Brussels - cheap (but nice!) places to stay. Any ideas?

[Tinker]

Right, hoping you can help because I know there are quite a few with Brussels/Belgian links and/or experience of the place.

Am going for short 2 night stay - WITHOUT CHILD!!! Want to stay somewhere central. Trouble is, we're (me and a male ) are going mid-week (flights cheap) which means can't take advantage of weekend rates in hotels. Just looked and some look very pricey. Can anyone recommend somewhere cheap (as in £60 type of price per night) but central?

Thank you very very much in advance.

[SueDonim]

I've written that down in the notebook I use in place of a memory these days, Phillipat. I enjoy reading travel writing so I'm sure I'll enjoy it. Thank you.

[Philippat]

Best book I've ever read on Belgium is A Tall Man in a Low Land by Harry Pearson. It's travel literature really but very well researched historically.
He's a good writer - quite personal, fairly funny.

[SueDonim]

I'm learning all the time - thanks very much Pupuce and Phillipat! I think I'll buy a book about Belgium when I go home at Xmas. Didn't have time in May, unfortunately.

[pupuce]

Sue Donim... Well I am officially a Walloon as I speak French and was born to a French speaking family but that family came from Flanders (Dutch speaking Belgium) and have a Flemish name.... so....
Never judge the mother tongue of a Belgian based on his last name... your are LIKELY to be wrong - believe me!

IMO most Belgians speak either French or Dutch (Flemish.... basically the same as Philipat said) but most speak English so they are bilingual but not the way you'd think they'd be!!!. My cousins (very much French speaking - she doesn't speak Flemish at all) live and have been living in tervuren (very near the museum) for at least a decade.

Belgium was created in 1830 from a bit of France and a bit of Holland and so the Walloons are the French speaking and the Flemish are the Dutch speaking.... and there is also a minority German population (near Germany).

Hope that answers your question... feel free to ask more!

[Philippat]

Practically all British expats live in Tervuren - it's where the british school is (god, now I'm really re-living my past), but also a lovely place, right next to the forest. And also the very strange museum of the congo - I remember being quite wierd-ed out by the stuffed animals as a young teenager.

Tervuren is very proudly a Flemish (which is a dialect of Dutch - sort of like English/American) town and you are not welcome if you speak French. Ironically though, they're more than happy to speak English and most are excellent at it. The stupid thing is this hasn't got back to the international companies who send their staff to live in Tervuren - my mum had intensive French lessons before going provided for her, only to find her French was not appreciated. She's now fluent in Dutch, mind you.

As far as the houses go, I don't think there are any rules, just that the way houses have been built/land been sold traditionally is that you just buy one parcel of land and build your own house, rather than a developer doing a street/several houses (as is more usual here in the UK). Our house was exactly the same as our neighbour's because, unusually, the owner had bought 2 plots of land.

[SueDonim]

Well, now we're on the subject, it seems a shame not to pick your brains, Pupuce!

Who are the Walloons and who are the Flemish? My friend speaks fluent French, as do many Belgians, (are all belgians bi-lingual?? it seems so!) but the lady in the Post Office at Tervuren refused to serve her unless E spoke Dutch or Flemish. Which she couldn't, so that was a bit of a problem! Not that I'm expecting you to sort out interlanguage disputes, Pupuce, but, hey, I'm interested!!

Tervuren is really nice, I think, Marina, so neat and tidy and the houses so attractive. A bit like toytown! E thought there was some law which stops housing developers from putting up lots of the same type of house; each has to be different to its neighbour.

I've just remembered the name of a book about King Leopold. It's called The Ghost of King Leopold and I'm told it's about his own personal colony (as opposed to Belgium's colonies) in Africa. Must see if I can get it when I'm home.

[pupuce]

It was Albert 1st during WW1 and his son Leopold 3rd in WW2 and he was married to Astrid (the beloved queen)....

OK so I studied Belgian history when I was 10-11 and then left Belgium to continue my education in Canada where they didn't give a toss about the Belgians and I learned loads on Indians.... should we quizz me on that ?

[pupuce]

Leopold the 1st reigned in 1830... (and an uncle to Queen Victoria) so he was dead by WW1...
So it must have been Leopold 2 or Albert 1... I'd have to check... I think Albert was married to Astrid (who was adored by Belgians... probably a sort of Diana - in terms of god looks and gentleness... bear in mind medias were not like nowadays!) and she dies during WW1 or WW2... I have doubts now... I'll investigate!

Born born born... it's good to be alive, be alive, be alive... yeah that was a good song wasn't it?? Very disco!

Scifo was good (Italian orgns though).. the best one was a goalkeeper which I was told was amazingly good of international repute Jean Marie Pfaff (but it was 80's football)

The language issues in Tervuren are only between Flemish and Walloons... I don't know anyone (and I have loads of friends and family) who really want to split the country except politicians (and far right people)... I lived in Quebec for many years and there too there is a similar issue but it's the people in Canada who want to split not necessarily the politicians (of course some do)

[Marina]

You're right about the colonial misdeeds, SueDonim (but at that time lots of European states were up to similar, following the example of us Brits) - I was thinking more of his stance in the First World War. But that period of history is not my forte either - let's ask Pupuce.
My cousin lives in Tervuren!

[sprout]

helenmc & pupice, yes, Audrey Hepburn was born in Brussels - I work past the house she was born in on the way to work every day. (Well, that's my claim to fame!) Pretty grotty area now, unfortunately, so there's just a grimy little plaque on the wall to tell you.

[SueDonim]

Janneke Pis?? Nope, didn't see that.

Tervuren is where my friend lived. We didn't go to the icecream place and now she's moved back to the UK so I'll probably never go there, boo hoo. She said Tervuren was an interesting place to live because of the rivalry between the French/Flemish/Dutch factions (if I've got the main characters right???). She got asked lots of questions about devolution because she's Scottish, and some belgians would like to go down that route.

Wasn't King Leopold a tyrant in Africa? Or am I muddling him up with someone else? European history isn't my forte!

[Tinker]

Oh Pupuce I've got that Patrick Hernandez song in my head now - 'yes she was born, born, born, born to be alive'

I've been told that Scifo? was the best Belgian footabll player! (And a bit of a looker)

[pupuce]

WELL WELL WELL - I am impressed... but fictious Belgians don't work...

Tinker : 10 points ! Yes she was Patrick Hernandez (another Belgian)'s back up singer...

Now if Manneken Pis does NOT impress you I bet you never saw Janneke Pis.... yes the girl version (she is actually located off the Rue des Bouchers!)

Audrey Hepburn I thought was Dutch but I will check that one (she may have been born in Antwerp)

Pamina - I have been to Belgo and I found the food not very Belgian (or at least for Brits who know nothing about Belgian food.... sorry not meaning to have a go AT ALL - promise!). It is a sort of mish-mash of Belgian stuff... I had not seen the quizz though.

You lot are good at painters and authors... I would add to JC Van Damme - Lolo Ferrari (yes that women who died last year and was always on Euro Trash with her gigantic boobs)

I believe that the Cohen brothers are Belgian (you know the Hollywood movie directors who did good films who'se title escape me now!)

Now this is a good quizz... anyone knows anybody else????

[Philippat]

Oh not the famous Belgians quiz. I lived there for most of my teenage years but sadly still do pretty badly.

Rubens, Herge, Bruegel, Van Dyke, Bosch, Adolphe Sax (saxophone man), the 2 women tennis players whose names escape me (bet DH would know...Henin and Clijsterrs, can't have spelt that right), Mercator (father of maps), Jean Claude Van Damme and don't let's forget Hoegaarden beer and Stella Artois.

For anyone reading this thread in the future, don't miss the Mont Blanc ice cream cafe in Tervuren (end of the 44 tram then a short walk into the village). I still dream of the stuff and we moved back to the UK in 1988...

[Tinker]

Vermeer, Magritte

[Marina]

Was Georges Simenon, creator of Maigret, Belgian?
And brave King Leopold, of course.

[SueDonim]

I stayed with a friend in Brussels last May, Pupuce, and went to the Musee Horta. It was wonderful, a beautiful house and fantastic gardens, esp the maze. We also went to the Africa Musee, which is really interesting.

I was v disappointed with Mannikin Pis - it's so small!!! The range of associated souvenir tat to remind you of it is breathtaking - a Mannikin Pis corkscrew, anyone??

[helenmc]

Wasn't Audrey Hepburn born there but she's Americn

[Tinker]

Backing singer on Born to be Alive

[Marina]

Of course we can. Pupuce...errr...my cousin Christine...Mannikin Pis...Poirot...Tintin. an exceptionally fine line-up in my opinion.
Did she start out lap-dancing in a bar in Antwerp or something?

[pupuce]

OOOOHHHH PLEEEAAAASE!!!!!!
Well can you name other famous Belgians ????
And did you knnow how Madona started her career (yes there is a belgian link)...

[Marina]

En quatre couleurs

[Tinker]

ooo weeeeeeeeeee ooo ooo!

[bells2]

Ca plane pour moi moi moi - he was HUGE in Australia!