beach

Where, exactly, did Charlotte Brontë stay during her time in Brussels. The Pensionnat Heger was torn down many years ago, but Dutch historian Eric Ruijssenaars has researched in the Brussels city archives to find out everything he can about the lost Isabelle quarter where Charlotte lived for two years. 

 

Ruijssenaars has already published two essential books on the Brontës in Brussels. He now plans to a 'virtual guided tour' of the quarter using his extensive archive of maps and photographs.

 

www.thebrusselsbrontegroup.org

My secret book :: Charlotte Brontë's Villette

mysecretbrussels the best of food, music, culture and life   

Hidden secret :: Brussels canal

Summer beach in the city

My secret city

THE BRUSSELS THAT NO ONE KNOWS

My secret walk :: seize the summer

Brussels has once again set up an artificial beach along the canalside near the Kaaitheater. For those who can't face the crowded Belgian beach, this is a relaxed alternative, with umbrellas, palm trees and little cabins selling summer cocktails and street food.

 

You can also take a look at a pop-up urban park on the other side of the canal where Belgian street artists have sprayed art on the walls of some abandoned industrial buildings.

Also new this year, the central boulevards have been turned over to pedestrians. So you can stroll all the way from the Bourse to De Brouckère without encountering any cars. It's a strange and slightly unsettling experience for those of us who have become unaccustomed to Belgium's unholy alliance with the automobile.

 

Some people are very angry. But it's hard to imagine that the city will change its mind any time soon. It has come too far for that.

01 :: Begin at Place de Brouckère. Stroll down the car-free central boulevards as far as Bourse.

 

02 :: Turn right down Rue Orts. Soon you reach the end of the car-free zone. Keep on down Rue Dansaert until you come to the canal.

 

03 :: Turn right along the canal. Here you can walk along a wooden boardwalk built recently along the canalside (but still unfinished).

 

04 :: You reach the busy Place Sainctelette where street artists recently decorated the lower walls along the canal.

 

05 :: Cross the canal and turn right. Walk past industrial buldings until you see a small urban park on your right. Admire the street art sprayed on walls by Belgian artists including the Farm Prod collective.

 

06 :: Stand on the waterfront to admire the huge comic mural by Pratt.

 

07 :: Follow the canal until you come to a bridge. Cross the canal here. You come to the Up-Site skyscraper overlooking the canal. The city has ambitious plans to create a new urban neighbourhood here, but it still has to sort out public transport if that is to work.

 

08 :: Turn down the canal to reach Brussels Beach where you can end the walk sitting in a stripey deckchair with a summer cocktail.

My 4 secret

café terraces

02 National Library »

 

Here is one of the most secret gardens in the city. Hidden away on the roof of the National Library is a rooftop garden (above), 

where an organic gardener cultivates herbs and lavender, and keeps some urban bees. The herbs are used by the kitchen staff.

 

Open Mon to Fri from 09.00 to 15.30. Closed at weekends

 

No. 247 in The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels

03 Cercle des Voyageurs »

 

The Cercle des Voyageurs somehow feels like a private club. Maybe that's deliberate. It lies just a few dozen steps from the Manneken Pis, so could easily be mobbed with tourists. It remains a calm spot for a coffee, with a few wooden tables out on the street surrounded by greenery.

 

No. 136 in The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels

 

Rue des Grands Carmes 18

Central Brussels

04 L'Orangerie du Parc d'Egmont »

 

Here is a secret spot hidden behind the fashion shops on Boulevard du Waterloo. You go down an ancient cobbled lane and enter a small urban park with a whitewashed building. Once an orangerie, this is now a café-restaurant with tables shaded by old trees. The perfect place to meet a friend on a Saturday afternoon.

 

No. 144 in The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels

 

01 Beursschouw-burg »

 

The Beursschouwbourg 

opens its rooftop terrace (above) for a few weeks every summer. Here it hosts free concerts, film screenings and cool parties. One of the best-kept secrets of Brussels, it lasts just a few short weeks, and only if the weather allows. Take the lift to the fifth floor. 

 

Rue A. Orts 20

Central Brussels

My 5 secret

country walks

01 Forêt de Soignes »

Take the metro to Herrmann-Debroux and head out of town. You soon arrive at the Abbaye du Rouge-Cloître on the edge of the forest. Several trails lead from here into the woods. Don't forget to take a map. 

 

02 De Panne »

 

The Belgian coast is quiet in winter. From De Panne, you can set off on a brisk walk along the shore, stopping off for a coffee along the way. The coast tram will take you to the nearest railway station.  

 

03 Bruges canals »

 

Bruges is a misty, romantic place in winter. You can wander along ancient waterways without passing a soup, then dive into a cafe for a Belgian beer.

04 Gendron »

 

Set the satellite navigation for Gendron village and park in front of the station. You can take a walk along the banks of the River Lesse, then end up in the friendly Auberge de la Lesse, next to Gendron station, for a beer or lunch.

 

05 Redu »

 

Redu is a friendly village in the Ardennes filled with secondhand bookshops. Many of the dealers don't open in winter, but the restaurants are still open. So you can count on a decent lunch at the end of a walk along the River Lesse. Pick up a hiking map in the tourist office opposite the church.