last of its kind in in the city . Opened in 1900 , it is truly Old School , utilizing the original 19th-century equipment to produce the world ’ s original style of beer . Guided tours run every 30 minutes , taking visitors through the production floor , where antique beltdriven machines continue today , milling , mashing , boiling , and cooling the brew . Inhale deeply in the aging room , as the fruity , woody aroma of beer brewing in chestnut wine casks perfumes the air . Abundant spider webs don ’ t prosper from neglect , but rather are encouraged to keep the brewery naturally bug-free . The Brewery ’ s admission fee includes one glass of Cantillon ’ s coveted stock , but few visitors stop at just one glass .
Beers in Brussels
BELGIAN CHOCOLATE WORKSHOP AT ZAABÄR
Although you can ’ t actually dive into a vat of Belgian chocolate , it ’ s still possible to get up close and personal with it at this chocolate factory in the center of Brussels . Every Saturday afternoon ( plus Wednesdays during school holidays ), one-hour workshops facilitated by the chocolate maker instruct up to 30 guests in the fine art of making truffles , bars , and traditional “ mendicants ,” named after the four mendicant or monastic orders . There is plenty to taste , too , and your delicious creations are yours to take home … if you make it that far . Be sure to snap your selfies before slipping off your compulsory hairnet , apron , and gloves .
LES APÉROS URBAINS
When the mercury rises high enough on the thermostat , Brussels ’ denizens love to get outside and celebrate the warm weather together , and some have converted this rite into an art . One citizen ’ s attempt to get a few friends together for drinks transformed into Les Apéros Urbains , a festival of large scale “ apéros ” on Friday nights throughout the spring and summer . Enormously popular , each event attracts hundreds of locals to chat , drink , dance , and meet friends old and new . The pop-up parties travel throughout the city , and are found in parks , squares , rooftops , and forests during the season — always with the doctrine of “ Simplicity , Happiness , Originality , Friendliness .”
BELGIAN COMIC STRIP CENTER
Belgium claims more comic strip artists per square kilometer than any other country , and the evidence is overwhelming — if not in your childhood memories of Tintin and the Smurfs , then in Brussels ’ numerous venues for comic book art . The most important is the Belgian Comic Strip Center , where the rich history and production of the “ ninth art ” pack several floors of permanent and temporary exhibitions . The Grand Poohbah of comics and creator of Tintin , Hergé ( aka Georges Remi ) are featured in a dedicated area . The Center ’ s Art Nouveau home , a former textile warehouse built by Victor Horta , is a work of art itself , and the iron-and-glass ceiling bathes the contents in defused light . Outside the center , enjoy more of Belgium ’ s comic culture along the “ Comic Book Route ” — a path through the city marked by dozens of large-scale , comic-style murals painted on buildings .
BRUSSELS VINTAGE MARKET
Fashionistas visiting Brussels should aim for the first Sunday of each month when the vaunted vintage clothing market opens its doors to nearly 2500 shoppers in need of retail therapy . The remedy is in ample supply , with 40 or more second-hand vendors , and more than 20 designers , filling the charming space in Halles Saint-Géry , a neo-Renaissance brick-and-wrought-iron former meat market . A central obelisk is the point from which all distances in Belgium are measured . Shopping for vintage clothes , furniture , tableware , and accessories , however , is only part of the fun . Meeting friends , snacking on delicious cakes , and possibly shaking your hips to the live music provide the rest — all with a retro flavor .
ROYAL GREENHOUSES OF LAEKEN
Brussels ’ passion for flowers culminates every two years , when one million artistically arranged begonias fill the Grand-Place with a “ Flower Carpet ,” stretching 250 feet . Equally coveted by budding botanists and stopand-smell-the-flowers guests , is the annual opening of the sumptuous greenhouses on the grounds of the royal palace in Laeken , which lasts only three weeks every spring . Established in 1895 by King Léopold , the complex of art nouveau pavilions , cupolas , and arcades is capped by the massive , domed “ Winter Garden ,” filled with rare and valuable plants , many belonging to King Leopold II ’ s original collection . The gathering of camellias ( over 100 species ) is especially prized , as the largest and oldest of its kind in a greenhouse . Afterwards , head to Hallerbos Forest , located 10 miles southwest of Brussels . Here , an astonishing carpet of bluebells covers the forest floor every spring , as if from Arthurian fantasy .
FLYWASHINGTON . COM 28 SUMMER 2017