Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
people flock to wave flags and honk horns.
It's also where the old town meets the new. To the right along
Boulevard Anspach are two shopping malls and several first-run
movie theaters. Rue Neuve, which parallels Anspach, is a pedes-
trian-only shopping street.
Boulevard Anspach covers the still-f lowing Senne River
(which was open until 1850). Remember that Brussels was once a
port, with North Sea boats coming as far as this point to unload
their goods. But with frequent cholera epidemics killing thousands
of its citizens, the city decided to cover up its stinky river.
• For efficient sightseeing, consider catching bus #95 from alongside the
Bourse (on Rue Henri Maus, just east of Falstaff Café) to the Place
Royale, where you can follow my Upper Town Walk (see page 409), also
ending at the
Manneken-Pis.
But if you'd rather stay in the Lower
Town, return to the Grand Place.
From the Grand Place to the
Manneken-Pis
• Leave the square kitty-corner, heading south down the street run-
ning along the left side of the Town Hall, Rue Charles Buls (which soon
changes its name to Stoofstraat).
Just five yards off the square, under
the arch, is a well-polished, well-
loved brass statue.
You' l l s e e tou r is t s a nd
locals rubbing a
brass statue
of a reclining man. This was
Mayor Evrard 't Serclaes, who
in 1356 bravely refused to sur-
render the keys of the city to
invaders, and so was tortured
and killed. Touch him, and his
misfortune becomes your good luck. Judging by the reverence with
which locals go through this ritual, there must be something to it.
The
N. Toebac Lace Shop
is a welcoming place with fine
l lace, , a k nowled geable staff, f f, a nd
an interesting three-minute video.
Brussels is perhaps the best-known
city for traditional lacemaking, and
this shop still sells handmade pieces
in the old style: lace clothing, doilies,
tablecloths, and ornamental pieces
(daily 9:30-19:30, Rue Charles Buls
10). The shop gives travelers with
this topic a 15 percent discount. If
you spend more than €125, you get a
further 13 percent tax rebate. For more
