november-2010

Brussels
Belgium
DIALLING CODE +32
CURRENCY €
FLY FROM
Berlin, Geneva,
Liverpool, Lyon, Milan
(MXP), Nice
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
SINCE
2007
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com.
A local taxi costs €35.
Every 20 minutes,
routes 12 and 21
go to Schuman metro
station. Tickets: €3 (€5
on the bus).
Trains depart every
15 minutes. Tickets:
€5 single; €10 return.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15 La Mer
du Nord (45 Rue
Sainte-Catherine, tel:
02 513 1192) Locals
stand at this popular
fi sh bar to sample the
best the North Sea
has to offer. Try the
fi sh soup, gambas a
la plancha or matjes
(herring), washed
down with a glass of
wine. Be assertive
when ordering as it is
a very busy place.
UP TO €30
Les Brassins (36 Rue
Keyenveld, tel: 02 512
6999) Being named
after the vat in which
beer is brewed, this
place naturally boasts
a large selection of
Belgian beers. You
can’t go wrong by
sampling a Cuvée des
Trolls beer while eating
the must-try simple
face steak (marinated
in mustard, parsley and
shallots, and grilled
only on one side).
UP TO €50 Aux
Armes de Bruxelles
(13 Rue des Bouchers,
tel: 02 511 5550) Set
smack in the middle
of the touristy area,
this appears at fi rst
glance to be a mustavoid
place. Order the
beef carbonade or
the lobster waterzooi,
however, and you
will soon change
your mind.
EXCLUSIVE The
Belga Queen (32 Rue
du Fossé aux Loups,
tel: 02 217 2187) In this
18th-century building
which previously
housed the Hôtel
de la Poste, Antoine
Pinto has created
a distinguished
gastronomic
establishment drawing
from the traditional
brasserie style. Touches
of originality include
waiters’ outfi ts and the
toilets. Cigar smokers
will be delighted
to know that the
restaurant hosts a club
designed just for them.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Les Halles
Saint Géry (23 Place
Saint Géry, tel: 02 502
4424) Located in what
used to be a market,
the architecture of
the building is not
the only reason to pop
in: this spacious bar
has great music as
well as regular
photo exhibitions.
LIVE MUSIC
La Maison du Peuple
(39 Parvis de Saint
Gilles, tel: 02 534
5605) Experience
rock’n’roll in one of
the coolest areas of
Brussels – Saint Gilles.
Gigs are often on
Friday nights.
LATE & LIVELY
K-Nal (1 Avenue du
Port, tel: 02 374 8738)
If you’re in the mood
to dance till sunrise on
a weekend night out
in Brussels, this is the
place to be. No dress
code is required – only
a fully recharged
body and a love for
electronic music. You’ll
fi nd it just off the canal,
as its name indicates.
THIS MONTH
SEE The Jazz Festival
has been creating a
New Orleans vibe all
over Flanders for the
past few months. For
your hit of blues and
soulful music, check
out the programme
and catch a concert
before the event draws
to a close at the end
of November. This is
the 25th anniversary
of the festival, which
has attracted some big
names (skodajazz.be).
GO To spot Eurocrats
having a beer, your
best bet is Place
du Luxembourg
(commonly know as
Place Lux). A stone’s
throw from the
European Parliament,
the bars on this
plaza are brimming
with drinkers on a
Thursday or Friday
evening. When
they’re not working,
MEP assistants love
socialising over beer.
ESCAPE Walk around
Ghent’s car-free area –
the largest in Belgium
– and you’ll soon fi nd
out why the city is
often claimed to be just
as beautiful as Bruges.
Check out Saint Bavo
Cathedral and Saint
Nicholas Church. Once
you’re done, hop on a
boat and ask the tour
guide about the city’s
secrets. One of the
best things about it
is that it’s barely
35 minutes on the
train from Brussels.
NO WAY!
Brussels was founded
by a descendent of
Charlemagne in the
10th century.
Gaspard Sebag
MULTI BD
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SHOP Comic fans
will be delighted by the
selection at Multi BD.
The staff are also great
so don’t be afraid to
venture in even if you
know nothing about
the genre (122–124
Boulevard Anspach).
DESTINATION GUIDES | 121
Bucharest
Romania
DIALLING CODE +40
CURRENCY Leu (RON)
FLY FROM
Madrid,
Milan (MXP)
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
SINCE
2007
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com. A
local taxi costs RON100.
Bus 783 leaves
every 30 minutes.
Tickets: RON8.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30 Hanul
Berarilor Interbelic
(2 Strada Poenaru
Bordea, tel: 021 336
8009) An enormous,
centuries-old inn with
an amazing history.
Come here for hearty
Romanian food in
the shadow of
Casa Poporului.
EXCLUSIVE Prime
Steak & Seafood
(Radisson SAS, 63–81
Calea Victoriei, tel: 021
311 9000) Now serving
the world’s best steak
(the Irish Hereford),
the best restaurant in
town just got better.
Throw in fresh lobster,
top local wines,
Bucharest’s glitterati
and you have one very
exclusive evening.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Interbelic
(1 Strada Selari)
You’ll feel like you’ve
stumbled into a private
party as you duck into
this speakeasy-type
pub and cocktail bar
in an alley off Strada
Lipscani. It stays open
very late and is usually
the last Old Town venue
to empty out.
LATE & LIVELY
Control Club
(19 Strada Academiei)
A club for people who
would otherwise never
go to a club. Expect to
see ordinary people
having a great time
dancing to a mix of
music – often provided
by live acts.
THIS MONTH
SHOP You won’t be
able to visit the gift
shop at the Romanian
Peasant Museum and
fail to come away with
some gorgeous local
arts or crafts. All your
souvenir problems
solved in one go
(3 Sos Kiseleff).
SEE The collection
of Orthodox religious
art at the Romanian
National Art Museum
(MNAR) is as wondrous
as any in Europe. Highly
recommended and
for fi rst-time visitors
to Bucharest a must
(49–53 Calea Victoriei).
NO WAY!
The Mayor of
Bucharest’s Sector
2 has proposed building
a ski resort-style
gondola lift to ease
traffi c congestion.
Craig Turp
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