ELTIPS AV R T
Chased by Berlin police one moment, Thomson and Thompson the next, a galloping Great Dane from the Black Island, a villain in the Congo – life was one big rush.
So it’s fitting that from the moment the Eurostar dropped me and my son Ted deep in the heart of Brussels for our own little adventure it was also quite difficult to escape Tintin.
The city’s most famous son is there on a giant mural in the arrivals hall of Brussels Midi station, mouth agape with that permanently startled look.
He’s there in the Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Arts, housed in a stunning, light-filled art nouveau building. You can trace his beginnings from artist Herge’s bland line drawings in an original newspaper strip to full colour – and the landmark moment in 1929 when he gained his quiff in an open-top car in In The Land of the Soviets.
Belgians love their cartoons and cartoonists so drop in at the capital’s friendly visitor centre and pick up a map for a Tintin-inspired walk. The four-storey staircase mural featuring Captain Haddock adorning the side wall of a shop was my favourite.
Follow the buzz and crowds from there round the corner to the city’s most famous sight – a statue of a small, cherubic boy having a wee.
Ah yes, the Manneken Pis. He was dribbling a bit when we caught up with him, dressed in a tiny uniform from the city’s fire service and surrounded by gawking tourists taking selfies. We nipped over the road to Poechenellekelder, a cafebar with a long list of potent beers ( Kwak, Guillotine, Bink Trippel anyone?) plus sinister puppets and strange sausages.
It was recommended by pals who drink there regularly and when I emerged a couple of hours and several glasses of draught Taras Boulba, later the statue was naked. A couple more glasses and I’d have joined him.
The next morning we set off on a walk through the Marolles district. It’s an area with more of an edge to it than the endless chocolate and waffle shops that line the streets around the beautiful Grand Place. But stick with it and you’ll be rewarded with a more authentic feel to the city. We hit the Place du Jeu de Balle where every weekend traders spill their wares on blankets and stalls in the square.
But first some refuelling at the traditional workers’ cafe La Clef D’Or to tuck into croque monsieur and croque madame (monsieur with egg) before rooting around the piles of LPs, toys, trinkets and books.
The streets nearby have plenty of enticing bars, galleries and vintage shops. In one we found our friend Tintin again, this time immortalised GET yourself a Brussels Card if you’re ticking off the museums. A two-day one costs 32 euros, which gives you access to 39 of the city’s museums and galleries. DON’T go sweet with your waffles. Gooey cheese and chorizo work a treat too. POP into de Bier Tempel shop, biertempel.eu, with its vast selection of bottled ales. No problems clanking back on the train with them either. in a bust. Next stop on our walk was the Museum of Natural Sciences, which has the largest hall in the world completely dedicated to dinosaurs.
It’s brilliant. While Ted fiddled with the on-screen displays (kids of today, eh) I simply gazed up and up in wonder at the iguanodon and triceratops skeletons.
Stagger
Nearby is one of the other must-do sights of this engaging city, the Maison Antoine friterie.
Eating chips is serious business hereher and this single story takeaway is thet place to go. We queued for nearlynea an hour to grab a cone of triple-cooked fries, which we wolfed down in one of the nearby bars happy for you to bring them in.
That gave us just enough energy to stagger to the Metro and hop three stops to the Magritte Museum.
The works of Belgian’s finest surrealist artist are spread out over three floors but manageable in an hour of hushed contemplation.
Brussels has a reputation as bland and boring, which is nonsense. What’s not to love about a city where chips, beer and chocolate are important interruptions to everyday life?
I’ve bar-crawled in Liege, soaked up the many joys of Bruges and Brussels has touches of them both – and from London St Pancras International you can get there quicker than a trip to Manchester.
Ted had that Tintin open mouth look of bewilderment at the prospect of a trip under the Chunnel – and this adventure didn’t disappoint. FACTFILE: St Pancras to Brussels Midi single from £29, check snap. eurostar.com for fares. Brussels Card from 24 euros gives free access to 39 museums. Check visitflanders.com for more info.