Day 3 - Brussels/Rotterdam

Day 3 - (Sunday, 15th Jan 06')
Chintan and I woke up early to meet his other team-mates at Rotterdam Centraal, from where we were to take our train to Brussels. Another stop en route for the flaky croissant and cup of coffee, and we were boarding our train. Trains in the Netherlands (or was that in all of Europe?) were well-equipped with adjustable tables and contractable trash bins, by each seat. Post breakfast, Chints moved over to work on his paper with his team-mate and I sat back with my Nano for company, taking in the Dutch countryside. We passed Den Haag, the seat of the government in Holland, a place I visited only while on the train, to and fro my journeys to Amsterdam and now to Brussels.
The ride into Brussels was barely an hour and a half long, and the cultural and linguistic differences were already obvious. The large Dutch windows were giving way to traditional European fenestrations as signages started reading in French.
The Brussels Central station was another one of those magnanimous iron and steel trussed-structural enclosures they have, for stations in Europe. Within the station, we passed closed chocolaterie's and boulangerie's, going up and down stairs to find our way out. Once outside the station, Ron (one of Chints' Swiss friends) led us into the city, which was just waking up on a lazy Sunday morning. We were finding our way through narrow sloping streets, lined with closed shutters for shops, as shopkeepers threw buckets of water on the pavement, to start a fresh day. Our troupe was actively looking to find a Brunch place, that would be open. Two unsuccessful stops later, Ron led us to this cosy yet large brunch place, called 'Le grand cafe'. The maitre'd seated us on a rather large table and our hungry selves placed our orders and went to the loo's. An interesting loo experience, as there was no visual demaracation of the men's and women's restroom areas. So obviously, I dont know what I was thinking when I walked right past the urinals and into a toilet, only to realise at the end of it, that I had relieved myself in the men's loo. Not that the old lady collecting tips, at the entrance of the loo's found it strange; all she wanted was her 25 pence tip. Back to my breakfast table, where one of Chint's friends lit up a smoke at the table, (not knowing we were at a non-smoking area), at the horrified astonishment of the waiter and later had to put it out. (European bars bother me; having to sit in a smoke-environment, passively inhaling all that evil air and ending up with it, in your hair and clothes, let alone in your lungs is something I've lost practice of; thanks to Mayor Bloomberg)
After breakfast, it was time to get to work, for my group-mates. We walked through the cobbled streets, as I noticed the omni-presence of Tintin on the sides of a lot of buildings (Tintin's creator Georges Remi, better known as Herge, was born in Brussels and he made Tintin, Belgium's most famous reporter).
We passed through The Grand'Place (Grote Markt - Market Square), taking in fleeting glimpses of the golden facades, gleaming in the early morning sun; again up and down narrow streets, into the station and outside it, onto the other side of the city. Here we were, face-to-face with the Museum of Modern Art, where Chints and gang had to go see an exhibit on Moscow, for their studio project. I decided to bow out of it and explore the city by myself instead, deciding with Chint's to meet back here after two hours.
As it was around 10 am now, the city seemed to be getting livelier than before. I walked through the Central station, (dodging my way through the many tour-guides trying to sell me a 'City-tour by bus' tickets) and out into the city on the other side of it. My first stop was the The Grand'Place (Grote Markt - Market Square), to have a good look at the historic market square with its splendid guild houses and the impressive Gothic beauty of the Town Hall. This square is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, flanked by sets of 14th century guild houses with elaborate baroque facades, complementing the King's house, that already had a queue of tourists waiting outside it for the tour. I spent some time watching a group of little girl guides being instructed by their beautiful and very attractive young teachers, rambling away instructions in French. I moved on from the square towards the "Rue des Bouchers" (butchers' streets), where fresh varieties of sea food were beautifully arranged, along the edges of the narrow pathways. Each restaurant was painted in a different hue and had a coloured board at its entrance, that spelt the 'menu' of the day. Most restaurants had three course lunches priced from 18-20 Euros each; a steal for the spread they were offering. Walking through the butcher's streets, I reached a street market that sold everything from hats to shoes, next to a bronze statue - a seated man reading a book, with his pestering dog at his knees. There were many such public sculptures that I was to see, in my day there, the most important one (from the tourist point of view) being the 'Mannekin Pis' (the little bronze boy peeing), which of course I missed out on. No complaints, on that one!
I walked ahead amidst the market streets, trying to find myself a good chocolaterie, where I could try my first authentic Belgian chocolate. ( I was hoping to try Belgian chocolate, beer and waffles, all in a day) So the next half an hour was spent well, learning about the various kinds of chocolates in a quaint, nicely done up store with a very patient French lady for an owner. I walked out of the store, with a bag of assorted Belgian chocolates, (from trufles to Chocolate Euro's). 20 Euros well spent!
Street musicians played along as I noticed the elaborate details and aesthetics that went into the design of an attractive Chocolate store. Godiva must learn a lesson or two; as it looked meagre next to the 'La Belgique Gourmande', an almost royal temple of sorts for chocolate. No wonder Belgian chocolate is so rich. Next to the rich confiserie's was an interesting looking collage-sort-of Turkish window ensemble, appropriately titled 'Kazana'. Ducked into a curio shop, and I was face-to-face with the 'Mannekin Pis'; the poor guy seemed to be peeing all over the place, on magnets, postcards, even on t-shirts. Bought a magnet, (I've become a magnet collector lately; successfully managing to take back home a magnet from every city I visit. Only wish I had started it much earlier, then I would have had an even greater collection. But I guess its getting there albeit gradually:) and realised I had just about enough time to walk through the square and revert back to the museum, to meet the rest of the troupe, in time.
At the museum, Chints and gang were downstairs and we decided to move onto the other part of the city, the parts that look and feel like the capital of the European Union. Stopped to get directions and then almost half-ran, half-walked as I desperately tried to balance my photographing and filming and to keep pace with the super-fast Ron and his troupe. Passed some atrocious buildings existing in the name of Modern architecture and some really outstanding ones. The city structure was very reminiscent of Lutyen's Delhi or Washington D.C; a sharp axis running along, to create various vistas of important government buildings, all through the urban fabric. Spent some time admiring Gordon Bunshaft's sprawling modernist structure, which was closed for the day, before we moved onto 'Le Botanique', a Botanical garden cum Museum/ Gallery for 'Les 7 Tours de Moscou'- an exhibition showcasing the 7 towers of Moscow, as the name suggests. To get to the gallery, we passed through a gay-lesbian convention, my first such experience ever, which also made me notice how active the gay-lesbian community in Europe is. In Amsteram and even here in Brussels, society seemed to be much more tolerant and open somehow. We stopped for a beer and a quick bite at the cafe, which seemed to overflow with people from the convention. I was happy to be voyeuring again! Also got to know Chintan's friends better over our conversation that ranged from India to New York.
After the exhibition, it was time to rush back to the station to catch our train back to Rotterdam. So after a brisk walk and a free bus ride, we reached the station with just enough time left for me to get my Belgian Waffle and hop into the train. It goes without saying that just watching the waffle being made, produced stars in my eyes, and after a "Merci beaucoup" to the pretty and amused waffle lady, it was time to indulge. An amused Chintan took a picture of me eating the waffle, another food-memory that will stay with me forever.
On the train ride back, Chints and I caught up on old memories of undergraduate school and common acquaintances. We were to get back and meet up with Sahil and Melissa for dinner at this Italian restaurant, close to Berlage. Chints and I walked around Rotterdam; he giving me a night tour and I clicking away to glory. We passed 'Pathe' which was Rotterdam's largest movie theatre complex; a slick building with a light dynamic trellis facade, that changed light. It was here, Chints informed me that the Rotterdam Film Festival will be held on Jan 25th and this is where he watches his occassional Bollywood film. The dynamism of the 'Pathe' facade, reminded me of the evolving skin facade that I had proposed as part of my Final Project for Masters' at SCI_Arc. 'Pathe' had a massive open plaza upfront, that doubled as a basketball court, which had wooden boards for flooring, and Chint's mentioned how extravagant Rotterdam City was, because every year they changed the wooden boarding, after the rains left them soggy. (Additional European govt. trivia: The Swiss government, until recently, would use iodized cooking salt to spray on the roads over snow, instead of cheap rock salt. Finally, the Swiss people got together to stop this waste. A story told to Chint's by his swiss classmate Ron).
We talked about how being a Dutch architect really helps as the Dutch government's agenda includes huge subisdies and financial allowances towards Art and Architecture. Chintan suggested I get married to a Dutch guy and then set up office in Rotterdam, if I wanted the easier route to becoming a successful international architect. Our conversation flowed towards how Rotterdam represented an Urban design project, right out of an Architecture student's portfolio. The reason why there is not much consistency in the fabric of this city, is because good and different designs are given a chance to be built here, resulting in a varied architectural pattern. Walking through the city at times, felt like walking through my classmates projects, all placed side-by-side; that's how disparate the city feels at times. I was to see more of this modern and post-modern urbanity tomorrow. Right now was time for a good Italian meal, where conversation flowed along with the wine and marked the end of another perfectly spent day in Europa!! Tomorrow was to be my last day here; visiting Amsterdam and it's museums tomorrow and then Rotterdam by night, just before I fly out to Mumbai!
Bon Nuit est Ashu Bleeft!