(The text in the blog is screwed up and I'll go back and fix it in a day or two .. blame it on the beer).
The Museum of Musical Instruments is a true wonder ... beautifully done. It is located in a former department store building ... an art nouveau structure ... so not only are the instrument displays a marvel .. .so is the building itself.
Gaining entrance was tedious because a woman in front of me had a 15 minute discussion with the person at the ticket counter ... regarding a school visit/tour group ... none of the other Musee staff seemed to want to step in ... nor did the person at the ticket counter ... it would have taken just 15 seconds to give me the tickets in exchange for exact change ... which I had.
As I am finding out ... this inability to multi-task ... or to even recognize the situation and attempt is endemic here ... not sure if that is good or bad ... just an observation ...
There are 3 floors of displays in the museum and one floor is dedicated to the ubiquitous book store and gift shop ... interestingly enough the top floor is an open air restaurant where you can dine looking out on down town Brussels.
The displays on the three floors cover all instruments ... but the real beauty ... especially with regard to the piano ... is that you can literally see the development of the instrument ... from a very small, crudely built, crudely strung version ... to the various versions of the instrument that we know today ...
Also of interest were early versions of the bagpipes and banjo ... as well as versions of the guitar with one and two strings ... the guitar displays did not allow you to trace it evolution but there were interesting late 1950s electric models on display ...
Also on display was a theremin ... an early version about 5 feet tall ... and early studio recording equipment ... all in all, a fascinating array and display of music making implements.
After that, I worked my way down to the Grand Place and ended up in the Imaige Nostre-Dame ... one of trio of very old pubs tucked in three alley ways ... I ordered a Poperings Hommelbier made in the west of Flanders hop country ... blond, slightly sweet and refreshing ... after that, on a recommendation form the owner Yves, I ordered a Chimay Trippel ... it was darker, just as sweet and more complex ..
I left there and headed away from the Grand Place towards the train station in another section of town ... looking for a pub called Restobieres ... after a few misdirections, I located it ... but unfortunately it was closed between 4 - 6:30 so I moved on to Brocante ...
The impressive list of beer at Brocante, a great number of them Lambics, makes this pub one of the favorite spots in the city ... a very relaxed environment ... chess playing and light conversation ... I ordered the recommended St' Feuillien Pale Ale .. it was refreshing ... not too hoppy with a slight bitter edge ... this beer won the best Trappist Style Pale Ale award in 2010 .. .and you can taste why ...
After that I moved on to Le Porteuse d'eau .. .a restaurant specializing in Belgian cuisine ... a restaurant also known for it's high quality food at low prices ... I ordered the Carbonnade Flamandes and to accompany that I had a Cuvee Des Trolls beer to wash it down ... light, refreshing and very tasty ... the beer that is .. the Carbonnade is a Belgian beef stew ... made with beer of course ... it was unbelievingly, plate licking, bread soakingly good ...
After that I wound/staggered my way home and spent the rest of the evening contemplating a small waist line ... regarding a symbol and the visit to the Musee ... yes ... there is something there ... I just can't seem to focus on it right now ... pass the Zantac please ...
To quote from verse 2748 of the Krome Koan,
' ... beer .. it's whats for dinner ...'
The G.R. Ale Hunter (aka The Night Templar)
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