Rue Souveraine Furnished Apartments and Aparthotels

Megavino 2007

A déguster avec modération…

Quand on pense à ce que le plat pays a donné à l’humanité, il est clair que la production viticole belge vient loin, loin, très loin derrière les pralines, le surréalisme, les moules frites, Tintin et Johnny Halliday.

On produit pourtant du vin en Belgique depuis le 13^ème siècle. (Les principaux cépages sont le chardonnay, pinot gris, muller-thurgau, kerner, pinot blanc, riesling, auxerois… Les vins belges ont connu leur heure de gloire, mais aussi le goût amer de la défaite lorsque Napoléon Bonaparte ordonna l’arrachage de toutes les vignes belges, et ce n’est que dans les années 60 que l’activité viticole reprendra).

Du 19 au 22 octobre les plus curieux - pas nécessairement les plus courageux- auront la possibilité de goûter ces vins et de rencontrer des viticulteurs belges parmi les nombreux exposants du salon Megavino.

Pour l’occasion, Brussels expo se transforme en immense cave à vins. Jugez plutôt :

250 exposants, des milliers de vins originaires de  plus de 30 pays, des concours de vins, conférences, ateliers, harmonisations et démonstrations culinaires etc…sont au programme de cette 9^ème édition de Megavino.

Cela mérite bien une petite expédition vinophile du côté du Brussels Expo (palais 3 –métro Heysel)

Heures d’ouverture:
Vendredi de 18 à 23h00
Samedi de 12 à 20h00
Dimanche de 10 à 19h00
Lundi de 10 à 18h00

Prix d’entrée:
10€, verre de dégustation, catalogue et plan du salon compris

Brussels Christmas Market 2007

Brussels will hold its annual Christmas market (Hailed “Europe’s most original Christmas market” by British tour operators) on Place Ste-Catherine and around the Stock Exchange, from November 30 through January 1, 2008.

From Monday to Friday (11am to 20pm) and at weekends (11am to 10pm), a large number of stalls will display an array of European products in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The ice skating rink will be back on Place Ste-Catherine, and the Grand-Place will be the theater of a beautiful sound and light show every evening.

The full schedule of the event will be available soon on www.plaisirsdhiver.be

Back to Furnished rentals

Rubens, a genius at work

Exhibition at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium until January 27, 2008

Apprenticed in Antwerp, Rubens spent eight years in Italy studying the Renaissance masters before returning home, where he quickly completed a remarkable series of paintings for Antwerp Cathedral. His fame spread far and wide and for the rest of his days, Rubens was inundated with work, receiving commissions from all over Europe.

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium own a stunning collection of around fifty works (oil sketches, cabinet paintings, altarpieces…) either painted by Rubens himself or in collaboration with the likes of Jan Brueghel the Elder and Cornelis de Vos.

Museum conservators and specialized researchers have spent the past four years subjecting each and every one of these works to thorough analysis. For the first time the results are now presented in an exhibition that puts these paintings in the context of their artistic genesis. Six sections, each devoted to a different aspect of the atelier, offer the visitor the perfect chance to discover the manner in which Rubens and his team set to work.

To give more depth to this exhibition, the museum has secured the loan of some 60 additional paintings and drawings, most of them by the hand of Rubens himself. These works come from some of the world’s most famous museums, such as the Louvre, the Prado and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, just to name a few.

This is a unique chance for visitors to discover Rubens’ creative genius on the basis of nearly 120 works.

Exhibition 14 09 2007 - 27 01 2008
Royal Museums of fine Arts of Belgium
Rue de la Régence 3
1000 Brussels
Information: 

tel. : 32 (0)2 508 33 33

fax : 32 (0)2 508 32 32

Opening hours :

Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(ticket office closes at 4p.m.)
Closed on Mondays, November 1 2007 and 11 2007, December 25 2007, January 1 2008, January 10 2008

Entrance fees:

Adults: 9€
Seniors, Students, groups (>15 people): : 6,5€
School parties / pupil, handicapped, unemployed, teachers: 2,5€
Entrance free for the Friends of the Museums and children below 13 years with an adult

Audioguide (available for hire at the entrance): € 4

The tickets give access to the collections of the Museums of Fine Arts on the same day. 

Ticket sale:

At the museum cash point
+32 (0)70 22 30 20 - adults
+32(0)2 508 33 33 - groups
Via internet : www.sherpa.be

B-excursions in all the Belgian railway stations

Car Free day in Brussels on Sept. 23

Journée sans voiture

The Mobility Week kicks off today in Brussels and will culminate on September 23 with the Car free day, to the delight of bikers, pedestrians and roller bikers.

This is definitely a unique opportunity for residents and visitors to experience Brussels from a different angle and reclaim public space. But keep in mind that normal traffic rules still apply, as public transport will be running (free of charge) and emergency vehicles are allowed to operate.

Journée sans voitures le dimanche 23 septembre

Car free day

Le dimanche 23 septembre, les véhicules motorisés seront interdits de circulation dans toutes les communes de Bruxelles. Cet événement tant attendu par les cyclistes, patineurs et promeneurs, viendra clôturer en beauté la semaine de la mobilité qui démarre ce 15 septembre.

Alors n’oubliez pas de laisser votre voiture au garage et profitez de cette occasion rêvée pour découvrir Bruxelles autrement…sans oublier de respecter le code de la route, puisque les transports en commun circuleront normalement et gratuitement !

Belgium’s Music Festivals – 2007

Rock Werchter is regarded by many as one of Europe’s best open air music festivals. But there is more, much more in store for music fans this summer :

• The massive Dour Music Festival takes place 12-15 July.

It is a 4-day event held in an old coal mining site in the village of Dour, just by the French border. This year it will feature Wu-Tang Clan, Agoria, The Rapture, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sean Lennon, Bright Eyes, Dave Clarke, Justice, Two Gallants, Vitalic, Wilco, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, DJ Shadow, Katerine…and local groups such as Girls in Hawaii, Mud Flow, Sharko, The Tellers, My Little Cheap Dictaphone, Vive la Fête, Gabriel Rios, Les Anges, Minerale, Uman, The Van Jets, Superlux, Experimental Tropic Blues Band, The Diplomat, Showstar, Joshua…

Getting there

Tickets 

• 10 Days Off : 13-23 July in Ghent

Just 56 km from Brussels, this well established festival drains an enthusiastic crowd of Techno lovers. The program features Martin Solveig, Laurent Garnier, Tiga, Makossa & Magablast, just to name a few,

The Gentse Feesten, of Ghent Festival takes place at the same time. Indeed, for 10 days every July, Ghent loses its conservative feel and embraces the youth-oriented street festival. Local bands perform free outdoor gigs throughout the town, and the place seems to become a haven for every type of street performer : comedians, actors, puppeteers… There is also an outdoor market, selling everything from jenever (a gin-like traditional Ghent liquor) to handmade crafts.

Getting there

E40 Brussels-Gent
E17 Antwerpen-Gent
Exit Gent
Exit Gent Centrum
Follow until T-junction, then turn left
Stay to the left side of the street, take the first to the left after 10 (!) meters
Take a left turn again and then cross the bridge to the right.

Tickets

Ghent will also be the theatre of the Blue Note Festival (From 6-17 July)

• Francofolies de Spa : 18-22 July

This 5-day festival is a major affair. The sets are a balanced mixture of confirmed artists and new talents : Arno, Maurane, Obispo, Zazie, Voulzy, Renaud, Bruel, Abd Al Malik, Zoé, Jeanne Cherhal, Zita Swoon…

Getting there 

Tickets 

• Esperanzah : Floreffe, 3-5 August

A world music festival staging emerging artists. The event takes place on the beautiful site of the Abbaye de Floreffe, in a family atmosphere. This year’s edition will feature Groundation, DJ Shantel, Salif Keita, The Peas Project, Mamani Keita, Frédéric Galliano, just to name a few.

More details on Esperanzah's offical web site

• Pukkelpop : Kiewit, Hasselt – 16-18 August

Pukkelpop  is a 3-day music festival. Over the past years, Pukkelpop has evolved into one of the biggest alternative open air festivals in Europe and presents the most progressive, contemporary and alternative music : Tools, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, Lacuna Coil, Sharko, Mudflow, Hollywood Porn Stars, the Tellers, Ignite…

For the full line-up, schedule, tickets and how to get there, please check Pukkelpop official web-site.

Festival Couleur Café du 29 juin au 1er juillet 2007

Les amateurs de Musiques du Monde attendent toujours cet événement avec impatience. 

"Couleur Café"... c’est Bruxelles qui donne rendez-vous aux Caraïbes, à l’Afrique et à l’Amérique Latine, le temps d'un week-end festif et musical sur le prestigieux site de Tour & Taxis.

Au programme :

Vendredi 29 Juin
Manu Dibango, Sanseverino, Live from Buena Vista : The Havana Lounge, Patrice, Skarbone 14, Jaune Toujours, Manou Gallo, Dubioza Kollektiv, DJ Click, DJ Gaetano.

Samedi 30 Juin
Rachid Taha, Yuri Buenaventura, Ziggy Marley, Cassius, Sniper, Daan, Puggy, Slang, Amazones, Les Blérots de R.A.V.E.L., Superlux, Buscemi, Adrian Sherwood et le formidable Ismael Lo.

Dimanche 1er Juillet 
Johnny Clegg, The Roots, Ayo, Horace Andy, Ismaël Lo, Malibu Stacy, Pablo Andres, Konga Vibes, The Locos, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, LexXxus & PNB, ABB.

Attention, Couleurs Café draine chaque année pas moins de 70000 visiteurs, aussi l’usage des transports en commun s’impose. Pour l’occasion, la Stib met les petits plats dans les grands : Du 29 juin au 1^er juillet, les festivaliers munis d’un ticket d’entrée pourront accéder gratuitement au réseau STIB pour rejoindre Tour & Taxis. Pour le retour, un service de navettes spéciales desservira Bruxelles entre minuit et 3 heures du matin.

Billets : 1 jour : 29 € en prévente (36 € sur place) – Pass 3 jours : 64 € (uniquement en prévente)

Programmation, réservations en ligne et informations générales sur le Festival Couleur Café 

Plus d'informations sur le site de Tour et Taxis

Brussels Jazz Marathon

Jazz lovers are in for a treat!

The Brussels Jazz marathon, will kick off on 25 May.

Over 125 concerts are scheduled in numerous Clubs and venues, with open air stages on the

Grand Place, Sablon, Place Ste-Catherine and Place Fernand Cocq (just around the corner from rue Souveraine).

New this year is a “European Jazz@Brussels” stage on the Place d’Espagne, where you can discover groups from Hungary, Spain, Italy, Estonia, Holland, France and Bulgaria.

This year the concerts are free, and so are the buses that will ferry you between the various locations.

More information on the official Jazz Marathon Web site

May 25-27

20 km de Bruxelles

La 28ème edition des 20 km de Bruxelles aura lieu le dimanche 27 mai 2007 à 15h00, à l’esplanade du Cinquantenaire.

Les inscriptions sont d’ores et déjà clôturées mais libre à vous de rejoindre la foule, toujours enthousiaste, massée tout au long d’un parcours qui mène les 20.000 participants à travers les plus belles avenue de Bruxelles, en passant par le Bois de la Cambre.

L’itinéraire de la course est disponible sur le site officiel des 20 km de Bruxelles.

The 28th edition of the 20 km of Brussels will take place at the esplanade of the Cinquantenaire on Sunday, May 27, at 3 pm.

It is too late to enter the race now but feel free to join the enthusiasic crowd thronging the whole route which threads its way through the Bois de la Cambre and Brussels finest avenues.

The details of the race are available on the official web site : 20 km of Brussels

Fête de l’Iris

Les 5 et 6 mai prochains, les bruxellois célèbreront le 16° anniversaire de la Région de « Bruxelles-Capitale ».

Pour fêter l’évènement, la Région a prévu des animations en pagaille : théâtre de rue dans le quartier de la Place Saint-Jean, parades, concerts, jeux pour enfants…journée portes ouvertes au Parlement  bruxellois...

Hooverphonic se produira sur la Grand-Place le samedi à 21h00 à l’occasion d’un concert gratuit…

Vous pouvez consulter la programmation détaillée sur le site officiel.

Iris Day

On May 5-6, the Region of "Brussels-Capitale" will celebrate its 16^th birthday. Here is an outline of what the Brussels Region has put together: street theatre, concerts and parades in the Place Saint-Jean area, open day in the Brussels Parliament… Hooverphonic will give a free concert on the Grand-Place on Saturday night…

You can check the full schedule on the official site