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Brugge Hearts Shakira

July 14, 2006 at 11:39 AM | 1 Comment


Yes, Brugge is a beautiful medieval city, but there is an odd custom there that makes walking around the streets much like shopping at the Cambridgeside Galleria: They play music everywhere. Not atmopspheric live music in the streets, either. The town, or the shopkeepers, or some combination of the two, pipe in an incredibly odd mix of music using a series of strategically placed loudspeakers that blare throughout the town.

We know this seems really odd. We kept thinking of was that scene in Escape from Sobibor where the unsuspecting prisoners arrive at Treblinka to calming classical music wafting from a variety of outdoor speakers. An inappropriate analogy, yes, as Brugge has absolutely nothing in common with the horrific Treblinka.

And yet...the more time you spend in Brugge, the more comfortable you get walking past centuries old churches to the sound of Wyclef Jean saying "No Fightin'" and Shakira wailing "Oh baby, when you talk like that".

Somewhere nearby, the 9th century Vikings who settled by de Reie are no doubt rolling over in their graves, but there is 21st century feel to eating frites in the Markt to the sound of Human League's "Don't You Want Me"--kind of like a communal iPod. Or maybe we finally had enough Belgian beer to appreciate the Brugge radio remix.

Has anyone else experienced this type of musical town in their travels?  Can anyone shed some light on who controls, or sponsors, the music you hear in the streets of Brugge or elsewhere?  If so, leave a comment below or send a tip.

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· Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]

Non-Tourist Tourism: Chasing Cornelia

July 13, 2006 at 11:25 AM | 0 Comments


Meet Cornelia. Cornelia who works for Hotel Heritage, a Brugge boutique hotel, was asked by Jaunted where a Brugge Diegan like herself might go when they weren't stuck at work.

Apparently, locals like to walk or cycle along the "green zone" which is the park like area that encircles the outside of the city. After that most locals get hungry--turns out Brugge Diegans are just like us! When hunger strikes, Cornelia and her friends often head to De Media Tea Room, which she describes as a "most excellent" lunch spot.

We then cut the small talk, and dropped the hard hitting questions on Cornelia, like where does she hang during the all too brief Brugge summer season. Her response? De Republiek Cafe, which is a bar slash restaurant slash cinema. The topper? According to Cornelia, De Republiek comes equipped with one of the nicest outdoor terrace settings in all of Brugge.

De Republiek terrace photo after the break.

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· Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]
· De Medici Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]

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Tasty Belgium Chocolate

July 11, 2006 at 9:58 AM | 0 Comments

Belgium is big into chocolate, and Brugge is the epitome of Belgian chocolatedom.

There are plenty of chocolate shops all over town, but those in the know head to Dumon Chocolatier. Dumon is one of the many family run chocolate shops in town. Despite the fact that only a half dozen Keebler elves can fit in this tiny shop, Madame Dumon and her children, who run the place, are busy from open to close. We went back three times, hoping to hit the shop when crowds were thin, to no avail.

Despite the constant lines, the chocolate here is damn good.

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·   About Chocolate [Chocobong.com]

Back of the Envelope Belgium Beer Guide

July 7, 2006 at 6:19 PM | 2 Comments

With the help of a bit of "Jaunted Luck" we ended up spending the weekend in Antwerp during the seventh annual Bierpassie.

Under the tent we were able to quickly and efficiently suss out the tastiest Belgian beers, of course what follows is just our opinion, well, except for the Michael Jackson thing, that is a fact.

Click "More" for Jaunted's top Belgian beers list...

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Non-Tourist Tourism: Clubbing in Antwerp

July 6, 2006 at 11:24 AM | 1 Comment

Meet Cot. Cot is a cool ass bartender who pours drinks at Cafe Bartilia. If you order a Jack & Ginger Cot will look at you like you are insane, which is the appropriate response when someone orders such an American drink in Antwerp.

Cafe Bartilia would be a nice enough bar, however it happens to sit at the head of Antwerp's red light district, which means it has a bit of a seedy side.  Truth be told this is just the way we like it.  Cot is not at all seedy, he is a normal dude living and working in Antwerp.  He tried living in Brussels, but it was just too damn big and ugly, so he found himself back in Antwerp--where he knew his way.

We were on our way to Cafe d'Anvers, mostly because of what we read in the Guardian:

Antwerp can claim to be the birthplace of techno - at least that is what everyone dances to at the ultimate rave club to end a night out, the wild Cafe d'Anvers.

We asked Cot where he would go clubbing and without hesitation he said:

"Petrol.  This is not a spot for tourists.  This is where we go--it is not in the center of town."

Wanting more info we asked Cot:

"So, did you guys invent techno?"

Cot laughed saying,

"No, I hope not, I hate techno."

We couldn't agree with you more Cot.  So to recap, Cafe d'Anvers is a club in the midst of Antwerp's red light district where they blast smoke and techno.  The smaller the hours, the more sweaty club rats you will bump into.  However, while the kids and tourists are hitting up Cafe d'Anvers, Cot and his posse are rolling off to Petrol, where the real live action takes place.  

Photo of Cafe d'Anvers club kids after the jump.

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·   Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]

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Antwerp Eats: Mata Mata & Pili Pili

July 6, 2006 at 11:22 AM | 1 Comment

Antwerp cuisine involves a myriad of choices.  Sure, as far as Belgian food goes, you can go frites all day long, but one popular eclectic cafe is Mata Mata & Pili Pili.

Just off Grote Markt, this semi-swank diner serves Congolese chicken and Nigerian beef--yup, it is a African restaurant.  If you aren't down with sampling the African dishes you can kick back and down a bevy of exotic cocktails until you convince someone in your group to hit a more traditional cafe.

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·   Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]

Rough Guides Gets It Wrong :: De Herk

July 5, 2006 at 11:26 AM | 0 Comments

The Rough Guide to Brussels was our weapon of choice, during our June 2006 jaunt through Belgium. Sometimes these guide books get it right, and sometimes they are off. In this feature, we will tell you what the guide pros said about a place and then give you our take.

Drinking at De Herk Bar in Antwerp:

Rough Guides Says:

Tiny bar in ancient premises--down and alley and set around a courtyard. Twentysomething, modish clientele. Good range of beers and alles--including an excellent Lindemans Gueuze.

Jaunted Says:
Courtyard yes, tiny, sort of, as for the crowd, way off. Now we know crowds can change from night to night, but to us, the night we were there this looked like a place older couples headed to have a drink before a swank dinner. The crowd was thin, dressed to the nines, and almost completely coupled up. Alas, we ducked out before we could dig in to the beer selection.

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·   Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]

Getting There :: Antwerp

July 5, 2006 at 11:25 AM | 0 Comments

Antwerp, Belgium's second city, is a fourty minute train ride from Brussels.

Once at Antwerp Centraal Station you will need to take a tram--#15 or #2--downtown to Groen Plaats.

From here you are ready to explore all of Antwerp's boutiques, street art, cafes, bars, nightclubs, cartooneries, and the Schelde River.

What can't be explored easily on foot can be seen via rental bike.

Antwerp and Brussels are definitely rival cities. The Antwerpians we spoke with see themselves as the antithesis to Brussels. Think New York/LA, or Sydney/Melbourne, on a lesser scale of course, after all, this is Belgium.

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·   Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]

Non-Tourist Tourism in Brussels :: Le Tavernier

June 29, 2006 at 4:29 PM | 1 Comment



Le Tavernier is a trendy bar near the University of Brussels. It is trendy, but by no means over the top. There is an outside area with picnic table type seating and an inside area where a DJ spins chill tunes.

Since it is so close to the Uni, you are bound to run into U of B students having a drink, but don't worry, it isn't the same as running into a bunch of American college kids having a drink. We heard no chanting, hooting, or other frat like noises from the tables filled with students.

The bar also features live jazz periodically, check their web site for detes.

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·   Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]

Non-Toursist Tourism in Brussels :: Ixelles Bar Scene

June 29, 2006 at 12:13 PM | 1 Comment

Want to know where the hipsters hang in Brussels? Try Ixelles, a small bohemian area just south of the touristy Grand Place--full of cafes, lively pubs, and plenty of Art Nouveau buildings. Ixelles has a bit of a history--Karl Marx and Alexandre Dumas both lived here for a time and the place still has that struggling artist feel. For those of you familiar with San Francisco, if Ixelles was an SF neighborhood, it would be Cole Valley. Or to put it in geek--if Craig Newmark lived in Brussels he would live in Ixelles.

Avenue Louise, where all the Brussels high end retail shops sit, divides Ixelles into two areas. We spent our time south of Louise, and walked through the tres Belgian streets and squares until we found our spot, on Ru Du Bailli. Here, just up the street from Parv de la Trinite, we found a bar on all four corners of a square, each with its own plusses and minuses. We split our time at two spots: Roxi (82 Rue du Bailli), a definite hipster hang, and the Irish Bank which was a full on sports pub, and, or so we were told, the only Irish pub in Brussels. The evening we were sipping Chimay, France was involved in some late night football action, and the crowd was decidely French, of course. Late night at Roxi we learned our first important lesson about drinking in Belgium--mixed drinks are overpriced and not always made right, so stick to beer.

Once the sun goes down on the rue (after 10pm in late June) the nearby Ste Trinite should light up the night sky for your viewing pleasure. Oh, and the bars are all within stumbling distance of most Avenue Louise hotels.

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·   More Ixelles Photos [Jaunted/Flickr]
·   Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]

Rough Guides Gets it Right :: Le Macaron Restaurant Review

June 28, 2006 at 4:57 PM | 0 Comments

The Rough Guide to Brussels was our weapon of choice, during our June 2006 jaunt through Belgium. Sometimes these guide books get it right, and sometimes they are off. In this feature, we will tell you what the guide pros said about a place and then give you our take.

Eating at Le Macaron in Ixelles:

Rough Guides Says:

Charming French-Italian tavern just off palce du Chatelain. The convivial ambience, homely surroundings and cheap fish, meat and pasta dishes-- main meals around €10--mean the place is often packed to the gunnels, even on weekdays. The spaghetti bolognese is superlative.

Jaunted Says:
The spaghetti bolognese (Bolo on the menu) is really tasty. After a long flight, an inexpensive big plate of spaghetti really hit the spot. Do yourself a favor and get some extra cheese to mix in, if you have €3 Euro to spare. Inside this place is a bit cramped and full of smoke, (everyone still smokes inside Belgium restaurants) so do yourself a favor, sit outside and Belgian watch.

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·   Le Macarons [resto.be]
·   Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]

Jaunted Goes To Belgium

June 28, 2006 at 12:17 PM | 0 Comments


Don't get us wrong: We love free things. In a tragic turn of events, however, the Belgian Tourist Office lost our invitation to their tourism romp, chosing not to pay for us to discover Belgium.

We're not bitter, we love press trips, but we decided we'd check things out for ourselves. We can get around without any handholding, and crashing a party is always more fun that going there with the rest of the herd, right?

Besides, we still got to see all the typical stuff: the Grand Place in Brussels chock-a-block with tourist mobs; Antwerp's high-fashion shops; the romantic canals of Brugge.

Because we were flying solo, though, we also met Cot the bartender who spun us yarns about Antwerp nightlife, gossiped with hotel staffers and hunkered down during a Flanders-wide power outage. We found the red light district of Antwerp (just for research! Honest!), mocked Belgian uni-hipsters in Ixelles, and even discovered that the rough in Rough Guides Brussels refers to their abilty to find a crowd in a bar.

Also, it's hard to explain that photo, but trust us: It made sense at the time.

Our renegade Belgium Field Trip coverage will starts today and wil continue through Monday both in this space and over on our big sister site. If you can't wait to see all our photos of furry fetishists, go to the Jaunted Flickr pool. Or better yet, upload your own Belgian photos to the pool. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and strap on your seatbelt...

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·   Belgium Field Trip [Jaunted]