ) at the Place du Jeu de Balle, near the Palais de Justice. It opens at 7 am and closes around 2 pm, an early-bird type of thing.

Also for fun is the Boulevard de la Woluwe open only on the First Sunday of every month from 8 am until 1 pm. Then there is the Westland Shopping Center on Sundays from 8 am until 1 pm; and the Auderghem at Place Pinoy, also only on Sundays, but from 7am until 1 pm.

Just imagine what you can find here in Brussels at the Flea Market!

Shopping Centers and the Malls of Brussels

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Got an urge to go shopping for something special?
Well here are some choices for designer fashions, gifts, and more:

Anspach Center
Boulevard Anspach
100 Brussels

Basilix Shopping Center
420 Avenue Charles-Quint
1082 Brussels

City 2
Rue Neuve 123
1000 Brussels

Espace Galerie Louise
Av de la Toison d’Or Goulet Louise
1050 Brussels

Fort Jaco Shopping Center
1384 Chee de Waterloo
1180 Brussels

Galerie Toison d’Or
Av de la Toison d’Or
1050 Brussels

Galerie Saint Hubert
Galerie de la Reine
1000 Brussels

Shopping Center de la Bascule
Chee de Waterloo 699
1180 Brussels

Wesland Shopping Center
433 Boulevard S. Dupuis
1070 Brussels

Woluwe Shopping Center
Croisement Boulevard de le Woluwe
Avenue Paul Hymans
1200 Brussels

Golfing in Belgium near Brussels

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Golf in Brussels

Brussels is surrounded by the beautiful green countryside of Belgium, and offers some fine golfing for enthusiasts. Contact the Federation Royale Belge de Golf online at www.golfbelgium.be for more information about golfing.

Here is a list of the best near Brussels:

Royal Amicale Anderlecht Golf
18 Holes
Rue Scholle 1, 1070 Brussels
02 521 16 87
Fax 02 521 51 56

Golf du Chateau de la Bawette
27 Holes
Chee du Chateau de la Bawette 5
1300 Wavre
010 22 33 32
Fax 010 22 90 04

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A Quick History of Belgium, Brussels, and Bruges

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A Quick History of Belgium, Brussels, and Bruges

Around 57 BC Rome extended its empire into the area now known as Belgium; it was inhabited by a Celtic tribe calling themselves the Belgae. Julius Caesar named the region Gallia Belgica, and Rome held power here until the fourth century AD, when the Franks took control. Word was that the Franks (a Germanic tribe) were actually Roman mercenaries, who were paid off with a reward of this area, which was called Gaul by then.

The Franks established their own dynasty, the Merovingian, and made its capitol in Tournai. By the year 500 AD the Romans had been completely eliminated from the area, which included Belgium, as well as large areas of France and Germany. The emperor Clovis adopted Christianity, and gained the support of the Church. (There are some fascinating footnotes to this historical period to be found in Dan Brown’s excellent novel “The Da Vinci Code”).

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Telephone Numbers for Brussels and Belgium

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EMERGENCY CALLS

Fire and emergency medical services : 100

Police : 101

MEDICAL SERVICES

Poison control center : 070/245.245

Burn center : 02/268.62.00

Red cross : 105

Dentists on call : 02/426.10.26

Doctors on call : 02/479.18.18

HELP BY PHONE

Telephone welcome : 106 (NL) – 107 (FR)

Alcoholics anonymous : 02/537.82.24

Info-drugs : 02/227.52.52

Child Focus (Missing children) : 110

Info-aids : 02/511.45.29

Suicide prevention : 0800.32.123

INFORMATION

For a telephone Number in Belgium :

1207 (NL) – 1307 (FR) – 1405 (EN) – 1407 (D)

For a telephone number abroad :

1204 (NL) – 1304 (FR) – 1405 (EN) – 1404 (D) Time : 1200 (NL) – 1300 (FR)

Wake up calls (automatic) : 0800-51248 (NL) – 0800-51348 (FR)

TRANSPORT

Tramway-Metro-Bus : 02/515.20.00

Airport : 02/753.42.00