Brussels Jazz Festival

One of the great things about summer in Europe is the festivals, such as the Brussels Jazz festival.  We jumped on the train after work on Friday afternoon and we were in Brussels by 8pm, ready to enjoy some music.  All through the city there were pubs, cafes and squares with live music.  Ideally it would have been nice to sit out in a square under the warm sun enjoying a cold beer- unfortunately the weather had other ideas and any outdoor music viewing was done with warm jackets and hot drinks.  Nevertheless, across the weekend we enjoyed quite a few different bands.

Main stage in the Grote Markt

Outdoor stage at Sint Katelijneplein

Jazz trio in a cozy little cafe

We also took in a few different sights while in Brussels, including the Musical Instrument Museum and the Museum of Original Figurines which highlighted Belgium's rich contribution to cartoons and comics which includes the Smurfs, Tintin and Asterix.

Theremin

Brass inventions by Adolf Sax

Smurfs at the Museum of Original Figurines

Asterix and Obelix

Tintin

Another well known Belgian product is the beer.  We tried a number of styles of beer unique to the country, including the tripel-style Delirium Tremens at the Delirium Cafe (named the best beer in the world in a survey a few years ago) and a lambic beer at cafe Lambic Moeder, a type of beer produced using the old-world technique of spontaneous fermentation caused by wild yeasts and bacteria.

Delirium

Lambic beer with a side of barley grain

Despite the gloomy weather, the city was bustling and had a great (grown up) party atmosphere, making for an enjoyable weekend away.

Enjoying some flaamse frites