THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The budget traveller may be lucky enough to find a free bed in some parts of town; and make their presence felt on Rue de l’Étuve; the central square in Brussels known as Grand Place is one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations; don’t leave Brussels without treating yourself to a traditional thick, crispy waffle topped with cream chasing and fruit. Tintin Tintin was a lucky chap. He travelled the world while his bills magically paid themselves. Adventures landed in his lap. His dog was superbly house-trained. He flew to the moon. And the evergreen Belgian could call edgy, underrated Brussels his hometown. By Richard Asher. iStockphoto.com

es, Brussels is actually a great Mussels. The Smurfs. Cherry beer. The His long career came to an end in First, a little history place. Some may like to knock world’s greatest slap chips. And Tintin. 1983, having begun all the way back Tintin began as a weekly children’s serial it, along with the rest of Bel- Such a bad place? Really? in 1929. While Brussels is hardly made in Le Vingtième Siècle, a Brussels news- Ygium, but they forget what a Okay, so maybe it’s true that ’s explicit as his hometown in the books, paper. The very first adventure, ‘Tintin diverse, undiscovered, yet oddly familiar, top celebrity is a comic-book character. there’s no doubting that the quiffed one in the Land of the Soviets’, began on 10 place it is. As in South Africa, you can After all, this is a country that doesn’t was a patriotic citizen of the Belgian January 1929 and sees the young reporter cross a town only to find they’re speaking even need a president: it recently func- capital. His creator, Hergé (real name head to Russia to find out all about the another language. And it could well be tioned without a government for well Georges Remi), was a born and bred, Bolshevik baddies. It’s black-and-white, Flemish, Afrikaans’ closest living rela- over a year because they couldn’t agree on French-speaking Bruxellois. As was slapstick, unrecognisably haphazard and tive. Furthermore, there’s no evidence forming a coalition. We can’t help think- Tintin. The volumes are littered with still something of a collector’s item, but it’s to suggest that Brussels sprouts really ing Tintin would have banged their heads city landmarks anybody can visit, comic definitely Tintin. And Hergé’s readers (not came from Brussels. Instead, think beer. together, were he still around. book in hand. For a Tintin fan, Brussels just kids, then as now) really took to the

Chocolate. Waffles. Raspberry beer. Sadly, Tintin has long since retired. is the pilgrimage. All illustrations courtesy © Hergé-Moulinsart 2012 young man with the little white Scottie. So iStockphoto.com

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Step outside, look up and to your right, and there he is again, gazing

much so, that a vast crowd gathered when out from the top of the the newspaper (and a Tintinesque actor) offices on Avenue Paul-Henri staged the hero’s ‘return’ from the USSR to coincide with the end of the serial. Spaak, where Tintin magazine Several adventures later, the Nazis rolled was once published into Brussels, and Hergé was forced to move Tintin – still a weekly serial – into the German-controlled newspaper. After Belgium’s liberation, Tintin moved to his own magazine as Hergé began to work more with the final book products in mind. By the 1960s, with the early books having been coloured and translated into many languages, Hergé began to tire of the demands of Tintin. His production rate slowed, and only three completed books emerged after the 1960 classic Tintin in Watch The Secret of Tibet. When Hergé died in 1983, he was the working (at glacial speed) on Tintin and Tintin movies invariably divide opin- Alph-Art, a series of draft sketches around ion. For many, the idea of bringing an art thievery plot. We’ll never know how a comic-strip character to life on that adventure would have panned out, but screen doesn’t sit well. So Steven there’s a certain charm in that. Spielberg had a challenge on his ABOVE: Tintin and look down on the streets of Brussels from atop the Le Lombard offices. hands when he made The Secret BELOW LEFT: City restaurants spill onto sidewalks and pavements bustle with pedestrians. of the Unicorn. The unofficial the house in which Hergé was born, and It wasn’t a complete disaster. Tintin heritage trail survived a childhood said to have been (the Belgian Comic Strip Centre) on Rue market so special is that it seems to have The graphic geeks were reasonably When embarking on your Tintin trek ‘unbelievably dull’. The address you want des Sables. This city-centre museum is changed little since Hergé drew it in the faithful to the characters’ appear-

through Brussels, allow at least three days, is 33 Rue Philippe Baucq, Etterbeek, where iStockphoto.com unmissable for comic-book junkies, but 1940s. The vendor demographic may have ances, and the voices aren’t as as the sites are scattered over a large area. there’s a plaque on the wall to ‘Tintin’s isn’t exclusively devoted to Tintin. Same evolved, but the bric-a-brac on sale (think cringe-worthy as they might be – at If you have more time, so much the spiritual father’. Situated in the heart of goes for the quirkier Museum of Original headless dummies, old gramophones and least they don’t speak with Ameri- better. The city’s non-Tintin delights old-school suburbia in the city’s southeast, Figurines on Boulevard Auguste Reyers. If amusing African masks) is straight from can accents. Although Spielberg need attention too, and you’ll pass you’ll find it next to the funeral parlour. you want a devoted Tintin museum, there the pages of Tintin. Ditto some of the shop- did meddle with the plot by splicing most of them on your way around. Moving from the birth of Hergé to the is the modernistic Musée Hergé, founded pers showing off equally dated wardrobes. together elements of two separate If you’re arriving by rail from birth of Tintin, you might want to cross by Hergé’s widow Fanny. This is well out of Dating back to 1873, the place seems lost books, it’s still entertaining. or London, you’re likely town towards Gare de Bruxelles-Nord. Or, town at Louvain-la-Neuve, however, which in time. Remember your camera, and your But the film’s over-the-top, unreal- to pull into town at the Gare to be precise, to the nearby Place Rogier, takes an hour on the train. If you want to copy of The Secret of the Unicorn. istic antics drew vitriol. Tintin books du Midi. Straight away, Tin- where the original station building stood make hiring a car for a day worthwhile, you Nearby is another essential pilgrimage, were rooted in a reality that went tin makes his presence felt. until 1955. The very first scene from the could dovetail it with a trip to nearby Wa- Rue Terre-Neuve. It has been speculated beyond Hergé’s accurate depictions There’s a mural – a scene very first book is set here, as Tintin boards terloo. Bear in mind that all the museums that this is the inspiration for the fictional of Brussels. Tintin may have enjoyed from Tintin in America – a train headed for Moscow. He promises are closed on Mondays. Labrador Road, where Tintin resided at a greater share of fortune and ad- just inside one of the en- his editor (this is the only book in which But if you find museums stuffy, you number 26. Take a look, and judge for venture than most of us, but nothing trances. Step outside, look up he really appears to be a working reporter) light district next to the existing Gare de could easily give them a skip. You’re yourself. Also within walking distance that happened to him was physically and to your right, and there that he’ll send vodka and caviar, before Bruxelles-Nord. Like we said, Brussels has here to follow in the real-life footsteps of is the busy, fashionable Avenue Louise, improbable or outlandish. Not so for he is again, gazing out from the falling asleep in his compartment. its gritty side. Tintin, after all. For that, there’s no better home to Hergé’s former studios at number Spielberg, who allowed the compu- top of Le Lombard on Avenue The Place Rogier is also where the staged Now that you’ve paid homage to the ori- place than the Place du Jeu de Balle in the 162, where the Hergé Foundation is now ter show-offs to run amok creating Paul-Henri Spaak, where homecoming took place to wild acclaim gins of Tintin and his creator, the sequence Marolles district. This is the unmistakable housed. Avenue Louise is also recognis- chase scenes featuring buildings Tintin magazine was once more than a year after that first episode. doesn’t matter all that much. But there inspiration for the opening scenes of The able in various frames from Tintin’s ‘home’ that move. published. It looks a lot different now, though, so are relevant museums, which you may Secret of the Unicorn – both the original adventures. Avenue de la Toison d’Or, The film hit SA cinemas in Decem- But the logical place you’ll need some imagination. While you’re want to do before you go any further. One book and the recent Steven Spielberg which meets Avenue Louise near the Lou- ber 2011 and is available on DVD. to really get going is at here, you’ll also notice a Dutch-style red- is the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée movie. What makes this cosy open-air ise metro station, is said to be the street on

50 Getaway International Winter 2012 51 Brussels

Tunnel Leopold II

Hotel Metropole 0 500m 1km

Théâtre Royal des Galeries Belgian Centre Brussels Metro Stations Tintin Shop

Bld Lambermont Editorial offices of Journal de Tintin Théâtre Royal du Parc Tintin fresco

Parc de Bruxelles La Fleur en Papier Doré

Le Lombard Royal Palace Brussels- Tintin fresco Luxembourg station

Place du Jeu de Balle Bld de Waterloo Quick and Flupke fresco

Av Louise iStockphoto.com

Chaussée du Mons There’s more to Brussels than Tintin If you’ve been dragged to Brussels by somebody who is more of a Tintinophile than you are, fear not, because there’s plenty else on offer. Don’t forget this isn’t only the capital of Belgium, BRUSSELS but also the continent. Yet amid all the European Union pomp lies arguably the least pretentious of Europe’s capitals. Away from the grandeur of the Grand Place, it’s rough around the Chaussée de Waterloo edges and decidedly lived-in. Not everything is clean. Not everything works. But some of that is borne of the Belgians’ famous indifference to the existence of their country, a cultural phenomenon quite unique in Europe. Like Cape Town or Johannesburg, the city is linguistically di- vided, Flemish and French (aka Walloon) quarters are scattered

De Frélaan about with no real logic. And like Cape Town or Joburg, you’re

Centre Culturel d’Uccle never far from somebody Congolese. It’s hard to know what One of Hergé’s residences language to say good morning in, which is kind of fun.

Professor Tarragon’s Diewig Cemetery residence in The Seven Uccle Observatory Crystal balls Further south is another windows in the middle of the night, shatter- mural, on Rue de l’Étuve. This ing glass all over the place. is a clever rendition of a fire- Clearly Hergé didn’t like to travel far escape scene from The Cal- for inspiration. Up the road at number 17, which Tintin and Captain Haddock walk park you’ll find the Théâtre Royal du Parc, don’t like photography in stations. culus Affair. Also nearby is you’ll find the house where the artist lived on page one of The Calculus Affair. which features at the start of The Seven Itching to see the Grand Place? Do it La Fleur en Papier Doré and worked from 1939 to 1953. From here, If you want to dive headlong into the Crystal Balls. Book a show by all means, now. This is one square that really does – a gueuze (beer) at this head west (it’s a bit of a walk, so you may pages of a Tintin adventure, your best bet is but don’t try charging onto the stage stuck live up to its billing. Even if you’re not an appealingly cramped public prefer public transport) to the Uccle area. the Parc de Bruxelles. This is where Tintin inside a cow’s head. Captain Haddock gave architecture fan, you can’t help but admire house is compulsory drink- On the giant circular road called Avenue (quite typically) finds his innocent stroll that a bash, but it didn’t end well… such shiny buildings. Handily, the tourist ing. Supposedly the city’s Circulaire, you’ll find the Uccle Observa- turning into a full-blown international If all of this is too much walking, treat office is also here. They’re pretty tuned in oldest bar, Hergé himself tory, as seen in . mystery after he finds a suitcase on one of yourself to a metro ride. You need to go to the whole Tintin thing, so ask them for was a regular here. Just one stop remains: Hergé’s grave. the park benches. And you won’t be judged all the way to Stokkel, at the end of the a Tintin in Brussels or Comic Strip Trail You have one more Head a few hundred metres off the giant if you can’t resist recreating that scene inspirationally named Line 1B. Here you’ll map. While you’re here, you’ll also have to cluster of sights to roundabout, down Dieweg, and you’ll find from King Ottokar’s Sceptre with a photo find your train pulling in alongside a visit the Tintin shop, which is just around visit. Take tram 94 to Boisfort and head to Hergé resting in Dieweg Cemetery. Born, ABOVE: Captain Haddock’s antics in a cow’s head, a of your own bag on a bench. remarkable mural running the full length the corner on Rue de la Colline. If you’re number six Avenue Delleur. You should bred and buried in Brussels, Hergé and highlight of the mural at Stokkel underground station. TOP LEFT: Tourists walk along Rue des Bouchers, The Royal Palace, on the southern fringe of the platform. Planned by Hergé himself, looking for an original black and white recognise this house as that of the bearded Tintin conspired to brighten the days of known as Brussels’ belly, with numerous cafés and of the park, bears striking similarities to it features 140 familiar characters and is an version of Tintin in America, or the post- Professor Tarragon from The Seven Crystal kids and grownups since 1929. The unlikeli- restaurants offering all types of local and international the Syldavian king’s residence seen later absolute hoot. Just make sure there is no humous edition of Tintin and Alph-Art, Balls. Yes, this is where the spooky Inca est of double acts. Hats off to them both. cuisine. TOP RIGHT: The Koekelberg Basilica dominates in the same book. At the other end of the staff around when you take pictures – they this is the place to get it. mummy, Rascar Capac, jumps through the Travel planner overleaf the skyline north of the city centre.

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Travel planner

Getting there dozens of restaurants, the five-star a ‘cartoon village’ There are no direct flights from South establishment also has more than a rather than merely Africa to Belgium, but there are dozens few Tintin touches scattered about the a restaurant. Look of ways to get there with only one stop. rooms. The Tintin Collector Experience out for the bronze A return for under R7 000 is a good deal, package includes a night’s accommo- Tintin statue. It’s and you could arrange a stopover in dation, buffet breakfast, tickets to the open till late, and somewhere such as Egypt (EgyptAir), Hergé Museum, a box of Belgian choco- has a bar too. Turkey (Turkish Airlines) or Spain (Iberia). lates and special Tintin gifts. The catch? Tel +32-2-523-1323. If you’d rather keep the flights to a Prices start from €243 (about R2 487) a For a posh after- minimum and tailor your own stopover, person a night. www.hotelamigo.com. dinner drink, try the Bar simply take a direct flight to Paris, London Also five stars, and with a Tintin Dessiné at the Hotel iStockphoto.com or Amsterdam and hop on a train once appearance to its name (see page 20 of Radisson SAS. It’s you’ve had a look around. Brussels is The Seven Crystal Balls), is the opulent devoted to comic art, only a couple of hours away from any Hotel Metropole on Place de la Brou- but in an understated way. of these holiday favourites, and there ckère. From €165 (about R1 689) a per- Tel +32-2-219-2828. are loads of trains daily. Generally, it’s son. www.metropolehotel.com. cheaper to book the trains in advance, so Note that Brussels hotels always slap What you’ll need visit www.eurostar.com (London), www. you with an additional ‘city tax’ when to get by raileurope.co.uk (Paris) or www.ns.nl (Am- you check out. Apparently they think it’s Brussels is not an expensive city by sterdam). Be careful of opting for cheap, clever to keep it as a farewell surprise European measures. This is one place crack-of-dawn trains though: make sure for tourists rather than including it in the where you can eat cheap chips all day there will be a way to reach the station at rate. Clarify the charge upon arrival. without tourist guilt; frites are the national the relevant ungodly hour, unless you par- food! You can pick up a reasonable tub ticularly enjoy sleeping on the doorstep of When to go for under €2 (about R20), washed down famous railway terminals. Brussels in winter is a lot like Cape Town with a reasonably priced beer. If you’re in winter. Brussels in summer is ... often planning to visit a few museums and Where to stay much the same! It’s all rather moderate, use public transport, it’s a good idea to to For the budget traveller there’s but with so much outdoor walking in get yourself a Brussels card for 24, 48 CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: In addition to being a hostel with Tintin connections. The prospect, the Tintin tourist has the best or 72 hours. These offer free entry to home to the world’s most famous comic-book charac- ter, Brussels is also known for its delicious mussels, a Sleep Well Hostel on Rue de Damier has chance of sunshine from June to August. museums, unlimited tube, tram and bus giant traffic cone, the Manneken Pis statue and the a couple of frescoes by Johan de Moor Just don’t try ordering mussels at that rides and various restaurant discounts. throwback that is the Place du Jeu de Balle. (son of Hergé’s artistic sidekick Bob de time of year – they’re strictly winter fare. They cost €24, €34 and €40 (up to about Moor), who helped with the abortive Tin- R400) respectively. Book in advance at See the sights something of a national sport, particularly if you’re male. Visiting tin and Alph-Art. It’s €19.50 (about R199) Where to eat www.visitbrussels.be or get one at the Yes, Brussels is famous for its waffles andfrites , but as the the urinal-up-against-a-church-wall at the Église Sainte Catherine for a bed in an eight-person dorm, and The year 2012 is a great time to be tourist office on Grand Place. capital of a country that’s home to 178 breweries, it’s also one is possibly the most authentic Belgian experience you can have twin rooms go for €27 (about R276) a eating in Brussels, as the city cele- of the best beer cities in the world. So, if you’re hunting for the – even if it’s hard to imagine Tintin frequenting a stinky pissoir. person sharing. Prices include breakfast. brates its ‘Brusselicious’ food festival Suggested reading legendary Belgian Trappist beers made by monks or the All of the above are to be found in the compact city centre, www.sleepwell.be. from March to September. But whenever Ideally, read all of the Tintin adventures spontaneously fermented Lambic ale that’s unique to the which is great for wandering around and discovering curious Thon Hotel Bristol Stephanie is you go, you’ll find Tintin-themed dining before you go. If you have to pick one, Brussels region, start at Moeder Lambic in Saint-Gilles things you’d find only in Brussels – a giant orange-and-white another good choice for the discerning options. The Faubourg Saint Antoine make it The Secret of the Unicorn. (tel +32-2-544-1699) – and finish at Delirium Café in the Grand sculpture of a traffic cone, anyone? But under no circumstances Tintinophile. Situated right on Avenue bistro in Schaarbeek is a compulsory Reading some Tintin background won’t Place (www.deliriumcafe.be) which is undoubtedly one of the should you feel bogged down in the capital. One of the joys Louise, it features in The Red Sea stop for Tintinophiles. It’s positively hurt either. Try ’s Tintin: The best beer bars in Europe. of Belgium is that it’s ridiculously small. Vibey Antwerp, Sharks. From €60 (about R614) a bursting with Tintin decorations. It’s Complete Companion (John Murray, You’ll then have to find time to visit the city’s most famous for example, is only about 40 minutes away by road or train. person. www.thonhotels.com. closed on weekends and most evenings, London) or Tintin: Hergé and his Crea- resident, Manneken Pis. Aside from his decidedly forthright Despite the short trip, it’s in the Flemish heartland and If money is no object, then Hotel so your best bet is to make it a lunch tion by Harry Thompson (John Murray, pose, he also stands apart from regular statues by his tendency suddenly your ‘Bonjours’ won’t be so well received. Beautiful Amigo on Rue de l’Amigo ticks both stop. Tel +32-2-245-6394. London). For a guide to the city, get hold to dress up on occasion. Less well known is his equally uninhibited Bruges is equally accessible as a day trip, and the historic the location and Tintin boxes. Just a The Comics Cafe in the Place du of The Rough Guide to Brussels by Phil sister, Jeanneke Pis. university town of Leuven is so close that it’s effectively few steps away from Grand Place and Grand Sablon likes to think of itself as Lee and Martin Dunford (Rough Guides). Watering the daisies in public isn’t limited to statues – it’s a suburb of Brussels. Accommodation price ratings: a person a night, usually B&B, sometimes full board under R250 R251 – R499 R500 – R750 R751 – R999 R1000+

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