december-2012

Plus a fairytale drive in germany
the best seasonal family ski breaks
the charm of christmas markets
brussels airlines’ inflight magazine issue 73 | DECEMBER 2012
SILENT NIGHT
THE WONDER OF A DARK SKY
SAFARI IN RURAL ENGLAND

welcome MAAKT
Cher passager,
EENDRACHT
MACHT
L'UNION FAIT
LA FORCE
Dear Passenger,
A
s we end this year, I would like to extend a big thank you. It has been an eventful year for us and
we’re happy to report that our passenger numbers have continued to grow, indicating that even
more of you have placed your trust in us.
The star events of 2012 were the introduction of our new long-haul cabin and the launch of our New York
route, Brussels Airlines’ first US destination. We’ve also recently added a daily flight between Brussels and
the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.
Furthermore, 2012 saw us win several international awards, proving that we are indeed making the right
investments for you, our customer. In May, Global Traveler, a magazine aimed at business and luxury
travellers, awarded us with the top prize for Best Overall International Business Class Wines on the Wing for
our long-haul Business Class cellar. We were also voted the Best New Airline Service Launch by readers of
the same magazine. In addition, at the recent APEX EXPO, the aviation industry’s leading event for air travel
professionals, we received the Avion Award for Best Single Achievement in Passenger Experience for our new
long-haul cabin.
Looking into the future, you can rest assured that we will continue to remain customer-focused. Our plans
for 2013 include investing in products and services that will make your travel with Brussels Airlines even
more comfortable and hassle-free.
I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful end-of-year season, and look forward to welcoming you back
on board next year.
Bernard Gustin CEO
La fin de l’année approche… Je souhaiterais profiter de cette occasion pour vous
remercier de tout cœur. 2012 fut une année riche en rebondissements et nous
sommes heureux de pouvoir vous annoncer que notre nombre de passagers a
encore augmenté ! Ce qui signifie que vous êtes toujours plus nombreux à nous
témoigner votre confiance.
Différents événements majeurs ont jalonné cette année 2012 : le lancement de
notre nouvelle cabine long-courrier, l’inauguration de notre première destination vers
les États-Unis (New York), et, plus récemment, l’ajout d’un vol quotidien entre
Bruxelles et la capitale écossaise, Édimbourg.
2012 fut également l’année de la reconnaissance… Nous avons en effet remporté
plusieurs prix internationaux, preuve que nous réalisons les bons investissements pour
vous, nos clients. Au mois de mai, Global Traveler, magazine dédié aux voyages
d’affaires et de luxe, nous a attribué le premier prix dans la catégorie Best Overall
International Business Class Wines on the Wing (Meilleure offre globale de vins en
Classe Business) pour l’offre de vins proposée à nos passagers en Classe Business, à
bord de nos vols long-courriers. Nous avons également reçu le prix du Best New Airline
Service Launch par les lecteurs de ce même magazine. Enfin, au cours de l’APEX EXPO,
la foire internationale de l’industrie de l’aviation destinée aux professionnels, notre
nouvelle cabine long-courrier nous a valu le prix Avion Award pour le « Best Single
Achievement in Passenger Experience ».
Nous allons maintenir ce cap à l’avenir. Vous, nos clients, restez notre priorité. En
2013, nous allons notamment investir dans de nouveaux produits et services qui vous
permettront de voyager en toute tranquillité et le plus confortablement possible.
Je vous souhaite, ainsi qu’à ceux qui vous sont chers, d’excellentes fêtes de fin
d’année et je me réjouis de vous accueillir en 2013 à bord de Brussels Airlines.
Bernard Gustin CEO
BEST SINGLE
ACHIEVEMENT
IN PASSENGER
EXPERIENCE 2012
beste passagier,
BEST
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS CLASS
WINE 2012
BEST
SHORT HAUL
AIRLINE
2012
Nu het einde van het jaar nadert, wil ik u graag van harte bedanken. Er
is voor ons veel gebeurd dit jaar, en ik kan u met plezier melden dat
onze passagiersaantallen zijn blijven groeien. Daaruit blijkt dat nog
meer mensen, zoals u, ons hun vertrouwen hebben geschonken.
Dé hoogtepunten van 2012 waren de introductie van onze nieuwe
langeafstandscabine en de opening van New York, onze eerste bestemming in
de VS. Ook hebben we recent een dagelijkse vlucht toegevoegd tussen Brussel
en de Schotse hoofdstad Edinburgh.
Daarnaast wonnen we in 2012 verschillende internationale prijzen, die
aantonen dat we wel degelijk de juiste investeringen doen voor u, onze klant. In
mei kregen we van Global Traveler, een tijdschrift voor zaken- en luxereizigers,
de prijs voor Best Overall International Business Class Wines on the Wing voor
het wijnaanbod in Business Class op onze langeafstandsvluchten. Door de
lezers van datzelfde tijdschrift werden we uitgeroepen tot Best New Airline
Service Launch. Verder ontvingen we op de onlangs gehouden APEX EXPO, het
meest vooraanstaande evenement van de luchtvaartindustrie voor
professionals uit de vliegwereld, de Avion Award voor Best Single Achievement
in Passenger Experience voor onze nieuwe langeafstandscabine.
Wat de toekomst betreft, kunt u er gerust op zijn dat we zullen blijven
focussen op onze klanten. Voor 2013 staan onder meer investeringen gepland in
producten en diensten die uw reizen met Brussels Airlines nog comfortabeler
en vlotter zullen maken.
Ik wens u en alle mensen die u dierbaar zijn een fantastische
eindejaarsperiode, en ik kijk ernaar uit om u ook volgend jaar weer aan
boord te mogen verwelkomen.
Bernard Gustin CEO
december 2012 3

6
features
regulars
11 observation deck: stockholm
13 diary 16 barrio: prague 18 sleep
21 style 24 Eco 27 design 29 eat:
bologna 30 on the road: hannover
32 perfect 10 63 business 114 sport
december 2012
73
contents
42 27
35
42
51
57
13
star trek cover story
Patricia Carswell goes in search of inky darkness
with a stargazing safari on England’s wild Exmoor
isabelle de borchgrave
The talented Belgian designer pays homage to an
18th-century couturier with beautifully intricate paper creations
let it snow
Felice Hardy recommends the cosiest, prettiest
and most charming ski resorts for a family Christmas
urban africa on the rise
How the continent is embracing innovative new
solutions to develop its burgeoning cities
FR Résumés des articles en français nl Samenvattingen in het Nederlands
67 city guides
Get the lowdown on destinations across the
network from local writers
93 airline section
Keep up to date with all the latest news and
information from Brussels Airlines
discover more...Why not check out this issue online at btheremag.com, or download the
b.there magazine app by scanning this code (right) with your iPhone/iPad to take you to the
iTunes App Store. You’ll need a QR reader (barcode scanner), which you can download.
stay connected to brussels airlines Follow @FlyingBrussels on Twitter,
join facebook.com/brusselsairlines or see pinterest.com/flyingbrussels
51
editorial
Editor Jane Wright
jane.wright@ink-global.com
Acting Deputy Editor Elizabeth Winding
elizabeth.winding@ink-global.com
Chief Sub Steve Handley
Sub Editors Jason Riley (English),
Brigitte Ledune/edito3 (French and Dutch),
Telelingua (Dutch)
Intern Lizzie Chan
art
Art Director Marten Sealby
Picture Desk Manager Julia Holmes
Picture Editor Alex Kelly
Cover Exmoor National Park Authority
sales
Publisher Svetlana Sosnina
svetlana.sosnina@ink-global.com, +32 (0)2 808 1576
Advertising Anna Szpunar, Jonathan Carrillo Saez,
David Serra, Selim Chefri, William Lottiaux
production
Production Manager Antonia Ferraro
Production Controller Adam Jones
Online Director Sal Lababidi
Digital Development Edward Chamberlin
Print & Logistics Manager Tim Davey
Reprographics Scott Reed/KFR Pre-Press Ltd
for ink
Executive Creative Director
Michael Keating
Editorial Director Andrew Humphreys
Design Director Julia Murray
Publishing Director Simon Leslie
Chief Executive Jeffrey O’Rourke
Chief Operating Officer Hugh Godsal
Commercial Director Kevin Rolfe
b.there magazine is published on behalf of
Brussels Airlines by Ink. All correspondence and
advertising enquiries should be addressed to:
b.there magazine, Ink, 141-143 Shoreditch High St,
London E1 6JE
Tel +44 (0)20 7613 8777 Fax +44 (0)20 7613 8776
Email info@btheremag.com
btheremag.com ink-global.com
All paper used in the printing of this magazine is
obtained from sustained forestry.
All material is strictly copyright and all rights are
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
in whole or in part without written permission of the
copyright holder. While every effort is made to ensure all
prices and data are correct at the time of publication,
Brussels Airlines can not be responsible for editorial
errors. Opinions expressed in b.there magazine are not
necessarily those of Brussels Airlines and Brussels
Airlines does not accept responsibility for advertising
content. Any pictures or transparencies supplied are
at the owner’s risk.
for brussels airlines
Publications Director Monica Devi Lim
monicadevi.lim@brusselsairlines.com
b.house, Brussels Airport, Airport bld 26
box 4.7, Ringbaan B-1831 Diegem,Belgium
brusselsairlines.com
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ILLUSTRATION: TOM JAY
T
observation deck: stockholm
no need to rage against the dying of the light in sweden, says Stephen Whitlock
he onset of the Swedish winter brings
to mind the unlikely pairing of the
Finn Family Moomintroll and Elizabeth
Kübler-Ross.
The Moomins are hippo-like children’s
book characters created by Tove Jansson,
a Swedish-speaking Finn. At the first sign of
snow they eat a big bowl of pine needles, climb
under blankets and go to sleep until spring. It’s
a tempting thought.
Kübler-Ross, on the other hand, was a Swiss
psychiatrist who came up with the five stages
of grief. As autumn recedes and the days grow
darker, I find myself experiencing each one:
denial (“It’s not really winter yet”); anger (“How
can it be winter already?”); bargaining (“If we
could just have a few more bright days”);
depression (“It will last forever”); and, finally,
acceptance (“Okay, it’s winter.
Put on a scarf and enjoy it!”).
This will be my tenth Swedish
winter, and the early days
when the light vanishes and
the temperatures plummet
get no easier.
FLY TO stockholm three times daily. brusselsairlines.com
Everyone struggles, but what helps lift the
spirits is the fact that the Swedes have come
up with many ways to add some sparkle to
the season.
The first real sign of winter isn’t the frost
on the rooftops or the first smattering of snow.
It’s the appearance on the supermarkets
shelves of bottles of glögg, the onomatopoeic
mulled wine that is served with saffron buns
and ginger biscuits, starting on the first
Sunday in Advent.
Early December also brings the glamour of
the Nobel banquet at the City Hall, when the
Royal Family and assorted dignitaries toast
the Nobel laureates. Soon after this comes the
celebration of St Lucia, a festival of light when
children wear white gowns and candles
(battery powered, of course) in their hair.
Things improve dramatically when the
snow starts to fall in earnest. It blankets
the city, making everything seem
brighter and cleaner. Suddenly the city
seems magical. Points of light shine
everywhere, from the
glowing stars
that people hang in their windows to the
candles restaurants stand outside their doors.
This is when you want to go for a mug of hot
chocolate at Chokladkoppen, a cosy little café
in the Old Town, or have a hearty plate of elk or
deer stew. Several places, including the Grand
Hotel, serve a julbord – a Christmas table –
with herring, ham, meatballs, sausages,
cheeses and traditional Swedish dishes.
Several squares in town also set up
Christmas markets. On Kungsträdgården,
beside the Opera House, there’s an outdoor
skating rink and a winter fair where children
can go for rides on little Shetland ponies.
If the water around the island freezes, people
mark out ice-hockey pitches and cross-country
skiing tracks and some enterprising soul will
set up a coffee stand. What have been canals
become short cuts, and you can see the city
from entirely new perspectives.
Early winter in Stockholm is a challenge to be
sure, but midwinter is the reward. There’s no
need for hibernation or denial. You simply wrap
up warm, eat and drink well and marvel at the
fact that it’s not like living in a different season
– it’s like living in a different city.
Next month: Barcelona
december 2012 11

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MARC QUINN: THE EYE OF HISTORY (ATLANTIC PERSPECTIVE), 2012 ©MARC QUINN GROUP.
*DISCOUNT ONLY APPLICABLE FOR RETURN FLIGHTS FROM BRUSSELS, BOOKED ONLINE AT BRUSSELSAIRLINES.COM AND NOT APPLICABLE ON AIRPORT TAXES AND OTHER SURCHARGES
diary
elizabeth winding on ANCIENT EGYPT IN BERLIN, marc quinn in moscow and cartier in madrid
In the Light
of Amarna
Neues Museum, Berlin, 7 December-
13 April 2013, neues-museum.de
Found 100 years ago by a German
Egyptologist in what was once the ancient
city of Amarna, the painted limestone
bust of Nefertiti goes on display at the
Neues Museum, alongside other finds
from the site. The serenely lovely Nefertiti
is the subject of some controversy: Egypt
has long campaigned for her return, so
far to no avail.
30% off b.light economy fares* Book 1
December-1 January 2013; travel 4-7 January
2013; promo code MTXLAMAR
fly to brussels from 50 european destinations; berlin five times daily;
manchester three times daily; moscow daily. brusselsairlines.com
Be Film Festival
Brussels, 26-30 December,
befi lmfestival.be
This celebration of Belgian film features new
releases and international award-winners, with
screenings at the Cinematek and Bozar. Look
out for The Broken Circle Breakdown (above),
Flemish director Felix van Groeningen’s
moving exploration of love and loss.
The Soul of the Master
Museum Plantin-Moretus, Antwerp, until 16 December,
museumplantinmoretus.be
David
Shrigley:
How are
You Feeling?
The Cornerhouse,
Manchester, until
6 January 2013,
cornerhouse.org
The British artist’s witty,
absurdist drawings have
won him a cult following
– find out why at his new
‘art therapy’ exhibition
in Manchester. It’s a
participatory event, with visitors encouraged to try their hand
at life drawing and perform a short Shrigley-penned play.
30% off b.light economy fares* Book 1-13 December; travel
14-17 December; promo code MMANDAVE
This intriguing exhibition comprises 100 drawings from the museum’s
Prentenkabinet collection, chosen by artists, locals and guest curators –
fashion designer Dries Van Noten among them. It’s a rare chance to see
some fragile, rarely displayed works, with featured artists including Rubens
and Antwerp-born sculptor Panamarenko.
Marc Quinn:
The Big Wheel
Keeps on
Turning
Multimedia Art Museum,
Moscow, until 16 December,
mamm-mdf.ru/en
With more than 60 pieces on
display, Marc Quinn’s first solo
exhibition in Russia covers the
spectrum of his work, from Self
– a frozen sculpture of his head
made from his own blood – to
his recent, hypnotic paintings of
the human eye. The exhibition’s
title reflects the extent of
Quinn’s ambition: “to tell
the story of the planet and
everything that lives on it”.
december 2012 13

The Rain Room
The Barbican, London, until 3 March, barbican.org.uk
diary
The Th Art of Cartier
Thyssen-Bornemisza Thy
Museum, Madrid,
until unt
17 February, museothyssen.org
Unti Until late February, the Thyssen-Bornemisza
Mus Museum is home to a dazzling retrospective
– no not of an artist, but of the great Parisian
jewe jewellery house of Cartier, founded in 1847.
In al all, over 400 pieces from the company’s
arch archives are on display, while sketches
and
production drawings give a rare insight
into
the creative process. It’s a glittering
arra array of treasures, ranging from art deco
ciga cigarette cases and belle époque diamond
tiara tiaras to the exquisite, gem-studded pieces
insp inspired by Louis Cartier’s travels in Egypt,
Pers Persia and beyond.
DDotted
among the cabinets are some of
Cart Cartier’s spectacular private commissions
– am among them Grace Kelly’s engagement
ring, with a flawless,
emerald-cut diamond at
its centre. Other exquisite
trinkets belonged to Wallis
Simpson, many of them
given to her by Edward
VIII: a resplendent flamingo
brooch (left), its wings
ablaze with citrines, rubies,
emeralds and sapphires, or
an extraordinary clip brooch with
a sinuous, sin sapphire and diamond-studded
panther, perched atop an enormous
Kashmir sapphire.
Designed by Random International, an enterprising collective of young designers, the
Barbican’s latest large-scale installation is an audacious feat of both imagination and
engineering: an indoor, 100-square-metre room where a torrent of rain falls continually, but
which you can walk through without getting wet. Set at the end of a long, half-lit corridor that
echoes with the patter of rain, it is a surreally beautiful sight, like a portal into another world.
The downpour is real enough, but choreographed by a series of 3-D cameras that map
each person’s movements; dart in an unexpected direction and you may well get wet, as
children are quick to discover. Indeed, watching other people’s reactions to the piece is
all part of the fun, from their tentative first steps to their attempts to catch a raindrop.
And the ultimate mark of faith? Getting an expensive camera out to pose for an arty
photo. Only five visitors are allowed in at a time, so be prepared to queue.
There
are surprises too,
including the bold
cocodrilo necklace
(above) created in
1975 for Mexican actress María Félix
– who, legend has it, casually wandered
into Cartier’s Rue de la Paix flagship,
accompanied by her pet baby crocodile.
The articulated gold necklace her visit
inspired is, says the exhibition’s designer
Jorge Varela,“a virtuoso work of design
and engineering”, and one of the most
striking pieces on display.
For Varela, though, it is the interwar
pieces that are the most evocative of
all, speaking of a lost age of luxury and
elegance. “As well as jewellery, they made
so many beautiful objects back then,”
he says. “These precious, everyday
objects – combs, vanity cases, letteropeners
– evoke a living age, and a
lifestyle that will never be again.”
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14 December-17 January 2013; travel 18-21
January 2013; promo code MMADCART
14 december 2012
fly to london four times daily; madrid three times daily. brusselsairlines.com
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Cecilia
Bartoli
Discover
a world of
music
Sonny
Rollins
Philharmonie Luxembourg &
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Ticketing (+352) 26 32 26 32
www.philharmonie.lu
Diana
Krall
Valery
Gergiev
Cassandra
Wilson

16
In Prague, you don’t necessarily have to go off the beaten path to get
away from it. Just steps away from the city’s bustling Old Town
Square, the Dlouhá leads the way to a unique pocket of the Old Town
district where the pace slows and the crowds thin out. Alongside
Czech design and art, you’ll find an award-winning restaurant, smart
hotels, quirky boutiques, a famous club and a little bit of Kafka.
1 Czech Fashion
Centre (CFC)
czechfashion.cz
Although not a physical entity in
itself, CFC marks the spot – a
triangle formed by the Dlouhá and
the smaller side streets of Dušní
and V Kolkovnĕ – where you’ll
find Prague’s densest population
of boutiques, housing a host
of high-end labels by Czech
designers. Klára Nademlýnská,
Timoure et Group and Bohéme,
which share strong materials and
distinctive details and cuts, are
among the eight labels found here.
2 Dvorak Sec
Contemporary
Dlouhá 923/5, +420 607 262
617, dvoraksec.com
At this gallery, the show begins on
the street when you look through
december 2012
barrio: prague
Joann Plockova DISCOVERS ART, FASHION, KAFKA AND CONTEMPORARY DINING ALONG THE Dlouhá
Cutting-edge homewares
at the Qubus Design Studio
its massive windows. Exhibiting
the work of young and upcoming
artists as well as those who have
set the pace, Dvorak Sec plays
host to international artists – in
shows like A Taste of Young New
York – and locals including Czech
enfant terrible David Černý and
Roman Týc. Týc was jailed in 2012
for replacing Prague’s street
crossing signs with his own – lewd
or humorous, depending on who
you’re asking – interpretations.
3 Qubus
design studio
Rámová 3, +420 222 313 151,
qubus.cz
Fancy a pair of porcelain wellies
with a blue onion motif? This little
treasure box of a shop offers new
Czech design – mainly from Qubus
Design Studio founders Jakub
Berdych and Maxim Velcovský,
The Michelin-starred
La Dégustation
Bohěme Bourgeoise
ILLUSTRATION: ANTOINE CORBINEAU

who have garnered international
attention for their quirky update
of traditional Czech materials. A
second, larger shop can be found at
the Dox Centre for Contemporary
Art (Poupětova 793/1).
4 La Dégustation
Bohěme
Bourgeoise
Haštalská 753/18, +420 222
311 234, ladegustation.cz
Recipient of a 2012 Michelin star
and one of only two restaurants in
Prague led by Czech chefs to be
honoured with the accolade, La
Dégustation is leading the way in
a burgeoning dining scene in the
city. Its two tasting menus – the
seven-course Dégustation Bohěme
Bourgeoise and the extended
Dégustation du Chef – include
amuse-bouches and chef Oldrich
Sahajdák’s modern interpretations
of traditional Czech food from a
19th-century housekeeping guide.
Ingredients are sourced locally
from small producers and the
menu changes daily. Set aside
three hours and prepare to take
home an unforgettable experience.
5 Hotel Josef
Rybná 20, +420 221 700 111,
hoteljosef.com
Lots of glass, lots of white and a
stunning spiral staircase: this
four-star hotel, designed by
London-based Czech architect Eva
Jirˇičná, is a sleekly modern affair.
Its 109 rooms are set across two
buildings, connected by a garden
courtyard. Work up an endorphin
buzz in the rooftop gym before
hitting the ground-floor lobby bar,
where passers-by will eye you with
envy through the glass façade.
6 Bakeshop
Praha
Kozí 918/1, +420 222 316 823,
bakeshop.cz
From cakes and cookies to quiches,
Bakeshop Praha has been the
inviting corner shop that
you just can’t help
popping into since
Bakeshop Praha sells homemade
delights baked daily
opening in 1998. Try its signature
cheesecake or carrot cake, or stop
by at lunchtime for inventive
soups, sandwiches and salads.
Everything is homemade daily.
7 Roxy
Dlouhá 33, +420 224 826 296,
roxy.cz
Celebrating 20 years this year,
the Roxy is legendary on Prague’s
clubbing scene. Hosting concerts
as well as DJ nights, the Roxy is
known for its stellar line-up of
big names from around the
world. Upstairs on the second
floor, the Roxy shares the space
with Nod, which houses a theatre,
gallery and one of the coolest
cafés in the Old Town.
8 Franz Kafka
Memorial
Dušní
Standing on a tiny square beside
the Spanish Synagogue rests a
curious sculpture: a small figure of
a man sits on the shoulders of a
suit with no head, hands or feet.
The small figure is Kafka, and the
3.75-metre-tall bronze sculpture
was erected in 2003 to pay
homage to Prague’s most famous
writer. The particular spot was
chosen as the Kafka family resided
just up the street at Dušní 27.
fly to prague three times daily. brusselsairlines.com december 2012 17

18
HOTEL KOGGE
Hamburg’s St Pauli quarter is the
Bernhard-Nocht Strasse 59, alternative heart of the famously hedonistic
20359 Hamburg
Hanseatic city. Somewhere between the
+49 (0)40 312872
Reeperbahn district and beach bars dotted
kogge-hamburg.de
around the Elbe river is the Hotel Kogge.
A self-styled ‘rock’n’roll hotel’ housed in
a former bordello, it flaunts its hipster
words Christian Koch
credentials right from the very start: guests
are offered a free shot of Jack Daniel’s whisky upon check-in at a
reception desk that doubles as a lively bar.
The Kogge offers 12 whimsical but spartan rooms. The Punk Royal
Room is a monochrome-coloured shrine festooned with vintage
band posters and record sleeve art. Honeckers Men’s Room is a
nostalgic tribute to former DDR leader Erich Honecker, resembling
a living room in East Germany circa 1974. Other rooms pay homage
to Bollywood, the South Seas and the FC St Pauli football club,
featuring a double bunk bed replete with bedsheets in team colours,
like something you’d find in a teenage boy’s bedroom. All rooms
have been decorated with furniture from Danish flea markets.
december 2012
sleep
MEDIEVAL MAJESTY IN BRUGES, ROCK’N’ROLL ROOMS IN HAMBURG AND PERIOD CHARM UPDATED IN LISBON
The Pand Hotel With its serene canals mirroring the
Pandreitje 16, 8000 Bruges many medieval buildings on the
+32 (0)50 34 06 66
waterfront, there’s something
pandhotel.com
otherworldly about this Flemish city.
Slipping from the cobbled streets into
the city’s Pand Hotel, visitors can easily
continue the romance.
words clodagh kinsella
Cleverly converted from an 18thcentury
carriage house, the 26-room boutique property is filled
with fascinating objets d’art, from the Lazy Susan in the lobby to
the Aubusson tapestries in the breakfast room. Each was handselected
by owner Chris Vanhaecke, a lifelong collector, along
with her daughter Lyne, the hotel’s managing director.
In the lounge, lit by the flickering flames of an open fire, guests
can admire vintage Louis Vuitton travel trunks, Chinese chess sets,
terracotta busts and hundreds of leather-bound books. Antique
mannequins that once kept the wives of dignitaries company now
sit behind the Chesterfields in the gentleman’s club-style bar. It’s
the perfect spot for a warming nightcap.
The 11 junior suites, decked out in plush Ralph Lauren textiles,
continue the eclectic palette, while sleigh beds – in one suite,
directly overlooking Bruges’ spires – and a free-standing bath offer
serious comfort. Bathrooms feature an array of luxury products
by Hermès, no less.
Downstairs, in the country kitchen-style breakfast room, proper
cooked breakfasts are prepared on an Aga to the strains of classical
music. But first, a glass of champagne: there’s something rather
heady about being in Bruges. Rooms from €155.
In-room frippery doesn’t extend much further than free bedside
earplugs, bathrooms are shared, and the Kogge’s spa facilities
aren’t the kind of place you’d go to get a mocha-frappuccino facial.
But for a quintessentially St Pauli-an experience in one of Europe’s
most unique party places, the Kogge is unsurpassable. And really
cheap, too. Rooms from €29.50.
FLY TO brussels from 50 european destinations. hamburg four times daily. brusselsairlines.com

mercy hotel
While the tumbledown appearance of
76 Rua da Misericórdia,
many of Lisbon’s old buildings serves
Lisbon 1200-273
to add to the city’s charm, when it
+351 21 2481 480
comes to somewhere to rest your
mercyhotel.com
head, most of us want something
with more solidity. The sleek Mercy
Hotel, which opened in September, is
a perfect example of how the city’s
words susannah parker
architectural heritage can be
preserved within a modern establishment.
Behind the Mercy’s imposing 18th-century Pombaline-style
façade is a strikingly contemporary hotel, designed by
Portuguese architect Miguel Saraiva. A muted colour scheme of
black, gold and cream runs throughout its 47 minimalist rooms
and communal areas, with sharp lines, burnished copper and
reflective surfaces softened by suede walls, heavy curtains and
velvety cushions and rugs. Its bathrooms are particularly edgylooking
– mind that you don’t stub a toe – with angular washbasins
and walk-in showers complete with full-length mirrors.
Pleasing sights are to be had from the Mercy’s windows,
whether it’s the Tagus river, the Castle of São Jorge or the lively
streets – the Mercy’s real trump card is its location. Sandwiched
between the bohemian Chiado and alternative Bairro Alto
districts, it’s perfectly within reach of the best shopping, eating,
drinking and partying to be had in the city. With quirky touches
such as moustachioed mannequins in the lobby and a Japanese
breakfast option, the Mercy Hotel seems well placed to make
itself at home in the area. Rooms from €140.
FLY TO lisbon daily. brusselsairlines.com
SSS MAE SM OETON
UART TMEATE MM
ATER RESSTANT U TO M EET
SRE OE RON T SE ROTETONS
SARE RSTA
MONTRES VENUS S.A.
A RUE E A RO OR ENVESUSSE
T.

More than 100 boutiques of the world’s most
luxury fashion and lifestyle brands offering
savings of 30% to 60%* – all year round.
Devernois, Diesel, DYRBERG/KERN, Escada, Essentiel, FAÇONNABLE, Guess, G-Star RAW,
HUGO BOSS, Karen Millen, Liu Jo, VERSACE and many more.
SHOPPING EXPRESS
Shuttle from Brussels, every Saturday and Sunday and daily from
26 to 30 December
SPECIAL PROMO: 2 FOR 1.
Book your tickets online with the promo code BTHERE
OPEN ON SUNDAY
Zetellaan 100, 3630 Maasmechelen
E314 exit 33 (‘Maasmechelen’)
*on the recommended retail price
© Maasmechelen Village 2012 11/12
MaasmechelenVillage.com

special delivery
style
Elizabeth Winding on mystery packages, cool knits, party eyes...
The concept behind Not Another
Bill is pleasingly simple: each
month, paid-up subscribers are
sent a small, beautifully-packaged
parcel with a mystery gift inside.
Founder Ned Corbett-Winders
started the service in 2011, after
noticing that his post consisted
largely of bills and pizza fl yers; since
then he has sent out some 10,000
packages, to subscribers as far
afi eld as New Zealand.
Sourced from a global array of
designers, illustrators and artisan
brands, gifts are often useful as well
as beautiful: a Swedish beechwood
and horsehair dustpan and brush
was rapturously received, as was a
year’s supply of reclaimed bamboo
toothbrushes. Other pieces are more
playful: an Austrian-designed folding pocket sundial, a self-assembly paper space shuttle, or a Perspex necklace
by London jewellers Tatty Devine. “The one thing they all have in common is that I have to like them and the
brand,” says Corbett-Winders. “I’d never send out anything I don’t believe in.”
Subscriptions can run from one month to a year, and international postage is available. A three-month European
subscription is €75; notanotherbill.com
surreally good
FLY TO brussels from 50 european destinations. brusselsairlines.com
Chauncey isn’t your average knitwear brand. Based in Brussels
and named after a character from a Peter Sellers fi lm, it was
founded four years ago by designer Nathalie Bouhana and her
photographer husband David Sdika (left). Their speciality is
beautifully made, subtly subversive knits: the label’s fi rst-ever
piece, a cashmere men’s gilet, included a pocket for tea bags
(“We’re big tea drinkers,” smiles Bouhana), while the current
collection runs from 3-D cube-pattern cardigans to jumpers with
giant dots, inspired by pop art, Magritte and “the absurdity of life”.
Brussels is, they say, the perfect base for the label.
“There are so many creative people here. Plus
it can be pretty rainy and cold, which we love:
who wants to wear knits in warm countries?”
Their latest project is certainly perfect for
December: an elegant, understated beanie
(right), designed in collaboration with
Montreal photo-blogger JJJJound and
made from pure cashmere. chauncey.be
good
things
come in
threes
glamour
eyes
■ Stila Snow w
Angel Colour
Palette, €37
This limitededition
set is
a mosaic of
subtle, pretty
pastel shades,
with 12 blushers, rs,
18 eyeshadows and a handy
miniature mascara. stila.com
■ Dior Le Grand Bal, €75
No one does glamour quite like
Dior. Inspired by 19th-century
carnets de bal (dance cards),
this slim, elegant compact
contains pale gold and pink
lip glosses, two shimmering
metallic eyeshadows and a neat
retractable eyeliner that holds
the case shut. dior.com
■ Guerlain LIU
Calligraphy Palette, €68
Guerlain’s palette is tailored to
parties, with two vivid lip stains,
three iridescent eyeshadows and
a matt black eyeliner that can be
applied wet for extra precision.
guerlain.com
december 2012 21

22
Kiosk
2nd Floor, 95 Spring Street, New York, kioskkiosk.com
december 2012
style
... and the best places to find some gorgeous last-minute christmas gifts
I/Object Pop-Up Shop
Bennesteeg 7, Ghent, iobjectstore.com
Not content with running a style blog, online
concept store and effortlessly cool café (Clouds
in my Coffee, in Ghent), the team behind I/Object
have launched a sweet seasonal pop-up shop,
open until the end of December. Curated with
Christmas in mind, its stock runs from cashmere
socks and quirky, child-friendly prints to lighting,
gadgets and vintage Scandic furniture.
Our pick Wrap your presents with pattern-printed
Japanese tape (€20.95 for six rolls).
The owner of this small, endlessly absorbing shop collects interesting,
inexpensive objects from around the world, then sells them here. The
destination changes every four to six months, but is currently the
Netherlands. An ongoing archive takes in the best of what’s gone before,
including Finnish dartboards, Mexican stencil sets and Indian bicycle bells.
Our picks The red enamelled Japanese coffee pot (€47/$60, right) and
hand-painted kites from Hong Kong (€14/$18).
Studiostore
Calle Comerç 17, Barcelona,
studiostore.es
This stripped-down, two-fl oor
industrial space in El Born
showcases emerging designers
with changing exhibitions and a
well-stocked shop fl oor. Many of
the designs have a playful edge,
from the chunky perspex necklaces to the quirky, keyboard-shaped beanbags.
Our pick Sheriff&Cherry’s leopard-print shades (€89) will impress even sulky teenagers.
Luna & Curious
24-26 Calvert Avenue, London, lunaandcurious.com
Die Sellerie
Burggasse 21/1, Vienna, diesellerie.com
Most of the pieces here are handmade
and locally sourced, running from coolly
modern Christmas cards to comestibles.
The jars of organic honey are a failsafe gift,
while the aromatic, herb-infused liqueur
would delight a bibulous uncle. Stylish
packaging comes as
standard: no surprise to fi nd
this place is run by four
young graphic designers.
Our picks The bags of
fragrant, rose tea (€6.50),
or Andreas Posselt’s handstitched
owl (€19.50, right)
This East London emporium has an eye for new design talent, and a striking selection
of accessories. If the iridescent beetle-wing earrings are too wild, opt for graffi ti-print
silk scarves, meteorite-inspired silver rings or bone china butterfl y necklaces.
Our picks Alice Evans’ delicate tusk shell necklaces (€115/£92.50), or the handprinted
geometric notebooks by Tamasyn Gambell (€5/£4).
FLY TO brussels from 50 european destinations; london four times daily; barcelona
and vienna three times daily; new york jfk daily. brusselsairlines.com

Home Fabrics & Decorating Service

24
eco
roger east ON COPENHAGEN’S NEW UN BUILDING AND green FESTIVITIES IN ROME AND BERLIN
UN: leading
by example
in copenhagen
Copenhagen’s North Harbour (Nordhavn) area is one
of Scandinavia’s biggest urban extension projects. As
it starts to take shape, it is beginning to look like an
object lesson in how to integrate what was once a
neglected fringe area into a modern city without
sacrificing its own distinctive character.
One of the most exciting new buildings in this rejuvenated
waterfront zone is about to become the local home of all six United
Nations agencies working in the Danish capital. Built to the highest
environmental standards, the UN City complex was a winner in the
most recent round of EU GreenBuilding Awards.
Something of a striking architectural statement, the
building bristles with energy-efficient equipment,
occupancy sensors, insulation and external
solar screening. It is also hugely benefited by
its location, with a district heating system to
draw on and abundant seawater to harness
for low-carbon cooling purposes.
Phase I is just coming on-stream, with
phase II due for completion in a year’s time,
providing a bright new office environment for
more than 1,000 UN agency staff.
december 2012
Christmas
lights go
green
in rome
The Christmas lights of Rome are
something special, and all those dramatic,
historic locations play their part in the
magic, of course. So does the design flair
that goes into the Italian capital’s annual
displays, pictured. There’s a strong sense
of theatre in the festivities associated with Roma si mette
in luce (Rome is brought to light), which puts on some
dazzling switching-on events in the first week of December.
What’s more, thanks to the linking of environmental
awareness with smart technological solutions, it’s now
possible to enjoy them knowing that they won’t, quite
literally, cost the Earth. These days, Rome is lit up with
glittering displays using thousands of modern LED bulbs,
whose electricity consumption is the merest fraction of
the city lights of old. Take, for instance, the installation
by designer Chiara Lampugnani, unveiled in 2011 for the
50th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport.
Illuminating Terminal 1 with 50 two-metre-wide iron
butterflies studded with 18,000 white and coloured
LEDs, it achieved its effect with an eco-friendly 400%
energy saving.
Evergreen
market
in berlin
In a country justly renowned for its
Christmas markets, the Grosse Hamburger
Strasse in the Mitte district of Berlin may
not be the best-known example. Yet it
proudly flies a particularly green flag for
the first four weekends of December as the
place to go for gifts, festive food and decorations that keep
the environment very much in mind.
Locally sourced organic produce jostles for space with
fairtrade food, drink and spices, and stalls displaying
artisanal crafts along this normally quiet backstreet and
round Koppenplatz square, just north of the river past
Monbijou Park. Green organisations naturally have a
presence here too, but the atmosphere is less one of
strident campaigning and more about encouraging a
gentler spirit of consideration and well-being. All in all, it can
be a worthwhile antidote to the excesses of consumerism
that threaten to swamp the festive season elsewhere.
Something has clearly struck a welcome note with the
people of Berlin, as this environmental Christmas market
– the Berliner Umwelt und Weihnachtsmarkt, to give it its
full name – is now in its 17th year.
FLY TO copenhagen four times daily; berlin five times daily;
rome three times daily. brusselsairlines.com
CORBIS

Laura Maria Kaufmann I Student I Salzburg
LEICA. MY LIFE
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The Leica V-Lux 4: enormous focal length range with a fast maximum aperture over the entire zoom range, integrated high-resolution
viewfi nder, and video in full-HD. Fantastic versatility and fl exibility make this practical, innovative, and multitalented camera the perfect tool for
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design
Pennie Taylor ON timorous beasties, senegalese style and the sodastream remodelled
Grasp the thistle
Its name may be taken from the Robert Burns poem To A Mouse,
but there’s nothing timid about the work of London and Glasgowbased
design company Timorous Beasties. Noted for its surreal,
provocative and occasionally humorous textiles and wallpapers,
the studio was established in Scotland in 1990 and is now making
an impact worldwide. Among the latest collection (above) is a
striking Thistle rug (€2,915) – made of 100% New Zealand wool
and available in four colourways – White Moth Allover linen
drapery (€120 per metre) and a matching lampshade (€270).
timorousbeasties.com
profile
Yves Béhar
The US-based, Swiss-born designer,
entrepreneur and sustainability
guru Yves Béhar is famed for his
mantra “reduce and refine”. Béhar’s philosophy has
helped to bring the SodaStream, a long-time kitchen
classic, bang up to date.
What is it? Source is the new home-carbonation
system I have designed for SodaStream. Users can
FLY TO milan seven times daily; london four times daily; edinburgh daily;
dakar four times weekly. brusselsairlines.com
African inspiration
make sparkling water and flavoured sodas at home.
What’s different? We removed the carbonation button.
Now you just place the bottle in the machine
and it’s automatically captured, and pushes
on the entire top surface of the machine to
carbonate. It’s a pure object.
What attracted you to SodaStream? I was
always a fan of SodaStream as we have the
same sustainability values. Plastic bottles are
a huge problem – approximately 460 billion
bottles are manufactured every year and only
Challenging stereotypes of modern Africa was Italian furniture designer
Patrizia Moroso’s aim when she created the M’Afrique collection.
Leading African artists have been invited to create furniture and
artworks, which are promoted under the prestigious Milanese marque.
Handmade in Senegal, the Madame Dakar armchair (€1,830 + VAT) is
the work of designers Bibi Seck and Ayse Birsel, and made from the
colourful plastic threads traditionally used to make fishing nets.
“Multifacteted, modern Africa deserves to be known and sustained
for its originality and the way it enriches global culture,” says Moroso.
“The African continent is extraordinarily rich in creativity, materials
and ideas that are sources of inspiration and nourishment for us.”
Moroso, Via Pontaccio 8/10, Milan, moroso.it
20th-century snapshot
‘Mr Photography’ was the nickname of L Fritz Gruber,
the German photography specialist whose collection
laid the foundation of the world-renowned archive of
Cologne’s Museum Ludwig. Now, 850 pieces from the
collection feature in a new book that provides a stunning snapshot of
the 20th century as seen through the lenses of photographic greats,
from Capa and Man Ray to Cecil Beaton, Salgado and Cartier-Bresson.
€16, taschen.com
about a third are recycled. SodaStream is a 21st-century
way to enjoy sparkling drinks at home. Designing the
product to be beautiful and the experience to be
easy and fun makes the adoption of this alternative
a reality for many. My belief is that good design
accelerates the adoption of new ideas.
Why is this the perfect present? The average
family could avoid the disposal of 550 plastic bottles
every year. Plus, there’s something about making
bubbles that brings out the kid in everyone!
SodaStream Source, €185, sodastream.com
december 2012
27

eat: bologna
adrian mourby ON AN INSPIRED but no-nonsense TAKE ON BOLOGNESE COOKING
RISTORANTE Pappagallo
Piazza della Mercanzia 3, 40125, Bologna,
+39 051 23 28 07 alpappagallo.it, four-course
dinner for two with wine: around €100
Tucked inside two lofty rooms of a 14th-century mansion at the base of one of Bologna’s 21 old
towers, Pappagallo opened in 1919 as a place for Italian businessmen, and still has that
no-nonsense feel. Period crystal chandeliers hang from vaulted ceilings and glass sconces line the
whitewashed walls, illuminating autographed photographs of singers and actors who have dined
here; I’m told that Hitchcock and Toscanini are on the walls somewhere.
Where there are no photos, the walls are lined with copper skillets, pans and ladles. A ceramic
parrot – from which the restaurant takes its name – rests on its perch between the two rooms.
Waiters wear grey shirts and black aprons, and the maitre d’ is all in black. The service is friendly
but wholly unobtrusive – nobody wanders around asking if you are still enjoying your meal,
thankfully. Each white linen tablecloth is set simply with a wine glass, a water glass and cutlery.
The emphasis is wholly on the cuisine, which has its roots
in traditional Bolognese cooking, but does include some
surprisingly bold additions: along with a cheese and porcini
mushroom frittata – a traditional local dish – there’s also
sliced raw sturgeon with horseradish, lemon and aubergine,
which isn’t remotely Bolognese.
Tortellini, a dish that some claim was actually invented in
Bologna, comes in a hot and spicy capon broth stuffed with
prosciutto, Pappagallo-style. Boiled squid filled with red lettuce in a cognac sauce is another daring
experiment. If that sounds too outré, then pan-fried calf’s brains and rabbit ravioli with smoked
ricotta are popular house specialities. A basket of freshly baked sourdough breads is a meal in
itself. And of course, as Bologna is in the wonderful Emilia-Romagna region, there’s no shortage of
reasonably priced wines and the maître d’ will take quiet pride in making his own recommendations.
the cuisine has its
roots in Bolognese
cooking but with
some surprisingly
bold additions
fly to brussels from 50 european destinations; bologna twice daily. brusselsairlines.com
appetiser
Is Belgium’s In de Wulf
the new Noma?
There’s a chef being touted by
foodies in the know as the next
René Redzepi for the natural,
avant-garde cooking he’s doing
at a restaurant called In De Wulf
in the idyllic Belgian village of
Dranouter. Kobe Desramault
currently holds a Michelin star
for food that draws heavily on
Flemish flavours and uses local
produce, working closely with
creative farmers and producers
to cultivate the exquisite
ingredients in his cooking. The
32-year-old worked with some of
the world’s best modern chefs
before returning to set up shop at
his old family home, where he now
creates his own distinctive and
memorable cuisine. The tasting
menu includes celeriac cooked in
a salt crust with local cream cheese,
and Ostend oyster with fermented
rhubarb juice and edible seaplants
from Audresselles. Rosie Birkett
In De Wulf, Wulvestraat 1, 8957
Dranouter, +32 (0)57 44 55 67,
indewulf.be
december 2012
29

ALAMY; ILLUSTRATION: MATT SAUNDERS @ HANDSOME FRANK
30
on the road: hannover
jill starley-grainger DRIVES the grimm fairytale route in Germany and lives like a princess
D
on’t be fooled by the name: the
Fairytale Route, or Märchen Strasse,
is no children’s fantasy land. Sure, the
German regions that it cuts through are picturebook
pretty – but behind the façade, a darker
side lurks: a castle where a princess was
poisoned; a town where dozens of children
vanished; a tower where a girl was imprisoned.
The original tales, penned by the Brothers
Grimm, would give even grown-ups nightmares.
Yet I’m hoping that the landscapes that inspired
them will be more fascinating than frightening.
As I drive out of Hannover-Langenhagen
Airport, it’s straight onto the A2 autobahn
heading southwest. Luckily, my German-made
BMW 3 Series Coupé has no problem zipping into
the whooshing 140km/hr traffic. An hour later,
it’s time for a pit-stop in the city of Hameln,
home of the legendary Pied Piper.
Taking a quick look around the few historic
buildings of the old town – most were destroyed
during the Second World War – I spy a modernday
piper giving a tour. He explains that this is
one of the Grimm tales that’s rooted in historical
fact. Over a short period in 1284, around 130
december 2012
children suddenly disappeared or died. Nobody
knows exactly what happened – the current
theories are a toss-up between abduction and
disease. Either way, it wasn’t a happy ending.
Back in the BMW on the road south from
Hameln, the scenery turns Hansel and Gretelpretty.
Forests of pine trees, their branches heavy
with pine cones, give way to small hamlets of old
wooden houses clustered around simple gothic
churches. The car hugs the curves and nips past
sleepy tractors as the road climbs over hills,
twists through pastoral landscapes and skirts
the edge of the Weser river.
Rising above the river is the Reinhardswald, a
forest covering more than 200 square kilometres.
Hidden amid its ancient oaks and beeches are wild
boar, wolves and the 14th-century castle and
former hunting lodge where Sleeping Beauty
was dreamt up. The story may be fictional, but
Sababurg – now home to a hotel – was the
inspiration for the tale’s original illustrations, and
its rose-covered tower is as pretty as in any Disney
film. You can stay in the turret or stop by for a
hearty German lunch using fresh produce (boar,
deer, rabbit, winter vegetables) from the estate.
eat, sleep, visit
■ Sababurg Castle
+49 (0)5 671 80 80, sababurg.de,
rooms from €115, three-course
dinner menus €30 (booking in
advance is recommended for
the hotel restaurant)
■ Schloss Waldeck
+49 (0)5 623 58 90,
schloss-hotel-waldeck.de,
rooms from €98
■ Brothers Grimm Museum
Brüder Grimm Platz 4a,
+49 (0)5 611 03 235,
grimms.de; admission €3
SPEC
BMW 3 Series Coupé 318i
Performance
Sleek lines, zippy momentum,
quiet ride, smooth handling
Engine
141bhp 2.0-litre
Top speed
210km/h, 0-60 in 9.1 seconds
Price
€33,800; €539 to hire per
week with sixt.com

Continuing south, the route weaves
through dozens of medieval villages, each
with charming squares, town halls and
bakeries selling apple cake and hot
chocolate. Late in the day, I stop at the city
of Kassel, in the state of Hesse, to visit the
Brothers Grimm Museum. And it’s here that
I learn a shocking fact: the brothers didn’t
make up the fairytales themselves
– they just wrote them down. Jacob and
Wilhelm were scholars, and their first book,
Children’s and Household Tales, published
in 1812, was an academic compilation of
regional folk stories. This explains the
variety in the quality of their 211 fables.
Some are pure genius – Rumpelstiltskin,
Puss in Boots, The Frog Prince – while
others, such as The Mouse, the Bird and
the Sausage, are utter nonsense.
The next day, after sleeping as peacefully
as a princess in a turret at Schloss Waldeck,
high on a hillside 30km from Kassel,
I learn of another real-life tragedy. As I
eat scrambled eggs and rye bread in the
ramparts, the misty Edersee reservoir and
Kellerwald-Edersee National Park spreading
out below, the waiter tells me that this was
once home to Countess Margarete von
Waldeck, said to be the inspiration for Snow
White. In the 16th century, the countess and
Prince Philip II of Spain fell in love – but the
match would have caused problems for both
families. Before the liaison became common
knowledge, Margarete died of a suspected
poisoning. Nobody is sure how or by whom,
but she had a strained relationship with her
stepmother. And in the nearby mines of Bad
Wildungen, child workers were left ‘dwarved’
by cramped conditions and poor nutrition. It
all seems plausible, I have to admit.
Sticking to smaller roads, I drive south
through rolling hills and valleys, passing
through the town of Schlüchtern, with its
8th-century monastery, and Alsfeld, a town
of higgledy-piggledy 16th-century buildings.
Further west, I stop off in the city of
Marburg, where the Brothers Grimm went
to university. The stone façades of its
13th-century old town are perfectly
preserved. Yet the city’s current student
population seems less enamoured of
fairytales than their famous predecessors:
a popular T-shirt sold in a local shop here
proclaims ‘I’m not a bloody princess’.
Me neither – yet after three days of
eating, drinking and sleeping in medieval
castles, I’m starting to feel like one.
FLY TO hannover three times daily.
brusselsairlines.com

perfect 10
’Tis the SEASON TO GET FESTIVE AT EUROPE’S BEST CHRISTMAS MARKETS, SAYS daisy woods
Oh Bej! Oh Bej!
Milan, 6-9 December
Held to mark the Feast of St Ambrose, the
fair’s name is derived from the Italian for ‘How
beautiful! How beautiful!’. Some 400 stalls sell
antiques, gifts and food, from sugar-sprinkled
doughnuts to paper cones of roast chestnuts.
Fira de Santa Llúcia
Barcelona, until 23 December,
en.firadesantallucia.cat
Dating back to 1786, this is one of the oldest
Christmas fairs in the world. Stalls sell wreaths,
tambourine-like simbombes and nativity scenes
and figures – including the infamous caganer.
Winter Wonders
Brussels, until 6 January, plaisirsdhiver.be
The capital celebrates in style with a vast ice rink
and sledding track, son et lumière (sound and
light) shows in the Grand-Place, fairground rides
and, at the heart of it, a huge Christmas market.
CHRISTMAS market
Basel, until 23 December, basel.com
Fairy-lit fir trees dot the Old Town, while wooden
cabins sell decorations and traditional gifts.
Try a dainty square of Basler läckerli (spiced
gingerbread) or the half-metre grilled wurst.
Spittelberg
Christmas Market
Spittelberggasse, Schrankgasse
& Gutenberggasse, Vienna, until
23 December, spittelberg.at
It’s not the biggest Christmas market in
the city, but Spittelberg is certainly the
most charming – and it serves the best
punsch. Stalls line the pretty cobbled
lanes, and there are puppet shows and
free Christmas cookie-baking classes
for children on selected dates.
Southbank Centre
Christmas Market
London, until 24 December, southbankcentre.co.uk
A host of wooden chalets pop up on the riverside, selling
food, drink, gifts and treats: this being a German-style
market, there’s hot, spiced glühwein and assorted
bratwurst. Behind the main building, the weekends-only
Real Food Market has some terrific gifts for foodies.
Tivoli at Christmas
Copenhagen, until 30 December, tivoli.dk
Tivoli Gardens is turned into a stunning festive market
populated by pixies and reindeer, with an illuminated
Russian cityscape at its centre. Stock up on old-fashioned
sweets, handmade jewellery and felt slippers.
Brooklyn
Craft Central
New York, 15-16 & 22-23 December,
brooklyncraftcentral.com
Now in its fifth year, this cool
Christmas market has proved a huge
hit with in-the-know New Yorkers
seeking eleventh-hour gifts and
inspiration. Around 60 designers
set up stalls selling everything from
knitted toys and limited-edition prints
to homemade herbal tinctures. Food
trucks sustain weary shoppers, as
does the bourbon-laced hot cider.
Castres
Christmas
Market
Place Jean Jaurès,
Castres, 8-25 December
An hour’s drive east of Toulouse,
the town of Castres puts its heart
and soul into its vast Christmas
market. Real reindeer, free
ice-skating and a frost-dusted
magic forest are among the
attractions, while little wooden
chalets sell pastel-hued
macarons, barbe à papa
(candyfloss) and raclette.
Skansen
Christmas Market
Stockholm, 1-2, 8-9 & 15-16
December, skansen.se
This open-air museum and zoo has
held a Christmas market every year
since 1903, and it remains a sweetly
old-fashioned affair. Cheap imports
and battery-operated toys are
banished; instead, you’ll find
homemade saffron buns and
pepparkakor (gingersnap biscuits),
knitted mittens, children’s books
and jars of jams and marmalades.
32 december 2012
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Looking for
Cassiopeia
Seeping light pollution means few us ever get to experience the pure inky
darkness that affords a proper view of the constellations in our universe.
Patricia Carswell ventures to Europe’s irst International Dark Sky Reserve
on England’s Exmoor for a magically revealing look at the night sky

MARK HOLLAND; RICHARD TRENCHARD AND THE EXMOOR STARGAZERS; DAVID SOUTHERN; PREVIOUS PAGE: PA
Clockwise from
above: stars over
Exmoor shower like
fi reworks thanks to
the spinning motion
of the camera; the
North Star shines
brightly; on a clear
night, stars which
died millions of years
ago can still be seen
Opposite page: skies
like this are only
possible because of
Exmoor’s isolated
situation and lack
of light pollution
“ ver there – wait, I can see something!”
O The Land Rover crunches to a halt and
three people leap out, eyes fixed on the
sky above, as startled sheep skitter away into the
darkness. Brandishing smartphones, maps and
binoculars, we scan the night sky. But no – false
alarm. It was just a plane.
I’m on a stargazing safari on Exmoor National
Park, Europe’s first International Dark Sky Reserve
and one of the best places in the world for
astronomy. With light pollution seeping into even
the remotest places, it’s almost impossible to
experience the sensation of fully enveloping,
velvety blackness that characterises proper
darkness. This is what makes Exmoor so special.
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On a cloudy night, the place is clothed in the kind
of pitch black that is balm for the soul. On a clear
night, the sky explodes with stars never seen in our
blazing cities.
Except that tonight, it’s not light that’s the
problem. Although the weather forecast
confidently predicted clear skies, above us there
are great banks of rolling clouds – hardly
conducive to stargazing. Optimistically, we have
headed out onto the moor anyway. We are
determined to find some stars.
And I’m in good hands. The safari team,
assembled by the Exmoor White Horse Inn that
organises the trips, consists of driver-guide
Richard Medland, who knows the moor like the
STAR SAFARI
december 2012 37

38
STAR SAFARI
Above: Astronomy clubs are becoming popular in
places like Exmoor, drawing stargazers from around
the country. Right: Spire Cross, one of the highest
points on Winsford Hill in Exmoor
back of his hand, and Stuart Bartlett,
observatory director of the North Devon
Astronomical Society, so I’m hopeful that
with the benefit of their combined
knowledge we’ll find some night sky worth
looking at. It might just take some time.
As we wait for the clouds to recede, we
take in our surroundings. Apart from the
far-off twinkle of Port Talbot and Swansea
on the other side of the Bristol Channel,
there are no signs of human life. Exmoor
National Park is 293 square kilometres of
unspoilt, windswept beauty with virtually
no artificial light to spoil our fun. The only
inhabitants for miles around us are wild
ponies, Highland cattle and sheep.
Only the occasional star winks down at
us through the shifting mass of cloud, so
we decide to try our luck elsewhere on the
moor. Back in the Land Rover, we bump
along remote tracks, splashing through
streams and trundling over stone bridges.
the only inhabitants
in this unspoilt
windswept wildnerness
are wild ponies, sheep
and Highland cattle
december 2012
Twisted trees brush the top of the car and
bats flit past the windscreen. It’s thrillingly
atmospheric, and when I learn that RD
Blackmore’s fictional character Lorna
Doone was shot in one of the ancient
churches that rise from the gloom before
us, the expedition takes on a gothic frisson.
In a deserted campsite at the bottom of
a winding hill we set up our telescope, and
for a while it looks as if our luck may be
changing. The moon appears in a golden
halo (ice particles in the atmosphere, Stuart
tells me) and the Cassiopeia constellation
– named after the vain queen in Greek
mythology – briefly shows her face. It’s a
FOUR MORE Great
star-spotting PLACES
The Starry Sky Park,
Zselic, Hungary
This International Dark Sky
Reserve in south-west Hungary, a
90-minute drive from Budapest,
holds popular, regular night-walks
from March to October, looking at
fl ora and fauna before dark and
observing the sky once darkness
falls. There are plans for a Starry
Sky Park visitor’s centre,
observatory and planetarium,
to be completed by 2014.
csillagpark.hu
Tuscany, Italy
The hills of Tuscany – where
physicist and astronomer Galileo
fi rst observed the stars through
his invention, the refracting
telescope – are the perfect place
for watching the sky at night. The
Astronomical Society of Siena
(Unione Astrofi li Senesi) is a
highly commendable source of
information – astronomy
enthusiasts can also head to
Florence, where Galileo’s
telescopes and compasses are
displayed at the Museo Galileo.
discovertuscany.com
museogalileo.it
astrofi lisenesi.it
Galloway Forest Dark Sky
Park, Scotland
The UK’s fi rst Dark Sky Park,
(above), a two-hour drive south
west of Edinburgh, holds regular
stargazing talks and events that
are suitable for beginners as well
as more experienced stargazers.
forestry.gov.uk/
darkskygalloway
Parc Astronòmic Montsec
Centre d’Observació de
l’Univers, Spain
Set in the Serra del Montsec
mountains, a three-hour drive
from Barcelona, the Parc
Astronòmic Montsec has all you
need for star-watching: a remote
location, a planetarium, a
telescope park and a permanent
astronomical exhibition.
parcastonomic.cat
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40
STAR SAFARI
Clockwise from top left: the constellations of
the Plough, the Pole Star, Orion, Cassiopeia and
The Double Double, all of which can be seen from
Exmoor’s Dark Sky Reserve
short-lived performance, though; by the
time the telescope is in place, the clouds
have closed in like a pair of stage curtains.
The cloud cover seems to be thickening
and it’s hard not to feel despondent.
Undeterred, we head instead for a high
point on the moor, passing a Bronze Age
burial site, and I wonder briefly what our
ancient ancestors thought of the stars.
Exmoor is thought to have been populated
since Mesolithic times, and throughout the
millennia its inhabitants would have looked
to the skies for guidance, navigation,
fortune-telling and inspiration. From
Stonehenge to the Egyptian Pyramids, the
structures left behind tell tales of old beliefs
and rituals. What, I wonder, would those
buried under that mound have believed
about the billions of stars above them?
My thoughts are interrupted as some
chinks appear in the sky. Our patience, it
seems, is at last rewarded: the clouds are
beginning to part, and one by one the
constellations appear. We turn our
attention to a bright dot in the sky and aim
the telescope at it. It’s the planet Jupiter,
and magnification reveals not only its four
largest moons, first discovered by Galileo
in 1610, but even its distinctive stripes.
december 2012
We use a combination of an oldfashioned
manual planisphere and a
smartphone star-finder app to make sense
of what we can see (only the die-hard
purists, Stuart tells me, turn their noses up
at the latest technology). Orion’s Belt, with
its characteristic three stars, appears above
the horizon, and we locate Pleiades – The
Seven Sisters – in a cluster overhead.
As we head back to the inn, the last of
the clouds roll away and we stop for one
last, longing look at the heavens, suddenly
ablaze with a host of stars. The distinctive
Plough leads us to Polaris – the Pole Star.
There, too, is our old friend Cassiopeia and,
shining more brightly, Vega. With the help
of the telescope we gaze at The Double
Double star system, Epsilon Lyrae. Orion is
rising magnificently over the other side, his
belt now moving further up in the sky.
As Stuart talks in baffling numbers –
billions of galaxies, trillions of light years –
I am struck as much by the wild romance
of the moor and the staggering beauty of
the sky as by the mind-bending science of
the cosmos. I suspect that, for all of our
knowledge, that is something I share with
my Bronze Age ancestors.
Stargazing safaris: £35 (€44) for adults,
£17.50 (€22) for under-12s, £80 (€100) for
families of four, exmoordarkskies.com;
Exmoor White Horse Inn: rooms from £85
(€106), exmoor-whitehorse.co.uk
FR
A la recherche de
Cassiopée
Patricia Carswell part observer les étoiles à Exmoor
Alors que la pollution lumineuse envahit jusqu’aux lieux
les plus reculés, il est presque impossible aujourd’hui
d’être baigné dans une totale obscurité. Sauf à Exmoor,
un endroit d’exception. Je participe à un safari de nuit
dans la première réserve internationale d’observation
des étoiles en Europe (Dark Sky Reserve), également
réputée pour l’astronomie. Par temps nuageux, le ciel y
est d’un noir d’encre, un véritable baume pour l’âme ; et
par temps clair, le ciel fourmille d’étoiles que l’on n’a
plus la chance d’observer dans nos régions urbaines.
L’équipe du voyage, mise sur pied par l’hôtel Exmoor
White Horse Inn, se compose du guide et chauffeur Richard
Medland, qui connaît la lande comme sa poche, et de
Stuart Bartlett, directeur de l’Observatoire de la Société
Astronomique du Nord Devon. Grâce aux connaissances
de ces deux spécialistes, nous avons de bonnes chances
de pouvoir profi ter des meilleures vues du ciel étoilé.
Le parc national d’Exmoor est une magnifi que réserve
préservée, d’une superfi cie de 686 km 2 . Aucun éclairage
artifi ciel ne vient y gâcher notre plaisir. Les seuls
habitants à des kilomètres à la ronde sont des poneys
sauvages et des moutons, broutant dans les hauteurs.
Nous déballons notre télescope dans un campement
désert, à fl anc de colline. Momentanément, d’épais
nuages nous bouchent la vue. La lune apparaît
cependant furtivement dans un halo doré de cristaux
de glace et Cassiopée – baptisée en hommage à la reine
vaniteuse de la mythologie grecque – montre
brièvement le bout de son nez. Mais le spectacle est de
courte durée, car bien vite les nuages tombent comme
d’épais rideaux de scène.
Nous attendons patiemment qu’ils s’éclipsent. Les
constellations surgissent alors une à une. En pointant à
nouveau le télescope vers la voûte céleste, nous
apercevons Jupiter. Le grossissement révèle non
seulement ses quatre lunes, observées pour la première
fois par Galilée en 1609, mais également son système
d’anneaux. Ensuite, Orion s’élève avec magnifi cence, et
le Grand Chariot nous dévoile Polaris – l’étoile polaire.
Enfi n, nous retrouvons notre amie Cassiopée, plus
étincelante que jamais.
NL
Op zoek naar Cassiopeia
Patricia Carswell ziet sterretjes in Exmoor
Ik neem deel aan een sterrensafari in Europa’s eerste
Internationale Dark Sky Reserve, een van ’s werelds
topplekjes voor astronomen. Tijdens heldere nachten
baadt de hemel er in de mooiste – in onze overbelichte
steden ongeziene – sterrenpracht.
Het safariteam, samengesteld door Exmoor White
Horse Inn, dat de excursies organiseert, bestaat uit gids
en chauffeur Richard Medland, die de heide op zijn
duimpje kent, en Stuart Bartlett, Hoofdobservator van de
North Devon Astronomical Society. Met hun kennis in het
achterhoofd hoop ik dan ook een nachtelijke hemel te
ontdekken die de moeite waard is.
Exmoor National Park bestaat uit meer dan 686 km 2
ongerepte, adembenemende natuur nagenoeg zonder
artifi ciële lichten die een domper zouden kunnen zetten
op onze ontdekkingstocht. De enige bewoners in de
nabijheid zijn pony’s en schapen.
We installeren onze telescoop op een verlaten
kampeerplekje aan de voet van een omhoog kronkelende
heuvel. De maan baadt in een gouden stralenkrans
van ijzige kristallen en Cassiopeia – genoemd naar de
ijdele koningin uit de Griekse mythologie – laat zich
zien…zij het slechts heel eventjes. Onze telescoop is
pas net geïnstalleerd of de wolken omhullen de
sterrenhemel alweer.
We wachten en wachten en eindelijk geeft de hemel een
paar streepjes bloot. Een voor een komen de sterrenstelsels
tevoorschijn. We richten de telescoop en ontdekken
Jupiter. We zoomen in en ontdekken niet alleen zijn vier
manen, die in 1609 voor het eerst werden ontdekt door
Galileo, maar zelfs zijn karakteristieke strepen. Orion
straalt hoog aan de hemel en de uit duizenden
herkenbare Grote Beer leidt ons naar Polaris, de Poolster.
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42
december 2012

T
here’s a surface calm in Isabelle de Borchgrave’s
Brussels studio – a peaceful, light filled space with
fat koi carp swimming languidly in a pool in the
leafy garden. However, when you look more closely,
it’s a hum of intense and industrious activity.
People are measuring, cutting and painting, heads bowed
over two long tables. A man adds embellishments to a
vase and two women apply a delicate pattern of gold paint to
a length of drapery. Overlooking it all from the second-floor
gallery are rows of mannequins dressed in the outfits that
made Isabelle famous: delicate pastel crinolines, vivid folk
costumes from Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, Renaissance
pages in brocade tunics. And all of them, everything, made of
paper. The plain white rolls are here too, propped against the
walls and awaiting a credibility-defying transformation.
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CUT-OUT COUTURE
On the eve of a major exhibition celebrating the work of 18th-century couturier
Mariano Fortuny, Isabelle de Borchgrave – the Belgian designer famed for her exquisite
paper creations – talks to Emma Beddington about the passions that drive her
Photography Natalie Hill
In the middle of it all is de Borchgrave herself, a busy,
diminutive figure in a navy fisherman’s sweater with a
suspicion of paint around the cuffs, looking far younger
than her 66 years. She darts across the studio, pausing to
give instructions, conferring and appraising. When we sit
down in her library, packed to the rafters with art and history
books, she thrums with barely suppressed impatience
to get back to work: it’s just days before the opening of
her new exhibition, and there’s plenty still to do.
The exhibition, Fortuny by Isabelle de Borchgrave:
A World of Paper, is ambitious: less a straight tribute to the
fin-de-siècle couturier than a sensory journey through his
imagination. As well as around 40 extraordinary replicas
of Fortuny’s dresses, it echoes his travels and influences,
with scents and music from North Africa and Asia, as well
december 2012 43

44
CUT-OUT COUTURE
as kilims, kimonos and cushions. There’s even a tiny café
serving oriental pâtisseries and a yurt where younger visitors
can design their own creations. It’s a joyful blast of colour
and excitement in wintry Brussels. As de Borchgrave
describes it all, her enthusiasm is infectious. “Fortuny looked
like crazy at everything, and that passion is what interests
me. It’s going to be very playful, very fun. It will make people
think.” Visitors will be able to touch samples of paper, pick
up a paintbrush and watch a video of the studio at work.
“Sometimes I stand at the exits to my exhibitions and
I listen to visitors as they leave, and what I love is hearing
them say: ‘Let’s go home and make a dress’ or ‘I could do
that’. That’s wonderful. This exhibition is going to inspire
people, create vocations.”
december 2012
Details, above: de Borchgrave’s Brussels workshop
is now open for tours by appointment. Right: a
beautiful hand-made dress from the designer’s
forthcoming Mariano Fortuny exhibition
Previous page: Isabelle de Borchgrave in her studio
Her own vocation manifested itself early: as a child, de
Borchgrave would cover her bedroom walls with drawings,
then her mother would paint over them and the process
would start again. “I left school at 14. I was a pretty lacklustre
student, and all I wanted to do was draw and paint. I was
fascinated by the Flemish primitives – the details, the lace.”
After a stint at the Centre des Arts Décoratifs in Brussels,
she opened a tiny studio, taking interior design commissions
and gradually building a reputation as a decorative artist. In
1994, a visit to the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York planted the idea
of creating paper dresses. In 1998, her Papiers à la Mode
exhibition of paper creations – ranging from the Renaissance
period to Coco Chanel’s work – opened to huge critical
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CUT-OUT COUTURE
Bottom left and top right: Only when
de Borchgrave’s creations are viewed
closely in detail does the viewer realise
that they are in fact constructed from
paper. Top left: one of the exquisite
dresses from the Fortuny exhibiton.
Right: the Belgian designer’s homage
to the classic rain mac
acclaim, showing in Paris, New York, Istanbul and beyond.
Since then, de Borchgrave seems barely to have drawn
breath. There have been exhibitions and private commissions
worldwide, commercial projects (she has designed tableware
for Target and ceramics for Gien) and historical collaborations
– from working at Florence’s Palazzo Medici Riccardi to
creating a paper replica of Jackie Kennedy’s wedding gown
for Boston’s John F Kennedy Library and Museum.
What was it, I wonder, that captivated her imagination in
paper couture? “What interests me in a piece of clothing is
how it moves in space. It’s not fashion, really, it’s sculpture.
It’s also a way of breathing life back into a garment. A Ballets
Russes costume is something a dancer has sweated in,
suffered in, slippers that have hurt his feet. It’s fascinating,
but it’s sad. I like the idea of letting these things live again,
giving them a present and a future.”
A team of between 12 and 15 work with Isabelle in the
studio daily, each bringing their own particular technical and
artistic expertise to the process of making paper look like
silk, velvet and organza. The famous Fortuny pleats proved
particularly tricky: de Borchgrave’s eyes sparkle as she
relates a challenge that she obviously relished.
“At first we tried to do our own folding, then we sprayed it
with water to get a softer effect, but the dress dissolved…
Eventually we had to use machine pleating, then we had to
fold the paper the other way to get that silk texture. It’s a
kind of trickery, an illusion, what I do. We use colour and
different effects to create that impression of cloth.”
46 december 2012
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The workshop itself, de Borchgrave
says, is a huge inspiration. Designed by
Antwerp architect Claire Bataille, it’s the
culmination of a life’s work, a space where
everything can be shifted and changed; a
place where the outside, in the form of an
ever-changing Brussels sky and the
surrounding greenery, is ever present.
“Light is very important here, and I also
insisted that it should all be white. I wanted
it to be like a blank sheet of paper.”
It’s far from blank now: the studio is a
fantastic, visual feast of fabric, pictures
ripped from books, jam jars full of
paintbrushes and pots of gouache. Even
de Borchgrave’s paperwork is kept in
handpainted folders. As of earlier this year,
visitors can tour the studio a few times
each month and see for themselves.
Downstairs, as the exhibition takes
shape, the Fortuny Delphos dresses, with
Details, left and above: Isabelle de Borchgrave and her team are
skilled at transforming simple white paper into elegant robes and
costumes that appear to be made from fi ne silks and fabrics. The
studio is a hive of industry as the designers recreate intricate
details of fabric, texture and pattern on paper
simple pleated columns, look startlingly
modern. Would de Borchgrave, I wonder,
be interested in experimenting with
contemporary couture? Creating an
Alexander McQueen, a Martin Margiela?
“Of course, but not just to be
fashionable. It has to be the right time,
everything has to come together in my
head. Every dress is a new challenge, but
I’m never scared. The great thing about
paper is that it takes your fear away: the
worst that can happen is that you screw
it up in a ball and throw it away.”
And with that, she heads off back to
create more paper worlds.
Fortuny by Isabelle de Borchgrave: A World
of Paper until 15 March 2013, Tuesday-Sunday.
Tickets €10, concessions €7.50. Workshop
tours first and third Monday of each month.
isabelledeborchgrave.com
FR
Beau sur papier
Emma Beddington rencontre Isabelle
de Borchgrave, une Belge qui sculpte
brillamment le papier
Affairés au-dessus de deux longues tables, des stylistes
prennent des mesures, coupent et peignent. Deux
femmes appliquent délicatement un motif à la peinture
d’or sur une longue draperie. De la galerie du second
étage, on découvre un alignement de mannequins en
tenues d’apparat : crinolines aux pastels délicats,
costumes populaires des Ballets Russes de Diaghilev,
tuniques de pages en brocart de la Renaissance… le
tout en papier.
Au centre de toute cette activité, Isabelle de
Borchgrave, qui dans pull-over marin fait beaucoup plus
jeune que ses 66 ans. Après un passage par l’Ecole des
Arts Décoratifs à Bruxelles, elle ouvre un premier studio
d’architecture d’intérieur. Petit à petit, elle se bâtit une
réputation d’artiste dans les arts appliqués. En 1994,
après une visite à la rétrospective d’Yves Saint Laurent
au Metropolitan Museum de New York, l’idée germe de
créer des robes de papier. En 1998, elle inaugure
Papiers à la Mode, des créations de la Renaissance à
Coco Chanel – une exposition encensée par la critique à
Paris, New York, Istanbul et ailleurs dans le monde.
Aujourd’hui, elle prépare sa nouvelle exposition Un
monde de papier : Mariano Fortuny. Un projet ambitieux,
qui s’apparente plus à un voyage dans l’imaginaire du
créateur fi n de siècle qu’à un hommage au seul couturier.
Aux côtés de 40 magnifi ques répliques des robes de
Fortuny, l’exposition refl ète ses voyages et infl uences,
aux senteurs et mélodies d’Afrique du Nord et d’Asie.
De Borchgrave déborde d’enthousiasme : « c’est le
côté fou et passionné de Fortuny qui m’intéresse. Cette
exposition va être très divertissante et fera en même
temps réfl échir. » Les visiteurs pourront toucher des
échantillons de papier, prendre des pinceaux en mains
et visionner des vidéos du studio à l’oeuvre.
« Ce que je regarde dans un habit c’est sa façon de
bouger dans l’espace : ce n’est pas vraiment du
stylisme, mais plutôt de la sculpture, » dit-elle. C’est
également une manière de réinjecter de la vie dans
un vêtement. »
NL papiergodin
Emma Beddington ontmoet Isabelle de
Borchgrave, de briljante Belgische papierkunstenares
Aan twee lange tafels zien we personen druk bezig met
meten, snijden, schilderen. Vanuit de galerie op de
tweede verdieping zien we rijen paspoppen aangekleed
met fi jne, pastelkleurige crinolines, kleurrijke
folklorekleding van Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, brokaten
Renaissance tunieken. Alles is gemaakt van…papier.
Te midden van dit alles staat Isabelle de Borchgrave,
die er veel jonger uitziet dan haar 66 levensjaren. Na een
ervaring aan de School voor Decoratieve Kunsten in
Brussel, opende ze haar eigen interieurontwerpstudio en
verwierf langzamerhand naam als interieurartieste. In
1994 kreeg ze tijdens een bezoek aan de retrospectieve
van Yves Saint Laurent in het New Yorkse Metropolitan
Museum het idee om papieren jurken te creëren. Papiers
à la Mode, haar tentoonstelling uit 1998 met papieren
creaties geïnspireerd door de Renaissance tot Coco
Chanel, werd door de critici uit Parijs, New York, Istanbul
en ver daarbuiten bijzonder positief onthaald.
Momenteel bereidt ze haar nieuwe tentoonstelling voor
– Een wereld van papier: Mariano Fortuny. Een ambitieus
project dat een onmiskenbaar eerbetoon vormt aan de
fi n de siècle couturier. Naast zo’n 40 replica’s van zijn
jurken, biedt de expo een blik op zijn reizen en invloeden,
Noord-Afrikaanse en Aziatische geur- en
muziekaccenten, kilim tapijten, kimono’s en kussens.
“Fortuny was altijd zo enthousiast en het is precies deze
passie die me zozeer aanspreekt. Het gaat een bijzonder
speelse, leuke expo worden die de mensen aan het denken
zal zetten. “Ik ben geïnteresseerd in hoe een kledingstuk
beweegt in de ruimte; het gaat niet echt om mode maar
veeleer om beeldhouwen”, aldus de Borchgrave.
48 december 2012
FLY TO brussels from 50 european destinations. brusselsairlines.com

8.12.2012 – 24.02.2013
EXPOSITION AU CERCLE CITÉ LUXEMBOURG
À l’occasion du 50 e anniversaire de la mort de l’artiste prolifique
Jean Cocteau, une série d’événements culturels auront lieu du
8 décembre 2012 au 24 février 2013 à Luxembourg.
www.cocteau.lu
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T : (+352) 47.96.51.33
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White Christmas
Don’t worry, Santa Claus can still find you in the mountains. Felice Hardy picks four resorts
just perfect for spending the holidays this month

52
SKIING
A
s a skiing family, we would
never find ourselves at home
for Christmas. Over the past 15
years, we have seen Father Christmas jump
out of a helicopter in Val d’Isère, arrive by
horse-drawn sleigh in Zermatt and appear
on skis in Méribel and Courchevel. This
year, we’re seeing what St Anton has to
offer. But what is it that makes a ski resort
so special at this time of year?
For a start, if you choose a resort at a
snow-safe altitude, you are guaranteed
a white Christmas – complete with
snowmen, fir trees, sleigh bells, mulled
wine and a genuine Christmas-card
setting. Nothing could be more romantic
than the mountains at this time of year.
Christmas dinner takes place in the
evening on Christmas Eve, and being away
from home can be every bit as festive an
experience. In ski resorts especially, the
whole Christmas to New Year period is set
aside for celebrations, and a Christmas tree
takes pride of place in every village square.
The only real problem is packing
presents into your luggage. The general –
and obvious – rule is to take less: instead
of several bulky gifts, pack smaller, more
precious ones. Limit the number of
stocking presents, or better still, stock
up when you get to your resort.
Zermatt Switzerland
Fly to Geneva Zermatt, at the foot of the
Matterhorn, is arguably the most beautiful
resort in the world. The narrow, car-free
streets are lined with chic, cutting-edge
hotels and comfortable, more traditional
offerings. Ancient chalets of blackened
wood are incongruously sandwiched
between designer shops, and farmers still
tend to their chickens and goats within
200 metres of the resort centre.
You reach Zermatt by rail from Geneva
via the valley town of Visp, where you
change to a steep cog railway with striking
scenery on the way up. On arrival in the
december 2012
resort, horse-drawn sleigh-taxis await.
The old town of Zermatt attracts people
looking for an all-round winter sports
holiday. Apart from skiing, you can enjoy
ice-skating, tobogganing, paragliding, zipwiring
and snowshoeing. You can also stay
the night in an igloo up on the mountain,
with morning tea in ‘bed’ – an expedition
sleeping bag on soft sleeping mats,
covered with sheepskins.
Mountain Exposure has 27 gorgeous
properties here, including the rustic little
Chalet Heidi, tucked away off the church
square. It sleeps six, with weathered wood
interiors, balconies on all sides and
a cosy log fireplace.
From CHF5,040 (around €4,185) per
week. Catering can be arranged for an extra
CHF3,000 (€2,490) per week, including
champagne and wine. Mountain Exposure,
mountainexposure.com
don’t miss freeride 2013
The Freeride World Tour returns
to Europe’s ski slopes in early
2013. Not only is this a fantastic
spectacle and showcase for the
best freeriders on the planet,
but it comes with its own
ready-made social scene, with
club nights, daytime DJ sets,
awe-inspiring fi lms and all kinds
of cool events. Freeriders on skis
and boards compete in 1-4 star
level events across the world’s
best mountain resorts, using the
entire mountain as their canvas
– from cliffs, cornices and chutes
to powder fi elds, rocks and trees.
It’s an adrenaline rush just to
watch, never mind take part, so
don’t miss out a chance to see
the world’s best freeride athletes
if you’re in the area.
Catch the Freeride Tour 2013
at: Courmayeur, Italy, on 19 Jan
(men); Chamonix, France, on
26 Jan (women); and Verbier,
Switzerland on 23 March (both).
FLY TO geneva seven times daily; lyon and stockholm
three times daily; turin twice daily; brusselsairlines.com

PLAIN PICTURES, 4CORNERS, GETTY IMAGES; PREVIOUS PAGE: CORBIS
Sauze d’Oulx Italy
Fly to Turin Sauze d’Oulx is only an hour’s
drive from Turin airport, making it one of
the most easily accessible ski resorts in
the Alps. In the 1970s and 1980s it used to
have the image of a cheap and cheerful
destination where people came for the wild
après-ski rather than the skiing – indeed
some of them never even went near the
slopes. Sauze today has changed back into
the pleasant family resort it once was, with
good intermediate skiing and excellent
places to eat on and off the mountain.
By far the most attractive part of Sauze is
the Old Town, with its ancient cobblestone
streets, friendly wine bars and unassuming
little shops. Some of the nicest B&Bs are
located here, too. They are simple but set
Clockwise from top left:
Chalet Faure, a charming
converted barn in Sauze
d’Oulx; the resort climbs
to a height of 2825m; Åre
in Sweden as the sun goes
down; car-free Zermatt
can only be reached by
its trademark red cog
mountain train; Vaujany, a
pretty village perched on
a mountainside in
the French Alps

54
SKIING
amid lovely surroundings and the
most enticing restaurants.
One of the best is Chalet Faure,
a small hotel inside a renovated
18th-century barn where farm
animals were once kept. It has 11
en-suite bedrooms, each individually
decorated in a cosy, rustic style. The
chalet also houses a compact spa,
a sports shop and a wine bar.
From €720 for a week half board with
Inghams, inghams.com
Vaujany France
Fly to Lyon Vaujany is a small
farming village linked into a big,
modern lift system. It shares its ski
area with 1960s-built Alpe d’Huez,
but the two are chalk and cheese.
Vaujany is small, quiet and
unpretentious compared to big
and brash Alpe d’Huez. If you like
your skiing action-packed, but your
evenings quiet, Vaujany will fit the
bill perfectly. It’s a safe place for
families, set on a no-through road
that carries only nominal traffic.
There is a choice of five chalets,
courtesy of Vaujany specialist Ski
Peak, but Saskia is their most
charming: a stand-alone building
convenient for the cable-car. The
main reason for choosing Saskia is
the food. The chalet divides into two
units sleeping 10 that are mirror
images of one another, linked by a
glass-fronted kitchen where you can
watch the chef at work. Both halves
have large, nicely appointed lounge
rooms with wood burning stoves.
From €1,120 per week half board with
Ski Peak, skipeak.com
december 2012
Husky sledding on the
wide open expanses of
the frozen Lake Åre
Åre Sweden
Fly to Stockholm Reindeer
and husky sledding, as well as
snowmobiling, are essential
components of all-round winter
fun in Åre (pronounced ‘Aura’).
With luck, the Northern Lights
will put in a magical appearance
along with Father Christmas,
and complete a perfect Nordic
Christmas experience. Scandinavia’s
only world-class ski resort stretches
10km alongside the frozen Lake
Åre, the focus for many of the
resort’s activities.
This has got to be one of the most
perfect spots for a Christmas break
since it is a true all-round winter
sports resort. Bringing a mixed
group here, where a few members
don’t ski, is not a problem as Åre has
such a lot to offer besides downhill
skiing. The more unusual activities
are ice-karting around a prepared
track on the lake, ice fishing and
zip-wiring in the largest zip-wire
park in Europe – a hit with children
and adults alike.
You can also take a snowshoe
tour to the nearby caves or ride an
Icelandic horse through the varied
terrain. Add to this ice-skating,
scenic cross-country skiing and
snow-kiting, and this is a truly
action-packed destination for a
family Christmas.
From €1,921 half board for a family of
four over Christmas at the ski-in ski-out
Tott Hotel. Ski Safari, skisafari.com
Felice Hardy is co-editor of the ski
information website welove2ski.com
FR
Ski de Noël
Rien n’est plus romantique que les montagnes à cette période
de l’année. Felice Hardy nous confi e ses meilleures adresses
Zermatt, Suisse (Genève) Zermatt, au pied du Mont Cervin, est
incontestablement la plus belle station au monde. Les rues étroites sans
voitures sont bordées d’hôtels chics et de chalets plus traditionnels.
Mountain Exposure y possède 27 biens magnifi ques, dont le rustique
Chalet Heidi, juste à côté de la place de l’église. Il contient six couchages,
des boiseries anciennes, des balcons en bois et un feu ouvert très cosy.
A partir de 5.040 CHF (environ 4.185 €) par semaine. Un service de
restauration peut être organisé pour un supplément de 3.000 CHF
(2.490 €) par semaine ; mountainexposure.com
Sauze d’Oulx, Italie (Turin) Sauze d’Oulx se situe seulement à une heure
de route de l’aéroport de Turin, ce qui en fait une des stations les plus
accessibles des Alpes. Agréable commune familiale, Sauze représente
un bon compromis pour les skieurs de niveau moyen, avec d’excellents
restaurants et un vieux centre-ville pittoresque.
On y trouve aussi les Bed & Breakfast les plus confortables. Un des
meilleurs est le Chalet Faure, un petit hôtel à l’intérieur d’une grange
rénovée du 18 e siècle avec 11 suites, chacune décorée dans un style
rustique et cosy. Le chalet dispose aussi d’un petit spa, d’un magasin
de sport et d’un bar à vins.
A partir de 720 € pour une semaine en demi-pension avec Inghams,
inghams.co.uk
Vaujany, France (Lyon) Vaujany est un petit village agricole relié à un très
vaste système de remontée mécanique moderne. Il partage son domaine
skiable avec l’Alpe d’Huez, mais les deux stations sont comme le jour et la
nuit. Vaujany est petit, calme et sûr pour les familles, au bout d’un chemin
sans issue.
Vous aurez le choix entre cinq chalets, gérés par le spécialiste Ski Peak
de Vaujany. Saskia est le plus charmant : un bâtiment indépendant pour 10
personnes et pratique pour le téléphérique. La nourriture y est excellente.
A partir de 1.120 € par semaine en demi-pension, avec Ski Peak, skipeak.com
Åre, Suède (Stockholm) Outre le ski, ballades en traîneaux à rennes et à
chiens, tyroliennes et motoneiges font en tout point partie des plaisirs de
l’hiver à Åre. Avec un peu de chance, les aurores boréales ou le Père Noël
en personne viendront parfaire la magie d’un Noël nordique. Les stations
scandinaves les plus réputées s’étendent sur 10 km le long du lac gelé d’Åre.
A partir de 1.921 € en demi-pension pour une famille de quatre personnes
durant Noël au Tott Hotel, situé au pied des pistes. Ski Safari, skisafari.com
NL
Kerst op de latten
Felice Hardy selecteert de mooiste en beste plekjes om dit jaar
de pistes onveilig te gaan maken
Zermatt, Zwitserland (Genève) Zermatt, gelegen aan de voet van de
Matternorn, is overduidelijk ’s werelds mooiste skigebied. In de smalle,
autovrije straatjes huizen tal van luxueuze hotels en traditionele chalets.
Mountain Exposure beschikt er over 27 prachtige accommodatietypes zoals
de schattige, rustieke Chalet Heidi, gebouwd met oude houtsoorten en
inclusief een gezellige open haard.
Vanaf 5,040 CHF (zo’n €4185) per week. Eten kan worden bijbesteld voor
zo’n 3,000 CHF (€2490) per week; mountainexposure.com
Sauze d’Oulx, Italië (Turijn) Sauze d’Oulx is een van de best toegankelijke
skiresorts in de Alpen, gelegen op slechts een uurtje rijden van de luchthaven
van Turijn. Sauze is een aangenaam familiegebied met heerlijke
eetgelegenheden voor enigszins gevorderde skiërs. Hier vindt u eveneens
een aantal van de betere B&B’s. Chalet Faure, een klein hotel gevestigd in
een gerenoveerde 18 de eeuwse schuur, beschikt over 11 slaapkamers en suite.
In deze chalet vindt u eveneens een spa, sportwinkel en een wijnbar.
Vanaf €720 per week in half pension met Inghams, inghams.co.uk
Vaujany, Frankrijk (Lyon) Vaujany is een klein, rustig landbouwersdorpje
gelegen in hetzelfde skigebied als Alpe d’Huez. U kunt er kiezen tussen
5 chalets, eigendom van Ski Peak, de skispecialist van Vaujany. De
alleenstaande chalet Saskia is de meest charmante; hij biedt slaapruimte
aan 10 personen en ligt vlakbij de kabelbaan.
Vanaf €1,120 per week in half pension, met Ski Peak, skipeak.com
Åre, Zweden (Stockholm) In Åre kunt u de hele winter lang genieten van
de skipistes, kabelbanen en sneeuwscooters. Met wat geluk zorgt het
Noorderlicht voor een magisch sfeertje. De perfecte Kerst! Scandinavië’s
enige skigebied van wereldklasse dat zich 10 km langsheen het bevroren
Åre meer uitstrekt.
Vanaf €1,921 in half pension voor een gezin met 4 personen tijdens Kerst in
het Tott Hotel, aan de voet van de pistes. Ski Safari, skisafari.com
FLY TO geneva seven times daily; lyon and stockholm
three times daily; turin twice daily; brusselsairlines.com

Bravenewworld
The desire to develop economies and expand urban populations in Africa comes with the realisation that this
must be done differently to the West. Boyd Farrow looks at how the concept of the city is being reinvented
T
he scale of Africa’s urbanisation is
scarcely comprehensible. Burkina
Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, for
example, is due to grow by 81% to 3.4
million by 2020, according to the UN.
In Nigeria, meanwhile, Lagos is soon to
overtake Cairo as Africa’s biggest city. With
few resources and sizeable environmental
challenges, African cities are racing against
the clock to prepare for the future. This is
prompting some startling innovations.
One of Africa’s problems is to literally
get moving: transport inefficiencies in
Nairobi result in an estimated €417,000 a
day in lost productivity, fuel consumption
and pollution. Authorities in Nairobi are
being advised on how to tackle the problem
Refl ecting Kenya’s desire to modernise and innovate,
Tatu City will be the country’s fi rst purpose-built city
– not by European or American urban
planners but by IBM, whose Smarter Cities
scheme is building databases to predict
bottlenecks and warn vehicles approaching
city centres of traffic levels.
IBM-facilitated sensors and CCTV will
also capture data for the bus rapid transit
(BRT) systems that some cities are
introducing. With little cash to build
underground networks, these bus lanes
– with subway-like stations where
passengers can buy tickets – are a green,
affordable solution to congestion, proven
in China and Latin America and coming to
Nairobi. New-city infrastructures – such
as BRT systems, fibre-optic cables and
modern technology – give African cities
an advantage over the cities of developed
countries, which struggle to maintain
crumbling infrastructure and must remove
BUSINESS AFRICA
the old before they can usher in the new.
Indeed, New York spent millions pulling out
its old copper wiring before it was possible
to lay modern cables.
“Africa has a once-in-a-generation
opportunity,” says Zemedeneh Negatu,
East African managing partner for Ernst &
Young, who talks about a “wall of money”
coming Africa’s way. “Africa has a blank
sheet of paper when it comes to building
its cities. It can learn lessons in how not to
urbanise, and get it right.”
This is a central theme at the United
Nations agency UN-Habitat in Nairobi,
where academics, politicians and
entrepreneurs realise that copying the cardependent
European and American urban
models isn’t feasible in the long term. Many
believe that the solution to Africa’s urban
development lies in indigenous, small-scale

58
BUSINESS AFRICA
Above: Nairobi is the burgeoning capital of Kenya;
Right: Kenyan entrepreneur David Kuria has created
a thriving business around the much-needed
provision of public showers and toilets
initiatives such as violence prevention and
neighbourhood upgrading, changing the
design of residential districts and improving
lighting and landscaping. In one scheme,
Kenyan entrepreneur David Kuria has built
a business empire around the provision of
public toilet and shower facilities sited
amid the newspaper stands, shoeshine
stalls and money-transfer booths. In fact,
many of the small-scale innovations that
many believe will change Africa’s cities are
environmental, such as waste-to-wealth
programmes that convert about 10% of a
city’s waste for other uses. Around 40
tonnes of paper, plastic and nylon are
recycled daily in East African cities, with
plans to triple this to 35% by 2015.
New cities and satellite towns are also
springing up. Soon it will be hard to believe
that Tatu City, currently being hewn out of
a 1,000 hectare site 15km north of Nairobi,
was ever a lush coffee plantation. The
developers behind Kenya’s first purposebuilt
city believe that it will reflect the
zeitgeist of a modern, urban nation where
people have their own front door, car
parking, electricity and access to schools,
work and shopping. Construction has begun
on phase 1b, wi th basic infrastructure going
in to serve a commercial and business hub.
A residential area housing 62,000 people
will follow, along with hospitals, police
stations and green parks. Developers are
now trying to persuade the Nairobi Stock
Exchange to move here.
december 2012
The project’s backers, the real-estate
arm of Russian banking group Renaissance
Capital, have set their sights continentwide.
The bank has bought land near major
cities including Luanda, and is working on a
plan for a new city outside Lubumbashi in
the Democratic Republic of Congo. But
building cities isn’t always straightforward
in a continent where progress can be
bogged down by a variety of problematic
infrastructure issues.
But Africa’s cities are doing more to
improve their revenue collection too.
Initiatives are focused on building a
culture of payment and developing new
ways to generate revenue and collection.
IT is being used by city authorities to make
government services more transparent and
improve the tax take: in the groundbreaking
Tatu City, developers have wrested control
of essential services from Kenyan utility
companies, and a privately run council will
collect taxes and provide services instead.
In this way, the Tatu council will act as a
retailer of electricity and water, ‘buying in’
services in bulk and selling them on in what
Renaissance Capital’s Arnold Meyer has
heralded as the future for African cities.
FR Le meilleur des mondes
Boyd Farrow analyse la façon dont l’Afrique
maîtrise ses infrastructures
L’urbanisation en Afrique est fulgurante. Selon les
Nations Unies, Ouagadougou par exemple, la capitale
du Burkina Faso, connaîtra une croissance de 81% avec
plus de 3,4 millions d’habitants d’ici 2020. Face à ces
immenses défi s combinés à de faibles ressources, les
villes africaines vont devoir engager une véritable
course contre la montre pour préparer le futur.
Un des problèmes en Afrique est littéralement
« d’avancer » : le coût de l’ineffi cacité des transports à
Nairobi est estimé à 417 000 € par jour, en perte de
productivité ou consommation d’énergie. Mais
comment y faire face ? Les solutions ne proviennent
ni des urbanistes européens ni américains mais bien
d’IBM, avec son schéma Smarter Cities – une fabuleuse
banque de données de gestion du trafi c.
Pour contrer la congestion dans certaines villes,
une des réponses passera également par des services
de bus rapides (BRT).
Ces systèmes et autres nouvelles technologies
donneront même un avantage aux villes africaines
vis-à-vis des pays développés, équipés d’infrastructures
vieillissantes et coûteuses à moderniser.
« L’Afrique est à un véritable tournant, » explique
Zemedeneh Negatu, d’Ernst & Young. « En matière
d’urbanisation, elle est devant une feuille blanche. Mais
il s’agit d’éviter de reproduire les erreurs des grandes villes
d’Europe et des Etats-Unis, et de planifi er autrement. »
Eviter de copier les modèles des villes tributaires
de la voiture, est un des thèmes centraux de l’agence
UN Habitat de Nairobi. Chercheurs, politiciens et
entrepreneurs sont persuadés que la clé du
développement territorial en Afrique passera par des
initiatives locales telles que la prévention de la violence,
la modernisation des quartiers ou l’amélioration de
l’éclairage public.
A côté de cela, des programmes environnementaux
sont à l’ordre du jour. Environ 40 tonnes de papier, de
plastique et de nylon sont recyclées quotidiennement
en Afrique de l’Est, un volume appelé à tripler à
l’horizon 2015.
NL Brave new world
Boyd Farrow ontdekt hoe Afrika omgaat met
zijn infrastructuurproblemen
Volgens de VN zal Ouagadougou, de hoofdstad van
Burkina Faso, met 81% groeien tegen 2020, goed voor
3,4 miljoen inwoners. De Afrikaanse steden kampen met
enorme uitdagingen en een tekort aan grondstoffen en
leveren een strijd tegen de klok om zich op te maken
voor de toekomst.
Een van Afrika’s problemen is het transport; zijn
gebrekkige effi ciëntie in Nairobi is dagelijks goed voor
zo’n € 417.000 productiviteitsverlies of brandstofverbruik.
Maar hoe deze problemen aan te pakken? De oplossingen
worden noch door Europese, noch door Amerikaanse
stadsplanners aangereikt, maar door IBM en zijn Smarter
Cities programma; een enorme databank die de
verkeersdrukte opmeet.
IBM installeerde sensoren en CCTV camera’s die eveneens
data zullen verzamelen over de snelle bustransitsystemen;
een betaalbare oplossing voor het fi leprobleem.
“Nooit eerder kreeg een Afrikaanse generatie deze
kans, aldus Zemedeneh Negatu, managing partner bij
Ernst & Young. “Afrika kan leren hoe wel en niet zijn
steden in te richten”.
Dit vormt het centrale gespreksthema van UN Habitat
in Nairobi. Hier beseffen ze dat het kopiëren van de
Europese en Amerikaanse stedelijke modellen, waar
wagens onmisbaar zijn, onhaalbaar is. Velen geloven dat
kleinschalige initiatieven zoals het upgraden van bepaalde
buurten of het verbeteren van de openbare verlichting de
oplossing vormen voor de Afrikaanse stedelijke ontwikkeling.
Vele van de plaatselijke innovaties hechten ook
effectief belang aan het milieu. Dagelijks wordt in de
Oost-Afrikaanse steden zo’n 40 ton papier, plastic en
nylon gerecycleerd en er zijn plannen om dit aantal te
verdriedubbelen tegen 2015.
FLY TO nairobi three times weekly brusselsairlines.com
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Great facilities with the latest technology.
Outdoor learning every day.
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happiness
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V.U./E.R.: Coca-Cola Enterprises Belgium sprl/bvba – Ben Lambrecht – Chaussée de Mons 1424 Bergensesteenweg – 1070 Bruxelles/Brussel.

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EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
Looking for a great place to eat out? Enjoy an excellent meal at any one of these great Belgian restaurants
La Flamme Blanche
Hamme-Mille
Taking its name from the traditional
savoury tart in which it specialises,
La Flamme Blanche was opened
two years ago by Gregory Van
Roelenbosch. Here you can enjoy a
relaxed cocktail or fl ambéed tart in
the lounge area, or venture through
to the dining area to experience
its smart, modern interiors and
Da Giovanni Antwerp
Decorated in the red, white and
green of the Italian tricolour, Da
Giovanni offers a welcoming Italian
atmosphere in the historic centre
of Antwerp, where its commitment
to authenticity certainly extends
to the food. Besides 25 types of
pizza and 15 pasta dishes, the menu
contains a wide range of Italian
traditional French cuisine. Every
afternoon, the restaurant offers a
lunch menu, consisting of a starter,
main course, dessert and coffee
– all for €17. Meanwhile, the
beautiful terrace, adorned with
elegant white curtains can
accommodate up to 40 people.
54 chaussée de Louvain,
Hamme-Mille, +32 10 22 48 38
lafl ammeblanche.be
appetisers, salads and soups, as
well as a variety of excellent fi sh
and meat offerings. Combine this
with homemade bread, Italian
waiters and Italian-fl avoured decor
on the walls, and it’s easy to forget
that you are still in Antwerp.
8 Jan Blomstraat,Antwerp
+32 3 226 74 50
dagiovanni.be
Les Petits Oignons Brussels
Ideally located in the heart of
Brussels between the two Sablons
and the Brussels Palace of Justice,
this superb restaurant promises a
warm welcome, professional service
and exquisite cooking. The
surroundings are bright and
timeless, while the menu takes its
inspiration from traditional French
brasseries, with infl uences from
Sottopiano Liège
This cosy restaurant, situated in
the cellars of an old mansion and
accessed by a fl ight of stone steps,
provides an original venue in which to
enjoy an intimate candlelit dinner. The
unique atmosphere is accompanied
by fi rst-class service and excellent
cooking, as the sunny fl avours of Italy
are brought to your table. The wide
Mediterranean cuisine. The
generous dishes are reasonably
priced and made using the freshest,
high-quality produce, and are
accompanied by a fi ne choice of
wines. Upstairs, the restaurant
hosts private events, conferences
and banquets.
25 rue de la Régence, 1000 Brussels
+32 2 511 76 15, lespetitsoignons.be
info@lespetitsoignons.be
range of authentic Italian dishes come
in generous portions, and there is an
extensive wine list. The restaurant’s
young, dynamic team is delighted to
help you choose one to complement
your meal. Sottopiano also has a
beautiful terrace for dining under
the stars, as well as private parking.
78 rue Louvrex, Liège
+32 4 234 79 34, sottopiano.be

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GETTY IMAGES
theBusiness
Boyd Farrow rounds up the latest news from the business world across the network
Hungry like the wolf
Rome’s mayor, Gianni Alemanno, has decided that what is needed to
boost city funds is an offi cial logo that can be plastered on souvenirs
for tourists to buy. So from this month, visitors to the Eternal City will
see a sketch of a wolf standing on the head of a pillar wherever they go.
According to legend, a she-wolf breastfed the infant twins Romulus
and Remus (as depicted above), the former going on to found Rome.
The pillar is a visual pun on Rome’s architectural ruins – symbol of
the ancient Roman Empire and the city’s status as the Italian capital.
The campaign will take in posters, kiosks and rental bicycles to
take advantage of the Christmas season. In all, the logo will debut on
around 1,000 items. Tempting ‘luxury customers’ will be a series of
Made in Italy-branded items, with prices running from €20-€550.
There will also be cheaper items such as mugs, T-shirts and
sweatshirts. Ingeniously, to avoid knock-offs from usurping market
share, each object will carry a hologram. The City of Rome hopes that
royalties on sales will put €3.5m into municipal coffers in fi ve years.
This isn’t Alemanno’s only moneymaking scheme. From now on,
anyone caught eating around the city’s most picturesque places –
such as the marble fountains of Piazza Navona, the stone walls
around the Pantheon or the Via dei Fori Imperiali near the Colosseum
– will face fi nes of up to €500. Alemanno denies that this is to raise
money, stating that it is to ensure the protection of Rome’s historic
centre. Apparently, crumbs attract wild animals. But not wolves.
chinese laundry
A money-laundering ring worth €1.2bn has been smashed in Spain
following raids in Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga, as part of what
the interior minister, Jorge Fernández Diaz, has described as “the
biggest police operation in Spain’s history”.
So far 83 people have been arrested, including more than
58 linked to the Chinese mafia, but that number is expect to rise
to 110. Authorities have so far recovered €11.6m in cash, plus
jewellery, artworks and vehicles. Among those arrested were
businessman and art gallery owner Gao Ping. It is alleged that
Gao – one of the network’s suspected leaders – and eight other
ring members controlled three Chinese mafia clans involved in
the money-laundering operation.
Also detained and bailed were José
Borrás, a councillor in the southern
town of Fuenlabrada – Europe’s
largest hub for wholesale Chinese
goods – and Spanish porn actor
Nacho Vidal. According to the
investigation, Vidal is alleged to have
issued false invoices from his production
company, a charge that he has denied.
december 2012 63

theBusiness
The eyes have it
A company launched in 2011 by
four graduates of the IT University
of Copenhagen may have unlocked
‘a billion-dollar industry’ by
developing software that enables
users to control and interact with
their tablet computer or mobile
device just by looking at it.
Eye Tribe has developed
technology that can automatically
track people’s eye movements as
they view websites or play games. This is done via a tiny webcam and infrared LED that
can be integrated into the front-facing camera of a smartphone or tablet computer.
Captured images are then analysed using computer-vision algorithms. ‘Our software
can then determine the location of the eyes and estimate where you’re looking on the
screen with an accuracy good enough to know which icon you’re looking at,’ says the
company’s website.
It is also accurate enough to let you slice through whizzing watermelons and peaches
in a game called Fruit Ninja, as shown in a startling video demonstration on the Eye Tribe
website. The company has already won a slew of prestigious awards, starting with
Scandinavia’s Venture Cup, which champions start-ups in Denmark, Finland, Norway
and Sweden. It claims to be in talks with a handful of major smartphone and tablet
manufacturers, and hopes to have its first eye-controlled device on the market in 2013.
Résidences *****
Le National de Montreux
INFORMATION & RESERVATION | T. +41 (0) 21 966 23 23
www.nationalmontreux.com | COMPTOIR IMMOBILIER SA
Av. des Planches 19 | CP 378 | 1820 Montreux 2
in digits
30%
The rise in the
number of Greeks
learning to speak
German in the past
six months
€165M
The fi gure earned by
Elizabeth Taylor’s
estate from an
auction of her art,
jewels and costumes
€26.4M
The amount that
Gerhard Richter’s
Abstract Painting
(809-4) recently
sold for – the
most paid at auction
for a work by a
living artist
€84trn
Indicating an upturn
in world fortunes,
the amount that
global household
wealth is likely to
reach in the next fi ve
years as affl uence
rises in the US and
emerging markets
Luxury, tailored for unforgettable memories
en
2
rte services
CORBIS

Read this
Berlin-based start-up Txtr is taking on
Amazon, Google and Apple’s iBooks app
with an e-reader that costs just €9.90.
The Beagle, which has not yet been given an official release date, will
require users to have a mobile phone contract.
Whereas other e-readers entice customers with colour displays,
audio and video capability and built-in web browsers, the Beagle has a
12.7cm display and four buttons: an on-off switch on the back plus
forward, back and menu keys on the front. The Beagle doesn’t have a
rechargeable battery – instead it uses two AAA batteries, housed in a
lip at the bottom of the device. The device is amazingly light, weighing
128g including batteries, and fits snugly in your hand. The battery lip
does keep the Beagle from lying flat, however.
Other e-readers, while far more expensive, are still relatively cheap
because the companies behind them aim to profit more from software
e-book sales. Txtr is positioning the device as a mobile
phone contract add-on – a complement to smartphones
in a new category being called ‘companion readers’.
The Beagle’s pitch may be sound, but there’s a
wrinkle. Three years ago, Txtr launched a similar
stripped-down reading device that failed. “We have
done away with all the unnecessary bells and whistles,”
said Andreas Steinhauser, one of the firm’s founders,
at the time. However, that device – unlike the Beagle –
still included W-Lan and mobile connectivity.
transforming Transport
In 2010, Moscow’s Federal Government decided to address the
city’s chronic traffic problem head-on, with then-President Dimitri
Medvedev commissioning a 10-year plan to get Muscovites to
leave their cars at home and take public transport.
Since that time, the city of Moscow has built
13km of new subway track and six new subway
stations, as well as buying 546 new subway
cars and creating 700,000 parking spots
around railway stations. However, the number
of drivers has continued to increase. In August
2012 alone, Russians bought 33,940 new cars – a
15% rise on the same month in 2011 – the majority of which were
destined for Moscow and its surrounding areas.
So now, the Moscow authorities have raised the stakes. Firstly,
they intend to develop rail tracks currently used for freight to
transport 285 million people in and around Moscow per year by 2020.
Second, they are creating a new 34km central pedestrian zone to
make the city more liveable as well as more attractive to tourists.
To achieve this, 14km of city-centre roads are to become
pedestrianised by 2013. To set an example, the president, Vladimir
Putin, and Medvedev, now prime minister, are reducing their own
car usage, announcing that they will work from home more to cut
disruption caused by their motorcades.
Rue Pierre Fatio 3
CH-1204 Genève, Suisse
t: +41 22 707 09 09 f: +41 22 707 09 10
Gerbergasse 1 (Am Marktplatz)
CH-4001 Basel, Schweiz
t: +41 61 260 31 31 f: +41 61 260 31 39
info@banquethaler.ch www.banquethaler.ch

a passion for watches
Come and discover in the Hall of Time
a wonderful array of renowned brands
that combine know-how, tradition,
innovation and exclusivity.
To begin with, an exceptional choice from
Hublot, IWC, Cartier,
Jaeger-LeCoultre and Blancpain,
and then a superb selection from
Baume & Mercier, Bell & Ross,
BRM,
Corum, Louis Erard and Pequignet.
Finally, for the first time in Belgium - even
in the Benelux, for some among them -
the most beautiful pieces from
Roger Dubuis, Parmigiani Fleurier,
Jaquet Droz and De Bethune.
From the keen amateur to the serious
collector, man or woman, classic or
avant-garde, with limited or limitless
budgets, you are sure to find something
to please at the Hall of Time.
Situated next to the Conrad Hotel on the
famous Avenue Louise, the Hall of Time
looks forward to your visit.
Avenue Louise 75R - Conrad hotel - 1050 Brussels
Phone : +32 2 539 34 50 - Fax : +32 2 534 63 02
www.halloftime.be - info@halloftime.be

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
city
guides
Explore destinations across the Brussels Airlines
network with the help of our essential guides.
Our local writers uncover the best each city has
to offer every month – so don’t forget to take
your copy of b.there magazine with you
BRUSSELS AIRLINES FLIES FROM:
BRUSSELS BELGIUM P68
INCLUDING A DOUBLE BELGIAN
CITY FOCUS ON:
ANTWERP BELGIUM P72
NAMUR BELGIUM P74
FLY TO 50 european destinations from brussels. brusselsairlines.com
OSLO *
STOCKHOLM BROMMA *
* GOTHENBURG
* NEWCASTLE
*
BIRMINGHAM*
MANCHESTER *
BRISTOL *
HAMBURG
* PRAGUE
* BERLIN
* LONDON
*
HEATHROW
COPENHAGEN
* BRUSSELS
* HANNOVER
* EDINBURGH
VIENNA *
*
BILBAO *
BUDAPEST
* NICE
* BOLOGNA * VENICE
PORTO *
* MADRID
* TURIN
MARSEILLE
TOULOUSE *
*
* BARCELONA
STRASBOURG *
GENEVA
LYON *
* * MILAN-MALPENSA/MILAN-LINATE
* BASEL
* ROME
FLORENCE *
NAPLES *
LAMEZIA TERME *
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LISBON *
FARO * MALAGA*
TO 50 PREMIUM EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS INCLUDING:
BERLIN GERMANY P76
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LONDON UNITED KINGDOM P82
MOSCOW DOMODEDOVO *
* VILNIUS
TEL AVIV *
View over Rome
from the Janiculum
(Gianicolo) Hill
MADRID SPAIN P83
MOSCOW RUSSIA P84
NICE FRANCE P86
ROME ITALY P89
VIENNA AUSTRIA P91
december 2012 67

u
txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
brussels
belgium
10,438,353 +32 4°C
Euro (EUR)
emma beddington
this month, Brussels is dedicated to Winter
Pleasures, so enjoy the christmas atmosphere
RUE ANTOINE DANSAERT
Rue Antoine Dansaert and its
surrounding streets have some of
Brussels’ best fashion and design
shopping. And with the recent,
much-anticipated arrival of Marc
Jacobs (90 Rue Antoine Dansaert),
the area’s fashionistas have upped
their game further still, making for
superb people watching.
SLEEP Le Coup de Coeur (Place de la
Vieille Halle aux Blés 43, (0)474 03 24
70, hotel-lecoupdecoeur.be, rooms from
€135) comprises a ground-floor wine bar
and four vast, beautiful rooms: ask for
Combles, with its breathtaking beams.
EAT Comocomo (Rue Antoine Dansaert
19, (0)2 503 03 30) is an intriguing
proposition: a Basque tapas restaurant
with a kaiten sushi-style conveyor belt.
Plates are colour-coded and feature
unusual combinations such as frogs’
legs with sesame and port, and beef
brochette with candied garlic.
CULTURE Ancienne Belgique
(Boulevard Anspach 110) is one of
Belgium’s most prestigious concert
venues: in December, it’s hosting Amy
Macdonald, Cat Power and The Hives,
as well as local hero Arno.
B T:
INFO
Brussels Airport is
11km northeast
of the city, in the
Flemish Region.
Train
Trains depart from
Terminal -1 every 15
minutes at peak
times for the three
main city centre
stations. The journey
takes around 25
minutes and public
transport day-passes
cost €4.50.
Bus
The bus station is
one level below the
arrivals hall. Bus
services 12
(weekdays) and
21 (evenings and
weekends) to the
city centre depart
every 30 minutes;
one-way tickets
cost €3.50.
Taxi
The journey to the
centre costs €45
and takes around
25 minutes.
Tourist info
The main offi ce
is at Rue Royale 2,
(0)2 513 89 40,
visitbrussels.be
Festive escapism
at Brussels’
Christmas market
SHOP Les Précieuses (Rue Antoine
Dansaert 83), Pili Colado’s colourful,
exuberant collection of jewellery and
well-curated selection of accessories –
including hats, scarves, gloves and
more – make for perfect festive gifts.
Mapp (Rue Léon Lepage 5) doesn’t just
sell cutting-edge fashion: it has a small
but select range of vinyl, graphic art
and homewares, and also hosts the
occasional exhibition.
LATER Eclectic to the point of
eccentric, Madame Moustache et Son
Freakshow (Quai au Bois à Brûler 5)
alternates DJ nights, concerts and even
swing dances with a fun crowd.
MAROLLES
From the daily flea market on Place
du Jeu-de-Balles to the weird and
wonderful assortment of junk and
antique shops on Rue Haute and
Rue Blaes, the Marolles district is
a bargain-hunter’s paradise.
SLEEP In a 17th-century townhouse on
a narrow paved backstreet, luxurious
guesthouse Villa Sablon (Rue Sainte
Anne 26, (0)477 813 781, villasablon.
com, rooms from €100) has one plush
white room and two large, stylish suites.
EAT The ramshackle Chez Nous (Place
du Jeu-de-Balle 16, (0)2 514 41 21) is a
sweet mixture of flea market finds and
old pine, where French owners Camille
Maurin and Sophie Centenero produce
fresh and thoughtful cooking. At €17,
the Saturday and Sunday lunch buffet
is a delicious bargain.
CULTURE Outsider art establishment
the Art)&(Marges Museum (Rue Haute
312-314) seems very suited to the
alternative atmosphere of the Marolles
neighbourhood. It’s home to a
beguilingly strange collection of
photography, art and sculpture, with
temporary exhibitions and guided tours
available. Admission is €4.
SHOP Of all the bewildering brocantes
(second-hand stores) in the Marolles,
Passage 125 (Rue Blaes 125) is one of
the best, with four floors of furniture,
art, jewellery, taxidermy and more.
TIP Aksum Coffee House (Rue Haute
140) is a great spot on a weekend
afternoon. Behind the pretty art
nouveau frontage there’s Ethiopian
coffee, homemade cakes and free Wi-Fi.
JETTE
Known as ‘a village within the city’,
Jette in the northwest of Brussels
Restaurant Bruneau
Avenue Broustin 73-75, Ganshoren 1083 Belgium
Lunch €40, a choice between 4 starters, 4 mains and 4 desserts
+32 (0) 2421 7070 | E: restaurant_bruneau@skynet.be et | www.bruneau.be

VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE - AVAILABLE FROM 5TH SEPTEMBER 2012
—— AND THE ANTIQUE ——
12.10 2012 > 27.01 2013
www.expo-jordaens.be
Pomona, Galleria degli Uffizi. © 2012. / Jacques Jordaens, Hommage to Ceres. © Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.
BOUTIQUE
RESTAURANT
Fermé dimanche et lundi soir
Avenue Louise 300
1050 Bruxelles
Tél.: 02 640 54 55
www.atelier.truffenoire.com
« Diamant parmi les diamants, la Truffe Blanche est de retour dans notre restaurant.
Pour les connaisseurs, elle représente surtout un moment de dégustation rare, d’autant
plus exquis qu’il est limité dans le temps, nous laissant à peine trois mois pour en
profiter ! Notre restaurant concept-store est aussi un des seuls endroits où vous offrir
quelques grammes de truffe blanche, pour des dégustations puissantes et raffinées à
domicile. »
Gil Van Haut - Gérant de L’Atelier La Truffe Noire

u
txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
is full of gorgeous green spaces,
lively cafés, shops and markets.
EAT In the leafy Bois de Laerbeek park,
Chalet du Laerbeek (Avenue du
Laerbeek 145) is a huge all-day bar and
brasserie that offers everything from a
quick beer on its terrace to a full threecourse
dinner of traditional Belgian
classics. It’s a good place to take
children, with a playground and plenty
of space to run around. Wine in the
City (Place Astridplein 34) is a friendly
wine bar and boutique on the bustling
Place Astridplein, with 15 wines
available by the glass and a reasonable
€8 corkage charge on any of the 500
bottles available in the shop. There’s
a good tapas menu, too.
CULTURE A far more intimate affair
that the city centre’s flagship Musée
Magritte, Musée René Magritte (Rue
Esseghem 135) is where the artist lived
for 24 of his most productive years. It is
now home to several important works –
drawings, oil and watercolour paintings
– some fascinating biographical
material and a faithful reproduction
of the artist’s apartment.
SHOP The Momentum (Chaussée de
Jette 594) interiors store, set within a
typical Brussels townhouse from the
1900s, uses every room to full effect,
displaying a colourful range of styles.
AVENUE LOUISE
Chic, tree-lined Avenue Louise is
the perfect spot for an afternoon of
leisurely shopping punctuated with
a pit stop at one of the many great
bars and restaurants in the area.
SLEEP The Vintage Hotel (Rue
Dejoncker 45, (0)2 533 99 80,
vintagehotel.be, rooms from €125),
set in a peaceful backstreet behind
the Place Stéphanie, is a bright,
comfortable shrine to mid-century
design. More adventurous guests can
try out glamping – there’s a 1958 silver
Airstream caravan turned luxurious
room in the courtyard.
EAT At Flâneries Gourmandes
(Rue Berckmans 2, (0)2 537 32 20),
chef Alex Malaise serves a dailychanging
menu of ambitious, creative
cooking. Wines – mainly natural or
marche aux
poissons/vismet
ste-catherine
st-katelijne
dansaert
RUE A. DANSAERT / A. DANSAERTSTRAAT
halles st-gery
st-gorikshallen
R. VAN ARTEVELDE / ARTEVELDESTRAAT
E
BLVD ANSPACH / ANSPACHLAAN
RUE DU MIDI / ZUIDSTRAAT
marolles
marollen
p. du jeu de balle
vossenplein
INFO
For further
information on
places to stay,
things to do and
much more, go to
visitbrussels.be
Belgium extra...
See pages 72 & 74
for a special double
Belgian city focus.
This issue: Antwerp
and Namur
de brouckère
place ste-catherine
st-katelijneplein
RUE BLAES / BLAESSTRAAT
RUE HAUTE / HOOGSTRAAT
place du beguinage
begijnhof
RUE DE LAEKEN / LAKENSESTRAAT
place de
la bourse
beursplein
RUE DU LOMBARD / LOMBARDSTRAAT
manneken
pis
place de la chapelle
kapellemarkt
BLVD A.MAX / A.MAXLAAN
organic – are from smaller producers.
CULTURE Brussels’ Centre for
Architecture (Rue de l’Ermitage 55)
is full of fascinating information on
buildings in the city and beyond. In
December, check out Children’s City,
a fun, family oriented exhibition on how
cities are conceived, with a giant model
of a house to explore.
SHOP Crammed into tiny Louise Fifty
Four (Avenue Louise 54) you’ll find
some of the most desirable high-end
fashion in Brussels, including
accessories from Alaïa, Lanvin and
Louboutin and ready-to-wear from
Marni, McQueen and Alexander Wang.
gare centrale
centraal station
Exquisitely designed fragrance and
beauty boutique Senteurs d’Ailleurs
(Place Stéphanie 1a) is Christmas gift
heaven, with hard-to-find scents for
men and women, candles from Cire
Trudon and Diptyque, and Tom Ford
cosmetics. There’s also a tiny luxurious
salon offering indulgent treatments
from Eve Lom and La Mer.
TIP For weary parents, Sunday brunch
at the Hotel Sofitel Brussels Le Louise’s
Crystal Lounge (Avenue de la Toison
d’Or 40) is a lifesaver. As well as
incredible food, they also put on
children’s activities and games to
help keep them occupied.
70 december 2012
FLY TO brussels from 50 european destinations. brusselsairlines.com
BLVD É.JACQMAIN / É.JACQMAINLAAN
RUE GRÉTRY / GRÉTRYSTRAAT
RUE NEUVE / NIEUWSTRAAT
R. DE L'ÉCUYER SCHILDKNAAPS / BISS CHOPSSTRAAT
grand-place
grote markt
place st-jean
st-jansplein
B. DE L'EMPEREREUR / KEIZERSLAAN
RUE DES MINIMES / MINIENENSTRAAT
mont des arts
kunstberg
grand sablon
grote zavel
RUE E.ALLARD / E.ALLARDSTRAAT
palais de justice
justitiepaleis
BLVD DE L'IMPÉRATRICE / KEIZERINLAAN
RUE AUX LAINES / WOLSTRAAT
rue neuve
nieuwstraat
place des martyrs
martelaarsplein
opera
louise
louiza
B
square
m. magritte
sablon
zavel
RUE DU MARAIS / BROEKSTRAAT
B. DE BERLAIMONT / BERLAIMONTLAAN
museés des beaux-arts
m. voor schone kunsten
B. DU JARDIN BOTANIQUE / KRUIDTUINLAAN B. BISCHOFFSHEIM / BISCHOFFSHEIMLAAN
cathédrale
kathedraal
bozar
place royale
koningsplein
parc
park
BLVD PACHÉCO / PACHECOLAAN
BOULEVARD DE WATERLOO / WATERLOOLAAN
RUE DE LA LOI / WETSTRAAT
RUE ROYALE / KONINGSTRAAT
congres
place du congres
congresplein
parc de
bruxelles
m. des instruments de musique
muziekinstrumenten museum
palais royal
koninklijk paleis
porte de namur
naamsepoort
jardin botanique
kruidtuin
RUE DUCALE / HERTOGSTRAAT
botanique
kruidtuin
palais de la nation
paleis der natie
arts-loi
kunst-wet
BLVD DU RÉGENT / REGENTLAAN
ILLUSTRATION: IAN DUTNALL

More than a school.
www.isb.be/more
Fermé samedi midi et dimanche,
sauf réservation d’au moins 30 personnes
Boulevard de La Cambre 12
1000 Bruxelles
Tel : 02 640 44 22
www.truffenoire.com
« Amoureux de la truffe en toutes saisons, je suis très heureux de voir revenir octobre et
son diamant par excellence : La truffe blanche. Pour les connaisseurs, elle représente
surtout un moment de dégustation rare, d’autant plus exquis qu’il est limité dans le
temps, nous laissant à peine trois mois pour en profiter ! Sa magie embaume toute notre
Maison de ses effluves rares, fatal est le destin de ceux qui y goûtent. Délectation. »
Luigi Ciciriello - Owner Of La Truffe Noire

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antwerp
belgium
10,438,353
Euro (EUR)
+32 4°C
clodagh kinsella
this smart city offers chic christmas shopping,
foodie treats and a very unusual ice rink
HET EILANDJE
The warehouses and quays of
Antwerp’s historic docks have been
transformed into a cultural hub.
SLEEP Set in three 17th-century canal
houses, the chic Hotel De Witte Lelie
(Keizerstraat 16-18, (0)32 26 19 66,
dewittelelie.be, rooms from €225)
feels like a charming private home.
EAT Upscale Japanese-Italian
restaurant Pazzo (Oude Leeuwenrui 12,
(0)32 32 86 82) teams seamless fusion
dishes like salmon and wasabi with an
impressive wine list.
CULTURE The Museum Aan de
Stroom (Hanzestedenplaats 1) is a
striking, Lego brick-like building that
showcases Antwerp’s maritime history.
TIP Badboot (Kattendijkdok, Oostkaai
20) is an open-air swimming pool on a
old ferryboat. In December it hosts an
ice rink, barbecues and curling contests.
SINT-ANDRIES & ZUID
These happening neighbourhoods
are home to hip eateries, antiques
and cutting-edge Belgian fashion.
SLEEP Room National (Nationalestraat
24, (0)475 234 703, roomnational.be,
rooms from €95) is a sleek B&B run by
INFO
Brussels Airport is
located 42km south
of Antwerp.
Bus
The Antwerp
Express departs
between 5am and
midnight (from 7am
on Sunday) from
Level 0 of Brussels
Airport to Koningin
Astridplein, near the
central train station.
It takes 45 minutes,
and one-way tickets
costs €10.
Train
The new direct train
service linking
Antwerp with
Brussels Airport via
Mechelen costs
€10.20, and takes
30 minutes; see
b-rail.be.
Taxi
A taxi from the
airport to Antwerp
will cost around
€75, and takes
45 minutes.
Tourist info
The main tourist
offi ce is at 13-15
Grote Markt,
(0)32 32 01 03,
visitantwerpen.be
fashion designers Violetta and Vera
Pepa, above their flagship store.
EAT Chez Fred (Kloosterstraat 83) is
a cosy spot with rustic-chic décor and
a French-Belgian menu, set among the
antique emporiums on Kloosterstraat.
CULTURE Stylish types will love
Madame Grès: Sculptural Fashion
(until 10 February 2013) at fashion
museum MoMu (Nationalestraat 28).
And don’t forget to drop by their stylish
ground-floor bookshop, Copyright.
SHOP Het Modepelais (Nationalestraat
16) is the flagship of original Antwerp
Six member Dries Van Noten. If the
edgy edit of international and Belgian
labels at RA (Kloosterstraat 13) is
too pricey, make like the local fashion
students and snap up pristine Raf
Simons at second-hand temple
Labels Inc (Aalmoezenierstraat 3a).
LATER Café Hopper (Leopold de
Waelstraat 2) is an intimate, retrostyled
jazz café. From December 20-22,
iconic modernist building deSingel
(Desguinlei 25) welcomes Belgian
choreographer Anne Teresa De
Keersmaeker, who reprises her
classic 1998 dance piece Drumming.
TIP The absorbing, antiques-focused
Kloosterstraat (kloosterstraat.com) is
one of the few areas open on Sundays.
Explore the history of
Antwerp at the Museum
Aan de Stroom
In mid-December it hosts late-night
shopping, with artisanal food and gifts.
MEIR
This wide, handsome street is home
to rococo architecture, museums,
eateries and shops – along with an
art deco skyscraper.
EAT Near the famous theatre of the
same name, the atmospheric Bourla
(Graanmarkt 7, (0)3 232 16 32) attracts
thespians and celebrities with its
Belgian and French classics. For
a punchy espresso, try Caffènation
(Mechelsesteenweg 16, (0)486 323
015), run by self-styled ‘coffee geeks’.
CULTURE A 17th-century Italianate villa
where Rubens once lived and worked,
the Rubenshuis (Wapper 9-11) is now a
must-see museum dedicated to his art.
SHOP From Margiela boots to Church’s
brogues, find some the world’s most
beautiful shoes at Coccodrillo
(Schuttershofstraat 8 & 9). For
something more eclectic, Graanmarkt
13 (Graanmarkt 13) is a concept store
with a swish basement restaurant. Skip
dessert and head to the city’s oldest
bakery, Goossens (Korte Gasthuisstraat
31) or fantastical chocolate factory The
Chocolate Line (Paleis op de Meir 50).

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namur
belgium
10,438,353
Euro (EUR)
+32 6°C
emma beddington
take time to enjoy some historical curiosities,
window shopping and long, leisurely lunches
VIEUX NAMUR
The pedestrian centre of Namur is
a warren of cobbled streets filled
with restaurants, cafés and great
independent shops.
SLEEP Set in a narrow, yellow-painted
townhouse, Les Gîtes du Vieux Namur
(Rue du Président 32, (0)495 275 931,
lesgitesduvieuxnamur.be, rooms from
€85 per night) has four apartments that
are light, bright and well equipped, with
good-sized kitchens, free Wi-Fi and a
welcome basket of provisions.
EAT Le Bon Vin (Rue du Président 43
& Rue Fossés Fleuris 46, (0)81 22 28
08) is a cosy, wood-beamed bistro that
prides itself on offering traditional,
homemade cooking that uses mostly
organic produce; look out for the local
petits-gris snails.
SHOP Coccinelle (Rue de la Croix 29)
is a colourful cavern of children’s toys
and games, with plenty of ingenious
stocking fillers and seasonal gift ideas.
For culinary inspiration, explore
Les Secrets du Chef (29 Rue de
Marchovelette), which sells high-end
kitchenware and accessories as well
as hosting classes on everything from
cupcakes to molecular gastronomy.
LATER Wine bar VinoVino (Rue des
Brasseurs 61) showcases a different
grape or region every month, and owner
Marc Detraux makes great tapas, mainly
of the charcuterie and cheese variety. It
gets busy, so booking is advised.
INFO
Namur is
approximately
65km south of
Brussels Airport.
Train
There are trains
to Namur every
30 minutes from
Brussels Airport
with a change at
Brussels North; the
journey takes about
90 minutes and
costs from €14.70.
Road
From Brussels
Airport, take the R0
ring road in the
direction of
Bergen-Charleroi
and after 11km
take the left-hand
exit to the E411 in
the direction of
Luxembourg Namur.
After approximately
50km, take exit 14 on
the right in the
direction of Namur
Centre, then follow
the N80 and N92 for
a further 3km.
Tourist info
The Namur Tourist
Offi ce is situated at
Square Leopold,
(0)81 24 64 49, with
a satellite counter at
the medieval Halle
al’Chair, Rue du Pont
21, (0)81 24 64 48,
namurtourisme.be
TIP From 30 November to 31 December,
Namur’s Christmas Market colonises
the Place d’Armes, Place du Grognon
and Rue de Fer, with around 100 chalets
selling gifts, mulled wine and snacks.
Check noelanamur.be for the city’s full
line-up of seasonal activities, including
concerts, pony and cart rides and an
ice rink on Place du Grognon.
BETWEEN THE RIVERS
The tip of the confluence of the
Sambre and Meuse rivers, known
as the Grognon, was home to the
earliest settlements in Namur.
These days you will find Michelinstarred
restaurants and hip clubs.
EAT Michelin-starred Cuisinémoi (Rue
Notre Dame 44, (0) 81 22 91 81) serves
exquisite, deceptively simple food in a
narrow, tiled dining room, while next
door you’ll find a tiny but well-stocked
deli. The best deals are to be had on
weekday lunchtimes, when three
courses cost €33.
CULTURE The ancient Citadel (Route
Merveilleuse 64) is Namur’s most
striking landmark, towering above
the city. Guided tours explore life in
the medieval fort and underground
passages beneath, and there’s also a
fascinating free photography exhibition
documenting life in the Grognon
through the centuries.
LATER Namur’s biggest concert venue
and club, Le Belvedère (Avenue Marie
Try the lunchtime set
menu at Michelinstarred
Cuisinémoi
d’Artois 1, (0)81 81 39 00) has a mixed
programme ranging from folk and indie
to hip hop and electro.
PLACE DES CÉLESTINES
The Place des Célestines is packed
with history, being home to small,
crumbling brick houses, the
remains of the city’s old tanneries,
and the 17th-century convent that
gave this area its name.
SLEEP Les Tanneurs (Rue des
Tanneries 13b, (0)81 24 00 24
tanneurs.com, rooms from €40) is a
collection of typical 17th-century brick
houses, assembled into a chic boutique
hotel. The restaurant, L’Espièglerie, is
one of the city’s best.
CULTURE The ancient Halle al’Chair
on the bank of the Sambre River has
an eclectic history: originally a meat
market, it has also been a hospital, a
theatre and a chapel for invading Dutch
forces over the years. It now houses
Namur’s Archeology Museum (Rue du
Pont 21), with an impressive collection
of local finds spanning more than 1,000
years of history.
TIP Try and get a peep at the beautiful
Théâtre Royal de Namur (Place du
Théâtre 2), a 19th-century structure
with a frescoed ceiling and vast
chandelier. It will soon be hosting
acclaimed Danish singer-songwriter
Agnes Obel (15 December), along with
a season of children’s shows.
74 december 2012
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BerLIN
GerMANY
81,305,856
Euro (EUR)
+49 1°C
five times daily
Victoria Larsson
Cold weather and cool hangouts: boho
Berlin gets into the christmas spirit
PRENZLAUER BERG
Once the frontier of Berlin’s
alternative scene, this pretty area
is now more posh than punk – but
it’s still home to one-off boutiques,
unusual dining and cool bars.
SLEEP Alex Hotel (Greifswalder
Strasse 3, (0)30 4172 4172, alex-hotel.
de, rooms from €69) is a small, bright
hotel in a typical turn-of-the-century
Berlin building, a stone’s throw from
Volkspark Friedrichshain. Local
designers have decorated the rooms
with bold colours and stylish furniture.
EAT In a city lacking decent sushi
options, Sasaya (Lychener Strasse 50,
(0)30 4471 7721) is a standout, serving
tender sashimi and seasonal specials.
The secret’s out, though, so book ahead.
Lucky Leek (Kollwitzstrasse 46, (0)30
6640 8710) offers vegan cuisine such
as beetroot noodle soup with coriander
dumplings and red wine-braised seitan
(wheat gluten) fillet with roast chestnuts.
The desserts are excellent.
CULTURE Ausland (Lychener Strasse
60) is a non-commercial arts space with
an eclectic programme of experimental
film, performance and music, from
avant-garde rock to electronica.
SHOP Soeur (Marienburger Strasse
24) specialises in second-hand designer
garb. Among its colourful contents are
pieces by Zac Posen, Chloé and Stella
McCartney, as well as some terrific
statement heels.
INFO
Berlin Tegel Airport
is 8km northwest of
the city centre.
Bus
The JetExpressBus
TXL bus connects
Berlin Tegel Airport
with the main
Hauptbahnhof
station, Unter den
Linden in Mitte (the
city centre) and
Alexanderplatz. Bus
X9 connects Tegel to
Zoo Bahnhof station
in the western city
centre. Journeys
take around 20-40
minutes and single
tickets cost €1.30
and €1.60
respectively.
Taxi
A taxi into the city
centre takes around
20 minutes and
costs from €22.
Tourist info
The main offi ces are
at Hauptbahnhof
station, the
Brandenburg Gate,
Kurfürstendamm
21 and at the
Reichstag,
(0)30 250 025,
visitberlin.de
LATER Named after the founding
fathers of krautrock music, Neu! Bar
(Greifswalder Strasse 218) is an edgy
little place with an after-hours feel and
excellent alternative music.
KREUZBERG
The western part is upscale boho,
with a generous sprinkling of ‘bio’
(organic) shops. The eastern part,
still known as Kreuzberg 36 after
its pre-unification postcode, is hip
and multicultural.
SLEEP Once a vacuum cleaner factory,
Hüttenpalast (Hobrechtstrasse 66,
(0)30 3730 5806, huettenpalast.de,
rooms from €45) is now a quirky
‘indoor campsite’, where guests sleep
in wooden huts and caravans as well as
normal rooms, with shared bathrooms.
EAT Restaurant Volt (Paul-Lincke Ufer
21, (0)30 6107 4033) offers upscale
dining with traditional German influences
in a canalside former factory. For lunch,
try Markthalle 9 (Eisenbahnstrasse
42-43, (0)30 577 094 661), a renovated
19th-century indoor food market with a
slow food canteen at its heart. At €6.50
for two courses, it’s one of the best
lunch deals in the city.
SHOP Set in a pretty hinterhof (yard),
Voo Store (Oranienstrasse 24) is a
beautifully curated shop and café,
stocking everything from records,
perfumes and homeware to minimalist
Scandic fashion.
Now a smart restaurant, the
cavernous Volt is a former
factory on the canal in Kreuzberg
LATER The hip bar at Das Hotel
(Mariannenstrasse 26a) is tiny, crowded
and decked with flowers, but still finds
space for the odd impromptu music gig.
TIP Sauna culture is big in Berlin, and
that’s a good thing at this time of the
year; be aware that nudism is the norm.
Hamam Berlin (Mariannenstrasse 6,
hamamberlin.de) is a gorgeous Turkishstyle
bath for women with a sauna and
salon, open daily until late: €14 gets you
three hours’ respite from the cold.
NEUKÖLLN
In recent years, this once gritty
area has reinvented itself as a
creative hub, teeming with nightlife,
lively eateries and art workshops.
EAT Converted laundrette Lavanderia
Vecchia (Flughafenstrasse 46 (0)30
6272 2152) offers home-style Italian
classics such as creamy burrata cheese
and tagliolini with truffles, with a set
menu in the evening. And at Hamy
(Hasenheide 10, (0)30 6162 5959),
crowds gather to inhale steaming bowls
of fragrant pho and Vietnamese-style
curries – a bargain at €4.90 per plate.
SHOP Sing Blackbird (Sanderstrasse
11) is a charming café and vintage shop
rolled into one, with homemade cakes,
coffee and rails of secondhand finds.
LATER Das Gift (Donaustrasse 119) –
a German term for ‘poison’ – is a homely,
Scottish-owned bar that hosts whisky
tastings set to doom and drone music.
76 december 2012
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Budapest
hungary
9,958,453 +36 1°C
Forint (HUF)
three times daily
Carolyn Bánfalvi
Budapest’s abundant Christmas spirit makes
braving the December cold a little easier
THE JEWISH QUARTER
Dominated by the Dohány Street
Synagogue (and two smaller ones,
one of which is in a severe state of
disrepair), this district also has an
abundance of bars and eateries.
SLEEP The King’s Hotel (Nagy Diófa
utca 25-27, (0)1 352 7675, kingshotel.hu,
rooms from €50/14,125 HUF) offers
simple rooms at bargain prices. The
Continental Hotel Zara (Dohány utca
42-44, (0)1 815 1000, continentalhotel
budapest.com, rooms from €59/16,666
HUF) has more contemporary rooms
and a rooftop pool.
EAT Try Kádár (Klauzál tér 9, (0)1 321
3622) for old-fashioned Hungarian
comfort food such as stuffed cabbage
and pörkölt (paprika-laced meat stew).
Alternatively, wander along Kazinczy
utca, where you’ll find tiny, inexpensive
eateries offering everything from vegan
curries to pig’s brain sandwiches.
CULTURE Dohány Street Synagogue
(Dohány utca 2) – Europe’s largest – is
attached to the Jewish Museum and has
a Holocaust memorial in the rear garden.
The granite and steel tree was built to
commemorate Hungary’s victims.
SHOP Zangio (Wesselényi utca 6),
a family-owned chocolatier, creates all
manner of flavours including juniper,
poppy seed and tea. VadJutka
(upstairs at Madách Imre utca 5) is a
tiny shop selling handmade earrings,
jewellery and other trinkets.
INFO
Budapest Ferenc
Liszt International
Airport is 16km
southeast of the
city centre.
Bus
The 200E to and
from the
Kőbánya-Kispest
metro terminal
leaves every 10 to
30 minutes until
11.46pm, taking 25
minutes. Tickets
cost €1/
HUF 400.
Train
A train service
connects Terminal 1
to Nyugati Railway
Station. The journey
takes 23 minutes;
tickets are priced
€1/HUF 282.
Taxi
A taxi to the city
centre takes about
30 minutes – the
price is around
€22-€25/HUF
6,220-7,068. You can
also take the airport
minibus, from €10/
HUF 2,827.
Tourist info
The Tourinform
Central Offi ce is
located
at Sütő utca,
(0)1 438 8080,
budapestinfo.hu
LATER Get caffeinated at My Little
Melbourne Coffee (Madách Imre út 3),
where they do coffee right. There’s
always something going on at
Budapest’s best-known ‘ruin’ pub,
Szimpla Kert (Kazinczy utca 14), from
its farmers’ market on Sundays to live
bands and DJs in the evening. Dobló
(Dob utca 2) is the place to try good
Hungarian wines in cool surrounds.
CITY CENTRE (PEST)
The Pest side of the river is where
you’ll find the best shops, hotels
and restaurants.
SLEEP The Zara Boutique Hotel
(Só utca 6, (0)1 577 0700, boutique
hotelbudapest.com, rooms from
€52/14,702 HUF) is just off Váci utca,
the main shopping street. The Zenit
Budapest Palace Hotel (Apáczai
Csere János utca 7, (0)1 799 8400,
hotelzenitbudapest.com, rooms from
€52/14,702 HUF) is a stylish new hotel
situated in an old palace, a block from
the Danube river.
EAT Tasting the pastries and cakes at
Gerbeaud Cukrászda (Vörösmarty tér
7-8) is an experience not to be missed,
while Szamos Gourmet House (Váci
utca 1) is the new flagship outpost of
an old Hungarian family-run pâtisserie,
famous for its marzipan creations. As
well as sweets, it also offers full meals.
LATER Ötkert (Zrínyi utca 4) has
several spacious bar areas, quirky
One-off creations at
WAMP design market
design elements and great bar food.
Divino (Szent István tér 3) has an
extensive selection of great Hungarian
wines made by young winemakers.
TIP Though there are others in town,
the Christmas Market at Vörösmárty
tér (18 November-30 December) is the
main event, with music, children’s stalls,
food and mulled wine.
CENTRAL BUDA
The Castle District dominates
the Buda side, but the mainly
residential neighbourhoods are
also worth exploring.
EAT Atakám (Iskola utca 29, (0)1 781
4129) is a fine bistro-restaurant for a
leisurely lunch or dinner. The menu
is modern Hungarian and wines come
from lesser-known producers.
CULTURE This is the season when
ducking inside either the Szent Anna
Templom (Batthyány tér) or the
Matthias Church (Országház utca
14) to listen to organ concerts is an
excellent winter evening idea.
SHOP A good place for souvenirs is
the WAMP design market, which brings
together talented young Hungarian
designers. In December the market will
be held every Sunday at the Millenáris
Fogadó complex (Fény utca 20-22).
LATER The Lánchíd Sörözo (Fő utca
4) pub is no longer smoke-filled, but
remains a fun place to grab a cheap beer
and some food near the Chain Bridge.
78 december 2012
FLY TO budapest three times daily. brusselsairlines.com

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
copenhagen
denmark
5,543,453 +45 2°C
Danish Krone (DKK)
Four times daily
Anna NORMAN
Christmas markets, cosy bars and wonderful
restaurants make for a romantic winter break
RÅDHUSPLADSEN
& AROUND
It may contain Copenhagen’s
longest shopping street, but the
city’s heart still packs a cultural
– and festive – punch.
SLEEP In the 1960s, Arne Jacobsen,
Denmark’s famous architect and
designer, masterminded every aspect
of the Radisson Blu (SAS) Royal
Hotel (Hammerichsgade 1, (0)38 15
65 00, radissonblu.com, rooms from
€187/DKK1,392), from the modernist
building to the cutlery in its restaurant.
The rooms may have been revamped,
but the hotel still retains some of its
original design accents.
EAT The central covered food market,
Torvehallen (Frederiksborggade 21)
opened in autumn 2011, and has become
an upmarket spot for daytime dining.
CULTURE A stone’s throw from the
main Rådhuspladsen square is
Copenhagen’s famous amusement park,
Tivoli Gardens (Vesterbrogade 3, (0)33
15 10 01, tivoli.dk). Warm your cockles
with some hot glögg (mulled wine) as
you browse the stalls of its delightful
Christmas Market, or take a turn on the
rollercoaster. For more highbrow
offerings, head to the Ny Carlsberg
Glyptotek (Dantes Plads 7) for an
impressive collection of sculptures and
paintings. Works by Danish abstract
painter Kirkeby Epiphany are on display
here until 30 December.
INFO
Copenhagen Airport
is on the island of
Amager, 8km south
of the city centre.
Train
A train ticket from
Terminal 3 to the
city centre Central
Station costs
€4.22/DKK31.50
and takes 13
minutes, with stops
at all the major
urban stations.
Metro
Metro trains depart
from Terminal 3 for
Nørreport station in
central Copenhagen,
leaving every 4-6
minutes during the
day and evening and
at 15-20-minute
intervals at night.
Journeys take
15 minutes.
Taxi
A taxi to the city
centre will cost
around €35/
DKK250 and
takes 20 minutes.
Tourist info
The main tourist
offi ce is situated
just opposite
Tivoli Gardens,
(0)70 22 24 42,
visitcopenhagen.
com
FLY TO copenhagen four times daily. brusselsairlines.com
VESTERBRO
This arty southern neighbourhood
buzzes come nightfall, with a host
of hip restaurants and bars.
SLEEP Mix comfort with sustainability
at the Bertrams Hotel Guldsmeden
(Vesterbrogade 107, (0)70 20 81 07,
hotelguldsmeden.com, rooms from
€205/DKK1,526), where rooms feature
four-poster beds and minibars along
with organic toiletries. Located on
Vesterbro’s main drag, it’s surrounded
by cool boutiques and atmospheric
cafés, restaurants and bars.
EAT Kødbyen, the former meatpacking
district, has transformed Vesterbro’s
eating and nightlife scene since its
gentrification in the mid-Noughties.
Good bets here are pizza parlour
Mother (Høkerboderne 9-15, (0)22
27 58 98, mother.dk) and Kødbyens
Fiskebar (Flæsketorvet 100, (0)32 15
56 56, fiskebaren.dk), a swish seafood
restaurant popular with the area’s
media set. For more laidback
nibbles, try cosy wine bar Falernum
(Værnedamsvej 16, (0)33 22 30 89,
falernum.dk), on a street known as
‘Little Paris’ due to its cute independent
shops and cafés. Friendly Dyrehaven
(Sønder Boulevard 72, (0)33 21 60 24,
dyrehavenkbh.dk), a retro-style barrestaurant
with a wood-panelled bar
and intimate booths, is the place to try
smørrebrod – Denmark’s famous open
sandwich – and other homely dishes.
Copenhagen’s
spectacular opera
house has become an
emblem of the city
LATER Bakken (Flæsketorvet 19-21)
is one of the liveliest clubs in Kødbyen,
set in a former butcher’s shop. Its DJs
provides revellers with electronic beats
and live music until 5am on Thursdays,
Fridays and Saturdays.
CHRISTIANSHAVN &
THE DOCKS
Christianshavn’s neighbouring
island of Amager is home to the
city’s best restaurant, its revamped
docks and famous hippy commune.
EAT Café Wilder (Wildersgade 56,
(0)32 54 71 83, cafewilder.dk) is an
arty space offering dishes as diverse
as blueberry pancakes and braised
pork with pomegranate and kale.
For a more laidback affair, head to
Morgenstedet (Fabriksområdet 134,
morgenstedet.dk), a tiny vegetarian
restaurant in the Christiania commune.
CULTURE The Lars Henningdesigned
Copenhagen Opera House
(Ekvipagemestervej 10, (0)33 69 69 85,
operaen.dk) opened in the dockside
area of Holmen in 2005. Since then,
it has become one of the city’s most
emblematic buildings. An opera for
children, The Cunning Little Vixen, is
showing until 3 February 2013.
SHOP If you find the main markets too
traditional then head to the Christianias
Julemarked. Here you’ll find homemade
jewellery, incense sticks and knitted
sweaters à la The Killing’s Sarah Lund.
december 2012 79

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
geneva
switzerland
7,925,517 +41 2°C
swiss franc (chf)
seven times daily
Michela Mantani
enjoy Free skating and superb hot chocolate
in Switzerland’s most cosmopolitan city
PLAINPALAIS &
QUARTIER DES BAINS
Converted warehouses, bars and
contemporary art galleries are
abundant in Geneva’s cultural hub.
SLEEP Set in an art nouveau building,
the Tiffany Hotel (Rue de l’Arquebuse
20, (0)22 708 16 16, hotel-tiffany.ch,
rooms from €238/CHF287) has moved
with the times, with Frette linens, free
Wi-Fi and a chic hammam.
EAT Curiositas (Rue des Vieux-
Grenadiers 8-10, (0)22 321 30 37) is
aptly named, with its cabinets of curios
and eccentric antiques. The food is
elegant and inventive: marinated tuna
with artichoke cream and tomato sorbet
is the chef’s signature dish. Ou Bien
(Rue Bergalonne 3) is an art gallery,
café and deli that serves up lavender
cheesecake and seasonal lunchtime
specials, while tea lovers and vintage
aficionados head for café-brocante
La Sixième Heure (6 Place des
Philosophes), where everything you
see and sit on is second-hand and for
sale. For the best hot chocolate, Remor
(Place du Cirque 3) can’t be matched.
CULTURE The Patek Philippe
Museum (Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 7)
explores the history of European
watchmaking, with an exquisite array
of antique timepieces. If contemporary
art is more your thing, soak up the
latest exhibitions at the Bâtiment d’art
Contemporain (Rue des Bains 28) and
INFO
Geneva
International Airport
is 4km northwest of
the city centre.
Train
From the airport to
the city centre takes
six minutes by train:
it’s free if you’ve just
fl own in, but you’ll
need to pick up a
Tout Genève pass,
which you can also
use on buses. The
passes are available
from dispensing
machines before
customs in the
baggage claim area.
Bus
Buses nos. 5 and
10 will take you
to the city centre
Genève-Cornavin
railway station in 10
minutes and across
the river in about 15.
Fares are around
€2.50/CHF3.
Taxi
The journey into the
city centre takes
about 15 minutes
and costs between
€25-37/CHF30-37.
Tourist info
The Geneva Tourist
Offi ce is at Rue du
Mont-Blanc 18,
(0)22 909 70 70,
geneve-tourisme.ch
MAMCO (Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers
10), whose permanent collection
includes pieces by the likes of Christo,
Sol LeWitt and Dan Flavin.
SHOP Opened just over a year ago,
Casa Mozzarella (Rue Dizerens 1) has
won a loyal foodie following with its
fresh mozzarellas and burrata, made on
the premises every morning. Another
interesting independent – with an
equally passionate owner – is 242
Skateshop (Rue du Vieux-Billard 4),
which stocks a terrific array of local
and international board brands.
LATER Le Verre à Monique (Rue des
Savoises 19) is the place for 1920s-style
glamour and superb cocktails.
TIP The Plaine de Plainpalais (Avenue
du Mail) is home to one of Europe’s
largest skate parks, with 3,000m2 of
formidable flows.
CAROUGE
Geneva’s chilled, Mediterranean
alter-ego is a trendy suburb
teeming with Italianate buildings
and cool bistros.
SLEEP Hotel La Cour des Augustines
(Rue Jean-Violette 15, (0)22 322 21 00,
lacourdesaugustins.com, rooms from
€244/CHF295) is located in the Latin
Quarter, but it’s just a five-minute tram
ride from Carouge (catch bus number
12). Swiss designer Philippe Cramer is
the creative talent behind its urban
décor and suspended ‘thinking pods’.
Try cocktails 1920s-style
at Le Verre à Monique
EAT Le Dix Vins (Rue Jacques-Dalphin
29, (0)22 342 40 10) is perhaps the
quintessential Carouge bistro,
interpreting traditional cuisine in its own
inimitable style: dishes might include
cocotte de lentilles au foie gras or
crevettes au chocolat blanc. For healthy
and seasonal eating, drop by Les
Recyclables (53 Rue de Carouge, (0)22
328 23 73), a café, bookstore and music
venue all in one. The ethos is all about
recyclage culturel, so you could swap
your old books for a slice of orange
cake or a cup of coffee.
SHOP Find beautifully crafted wooden
toys and Swiss delicacies at Carouge’s
Christmas Market (Rue St Joseph,
Place du Marché, 14-16 December) and
explore the area’s chic boutiques. Sam
and Luna (Rue Ancienne 6) stocks nifty
Scandinavian brands for children, while
Style Design (Place du Marché 10) is
good for contemporary homeware.
LATER The vintage sofas and roaring
fire at Qu’importe (Rue Ancienne 1,
(0)22 342 15 25) offer welcome respite
from the cold. Locals and expats
alike come here for its discerning
wine list, Genevan tapas and regional
charcuterie. Le Chat Noir (Rue Vautier
13, (0)22 307 10 40) is Carouge’s main
music venue, staging rock, jazz and hip
hop concerts six nights a week.
TIP From December to February, iceskating
at the open air ice rink on the
Place de Sardaigne is free, as are the
introductory lessons.
80 december 2012
FLY TO geneva seven times daily. brusselsairlines.com

Prenez rendez-vous !
Un domicile d’exception pour
des exigences toutes particulières.
Ils sont fi n prêts : les chalets de luxe du Golf & Ski Parc Rhodania.
Situés au cœur de Crans, entre le centre-ville et le terrain de golf, ils
vous réservent une vue époustoufl ante et des services haut de gamme.
L’un des appartements qui nous restent encore pourraient devenir le vôtre.
Nous vous attendons.
Marc Lindner
Lindner Hotels (Suisse) S.A.
Rue du Rhodania 7, CP 63
CH-3963 Crans-Montana 2
Fixe +41 27 486 92 92
Mobile +41 78 696 30 32
marc.lindner@lindnerhotels.ch
rhodaniaparc.com

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
london
united kingdom
63,047,162 +44 5°C
british pound (gbp)
four times daily
jane wright
Go east for street cool or west for more
upmarket pleasures; either way you’ll have fun
SHOREDITCH
Affecting an air of shabby cool,
this East End barrio has some of
the best graffiti in London, lovely
parks and squares, great little
cheap restaurants and hip dive
bars. Head for Redchurch Street
where you can find all of the above.
SLEEP The Hoxton Hotel (81 Great
Eastern Street, (0)20 7550 1000,
hoxtonhotels.com, rooms from
€74/£59) is a brilliant idea, offering
low-cost cool and comfort close to Old
Street tube. The rooms are on the small
side, but are thoughtfully laid out with
smart urban décor. Best of all, The
Hoxton is usually jumping, with a lively
bar and popular restaurant.
EAT At The Tramshed (32 Rivington
Street, (0)20 7749 0478,
chickenandsteak.co.uk), as the website
indicates, it’s just chicken or steak,
and Mark Hix’s ‘mono food’ menu is
a carnivore’s delight. Don’t miss the
Damien Hirst cow with a chicken on its
back in a huge tank above your head.
Brawn (49 Columbia Road, (0)20 729
5692) is a fabulous little place serving
up superior dishes of seasonal produce
that are perfect for sharing. An
interesting wine list and unfussy, lowkey
surroundings make this a hit with
the artsy set. Chaat (36 Redchurch
Street, (0)20 7739 9595) is a tiny
Bangladeshi restaurant, teahouse and
bar and that never disappoints in its
INFO
Heathrow Airport is
about 20km west of
the city centre.
Train
Heathrow Express
trains go to
Paddington Station
every 15 minutes,
taking 15 minutes;
a single ticket costs
€22.50/£18, a
return is €42.50/
£34, heathrow
express.com
Tube
Take the Piccadilly
line to the city in
about 50 minutes
for €6.25/£5.
Bus
National Express
buses go from
Heathrow to the
city from €5/£4,
nationalexpress.com
Taxi
A taxi will take
45-50 minutes to
the city, costing
around €87/£70
Tourist info
The Visit London
offi ce is at 1 Lower
Regent Street,
(0)870 156 6366,
visitlondon.com
flavours or friendliness. A real find – eat
well for €19/£15.
CULTURE The Rich Mix Cinema
(35-47 Bethnal Green Road) is so much
more than that: this arts charity offers
poetry slams, new bands, talks, pingpong
nights, photography exhibitions, a
bar, a café and the best ice cream in the
East End. Good films too.
SHOP Labour & Wait (85 Redchurch
Street) is an intriguing little shop selling
old-fashioned buckets, stripy Matelot
tops, artists’ smocks, string, scrubbing
brushes, candle holders and unusual
little gifts, knick-knacks and vintage
items of a household bent.
LATER The Owl and the Pussycat
(34 Redchurch Street) was once a
shabby old East End boozer but is now
full of bright young things with peroxide
hair, nerdy specs and Doc Martens.
There’s a very drinkable selection of
wines and a decent restaurant upstairs.
Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes (32-36
Kingsland Road), a bar which didn’t
bother changing the signage after it
moved into two old shops, attracts a
lively cool crowd. Open till 1am.
MAYFAIR
Home to some of the most expensive
real estate in the world, Mayfair is all
five-star hotels, smart restaurants
and big fashion emporiums.
SLEEP The Lanesborough (Hyde
Park Corner, (0)20 7259 5599,
Mayfair’s Mari Vanna is
based on a Russian
babushka’s house
thelanesborough.com, rooms from
€518/£415 with butler) is a gracious
old-school five-star hotel with a
gentlemen’s club feel and a magnificent
chandeliered restaurant presided over
by Michelin-star chef Heinz Beck.
Afternoon tea by the fire is a real treat.
EAT Mari Vanna (116 Knightsbridge,
(0)20 3427 5779). Not strictly in
Mayfair, but not far away, this quirky
Russian restaurant is jammed full of
knick-knacks, jars of pickles, old
photographs, chandeliers and acres of
lace. It’s bizarre but utterly charming
and the food is surprisingly good. Start
with a birch juice, cucumber and vodka
cocktail, then try the borscht followed
by courgette pancakes with salted
salmon and sour cream.
CULTURE The Royal Academy of
Arts (Burlington House, Piccadilly)
hosts some of the best exhibitions in
the capital. This month enjoy Constable,
Gainsborough and Turner; in January,
a major Manet show comes to town.
SHOP Bond Street is home to every
major designer label on the planet from
Alexander McQueen to Ermenegildo
Zegna via Chanel, Prada and Dolce &
Gabbana. Throw in Mulberry, Jaeger-
Le-Coultre and De Beers and you could
spend your inheritance in one fell swoop.
LATER The Connaught Bar (Carlos
Place) is by far the most elegant place
in London for a late-night drink.
Designed by David Collins, it oozes
class. Cocktails are €22/£17.50 a pop.
82 december 2012
FLY TO london four times daily. brusselsairlines.com

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
madrid
spain
47,042,984
Euro (EUR)
+34 6°C
Three times daily
Sally Davies
in madrid you can do art, architecture and
culture all day BEFORE partyING all night
HUERTAS
Explore the city’s former literary
district, where Cervantes once lived
and Hemingway got drunk.
SLEEP Room Mate Alicia (Calle
del Prado 2, 91 389 60 95, alicia.roommatehotels.com,
rooms from €98)
does style on a budget with aplomb,
featuring bold cream-coloured rooms
with chic splashes of colour.
EAT The Scandinavian-inspired Ølsen
(Calle del Prado 15, 914 29 36 59)
serves scrumptious little corn blinis with
various toppings paired with shots of
flavoured vodka. Le Petit Bistrot (Plaza
Matute 5, 91 429 62 65), meanwhile,
does precisely what you’d expect from
its name, with a menu that includes
cassoulet, snails with butter, garlic
and parsley, and coquilles St-Jacques.
CULTURE Swiss architecture firm
Herzog & de Meuron remodelled an old
power station to create the seven-floor
CaixaForum (Paseo del Prado 36)
exhibition space. The current
Contemporary Cartographies exhibition
features works of art by the likes of Paul
Klee, Yves Klein and Mona Hatoum, and
runs until 24 February 2013.
LATER Café Central (Plaza del Ángel
10) is an elegant little jazz joint that
never fails to jump, while the dusty
and atmospheric La Venencia (Calle
Echegaray 7) is essential for sherry
lovers: it’s all they have on the menu,
and it’s served from big wooden barrels.
INFO
Terminal 4 of
Madrid-Barajas
Airport is 21km from
the city centre, while
T1, T2 and T3 are
12km away.
Metro
All of the airport’s
terminals are on line
8 of the metro
system. Travel time
to the city centre is
about 45 minutes.
A single ticket to
the airport will cost
€4.50-€5 dependent
on which terminal
you’re going to.
Taxi
Use only the
registered white
taxis with a red
stripe on the door.
Off-peak travel to
the city centre takes
20 minutes, and
should cost around
€19-€22, inclusive of
a €5 airport charge.
Bus
Route 200 from T1-3
takes you to Avenida
de América, which
connects with Metro
lines 4, 6, 7 and 9.
The yellow Airport
Express buses from
T1, T2 and T4 take
40 minutes and cost
€5, stopping at Plaza
Cibeles (24 hours)
and Atocha-Renfe
station (6am-11pm).
Tourist info
There is a airport
information booth at
T4. The main offi ce is
at Plaza Mayor 27,
915 881 636,
turismomadrid.es
FLY TO madrid three times daily. brusselsairlines.com
Room Mate Alicia’s
spacious rooms overlook
the Plaza de Santa Ana
LOS AUSTRIAS
Named after the Habsburg family
who once lived here, this ancient
barrio still has royal airs.
SLEEP A remodelled 19th-century
coaching inn, Posada del León de
Oro (Calle Cava Baja 12, 91 119 14 94,
posadadelleondeoro.com, rooms from
€100) is now an impeccably stylish
retreat arranged around a central
courtyard. Most romantic of all is the
attic room tucked under the eaves.
EAT This is a neighbourhood of classic
joints, but there’s none more traditional
than Casa Lucio (Calle Cava Baja 35,
913 65 32 52), which has been feeding
royalty, politicians and celebrities for
decades. Its unlikely star dish is fried
eggs ‘smashed’ over chips and ham.
Alternatively, try the bright and breezy
veggie eatery El Estragón (Plaza de la
Paja 10, 91 365 89 92).
SHOP The long-awaited refurbishment
of the beautiful, century-old Mercado
de San Miguel (Plaza de San Miguel)
market has brought gourmet snacking
to the neighbourhood, with oyster bars,
croqueta stands, artisanal ice-cream
and sushi bars under the elegant roof
of this ‘culinary cultural centre’.
LATER The Chocolatería San Ginés
(Pasadizo de San Ginés 5) is the
quintessential Madrid experience,
where party people collide with blue
rinses at dawn for a cup of hot
chocolate and a plate of sugary churros.
TIP The nuns at the Convento de
las Carboneras (Plaza del Conde de
Miranda 3) make exceptionally delicious
biscuits, which they sell through a
wooden hatch in the wall.
MALASAÑA
This has long been Madrid’s hipster
neighbourhood, but Malasaña has
something for everyone.
SLEEP No two rooms at the Hotel
Abalu (Calle Pez 19, 91 531 47 44,
hotelabalu.com, rooms from €68) are
the same: all draw design inspiration
from a range of eras and styles. There
are some gorgeous details to be found,
from intricate carved screens to oldfashioned
Bakelite phones.
EAT If suckling pig and tomato-y patatas
bravas begin to lose their charm, head
for Gumbo (Calle del Pez 15, 915 32 63
61) for a taste of New Orleans soul food.
Toma (Calle del Conde Duque 14, 91 547
49 96) also offers something different:
rabbit cooked in champagne and
mustard, and mussels in curry sauce.
SHOP Cosy J&J Books & Coffee (Calle
Espíritu Santo 47) stocks second-hand
books in every language and provides
drinks over which to peruse them.
Nearby Bunkha (Calle Santa Bárbara 6)
keeps fashionistas happy with cult labels
such as Danish brand Won Hundred.
LATER Ex-house of ill repute Démodé
(Calle de la Ballesta 7) is now a tiny club
with a taste for electro and house beats.
december 2012 83

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
moscow
russia
142,517,670 +7 -6°C
russian ruble (rub)
daily
Elena Kirillova
In December, Moscow can be a snowy fairytale
with lots of indoor opportunities to cosy up
PRESNENSKY
This district takes its name from the
Presnya River, now largely hidden
underground. But traces remain –
not least the Patriarshy pond, ringed
by imposing apartment blocks and
used for ice-skating in winter.
EAT The small Art Chaikhana (B2
Trekhprudny Pereulok 11/13) exudes
authentic Uzbek atmosphere, with its
cosy décor and generous portions.
The plov (a rice pilaf dish with lamb)
and double-apple hookah are excellent.
CULTURE The Zurab Tsereteli
Museum (Bolshaya Gruzinskaya 15),
is home to the Georgia-born sculptor’s
surreal, larger-than-life works.
LATER Sixteen Tons (Presnensky
Val 6) is a pub with a live music venue
upstairs, staging up-and-coming bands.
TVERSKOY
This is an area of smart restaurants,
hotels and theatres with grandiose
Soviet architecture. Tverskaya ul,
its main thoroughfare, is lined with
designer boutiques and clubs.
SLEEP The big draw at the Budapest
Hotel (Petrovskiye Linii 2/18, 495 925
30 50, hotel-budapest.ru, rooms from
INFO
Domodedovo Airport
is 41km south of the
city centre.
Train
The high-speed
Aeroexpress train
goes direct to
Paveletsky vokzal
station. The journey
takes 40 minutes
and costs €7.96/
RUB320.
Taxi
Taxis booked at the
airport counter cost
€49/RUB2,000.
Private taxis may
overcharge. It’s
about an hour to the
city centre if there
are no traffi c jams,
which can be bad
from 7.30am-11am.
Bus
Airport buses stop
between entrances
2 and 3. They go
direct to
Domodedovskaya
metro station,
leaving every 15
minutes from 6am to
midnight and every
40 minutes at night.
The journey takes
25-30 minutes and
costs €1.99/RUB80.
Tourist info
The offi cial tourist
centre is at Ulitsa
Ilyinka 4, 495 232 56
57, moscow-city.ru
€148/RUB5950) is its location, a short
stroll from both the Kremlin and Red
Square. For a peaceful night’s sleep,
ask for a room at the back.
EAT Okonomy Café (Bolshaya
Bronnaya 27/4) serves up cheap
and delicious Japanese okonomiyaki
(savoury pancakes made with cabbage
and egg), yakisoba and miso soup.
CULTURE The Bolshoi (Teatralnaya
Square 1) is on sparkling form after a
six-year renovation – and its soaring
red and gold auditorium will look even
more magical during The Nutcracker,
running from 28-30 December.
LATER Taking a leaf from New York’s
underground bar scene, Mendeleev
(Petrovka 20/1) combines a groundfloor
noodle joint and a ‘secret’
basement cocktail bar.
TIP For free walking tours with an
insider’s perspective, contact Moscow
Greeter (moscowgreeter.ru).
BASMANNY
Home to a cluster of art and cultural
centres, the Basmanny district
attracts a cosmopolitan crowd.
SLEEP Upscale, art deco Mamaison
All-Suites Spa Hotel (Pokrovka 40,
495 229 57 57, mamaison.com/ru,
free APP download
Available from iTunes
The Nutcracker at Moscow’s
Bolshoi. The ballet made its
debut here in 1966
rooms from €190/7,670 rubles) has
84 spacious, well-equipped suites with
wooden floors, coffee machines and
individual kitchenettes.
EAT On a chilly day, retreat to the
vaulted brick cellars of Bochonok
(Myasnitskaya 24, (495) 625 03 28).
Menu standouts include shashlyk
(shish kebabs) and tsar-style fish broth.
CULTURE The programme at 35mm
(Pokrovka 47/24) offers interesting
foreign-language films and special
seasons. For a dose of contemporary
culture, head for Artplay (Nizhnyaya
Syromyatnicheskaya 5/7), an everevolving
cluster of studios, design
showrooms, architecture practices and
galleries. Don’t miss its rooftop winter
ice rink, with fantastic city views.
SHOP A former factory complex,
Winzavod (4 Siromyatnichesky
Pereulok 1, Building 6) is now a gallery
hub with a hip on-site café. From 16-18
December, its Christmas Art Bazaar
offers handmade clothing and jewellery,
vintage finds and Soviet-era toys.
LATER For electronic music, check out
Arma 17 (Nizhny Susalny Pereulok 5),
part of – you’ve guessed it – a converted
factory. For live folk and rock music with
a laid-back vibe, try Kitaisky Lyotchik
Dzhao Da (Lubyansky Proyezd 25).

Designed for a pleasant stay
with you in mind...
Chaussée de Vleurgat, 191 – 1050 Brussels – Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 2 646 64 20 | Fax:+32 (0) 2 646 33 14
E-mail: info@hotelcapital.be
WWW.HOTELCAPITAL.BE
B-Aparthotels, Brussels, Belgium
B-Aparthotels offer over 200 comfortable apartments,
studios and penthouses, all of which are spacious,
fully equipped and hotel-serviced, in five
locations across Brussels, including the European
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saw the opening of REGENT, B-Aparthotel’s
new exclusive residence, in a unique black –and
white theme.
A CHARMING BASE IN
THE HEART OF BRUSSELS
Hôtel Amigo Brussels
Rue de l’Amigo, 1-3,
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: + 32 2 547 47 47
www.roccofortehotels.com
www.b-aparthotels.com
Tel. +32(0)2 743 51 11 / info@b-aparthotels.com
In the historical heart of Brussels,
Hotel Amigo
hotels in Belgium.
A stone’
the famous Grand-Place, the
s.
Its restaurant, the ‘Bocconi’
russels.

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
nice
FRAnCE
62,814,233
Euro (EUR)
twice daily
+33 10°C
Kathryn Tomasetti
the FRENCH Riviera is in holiday mode this
month, with Christmas villages and funfairs
VIEUX NICE
The atmospheric Old Town harbours
a labyrinth of twisting alleyways
and pretty, pedestrianised squares.
EAT A long-time favourite with Nice’s
residents, former Irish pub Mac Mahon
(50 Boulevard Jean Jaurès, (0)9 53 16
95 97) has new owners who have
transformed the place into an upscale
bistro-restaurant. Drop in for salad
Niçoise or veal with lemon sauce.
CULTURE From 23-31 December, the
Philharmonic Orchestra of Nice is to
perform at the Nice Opéra (4-6 Rue
Saint-François de Paule).
LATER Snug & Cellar (corner of 5 Rue
Rossetti & 22 Rue Droite) is a tiny, cosy
pub that’s perfect for a glass of organic
red or cognac-spiked mulled wine.
TIP Travelling to Nice with children?
The Lou Presèpi (Place Rossetti), a live
nativity re-enactment complete with
real chickens, goats and a donkey,
takes place from 20-26 December.
AVENUE JEAN
MÉDECIN & AROUND
Unfurling from Nice’s Gare
Thiers train station down to the
beachfront promenade, the tree-
www.mougins-school.com
INFO
The Nice Côte d’Azur
Airport is located
7km southwest of
the city centre.
Bus
Route 98 heads to
the Port, stopping
close to Vieux Nice
on the way – it’s a
43-minute journey.
Route 99 heads to
Gare SNCF, the main
train station, taking
16 minutes. Both
services depart
every 20 minutes,
with single tickets
costing €4.
Taxi
A taxi from the
airport should set
you back around
€22-€28. It takes
about 20 minutes
to reach Nice’s
city centre.
Tourist info
The main Offi ce
du Tourisme is
based at 5
Promenade
des Anglais,
with a smaller
branch by the
main train station
on Avenue Thiers,
(0)8 92 70 74 07,
nicetourism.com
lined Avenue Jean Medécin forms
the city’s commercial heart.
SLEEP Hôtel Vendôme (26 Rue
Pastorelli, (0)4 93 62 00 77, hotelvendome-nice.com,
rooms from €75)
occupies an ornate Belle Époque
mansion that’s perfectly positioned
for last-minute holiday shopping. Nice
Pebbles ((0)4 97 20 27 30, nicepebbles.
com, apartments from €430 per week)
has close to 100 apartments around
town, including the opulent Parisienne,
its three bedrooms decked out with
chandeliers and antique-style beds.
EAT Kamogawa (18 Rue de la Buffa,
(0)4 93 88 75 88) is a well-established
Japanese restaurant that serves
sublime sushi. If you’re on a budget,
visit at lunchtime for one of its eight
set menus priced from €15 to €28.
SHOP Open from 1 December until
2 January, the Village de Noël (Place
Masséna) has more than 60 kiosks,
selling everything from handcarved tree
ornaments to homemade jam. There’s
also a skating rink and a Ferris wheel.
ST-PAUL DE VENCE
For fairy lights and a Provençal
Christmas market, head to the
Nice’s Village de
Noël, complete
with palm trees
pretty village of St-Paul de Vence,
half an hour’s drive into the hills
just west of Nice.
SLEEP Toile Blanche (826 Chemin
de la Pounchouniere (0)4 93 32 74 21,
toileblanche.com, rooms from €165)
is a boutique hotel with an exquisite
restaurant, set in an old manor house.
EAT On selected dates through
December, culinary legends Alain and
Jean-Michel Llorca are offering holiday
cooking workshops at their Ecole de
Cuisine (Hôtel Restaurant Alain Llorca,
350 Route de St-Paul). These hands-on
lessons cost €60-€130 per person and
include plenty of tasting and seasonal
treats for participants to take home.
CULTURE Founded by collectors Aimé
and Marguerite Maeght, the Fondation
Maeght (623 Chemin des Gardettes) is
devoted to modern and 20th-century
art, with treasures including a Miró
‘labyrinth’ filled with sculptures and
a Giacometti courtyard. The
Homeopathic Paintings exhibition
running until 6 January showcases
the work of France’s Fabrice Hyber.
SHOP From 22 December until 3
January, St-Paul de Vence holds its
Provençal Christmas market.
Prepare for tomorrow’s world with an
Unique on the Côte d’Azur, Mougins School
IGCSE and A-Level
ALAMY

The Brussels-Capital Region portal
Your gateway to all Brussels info
www.brussels.irisnet.be
Created and hosted by
CIRB CIBG

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
rome
italy
61,261,254
Euro (EUR)
+39 9°C
three times daily
Katie Parla
try classic ROMAN dishes, visit queue-free
museums and soak up the christmas spirit
MONTI
Just to the east of the Roman
Forum, Monti bursts with pretty
piazzas and neighbourhood
watering holes.
SLEEP The Inn at the Roman Forum
(Via degli Ibernesi 30, 06 691 90 970,
theinnattheromanforum.com, rooms
from €166) is a small, luxurious affair
with an ancient cryptoporticus
passageway in its basement and
polished, antique-style décor in its
rooms; head up to the roof terrace for
sweeping views over the old city centre.
EAT La Barrique (Via del Boschetto
41b, 06 478 25 953), a long-established
wine bar, recently added a kitchen and
full menu to complement its extensive
Italian and French wine list. Wrap up the
meal with a homemade dessert or stroll
over to Fatamorgana (Piazza degli
Zingari 5) for creative winter gelato
flavours such as pumpkin with
caramelised seeds and chestnuts with
Sardinian liqueur. Al Vino Al Vino (Via
dei Serpenti 19) serves excellent wines
by the glass, paired with cheeses, cured
meats and Sicilian favourites such as
the house speciality of caponata – a
caper-spiked aubergine stew.
CULTURE The Capitoline Museums
(Piazza del Campidoglio 1) will host
The Age of Balance exhibition until 4 May
2013. The exhibition focus on works of
the Roman Empire’s golden age from
98-180 AD. The basilica of Santi Cosma
INFO
The closest airport
is Leonardo da
Vinci-Fiumicino
Airport, 31km from
the city centre.
Train
The Leonardo
Express train
between the airport
and Termini Station
in the city centre
runs every 30
minutes from
6am-11pm. Single
tickets cost €14.
Taxi
There is a fi xed fare
of €40 from the
airport to the city
centre (€30 for the
return journey), and
it’s a 30-minute ride.
Beware of unoffi cial
minicabs which may
charge more – only
take the white taxis.
Tourist info
Call 06 06 08 for
information in six
languages. Tourist
kiosks are scattered
around the city –
including one by
track 24 at Termini
Station – and
provide free maps,
turismoroma.it
FLY TO rome three times daily. brusselsairlines.com
e Damiano (Via dei Fori Imperiali 1) at
the Roman Forum is home to the famous
Neopolitan Crib, which holds a handcarved,
18th-century nativity scene.
SHOP American expat Jessica Harris
sells her exquisite womenswear at her
hole-in-the-wall store Leopardessa (Via
Panisperna 226), alongside accessories
made by fellow artists.
IL PIGNETO
Trendy yet still slightly gritty,
Pigneto is beloved by the young
artists of Rome.
EAT There’s nothing fancy about Qui
Se Magna (Via del Pigneto 307, 062
74 803), and therein lies its charm.
Locals clamour for rustic and cheap
pasta dishes such as classic carbonara
and trippa alla romana (tripe cooked
with tomato and mint). This is Roman
comfort food at its finest.
LATER Beer may not be the first tipple
that springs to mind when you think of
Italy, but Rome is the nation’s capital
of craft beer consumption. Birra +
(Via del Pigneto 105) serves domestic
and international beers on tap, and has
an impressive selection of bottles from
the world’s top craft producers.
TIP Il Pigneto has become an open-air
gallery for street artists, with an
impressive line-up of stencils, graffiti and
posters along Via del Pigneto, the area’s
main thoroughfare. As with everywhere
in Rome, watch your bag carefully.
A marble sarcophagus from
Capitoline Museums’ The Age
of Balance exhibition
CENTRO STORICO
Two thousands years of continuous
residential life have left Rome’s
historic city centre with an eclectic
architectural legacy.
STAY Hotel Ponte Sisto (Via dei
Pettinari 64, 06 686 31 00,
hotelpontesisto.it, rooms from €136)
is set in a quiet building near the Tiber
river. Its outdoor courtyard is a lovely
retreat after a day’s sightseeing.
EAT Antico Forno Roscioli (Via dei
Chiavari 34, 06 686 40 45) is a historic
bakery selling breads, pizza by the slice
and sweets by weight. Try the classic
pizza bianca (olive oil-brushed flatbread
sprinkled with salt) for a morning or
afternoon snack. At lunchtime,
moderately priced pasta, roasted
vegetables and simple meat dishes are
available from the counter at the back.
There’s no table service, so place your
order, find a seat and dig in to the fresh,
piping-hot food.
LATER The world of Italian wine is vast
and intimidating. At Il Goccetto (Via dei
Banchi Vecchi 14), owners Sergio and
Anna bring it down to human scale with
a well chosen list of wines by the glass
that highlights the country’s great
producers. Cold snacks are served at
the counter to the front of the bar.
TIP From 26 November until 6 January,
Piazza Navona is home to a Christmas
Market. Stalls fill the square, and there
are games and rides for children.
december 2012 89

SYMPTÔMES
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Demandez conseil à votre pharmacien. Pas d’utilisation prolongée sans avis médical.
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Le principe actif de ce médicament homéopathique est : Anas barbariae hepatis et cordis extractum 200K.

u txl bud cph gva lhr mad dme nce fco vie
vienna
AUSTRIA
8,219,743
Euro (EUR)
+43 2°C
Three times daily
elizabeth winding
winter in vienna brings rum-laced coffees,
glittering ice pavilions and long, cosy lunches
INNERE STADT
Bounded by the Ringstrasse – the
grand, 19th-century boulevard built
at Emperor Franz Josef’s behest –
is the city’s inner core. For a dense
hit of sightseeing, history and local
café culture, this is where to come.
SLEEP Joining the plush five stars along
the Ringstrasse is the Ritz-Carlton
Vienna (Schubertring 5-7, (0)1 311 88,
ritzcarlton.com, rooms from €325) –
notable for its stunning subterranean
pool. A chic but cheaper option is the
Hollmann Beletage (Köllnerhofgasse
6, (0)1 961 19 60, hollmann-beletage.at,
rooms from €140), known for its tiny
private cinema and truly epic breakfasts.
EAT Cookery book shop Babette’s
(Schleifmühlgasse 17, (0)1 585 5165)
proves its culinary credentials by serving
daily-changing, weekday lunches: lamb
tajine with red beets and ras-el-hanout,
say, or a spicy South African fish curry.
CULTURE With the city’s year-long
celebration of Gustav Klimt coming to
an end, it’s the last chance to catch
Face to Face with Gustav Klimt at the
Kunsthistorisches Museum (Maria-
Theresien-Platz). In the main stairwell,
a specially built bridge affords a bird’s-
INFO
Vienna International
Airport is 18km
southeast of the
city centre.
Bus
Buses to the city
centre generally run
every half hour, but
are less frequent in
the early hours of
the morning. The
journey takes
around 20 minutes
and costs €8.
Train
The City Airport
Train (CAT) zips into
town in 16 minutes.
Departures are
every 30 minutes
and return tickets
cost €17.
Taxi
A taxi to the centre
costs from €30.
Tourist info
Vienna Tourist Offi ce
is at Albertinaplatz,
just behind the
State Opera House,
(0)1 24 555,
wien.info
eye view of a series of Klimt’s early
wall paintings, commissioned in 1890.
LATER Designed by Adolf Loos, the
diminutive, mirror- and marble-clad
American Bar (Kärntner Durchgang
10) is a stylish spot for a cocktail.
TIP Look out for Olafur Eliasson’s Yellow
Fog installation in Am Hof square, which
seeps over the Verbund Building and
across the street every day at sunset.
NEUBAU
Just beyond the MuseumsQuartier,
the graffiti-scrawled 7th District
belies Vienna’s staid reputation.
SLEEP For romantic trysts, book one
of the small but opulent Matteo Thundesigned
rooms at the Hotel Alstadt
(Kirchengasse 41, (0)1 522 66 66,
altstadt.at, rooms from €145). 25hours
Hotel Wien (Lerchenfelder Strasse 1-3,
(0)1 521 510, 25hours-hotels.com, rooms
from €130) has vibrant rooms, circusthemed
suites and a terrific top-floor
bar; just beware noise levels in the
rooms directly below.
EAT If you’re craving a burger, Die
Burgermacher (Burggasse 12, (0)699
115 895 99, dieburgermacher.at) will
deliver: even the ketchup’s home-made.
Rover ticket: for 72 hours unlimited travel on the
subway, tram and bus, and more than 210 discounts –
available in your hotel and Tourist-Info.
Tune in to the city’s
design scene at Le Shop
CULTURE This month, Winter im MQ
brings DJ sets, ice pavilions, hot punch
and curling to the MuseumsQuartier
piazza (Museumsplatz 1/5).
SHOP Le Shop (Kirchengasse 40/1)
is great for gifts, from lambswool socks
to ceramics. For beautiful leather bags,
try Ina Kent (Siebensterngasse 50).
KARMELITERMARKT
The Karmeliter food market and its
surrounding streets offer a slice of
local life, not to mention an up-andcoming
dining scene.
EAT Kaas am Markt (Karmelitermarkt
33-36, (0)699 181 406 01) is a deli and
slow food café with two wholesome
daily specials; Tewa (Karmelitermarkt
26, (0)676 847 74 12 10) does great
falafel. At nearby Skopik & Lohn
(Leopoldsgasse 17, 01 219 89 77), the
menu might include braised rabbit with
candied lemon or Jerusalem artichoke
ravioli with fennel and chorizo.
LATER The low-key, crowded A Bar
Shabu (Rotensterngasse 8) stays open
until 2am and has a taste for absinthe.
Keep the night going at the edgy Fluc
(Praterstern 5), which has a bar on one
floor and bunker-like club below.
only
€ 19,90

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airline news
Keep up to date with all the latest news and information from
93 Airline news | 96 In partnership | 98 b.foundation | 100 Choose how you fly | 102 Check-in
103 Safety | 104 Comfort | 105 Fleet | 106 Miles & More | 108 Maps | 111 Airport info | 112 Menu
Luc Vandevoorde, Engineering Project Manager
and Eric Kergoat, Product Development &
Customer Experience Manager, with the Avion
Award; Inset: Travel in premium luxury in the
award-winning long-haul Business Class cabin
A top class airline
Brussels Airlines picks up several prestigious awards in 2012
This has been a bumper
year for Brussels Airlines.
From winning top awards
for the wines served on board to
receiving accolades for the new
long-haul cabin, the airline has
picked up several international
awards this year.
At the APEX EXPO Passenger
Choice Awards ceremony,
Brussels Airlines was
presented with the
prestigious Avion
Award for “Best
Single Achievement
in Passenger
Experience” for
the new long-haul
cabin. Judged by
industry peers
and members
of the media,
the Avion
Award is
handed out
to airlines
and member
companies that
have enjoyed
tremendous success
in their field and projects.
The new long-haul
cabin also helped the
airline to pick up an
award at the Danish
Travel Awards, where
Danish travel industry
professionals and
passengers voted Brussels Airlines
the runner-up in the “Best
Intercontinental Airline” category.
In May, Global Traveler, a US
magazine aimed at business and
luxury travellers, awarded Brussels
Airlines the top prize for “Best
Overall International Business
Class Wines on the Wing”. Along
with this award applauding the
long-haul Business Class cellar,
several other wines served on
board Brussels Airlines also
took top honours in individual
categories. In addition, Brussels
Airlines was voted the “Best New
Airline Service Launch” by readers
of the same magazine.
And the cherry on the cake
was handed out in New York
in November by the Belgian-
American Chamber of Commerce,
where Brussels Airlines received
the “Entrepreneurship Award 2012”
for the successful launch of the
Brussels-New York JFK route,
thereby enhancing the good relations
between the two countries.
Earlier this year, Brussels Airlines
also picked up two awards from
the Brussels Airport Company: the
“Safety Award” recognising the
airline’s efforts in promoting
runway safety, as well as the
“Network Development Short-Haul
Airline Award” for the growth in
number of passengers flying on the
airline’s European network.
stay connected to brussels airlines
Follow @FlyingBrussels on Twitter, join facebook.com/brusselsairlines or see pinterest.com/flyingbrussels
december 2012 93

94
airline news
Une compagnie aérienne haut de gamme
En 2012, Brussels Airlines a remporté plusieurs prix prestigieux
Pour Brussels Airlines, 2012 fut une
année exceptionnelle. Cette année,
notre compagnie a en effet remporté
différents prix internationaux, notamment le
premier prix pour les vins servis à bord de ses
vols, et reçu de nombreuses louanges pour sa
nouvelle cabine long-courrier.
Au cours de la cérémonie « Passenger
Choice Awards » de l’Expo Apex, Brussels
Airlines s’est vu remettre le prestigieux prix
« Best Single Achievement in Passenger
Experience Avion Award » pour sa nouvelle
cabine long-courrier. L’Avion Award, remis par
nos pairs et par les médias, est décerné aux
compagnies aériennes et aux compagnies
membres qui ont remporté un énorme succès
dans leur domaine et leurs projets.
Cette nouvelle cabine long-courrier nous
a également permis de remporter un prix
lors des « Danish Travel Awards », au cours
desquels les professionnels de l’industrie
du voyage et les passagers danois nous ont
élus deuxième dans la catégorie « Best
Intercontinental Airline ».
En mai, Global Traveler, un magazine dédié
aux voyages d’affaires et de luxe, a attribué
à Brussels Airlines le premier prix dans la
catégorie « Best Overall International Business
Class Wines on the Wing » (Meilleure offre
globale de vins en Classe Business). Outre ce
december 2012
prix, qui souligne la qualité de la cave Business
de nos vols long-courriers, d’autres vins servis
à bord des vols Brussels Airlines ont également
été primés dans les catégories individuelles.
Notre compagnie a également été élue « Best
New Airline Service Launch » par les lecteurs
de ce même magazine.
Cerise sur le gâteau, la Chambre de
Commerce Belgo-Américaine nous a remis à
New York en novembre le « Entrepreneurship
Award 2012 » pour le succès remporté par le
lancement de la nouvelle ligne Bruxelles-New
York JFK, qui renforce les bonnes relations
entre les deux pays.
Plus tôt cette année, la Brussels Airport
Company a décerné deux prix prestigieux à
Brussels Airlines : le « Safety Award » pour les
efforts fournis par notre compagnie en matière
d’amélioration de la sécurité sur les pistes et
le « Network Development Short-Haul Airline
Award » pour la croissance du nombre de
passagers sur notre réseau européen.
The Belgian-American
Chamber of Commerce
gala. Above: the Danish
Travel Awards

Een luchtvaartmaatschappij van topklasse
Brussels Airlines wint verschillende prestigieuze awards in 2012
V
oor Brussels Airlines was 2012 een topjaar. De maatschappij
werd dit jaar namelijk bekroond met verschillende
internationale awards: van toponderscheidingen voor
de wijnen die aan boord worden geserveerd tot prijzen voor de
nieuwe langeafstandscabine.
Op de uitreiking van de APEX EXPO Passenger Choice Awards werd
Brussels Airlines bekroond met de prestigieuze Avion Award voor
‘Best Single Achievement in Passenger Experience’ voor de nieuwe
langeafstandscabine. Na beoordeling door professionals uit de
luchtvaartsector en journalisten wordt de Avion Award uitgereikt aan
luchtvaartmaatschappijen en bedrijven die bijzonder succesvol zijn in
hun vakgebied en in hun projecten.
De nieuwe langeafstandscabine leverde de luchtvaartmaatschappij
ook een prijs op bij de Danish Travel Awards. Deense professionals uit
de reisindustrie en passagiers stemden Brussels Airlines naar de
tweede plaats in de categorie ‘Best Intercontinental Airline’.
In mei gaf Global Traveler, een Amerikaans tijdschrift voor zakenen
luxereizigers, Brussels Airlines de eerste prijs voor ‘Best Overall
International Business Class Wines on the Wing’. Behalve die
onderscheiding voor het wijnaanbod in Business Class op de
langeafstandsvluchten, veroverden nog verschillende andere wijnen
die aan boord van Brussels Airlines worden geserveerd, ereplaatsen
in individuele categorieën. Lezers van hetzelfde tijdschrift riepen
Brussels Airlines bovendien uit tot ‘Best New Airline Service Launch’.
De kers op de taart werd in november uitgereikt in New York door
de Belgisch-Amerikaanse Kamer van Koophandel. Brussels Airlines
mocht er de ‘Entrepreneurship Award 2012’ in ontvangst nemen voor
de succesvolle su lancering van de
route rout Brussel-New York JFK,
waarmee waa het de goede relatie
tussen tuss beide landen versterkt.
Eerder Ee dit jaar kreeg
Brussels B Airlines ook
twee prijzen uitgereikt
van de Brussels Airport
Company: de ‘Safety
Award’, een erkenning voor
de inspanningen die de
maatschappij doet voor
het bevorderen van de
veiligheid op de start- en
landingsbanen, en de
‘Network Development
SShort-Haul
Airline Award’
vvoor
de groei van het aantal
ppassagiers
op de Europese
vluch
vluchten van de maatschappij.
Scan this code with your smartphone to visit
brusselsairlines.com for the latest promotions, flight
updates and other useful information related to your trip.
Brussels Airlines is presented
with the Network Development
Short-Haul Airline Award by
Brussels Airport Company
Consul General of Belgium in New
York, Ambassador M.Calcoen (far
right), with Brussels Airlines crew
members at the Belgian-American
Chamber of Commerce gala
Visitez brusselsairlines.com en scannant ce code avec
votre smartphone et découvrez nos dernières promotions
ainsi que des informations utiles pour votre voyage.
Brussels Airlines is presented
with the Safety Award by Brussels
Airport Company; Left: Be sure to
try the award-winning wines when
you next fl y on the Brussels
Airlines long-haul network
Scan deze code met uw smartphone om brusselsairlines.com
te bezoeken en blijf op de hoogte van onze laatste promoties,
vlucht-updates en andere nuttige informatie betreffende uw trip.
december 2012 95

96
in partnership
Culture and fun
Brussels offers you two delightful events this month
Jordaens and the Antique
The exhibition presents a never-before-seen vision of Jacques Jordaens’
work from the vantage point of the classical tradition. Jordaens was one
of three Flemish Baroque painters, along with Peter Paul Rubens and
Anthony van Dyck, to bring prestige to the Antwerp school of painting. As
well as being a successful painter, Jordaens was a prominent designer of
tapestries, and became the most important painter in Antwerp for largescale
commissions following Rubens’ death. The exhibition is separated
into nine chronological and thematic sections, showing Jordaens’ artistic
development as a witness to the wealth of Antiquity’s literary and artistic
heritage. Jordaens and the Antique takes place until 21 January 2013 at the
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels.
For more information, go to expo-jordaens.be
Winter Wonders
The city celebrates the end of the year with a large Christmas market
that spreads through the cobbled streets and squares around the Grand
Culture et plaisir
Deux événements à ne pas manquer ce mois-ci à Bruxelles
Jordaens et l’Antiquité Cette exposition propose une vision
unique de l’œuvre de Jacques Jordaens, du point de vue de la tradition
classique. Avec Pierre Paul Rubens et Antoine Van Dyck, Jordaens fut
l’un des 3 peintres baroques flamands à avoir fait la renommée de l’école
de peinture d’Anvers. Mais Jordaens n’était pas qu’un peintre à succès. Il
fut également un éminent créateur de tapisseries et, après le décès de
Rubens, il est devenu le peintre le plus important d’Anvers pour les
commandes de grande envergure. L’exposition est divisée en 9 sections
chronologiques et thématiques qui nous font découvrir le développement
artistique de Jordaens, témoin de la richesse de l’héritage littéraire et
artistique de l’Antiquité. L’exposition Jordaens et l’Antiquité se tient jusqu’au
21 janvier 2013 aux Musées royaux des Beaux Arts de Belgique, à Bruxelles.
Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur expo-jordaens.be
Plaisirs d’hiver Bruxelles célèbre la fin de l’année en organisant
un grand marché de Noël qui s’étend le long des ruelles pavées et des
places entourant la Grand-Place. Au cours de cette 11e édition des
Plaisirs d’hiver, le centre-ville se pare de ses habits de fêtes : des sapins,
une crèche de Noël, de la musique et des illuminations uniques. Pour que
l’ambiance festive soit à son comble, vous y trouverez également une
patinoire, ainsi que de nombreuses autres attractions comme une
grande roue, des carrousels et une piste de luge. Les gourmands ne
seront pas en reste… Ils pourront se délecter de divers délices de saison:
tartiflette, moules ou encore gaufres chaudes. Véritable antidote aux
journées courtes et froides, Plaisirs d’hiver porte décidément bien son
nom. Plaisirs d’hiver a lieu du 30 novembre 2012 au 6 janvier 2013 à plusieurs
endroits dans Bruxelles.
Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur plaisirsdhiver.be
december 2012
Brussels offers
both indoor and
outdoor fun in
December
Place. The 11th edition of Winter
Wonders sees the downtown
quarters transformed with fir trees,
a Christmas crib, music and lights.
To add to the festive mood, there
will also be an ice-skating rink and other fairground attractions such as a
Ferris wheel, carousels, and a toboggan run. Gourmands will also enjoy
the wide variety of seasonal delights on offer, including tartiflette,
mussels and warm waffles. A true antidote to the cold and short days,
Winter Wonders definitely lives up to its name. Winter Wonders takes place
30 November 2012-6 January 2013 at various locations in Brussels.
For more information, go to winterwonders.be
Cultuur en winterpret
Brussel pakt deze maand uit met twee schitterende evenementen
Jordaens en de Antieken Deze tentoonstelling biedt
een nooit eerder geziene kijk op het werk van Jacob Jordaens, vanuit
het interessante perspectief van de klassieke oudheid. Jordaens was
een van de drie Vlaamse barokmeesters die de Antwerpse schilderschool
aanzien gaven, samen met Peter Paul Rubens en Antoon van Dyck.
Jordaens was niet alleen een succesvol schilder, maar ook een bekend
ontwerper van wandtapijten. Hij werd na het overlijden van Rubens de
belangrijkste schilder voor grootschalige opdrachten in Antwerpen. De
tentoonstelling is opgedeeld in negen chronologische en thematische
afdelingen, die de artistieke ontwikkeling van Jordaens in beeld brengen
als een getuige van het rijke literaire en artistieke erfgoed van de
klassieke oudheid. Jordaens en de Antieken loopt tot 21 januari 2013 in
de Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België in Brussel.
Surf voor meer informatie naar expo-jordaens.be
Winterpret De stad viert het einde van het jaar met een
grote kerstmarkt, die zich uitstrekt op de kasseistraten en -pleinen
rond de Grote Markt. Voor de elfde editie van Winterpret wordt het
stadscentrum aangekleed met sparren, een kerststal, muziek en
speciale verlichting. Om de feeststemming nog te vergroten, zijn er
ook een schaatsbaan en kermisattracties, zoals een reuzenrad,
draaimolens en een sleepiste. Lekkerbekken kunnen hun hart ophalen
aan het uitgebreide aanbod van seizoensgebonden lekkernijen, zoals
tartiflette, mosselen en warme wafels. Winterpret heeft zijn naam
beslist niet gestolen: het is een echte remedie om de koude, kortste
dagen van het jaar door te komen. Winterpret loopt van 30 november
2012 tot 6 januari 2013 op diverse locaties in Brussel.
Surf voor meer informatie naar winterpret.be

For all seasons
Stay healthy and safe in the new year. Lazer,
a Brussels Airlines partner, presents a wide
range of helmets to suit every style of cycling
Founded in 1919, Lazer is one of the oldest
helmet manufacturers around and prides
itself on delivering innovative and high quality
products. And just like many great cycling stars,
Lazer too is from Belgium – the country known
for cobblestones and some of the most iconic
cycling races. As the sponsor of some of the best
professional cycling teams, for example Lotto-Belisol
and Telenet-Fidea, Lazer garners its information from
the professional peloton and uses it to create the
best possible helmets for everyday cyclists.
In 2013, Lazer will present an updated version of
its flagship model, the Helium. Weighing just 260
grams, this lightweight helmet comes with numerous
ventilation holes to allow riders’ heads to keep cool
while cycling. Furthermore, the patented Rollsys
retention system ensures that the helmet is perfectly
adapted to the rider’s head while delivering a
comfortable fit. The addition of an LED light makes
this helmet ideal for early morning commutes or
late evening rides.
For more information, visit lazersport.com
Pour toutes les saisons
L’année prochaine, passez au vélo ! Lazer, partenaire de Brussels
Airlines, vous propose une large sélection de casques adaptés aux
besoins de chacun
Fondée en 1919, Lazer, l’un des plus anciens fabricants de casques,
se targue de fabriquer des produits innovants et de grande qualité.
Comme de nombreuses stars du cyclisme, la société Lazer est
également née en Belgique, pays connu pour ses pavés et ses courses
cyclistes de légende. En tant que sponsor des meilleures équipes de
cyclisme professionnelles, comme Lotto-Belisol et Telenet-Fidea, Lazer
récolte un grand nombre d’informations au sein même du peloton
professionnel et les met à profit pour créer les meilleurs casques possible
pour les cyclistes amateurs.
En 2013, Lazer présentera une nouvelle version de son modèle phare,
l’Helium. Pesant à peine 260 grammes, ce casque ultraléger
possède de multiples orifices d’aération, afin de garder
la tête du cycliste bien au frais pendant qu’il roule. En
outre, grâce au système de rétention breveté Rollsys,
le casque s’adapte parfaitement à la tête du coureur,
tout en lui offrant maintien et confort. L’ajout d’une
lampe LED en fait le casque idéal pour les parcours
matinaux ou les promenades du soir.
Pour plus d’informations, rendez-vous sur lazersport.com
Voor alle seizoenen
Volgend jaar gaan we voor een veilig en mooi fi etsjaar. Lazer,
een partner van Brussels Airlines, biedt een brede waaier aan
fi etshelmen voor ieder wat wils
Lazer werd opgericht in 1919 en is een van de oudste
helmfabrikanten ter wereld. Het merk gaat prat op zijn
innovatieve producten van hoge kwaliteit. En net als veel grote
wielrenners komt ook Lazer oorspronkelijk uit België, het land van de
kasseien en de legendarische wielerklassiekers. Door enkele van de
allerbeste professionele wielerteams te sponsoren – denk maar aan
Lotto-Belisol of Telenet-Fidea –, kan Lazer in het beroepspeloton veel
nuttige informatie vergaren. Die informatie gebruikt het merk om de
optimale helm te ontwerpen voor de dagdagelijkse fietser.
In 2013 lanceert Lazer een vernieuwde versie van zijn bekendste
model, de Helium. Deze lichtgewichthelm van slechts 260 gram
krijgt een groot aantal ventilatieopeningen, waardoor het
hoofd koel blijft tijdens het fietsen. Bovendien zorgt het
geoctrooieerde Rollsys-passysteem ervoor dat de helm zich
perfect aanpast aan het hoofd van de fietser en
comfortabel zit. De toevoeging van een ledlampje maakt
deze helm ideaal geschikt om ‘s ochtends vroeg naar
het werk te fietsen of voor een late avondrit.
Surf voor meer informatie naar lazersport.com
december 2012 97

98
b.foundation
A holiday for everyone
A special spotlight on Villa Rozerood this holiday season
Every family would like to occasionally go away on a well-deserved
holiday. However, for families with a child who needs specialised
care, an ordinary hotel is often unsuitable for the child’s needs.
In De Panne, on the west coast of Belgium, there is a unique home and
rehabilitative care hotel, Villa Rozerood, which caters for the whole family
while offering appropriate care and support for seriously ill children.
Des vacances pour tous
En cette période de vacances, pleins feux sur la Villa Rozerood
Quelle famille ne rêve pas de s’offrir de temps à autre des vacances
bien méritées ? Mais lorsque les familles ont un enfant ayant besoin
de soins spécialisés, un hôtel classique ne suffit pas. À La Panne, à
l’ouest de la côte belge, il existe une maison unique : la Villa Rozerood, un
hôtel de soins qui accueille toute la famille tout en offrant des soins adaptés
et une assistance aux enfants gravement malades.
Si les besoins de l’enfant malade sont au centre de toutes les attentions,
ses parents et ses proches peuvent également y passer des vacances
agréables. Tout est à portée de main des familles, afin qu’elles puissent
s’amuser et passer du bon temps : nourriture et boissons de bonne qualité,
divertissements… Les membres de la famille élargie, comme les grandsparents
ou les parrains et marraines, sont également les bienvenus pour un
week-end ou pour plus longtemps.
La Villa Rozerood prend en charge gratuitement le séjour de l’enfant
malade avec ou sans sa famille. La pension complète, proposée à un prix
abordable, est disponible par le biais des conseillers. Des tarifs sociaux sont
également proposés.
Pour en savoir plus sur la Villa Rozerood, rendez-vous sur villarozerood.be
PROMO
During the holiday season, Santa hats are
for sale on board Brussels Airlines flights,
with all proceeds going to Villa Rozerood.
Buy one for each of your family members,
and make it possible for another family to
go on holiday. Thank you!
december 2012
Pendant la période des fêtes, nous vendons à bord des vols
Brussels Airlines des bonnets de Père Noël. Les bénéfices
de ces ventes seront intégralement reversés à la Villa
Rozerood. Achetez un bonnet pour chaque membre de
votre famille et permettez à une autre famille de partir en
vacances. Merci de votre générosité !
Villa Rozerood provides sick
children and their families
the chance to enjoy a break
While the needs of the ill child are placed first, a wonderful holiday
experience can also be enjoyed by the parents and siblings. From good
food and drink to entertainment, everything is readily available for the
family to have a good time and enjoy themselves. Other members of the
extended family, like grandparents or godparents, are also welcome for a
weekend or longer.
Villa Rozerood offers a free stay to the sick child, with or without family.
Full pension at a fair rate is available to counsellors, and social tariffs are
also available.
To find out more about Villa Rozerood, visit villarozerood.be
Vakantie voor iedereen
In de kijker tijdens deze eindejaarsperiode: Villa Rozerood
Ieder gezin wil weleens genieten van een welverdiende vakantie.
Voor gezinnen met een kind dat gespecialiseerde verzorging
nodig heeft, is een gewoon hotel echter niet geschikt. In De
Panne aan de Belgische westkust staat Villa Rozerood, een uniek
zorghotel voor opvang en herstel, waar het hele gezin welkom is en
dat aangepaste zorgondersteuning biedt aan ernstig zieke
kinderen.
Terwijl de behoeften van het zieke kind op de eerste plaats
komen, kunnen ook de ouders en broers en zussen een heerlijke
vakantie beleven. Van lekker eten en drinken tot ontspannende
activiteiten: alles is voorhanden opdat het hele gezin voluit kan
genieten en ontspannen. Ook andere familieleden, zoals de
grootouders of meter en peter, zijn welkom om een weekend of
langer te komen logeren.
Villa Rozerood biedt een gratis verblijf aan voor het zieke kind,
met of zonder gezin. Volpension is voor begeleiders beschikbaar
voor een redelijke prijs, en ook sociale tarieven zijn mogelijk.
Surf voor meer informatie over Villa Rozerood naar villarozerood.be
Tijdens de eindejaarsperiode worden aan boord van
alle Brussels Airlines-vluchten kerstmutsen verkocht.
De volledige opbrengst van de verkoop gaat naar
Villa Rozerood. Door voor al uw gezinsleden een muts
te kopen, zorgt u ervoor dat een ander gezin op
vakantie kan gaan. Bedankt!

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I look and feel younger again; Thanks BHR Clinic!”
IMPROVE YOUR LIFE TODAY WITH A STATE OF THE ART
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en Angleterre ou en Espagne?
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when booking one of our packages*
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Tel: 0032 23 44 71 78
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Email: medical@bhrclinic.com
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†PRICES QUOTED ARE FOR A RETURN TICKET IN B.LIGHT ECONOMY FROM OR TO BRUSSELS, ALL TAXES AND FEES INCLUDED, IF BOOKED ON BRUSSELSAIRLINES.COM. TICKETS ARE NOT CHANGEABLE, NOR REFUNDABLE. PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE
100
Fares
choose how you fly
Cancellation possibility
Pre-flight seat selection
Latest check-in
Luggage allowance
Access through
security via Fast Lane 4
Priority check-in
Premium seating
Newspapers
Meal and drink service
Access to Lounge
Miles & More
Change to earlier flight 8
Change of booking
december 2012
Three great products in Business and
Economy for flying around Europe
Whether you want premium Business Class service, time-saving and total fl exibility, or the
lowest fare guarantee † to 50 European destinations, Brussels Airlines has just the ticket for
you. Check out which option suits you best...
ECONOMY CLASS
■ From €99* return, taxes included
■ No refund possible
■ Yes, for check-in online
■ 60 minutes before departure 1
■ 1 piece of 23kgs checked + 6kgs hand luggage
(1 piece), ski equipment for free 2/3
■ N o
■ N o
■ N o
■ N o
■ For sale on board (see menu card)
■ No lounge access 7
■ 125 or 750 status miles per flight depending
on fare level
■ N o
■ Subject to availability, €50 change fee +
difference between old and new fare
Footnotes (1) Check-in times can vary depending on destination (2) Miles & More Frequent Traveller members are entitled to
one extra piece of 23kgs checked luggage in Economy Class (3) Miles & More HON Circle and Senator as well as Star Alliance
Gold members are entitled to one extra piece of 23kgs checked luggage and 1 golf bag (4) For Business Class passengers
(incl. b.business); Miles & More HON Circle and Senator members (irrespective of class flown); Miles & More Frequent Traveller
members when flying Business, b.business or b.flex economy+; Star Alliance Gold members and b.flex economy+ passengers
The low
fare you
can trust
ECONOMY CLASS
■ Flexible premium economy fares
■ Fully refundable if cancelled prior to departure
■ Yes
■ 40 minutes before departure 1
■ 1 piece of 23kgs checked + 12kgs hand luggage
(1 piece), ski equipment for free 2/3
■
Athens, Berlin Tegel 5 , Birmingham, Bristol,
Brussels, Budapest, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg,
Lisbon, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan Linate/
Malpensa 4a , Moscow, Newcastle, Oslo, Porto,
Prague, Rome, Venice and Vienna
■ Yes
■ Middle seat free if possible
■ Fre e
■ Free snacks and drinks
■ €15 (access only available at Brussels) 7
■ Up to 1,250 status miles per flight
■ Free if seats available upon departure
The best
economy
class in
Europe
■ Free subject to availability within the same
fare category 9
(4a) Excluding Star Alliance Gold members (5) Open during peak times only (6) Business Class passengers (incl. b.business),
Miles & More HON Circle and Star Alliance Gold members only (7) Free for Miles & More Frequent Traveller in Lufthansa Group
lounges, and for Star Alliance Gold members in Star Alliance lounges (8) Change to an earlier flight only permitted at the
airport on the day of departure (9) If same fare category or lower is no longer available, then a fare differential is charged.
Fully flexible fare category available.

BUSINESS CLASS
■ Business Class return fares
■ Fully refundable if cancelled prior to departure
■ Yes
■ 40 minutes before departure 1
■ 2 pieces of 32kgs each checked + total 16kgs hand
luggage (max 2 pieces), ski equipment for free 3
■
Athens, Berlin Tegel 5 , Birmingham, Bristol,
Brussels, Budapest, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg,
Lisbon, London, Madrid, Manchester, Milan Linate/
Malpensa 4a , Moscow, Newcastle, Oslo, Paris CDG 6 ,
Porto, Prague, Rome, Venice, Vienna and Warsaw
■ Dedicated b.business check-in at Brussels
■ Guaranteed middle seat free
■ Fre e
■ Gourmet dining service, champagne
■ Fre e
■ 2,000 status miles per flight
■ Fre e
■ Free subject to availability
The class
that puts
you first
Scan this code with your smartphone to visit
brusselsairlines.com for the latest promotions, flight
updates and other useful information related to your trip.
My profile
Keep up to date with
our exclusive offers
and product updates.
sign up online at
brusselsairlines.com
PRODUCT OPTIONS
Premium Business Class service for
top segment business travellers
Dedicated product for corporate
travellers, offering best value for
money (flexibility, time saving
and onboard service)
Our low fare leisure product. Fares starting
from €99* return, taxes included
Discover
your
check-in
options on
page 102
Visitez brusselsairlines.com en scannant ce code avec
votre smartphone et découvrez nos dernières promotions
ainsi que des informations utiles pour votre voyage.
Scan deze code met uw smartphone om brusselsairlines.com
te bezoeken en blijf op de hoogte van onze laatste promoties,
vlucht-updates en andere nuttige informatie betreffende uw trip.
december 2012 101

102
check-in
Checking in for your Brussels Airlines
flight is simple and hassle-free
S’enregistrer sur son vol
Brussels Airlines n’a jamais été
aussi simple, sûr et efficace
Enregistrement en ligne Gagnez du temps à l’aéroport
■ Enregistrez-vous depuis Internet sur checkin.brusselsairlines.com. N’oubliez pas
d’imprimer votre carte d’embarquement au format pdf.
■ Une fois à l’aéroport, rendez-vous à l’un des points Bagages Drop Off de Brussels Airlines
pour y déposer vos bagages. Dirigez-vous ensuite directement vers la porte d’embarquement.
■ Disponible entre 24 heures et 1 heure avant le départ de votre vol.
Enregistrement Mobile
Idéal pour les personnes toujours en mouvement
■ En surfant sur m.brusselsairlines.com depuis votre appareil mobile, vous pouvez
recevoir directement votre carte d’embarquement sous forme d’un code barre 2D qui sera
scanné à l’aéroport.
■ Rendez-vous alors à l’aéroport à l’un des points Bagages Drop Off de
Brussels Airlines pour y déposer vos bagages. Dirigez-vous ensuite directement
vers la porte d’embarquement.
■ Disponible entre 24 heures et 1 heure avant le départ de votre vol.
Check-in Express Simple et rapide
■ Evitez les files d’attente et enregistrez-vous via nos bornes Express.
■ Ce service est disponible à Brussels Airport ainsi que dans une sélection
d’aéroports européens.
Enregistrement de votre vol retour Un service pratique
■ Si votre vol retour est prévu dans les prochaines 24 heures et que votre réservation est
confirmée, alors vous pouvez vous enregistrer en même temps sur les vols aller et retour.
december 2012
Online check-in
Saves time at the airport
■ Visit checkin.brusselsairlines.com to
check-in. Remember to print the pdf
version of your boarding card.
■ Once at the airport, drop baggage off at
Brussels Airlines Baggage Drop Off
points, and proceed to the gate.
■ Available from 24 hours to one hour
before your flight.
Mobile check-in
Ideal for busy people on the move
■ Visit m.brusselsairlines.com from
your web-enabled mobile device.
The boarding pass will be sent to your
mobile device as a 2D barcode, which
can then be scanned at many locations
in airports.
■ Once at the airport, drop baggage off at
Brussels Airlines Baggage Drop Off
points, and proceed to the gate.
■ Available from 24 hours to one hour
before your flight.
Express check-in
Fast and simple
■ Speed through check-in with our
Express check-in kiosks.
■ This service is available at Brussels
Airport and selected European airports.
Return check-in
Added convenience
■ If you’re returning within 24 hours and
have a confirmed booking, you can
check in for your outbound and return
flights at the same time.
Inchecken voor uw vlucht
met Brussels Airlines kan
eenvoudig en zonder zorgen
Online check-in Bespaart tijd op de luchthaven
■ Check in via checkin.brusselsairlines.com. Denk erom de pdf-versie
van uw instapkaart af te printen.
■ Op de luchthaven zet u uw bagage af aan één van de drop-off points van
Brussels Airlines en loopt u meteen door naar de gate.
■ Beschikbaar vanaf 24 uur tot 1 uur voor het vertrek van uw vlucht.
Mobile check-in Ideaal voor druk bezette mensen die
steeds onderweg zijn
■ Ga naar m.brusselsairlines.com via uw mobiele toestel met
internetverbinding. De instapkaart zal als een streepjescode in 2D naar
uw mobiele toestel verzonden worden. Deze code kan vervolgens
gescand worden op vele plaatsen in luchthavens.
■ Op de luchthaven zet u uw bagage af aan één van de drop-off points van
Brussels Airlines en loopt u meteen door naar de gate.
■ Beschikbaar vanaf 24 uur tot 1 uur voor het vertrek van uw vlucht.
Express Check-in Snel en eenvoudig
■ Snel door de check-in met onze machines voor Express Check-in.
■ Deze dienst is beschikbaar op Brussels Airport en geselecteerde
Europese luchthavens.
Return Check-in Extra comfort
■ Indien u binnen de 24 uur terugkeert en uw boeking reeds bevestigd is,
kunt u tegelijkertijd inchecken voor uw heen- en terugvlucht.

safety
For your safety
and comfort
Welcome on board our fl ight today and
thank you for choosing Brussels Airlines.
Please read the information below
regarding smoking and safety regulations
on board. Should you have any questions,
please ask your cabin attendant.
Electronic devices
No personal communications or radio emitting
devices, such as portable telephones, radios,
GPS locators, games or remote-control toys,
may be used on board*. Please ensure that
your telephone is switched off before and
during the flight. Items such as personal
computers and electronic games may be used
during the flight, but must be switched off
during take-off and landing.
Smoking
In accordance with government regulations,
smoking is not permitted on any Brussels
Airlines flight. Passengers should be aware that
there are smoke detectors in the aircraft’s
toilets and that any breach of this rule may
incur penalties. Additionally, please note that
electronic cigarettes are prohibited on board
all our flights.
Safety procedures
You will find an information sheet on safety
procedures in your seat pocket. Please read it
carefully and please listen attentively to all
safety announcements and instructions
from the crew.
Alcohol
Passengers are not allowed to consume alcohol
they have brought with them or bought on
board. Alcohol may be served on board, but our
cabin crew will not serve any passenger who
they feel has already had too much to drink.
*For the complete list of items whose use is
restricted, please see your safety card located in
the seat pocket in front of you.
Pour votre sécurité
et votre confort
Nous vous souhaitons la bienvenue à
bord de notre vol, et vous remercions
d’avoir choisi Brussels Airlines.
Veuillez lire les informations suivantes
concernant les consignes de sécurité
et l’interdiction de fumer à bord. Pour
toute question, n’hésitez pas à vous
adresser à notre personnel navigant.
Appareils électroniques
Aucun appareil de communication ou émetteur
radio personnel, tel que téléphone portable,
radio, système GPS, jeu ou jouet
télécommandé ne peut être utilisé à bord*.
Veuillez vous assurer que votre téléphone est
bien éteint avant et pendant le vol. L’utilisation
des ordinateurs et jeux électroniques est
autorisée pendant le vol, mais ces appareils
doivent être éteints lors du décollage et de
l’atterrissage.
Interdiction de fumer
Conformément aux réglementations
gouvernementales, tous les vols Brussels
Airlines sont entièrement non-fumeurs. Nous
rappelons aux passagers que les toilettes de
l’avion sont équipées de détecteurs de fumée,
et que toute infraction à ce règlement peut
entraîner une amende. Veuillez également
noter que les cigarettes électroniques ne sont
pas autorisées sur nos vols.
Procédures de sécurité
Vous trouverez dans la poche de votre siège
une fiche d’information concernant les
procédures de sécurité. Veuillez lire cette
fiche et écouter attentivement toutes les
annonces et instructions de l’équipage en
matière de sécurité.
Alcool
Les passagers ne sont pas autorisés à
consommer l’alcool qu’ils ont emporté ou
acheté à bord. De l’alcool peut être servi
dans l’avion, mais notre équipage refusera de
servir tout passager qu’il soupçonne d’avoir
déjà trop bu.
*Pour la liste complète des appareils dont l’utilisation
à bord est interdite, veuillez consulter la fiche de
sécurité rangée dans la poche du siège devant vous.
Voor uw veiligheid
en comfort
We verwelkomen u graag aan boord van
deze vlucht en danken u om te vliegen
met Brussels Airlines. Lees aandachtig
onderstaande informatie over roken en
veiligheid aan boord. Als u vragen heeft,
kunt u die stellen aan het
cabinepersoneel.
Elektronische apparaten
U mag aan boord geen (communicatie)
apparaten gebruiken die radiogolven uitzenden,
zoals draagbare telefoons, radio’s, GPSapparaten,
spelletjes of speelgoed met een
afstandsbediening*. Zorg ervoor dat uw
telefoon is uitgeschakeld voor en tijdens de
vlucht. Elektronische toestellen zoals personal
computers en spelletjes mag u tijdens de
vlucht gebruiken, maar moet u uitschakelen
bij het opstijgen en landen.
Roken
In overeenstemming met de Belgische
wetgeving is roken verboden op alle vluchten
van Brussels Airlines. Wij wijzen u erop dat de
toiletten aan boord zijn uitgerust met
rookdetectoren. Een inbreuk op het rookverbod
kan bestraft worden. Tevens wijzen wij u erop
dat het gebruik van elektronische sigaretten
verboden is aan boord van al onze vluchten.
Veiligheidsprocedures
U vindt een informatieblad over
de veiligheidsprocedures in het opbergzakje
voor u. Lees het zorgvuldig en luister
aandachtig naar alle veiligheidsmededelingen
en instructies van het cabinepersoneel.
Alcohol
Passagiers mogen geen alcohol gebruiken die
ze hebben meegebracht of aan boord hebben
gekocht. Alcohol kan aan boord worden
geserveerd, maar ons cabinepersoneel zal geen
alcohol schenken aan passagiers die volgens
hen al voldoende hebben gedronken.
*In het opbergzakje voor u vindt u uw
veiligheidskaart met daarop de volledige lijst van
apparaten met gebruiksbeperkingen.
Useful telephone numbers in Europe
112 (emergency services requiring an ambulance, fire brigade or police); Child Focus 116 000 (missing children hotline)
december 2012 103

104
comfort
Your personal
wellbeing on board
Nowadays, for many passengers, fl ying
regularly is part of life. However, the body is
sensitive to change and fl ying still isn’t part
of a normal daily rhythm. Brussels Airlines
cares about your comfort, so here are a
couple of hints on how to keep your body
happy and healthy in the air.
Before
■ Drink plenty of water and avoid excessive intake of
alcohol, coffee and tea
■ Take time to have a stroll around the terminal after
check-in
■ A light snack is fine, but avoid heavy meals
before flying
■ Dress in loose, comfortable clothing
■ Apply moisturiser to keep your skin feeling fresh
During
■ Drink plenty of water and avoid excessive intake of
alcohol, coffee and tea
■ Exercise helps you avoid cramps and is good for
circulation, even on short flights (see below)
■ Don’t eat too much
Exercises
Stretch and flex your leg muscles, as well as your
arms, shoulders and neck, from time to time. This
will improve your general level of comfort and
stimulate your circulation. Stretch and rotate
your ankles and legs while sitting in your seat.
december 2012
Votre bien-être
à bord
De nos jours, il est de plus en plus courant de
prendre l’avion régulièrement. Cependant, le
corps est sensible aux changements, et voler
implique toujours une modifi cation du rythme
normal. Pour Brussels Airlines, la question
de votre confort est une priorité. Voici donc
quelques conseils pour garder un corps léger et
équilibré jusque dans les airs.
Avant
■ Buvez beaucoup d’eau, évitez une consommation
excessive d’alcool, de café et de thé
■ Prenez le temps de vous balader un peu dans
l’aérogare après l’enregistrement
■ N’hésitez pas à prendre un en-cas léger, mais évitez
les repas trop lourds avant d’embarquer
■ Portez des vêtements amples et confortables
■ Appliquez une crème hydratante pour garder une
peau fraîche
Pendant
■ Buvez beaucoup d’eau, évitez une consommation
excessive d’alcool, de café et de thé
■ Faire de l’exercice permet d’éviter les crampes et est
excellent pour la circulation. Essayez les exercices
décrits ci-dessous
■ Ne mangez pas trop
Exercises
Etirez et fléchissez de temps à autre les muscles
de vos jambes, vos bras, vos épaules et votre
nuque. Cela améliorera votre confort général tout
en stimulant votre circulation. Etirez et dessinez de
petits cercles avec vos chevilles et vos jambes
lorsque vous êtes assis.
Uw persoonlijk
comfort aan board
Vandaag maakt vliegen voor heel wat passagiers
deel uit van het dagelijkse leven. Ons lichaam is
echter gevoelig voor verandering en vliegen kan
ons dagritme danig in de war brengen. Uw welzijn
ligt Brussels Airlines nauw aan het hart. Daarom
geven we u enkele tips om ook in de lucht uw
lichaam fi t en gezond te houden.
Vooraf
■ Drink veel water en vermijd overmatig gebruik van
alcohol, koffie en thee
■ Neem de tijd om na het inchecken even door de
terminal te wandelen
■ Een lichte snack mag, maar eet niet te zwaar vóór u
het vliegtuig neemt
■ Draag losse, comfortabele kleding
■ Gebruik een vochtinbrengende crème zodat
uw huid fris aanvoelt
Tijdens
■ Drink veel water en vermijd overmatig gebruik van
alcohol, koffie en thee
■ Oefeningen voorkomen krampen en zijn goed voor de
bloedsomloop. Probeer onderstaande oefeningen
■ Eet niet te veel
Oefeningen
Strek en buig nu en dan uw benen, armen,
schouders en nek. U zult er zich beter door
voelen en het stimuleert de bloedsomloop.
Strek en draai uw enkels en benen terwijl u in
uw stoel zit.
Stretch and rotate your ankles and legs while seated . Flex and stretch your calf muscles , as well as your arms , shoulders and neck periodically.
This will improve your general level of comfort and stimulate your circulation.
ILLUSTRATIONS: JULIE JOHNSON

in the air
Brussels Airlines aircraft are a regular sight taking off
and landing at Brussels Airport as well as at the
70 destinations we serve across Europe, Africa and
the United States. Check our fl eet line-up to fi nd out
more about the aircraft you’re fl ying on
AVRO RJ85
short haul flights
Number 1
Seats 82
Wingspan 26.30 m
AVRO RJ100
short haul flights
Number 12
Seats 97
Wingspan 26.30 m
Length 28.30 m
Height 8.50 m
Cruising speed 755 km/h
Length 31.00 m
Height 8.50 m
Cruising speed 755 km/h
Bombardier DH8-Q400
short haul flights
Number 5
Seats 76-78
Wingspan 28.42 m
Length 32.84 m
Height 8.34 m
Max speed 667 km/h
Airbus A330-200
long haul flights
Number 2
Seats 230
Wingspan 60.30 m
Airbus A330-300
long haul flights
Number 5
Seats 284
Wingspan 60.30 m
Airbus A319
short haul flights
Number 13
Seats 141
Wingspan 34.09 m
Airbus A320
short haul flights
Number 5
Seats 168
Wingspan 34.10 m
brusselsairlines.com
Length 58.40 m
Height 17.80 m
Cruising speed 870 km/h
Length 63.66 m
Height 16.91 m
Cruising speed 870 km/h
Length 33.84 m
Height 11.76 m
Cruising speed 850 km/h
Length 37.57 m
Height 11 m
Cruising speed 850 km/h
december 2012 105

106
loyalty programme
PROMO 1 PROMO 2
Welcome to Scotland
Celebrate Brussels Airlines’ new direct flight between
Brussels and Edinburgh by earning double award miles on all
our UK destinations: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol,
Newcastle and Edinburgh. Register and travel until 31 December
2012. For more info, please visit miles-and-more.be
Bienvenue en Ecosse
Célébrez le lancement de la nouvelle liaison de Brussels Airlines
entre Bruxelles et Édimbourg en cumulant le double de Miles de
prime sur toutes nos destinations au Royaume-Uni: Londres,
Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle et Édimbourg.
Enregistrez-vous et voyagez jusqu’au 31 décembre 2012. Pour plus
d’informations, rendez-vous sur miles-and-more.be
Welkom in Schotland
Vier de lancering van de nieuwe lijndienst van Brussels Airlines
tussen Brussel en Edinburgh en verdien dubbele awardmijlen op
al onze bestemmingen in het Verenigd Koninkrijk : Londen,
Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Newcastle en Edinburgh.
Registreer u en reis tot 31 december 2012. Surf naar
miles-and-more.be voor meer info.
Scan this code with your smartphone to visit miles-and-more.be
Visitez miles-and-more.be en scannant ce code avec votre smartphone
Scan deze code met uw smartphone om miles-and-more.be te bezoeken
become a miles & more member now!
Sign up online at miles-and-more.be or ask our cabin crew for an application form
december 2012
viva españa!
Earn double award miles or book your flight award for only
12,000 miles in Economy Class or 24,000 miles in Business
Class on any Brussels Airlines flight between Brussels and
Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid or Malaga. For bookings and
conditions, please visit miles-and-more.be/earnmiles or
miles-and-more.be/spendmiles
Cumulez le double de Miles de prime ou réservez votre billet
Prime pour seulement 12 000 Miles en Economy Class ou
24 000 Miles en Business Class sur tous les vols Brussels Airlines
entre Bruxelles et Barcelone, Bilbao, Madrid ou Malaga.
Pour vos réservations et les conditions de l’offre, rendez-vous
sur miles-and-more.be/cumulerdesmiles ou
miles-and-more.be/echangerdesmiles
Verdien dubbele awardmijlen of boek uw vluchtaward voor
slechts 12.000 mijlen in Economy Class of 24.000 mijlen in
Business Class op elke Brussels Airlines vlucht tussen Brussel
en Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid of Malaga. Voor boekingen en
voorwaarden, gelieve miles-and-more.be/verzamelmijlen of
miles-and-more.be/gebruikmijlen te bezoeken.

*THIS OFFER IS ONLY VALID ON REGULAR PRICED ITEMS. SPECIAL OFFERS AND ITEMS ON SALE ARE EXCLUDED FROM THIS PROMOTION. / *CETTE OFFRE S’APPLIQUE UNIQUEMENT SUR LES PRIX DE VENTE RÉGULIERS. LES OFFRES SPÉCIALES ET ARTICLES SOLDÉS SONT EXCLUS DE CETTE PROMOTION. /
*DEZE AANBIEDING IS ENKEL VAN TOEPASSING OP REGULIERE VERKOOPPRIJZEN. SPECIALE AANBIEDINGEN OF AFGEPRIJSDE ARTIKELEN KOMEN HIERVOOR NIET IN AANMERKING.
PARTNER
OFFER
Let’s celebrate Swarovski’s
new Christmas collection
with 2,000 additional miles!
Swarovski, the leading global brand for cut crystal, is offering you the perfect
gift! Discover the wonderful new Christmas collection and be amazed by the
creative designs. Visit any of the 27 boutiques in Belgium and earn 2,000
additional award miles for every purchase over €120* until 31 December
2012. For more information, go to miles-and-more.be/Swarovski-en
Swarovski: Célébrons la nouvelle
collection de Noël avec 2 000 Miles
supplémentaires !
Swarovski, la marque leader dans le monde du cristal taillé, vous propose le
cadeau parfait ! Découvrez la magnifique nouvelle collection de Noël et
laissez-vous surprendre par la créativité des pièces. Visitez l’une des 27
boutiques en Belgique et cumulez 2 000 Miles de prime supplémentaires pour
chaque achat supérieur à 120 €* jusqu’au 31 décembre 2012. Pour plus
d’informations, rendez-vous sur miles-and-more.be/swarovski-fr
Laten we de nieuwe Swarovski
kerstcollectie vieren met
2.000 extra mijlen!
Swarovski, het toonaangevende merk in de wereld van geslepen kristal,
heeft het perfecte geschenk in huis! Ontdek de prachtige nieuwe kerstcollectie
en laat u verrassen door de creatieve ontwerpen. Bezoek één van de
27 boutiques in België en verdien 2.000 extra awardmijlen voor iedere
aankoop boven €120* tot 31 december 2012. Voor meer informatie,
bezoek miles-and-more.be/swarovski-nl
Connect more smoothly
The Star Alliance network ensures you a convenient,
smooth and effi cient worldwide travel experience
■ The Star Alliance network is a group of 27 airlines
working together to operate more than 21,000 daily
departures to 1,356 destinations in 193 countries, with
over 990 airport lounges
■ Flight connections between member airlines are
smoother and faster thanks to coordinated arrivals and
departures, as well as closer airport facilities
■ Earn frequent flyer mileage on any Star Alliance
scheduled flight, making it easier to reach, maintain
and build your status. staralliance.com
december 2012
107

108
network
over 60
premium
European
destinations
Perfect for
one-day,
weekend and
leisure trips
MADEIRA
Funchal
Portland
Vancouver
Seattle
Porto
Lisbon
Faro
Manchester
Calgary
Birmingham
Bristol
Bilbao
Denver
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Diego
Austin
1 Brussels Airlines
december 2012
Edinburgh
Newcastle
Madrid Barcelona
Malaga
Winnipeg
Minneapolis
UNITED
STATES
destination in US
Daily direct fl ight to New York JFK
connections to nearly
London
Heathrow
Strasbourg
Paris
Basel
Geneva
Munich
Zurich
Vienna
Ljubljana
Budapest
Lyon
Milan
Venice
Turin
Bologna
Zagreb
Toulouse
Marseille
Nice Florence
Dallas
Houston
30
Hannover
BRUSSELS
Frankfurt
Chicago
CANADA
Atlanta
Tampa
Oslo
CUBA
JAMAICA
Hamburg
Rome
Québec City
Ottawa
Moncton
Toronto
Montreal
Boston
Halifax
Washington
Orlando
Palermo
Gothenburg
Copenhagen
Malta
Fort Lauderdale
HAITI
Stockholm
Poznan
Berlin
Wroclaw
Prague
Naples
New York
BAHAMAS
Gdansk
Lamezia Terme
Catania
DOMINICAN REP.
San Juan
US destinations with Direct
flights to Chicago, Washington
and New York in codeshare with Star Alliance partners
9 destinations in Canada
Calgary, Halifax, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Québec City, Toronto,
Vancouver & Winnipeg in codeshare with Air Canada
Bari
SAINT KITTS
AND NEVIS
Warsaw
Krakow
Vilnius
Athens
Helsinki
Tallinn
Riga
Bucharest
Beijing
CHINA
Kiev
Tel Aviv
Moscow
2
destinations
in the
Middle East
Abu Dhabi
in codeshare with
Etihad Airways
Tel Aviv
fl own by Brussels Airlines
and also in codeshare
with Lufthansa
Sweden
Abu
Dhabi
Umea
1
destination
in China
Beijing
in codeshare with
Hainan Airlines

Casablanca
MOROCCO
20 Brussels Airlines Marrakech
TUNISIA
destinations
in Africa
Agadir
ALGERIA
Cairo
Abidjan, Agadir, Bamako,
Banjul, Bujumbura,
Conakry, Cotonou,
Dakar, Douala,
LIBYA EGYPT
Entebbe, Freetown,
MAURITANIA
Kigali, Kinshasa, Lomé,
MALI
NIGER
SUDAN
Luanda, Marrakech, SENEGAL
CHAD
Dakar
Khartoum
Monrovia, Nairobi,
BURKINA
Banjul GAMBIA
FASO
Ouagadougou GUINEA
BISSAU GUINEA
& Yaoundé
NIGERIA
Conakry
SIERRA IVORY GHANA
Abuja
Freetown LEONE COAST
CENTRAL
Monrovia
Abidjan Lomé Lagos
AFRICAN REPUBLIC
2 Korongo
LIBERIA
Port Harcourt
Accra
Douala
Airlines destinations
Yaoundé
EQUAT. CAMEROON
UGANDA
(operated by Brussels Airlines)
DEMOCRATIC
GUINEA
REPUBLIC OF
Libreville
Lubumbashi & Johannesburg CONGO THE CONGO Entebbe Nairobi
GABON
RWANDA Kigali
Bujumbura
BURUNDI
Kinshasa
TANZANIA
Luanda
Cotonou
Bamako
Ouagadougou
SOUTH
SUDAN
12 codeshare destinations in africa
Casablanca (with Royal Air Maroc); Abuja, Accra, Cape Town,
Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Libreville, Luanda & Port Harcourt
(with Lufthansa); Cairo (with Egyptair); Nairobi (with Swiss)
Mumbai
Delhi
INDIA
Codeshare partners
2 destinations
in India
Delhi & Mumbai
in codeshare with Jet Airways
2 destinations
in Southeast Asia
Bangkok
in codeshare with Thai Airways
Singapore
in codeshare with Lufthansa
TOGO
BENIN
Bangkok
THAILAND
MALAYSIA
SINGAPORE
ANGOLA
NAMIBIA
ZAMBIA
BOTSWANA
SOUTH AFRICA
Cape Town
Lubumbashi
ZIMBABWE
Johannesburg
MALAWI
KENYA
MOZAMBIQUE
ERITREA
DJIBOUTI
ETHIOPIA
SOMALIA
Legend
Brussels Airlines fl ights
Brussels Airlines fl ights
(from April 2013)
Korongo Airlines fl ights
Codeshare operated
december 2012 109

Airport Express®
Shuttle every hour from Brussels airport
to the center of Antwerp (and back)
with a travel time of approx. 45 minutes
Antwerp - Brussels Airport
4 am - 11 pm
(From 6 am Sundays & Bank Holidays)
Brussels Airport - Antwerp
5 am - 12 Midnight
(From 7 am Sundays & Bank Holidays)
€10
for Adults
€5
Children under
the age of 12
DE DECKER-VAN RIET
www.airportexpress.be

LEVEL 2
LEVEL 1
GATES A28-A39
LEVEL 0
LEVEL -2
at the airport
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
LOUNGE
Transport to/from
Brussels Airport
Car rental
The car rental companies are located in the
arrivals hall level 2. To return your car, follow the signage
at Brussels Airport for Front Park 1. Returning your car is
simple and should take no longer than 10 minutes. Avis is
the preferred partner of Brussels Airlines, for preferential
rates, see the Avis link on brusselsairlines.com
Fast
Lane
visit the Louis
Delhaize supermarket
in the arrivals hall
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
TRANSFER & SERVICES
GATES A40-A72
GATES T61-T72
Taxis
Taxis are continuously available outside the
arrivals hall, level 2. We advise you to use official taxis
carrying a yellow/blue licence emblem. Wheelchair
users can reserve a taxi with Taxi Hendricks via
tel. +32 (0)2 752 9800 or hendriks.be
A57
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
TRANSFER & SERVICES
OPPOSITE GATE A40
T-ZONE
PLAY AREA
LEVEL 4
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 0
LEVEL -1
DEPARTURES
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
SALES & TICKETING
ARRIVALS
BUSES
RAILWAY STATION
TO GATES A/T
Buses
The bus station is located at level 0
and provides bus services to many cities around
Brussels Airport. For more information you can contact:
■ De Lijn: tel. +32 (0)70 220 200 or delijn.be
■ MIVB/STIB: tel. +32 (0)7 023 2000 or stib.be
■ Airport Express: Antwerp–Brussels Airport–
Antwerp: tel. +32 (0)52 334 000 or
airportexpress.be
The Netherlands–Brussels Airport–
The Netherlands: airportxpress.nl
(stops at Amsterdam and Rotterdam)
Trains
The train station is located at
Brussels Airport at level -1.
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
SUNRISE LOUNGE
BUS TRANSFER TO B-GATES
57
TO GATES B
Fast
Lane
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
TRANSFER & SERVICES
BESIDE GATE B16
PLAY AREA
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
CHECK-IN
BRUSSELS AIRLINES
BAGGAGE SERVICES
PREMIUM
GATES B01-B40
GATES B80-B98
BUS TRANSFER TO A/T-GATES
PLAY AREA
DEPARTURES
LEVEL 3
ARRIVALS
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 0
Brussels Airlines Services
Services Restaurants & bars
Restaurants & Shops bars
Shops Tickets & airline services
Tickets & airline
Airline
services
lounges
Airline lounges
Relaxation Zone
Relaxation Zone
wi Wi-Fi is available in all areas of the
wi Wi-Fi is available fi passenger in all areas terminal of theand
the piers
fi passenger terminal and the piers
Check-in rows
Check-in rows
Baggage reclaim area
Baggage reclaim area
Brussels Airport, the home base of Brussels Airlines, is tailored to suit the needs of all passengers whether they
require a full-service product or are low-fare seekers. International surveys and ratings have shown that Brussels
Airport is one of the most welcoming and effi cient in the world
AIRLINES
SERVICES
M
Brussels Airlines
Transfers
All flights from non-Schengen countries arrive at B-Gates
All flights from Schengen countries depart from A-Gates
The Brussels Airport Express takes you up to four times
an hour to the centre of Brussels in 15 minutes. From
there you can connect to the Belgian and international
rail networks. For more information please contact
NMBS/SNCB via tel. +32 (0)2 753 2440 or b-rail.be
Lost, found and
refused objects
■ In the terminal: go to the information desk
in the arrivals hall – level 2 (opening hours
6am-midnight). For more information, tel. 0900-70 000
daily 7am-10pm
■ Left on board: go to the Brussels Airlines desk in
the baggage reclaim area or email lost.properties@
brusselsairlines.com; Lost baggage: go to the Brussels
Airlines desk in the baggage reclaim area
december 2012 111

112
menu
Food
MENU DEALS
SWEET MENU
(2 items) Muffi n or waffl e with
hot or soft drink
€5.00
LUNCH MENU
(2 items) Sandwich or Aïki snack with
hot or soft drink or soup
€6.50
KIDS MENU
(3 items) Sweet or savoury snack (€2.50)
with Kidibul and Fun plane keyring
€8.50
SANDWICHES
Classic double decker sandwich €4.00
with grilled chicken
Delicious cheese sandwich €4.00
HOT SNACKS
Aïki cup noodles
Chicken or hot & spicy
€4.00
Royco Minute Soup
Crunchy tomato or chicken supreme
€2.50
SWEET SNACKS
M&M’s 250g €4.00
Maltesers 175g €4.00
Muffi n Selection of the day €2.50
Belgian Lotus XL waffl e with sugar pearls €2.50
Twix XL €2.50
Chiquita 100% fruit chips €2.50
SAVOURY SNACKS
Pringles (Original, paprika or hot & spicy) €2.50
Bifi Original XXL meat snack €2.50
PAYMENT METHODS
All products are sold onboard at stated sizes and subject to availability. Actual items may vary slightly from
what is shown. Prices are subject to change without notice. Passengers may not consume alcoholic beverages
which they have supplied themselves, have purchased as duty free goods, or have been supplied by third
parties. Customs regulations require passengers to declare all items purchased.
Returned goods and enquiries should be made to: LSG Sky Chefs, Luchthavengebouw 53,
1930 B-Zaventem. PRICES INCLUDE ALL RELEVANT VAT.
december 2012
b.light economy menu available on the European network
(Should this menu not be available due to operational reasons, a complimentary drink and snack will be provided)
CASH
In €
ONLY
CREDIT
CARD
MIN
€5
CREDIT
CARD
MAX
€200
SOFT
Drinks
Spa still water 50cl €3.00
Spa sparkling water 50cl €3.00
Coca-Cola 33cl €3.00
Coca-Cola Zero 33cl €3.00
Lipton Ice Tea 33cl €3.00
Minute Maid orange juice 33cl €3.00
Schweppes tonic water 33cl €3.00
Schweppes Agrum’ 33cl €3.00
Kidibul Strawberry/apple €3.00
•100% healthy •No preservatives •No additives
HOT
Nescafé
Americano coffee cup
€3.00
Nestea
Black tea cup
€3.00
Nestlé
Hot chocolate cup
€3.00
BEERS
Stella 33cl €3.50
Leffe 33cl €4.00
Carlsberg 33cl €4.00
ALCOHOL
Gordon’s Gin 5cl* €5.00
Johnnie Walker red label whisky 5cl* €5.00
* + soft drink €7.50
WINE
Domaine Blomac White Chardonnay 18.75cl €4.50
Domaine Blomac Red Merlot 18.75cl €4.50
SPARKLING WINE
Martini Vino spumante Brut 20cl €6.00
Gift
Fun plane keyring €4.50
with sound and lights

gift
The Brussels Airlines b.gift ticket
€99

114
extra time: sport
tom watt on a belgian golfing legend, fun with Los Boquerones plus a special NYC fun run
the ticket the knowledge
December marks the end of the Group Stages of the world’s most prestigious club
competition, the UEFA Champions League. Many of the game’s giants have already
booked passage to the knockout phase, which begins in the New Year. a
For some, though, the race is still wide open, not least for one of this
season’s surprise packages, Malaga CF of Spain. In the summer, the e talk was
of financial implosion at a club that had spent recklessly to reach La a Liga’s
top four. Malaga’s star player, Santi Cazorla, left for Arsenal in August st
2012. The team that he left – competing at this elite level for the
first time – has been hugely impressive and entertaining thanks to
the goal-scoring efforts of relative unknowns like Isco (right) and
Eliseu, and the promptings of the Argentine veteran Javier Saviola.
If you’re on the Costa del Sol on 4 December, head for Malaga’s La
Rosaleda Stadium and watch Los Boquerones in your shirtsleeves as s
they take on Belgium’s Anderlecht in the last group round.
december 2012
the athlete
Undoubtedly, 2012 was a remarkable year
in sport. As far as nailbiting drama was
concerned, one event stood out above all
others: the 39th Ryder Cup, which saw Europe
come back on the fi nal day of the singles to
secure victory against all odds at the Medinah
Country Club, Illinois. Nicolas Colsaerts – born,
bred and still a resident of Brussels – was
Europe’s sole rookie, a wild card picked by José
María Olazábal who didn’t let his captain down.
On Day One, Colsaerts produced the
greatest round ever by a Ryder Cup fi rst-timer,
as he and Lee Westwood beat the formidable
US pair of Woods and Stricker in the
afternoon’s four balls to stem the American
tide and keep Europe in with a chance.
Colsaerts’ performance – and that of fellow
wild card Ian Poulter the following day – were
enough to light Europe’s fuse and set the
stage for Day Three’s heroics. The 2012 Ryder
Cup put the 30-year-old Colsaerts’ name in
the history books alongside that of the family
Olympian: Nicolas’ great-grandfather, Jean
Jacques Colsaerts, competed for Belgium in
basketball and water polo at the 1920
Olympic Games, held in Antwerp.
New York’s Times Square might get all the attention on New Year’s Eve – but if you’re
a runner, Central Park is the place to ring in 2013. While hundreds of thousands of
revellers eve e s cram together for the famous ball drop, a lesser-known party happens every
year in the t city’s most iconic park.
Since 1978, people from all around the world have joined New Yorkers to kick off
the New Year with the Midnight Run. The course begins at the 72nd Street Transverse,
heading hea north past the Metropolitan Museum of Art and up to the 102nd Street
Tranverse, Tra where the course loops south around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Reservoir Res and past Strawberry Fields, before finishing near where the race began.
The T event attracts all types of runner – from pros to joggers and people in
fancy fan dress. Last year’s fastest time was a competitive 18 minutes and 35
seconds. sec Festivities kick off at 10pm with music, dancing and a fancy dress
contest co before the race starts at the stroke of midnight with fireworks. nyrr.org
Sarah MacFadyen
FLY TO brussels from 50 european destinations;
malaga and new york jfk daily. brusselsairlines.com
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