A Hidden Museum and an Exclusive Nightclub

Last Thursday night was....an adventure. I have a lot to tell you:)

Nocturnes:

Every Thursday until December there are a couple museums or special exhibitions open late (from 7pm-10pm). I’ve been trying to go to them every Thursday, and so far they’re been really cool! I go with my friend Mandi, who is Finnish. This past Thursday, we went to this hidden cross-bow museum behind the Palace Royal. You had to walk down this long ally way and then through this small wooden door, and then suddenly you are inside this kind of giant, stone cave PACKED with stuff. There were a lot of different cross-bows on display, as well as armor and flags, bullets and all sorts of medieval stuff…hanging on walls, sitting on shelves and in glass cupboards. To your right as you walk in is also a giant bar with all kinds of beer displayed, and in front of it is an area with a bunch of big wooden tables and people happily drinking beer. Old women and men are dressed in old-fashion medical dresses and suits, some of the men wearing special badges and medals for cross-bow shooting competitions. If you keep walking straight, you go under a wooden archway and into another long room laden with even more stuff, and even more crossbows, all shapes and sizes, lining the walls. On the opposite side of the room is a shooting practice area with round targets. Then, on your left, is another wooden archway leading directly to an even bigger shooting range (all inside this giant cave) with men of all ages standing in these kind of wooden window frames, aiming their cross-bows and shooting perfect bulls-eye shots. And this place was just packed with people from all over, speaking all different languages. It was so loud and so much to see, but you would never know by just walking outside on the street.

The Manniken Pis as a cross-bow shooter:)

 We found a man who seemed to be giving little tours and asked him about the place. I was expecting a short little summary about the cross-bow teams in Brussels and the cave we were standing in, but nope. He started from the first invention of the cross-bow and proceeded to talk about its entire history until today’s competitions. Basically, cross-bows were first used in combat by the Romans and then they became very popular all over Europe in the medieval ages because they were found to be the strongest and most effective weapon. A cross-bow was so powerful that it could shoot a bullet through the toughest armor of a knight. Even when gunpowder weapons were invented, cross-bows stuck around and were sometimes even preferred because they were so diverse in what they could do. You could shoot not only metal bullets, but spears of all different lengths and uses, and even fire. Also, they could be used all the time, even in rain...unlike guns which were useless when the gunpowder got wet. When Columbus sailed the great blue he even used a cross-bow on the ship instead of a gun because he didn’t have to worry about it getting wet, AND it was so powerful that he could sink another ship with it.

The guy at this museum told us all this and more, and seemed very proud of his cross-bow knowledge. He showed us how to prepare a cross-bow to shoot (for the very first cross-bows, you had step on the bottom of it and pull this rope really, really tight. For the more “modern” cross-bows, you use a metal tool to pull a more rubbery rope). He also let us feel how heavy the cross-bows are (I assure you, they are heavy), but the cool thing is that so are so well balanced that when you set it on your shoulder it feels very light. We watched the men shooting for a while and one of them seemed very young. Our tour guy said he is one of the best in their guild and has been shooting for 20 years (basically since he was a little kid), but that’s how long it takes to get that good (he did 10 shots in a row and got a perfect score). Basically, there are now two official cross-bow guilds in Brussels (I forgot the names but I think one of them is called Notre Dame). And they are always in rivalry against each other. The man said that every year they have this competition where you have to shoot a “birdie” (a tiny metal bird with a giant feather plume) that is sitting on the very top of the Sablon (the big white church here in Brussels, the most beautiful one in the city, I think anyway).

After that cross-bow museum, we went to Montgomery, which is an area in Brussels with many apartments but is very beautiful at night because it has a big round-a-bout that is all lit up and has a fountain in the middle, and at one end of the big street there is the giant “Tour de Triumph” which really does kind of look like the Tour de Triumph in Paris. It looks amazing at night.

We went to the Royal Museum of the Army there, which was again, just CRAMMED with stuff. The place was like a giant warehouse, with huge, tall ceilings, but it still seemed like it was going to burst and overflow with old, dusty army stuff. Was quite cool. I definitely realized that Belgian people don’t have a clue how to put together a comprehensive, organized museum though… Oh well, they can’t do everything right. Knowing how to make good chocolate and waffles is enough for me:)

Very patriotic, if I may say so myself.

All the paintings were just randomly (at least it looked pretty random..) hung up on the walls, squished next to each other. There was not a single inch of free space in this giant hall.

The Congo was a major colony of Belgium for many years. Here is a Congo warrior with the spears they used.

Then LATER that night (we are still on Thursday) I met up with Antonia and her friend Julia from Abercrombie. Yes, I finally went out on a Thursday. The boys (Niki and Jonas, not Felix--he is a good baby) were just killing me and I needed to let out my stress, and going out is really the only way to do that here. But anyway, I figured I need to try going out on a weekday because that is literally what EVERYONE does in Brussels. A girl I met whose been living in Brussels since she was little told me that Tuesday night is when everyone starts going out again.. So basically the only days people consider “off” from going out are Sunday and Monday. What party animals. Anyway, me, Mandi, Antonia and Julia went to Celtica (a popular Irish bar in the center, it was beer for 1 euro that night), drank 1 beer each and then headed off into the metros to find out way the Tour & Taxis (OH, the dreaded Tour & Taxis!) But, this time I wasn’t getting lost because Antonia seemed to know where she was going. Basically, we were meeting up with Abercrombie models (all guys) at their apartment, and then they were going to drive us all to Jeux d’Hiver—the most exclusive club in Brussels. 

We rang the bell at the apartment and a minute later, a tall, buff, dark-haired man opens the door. I felt like I was once again standing in front of the Abercrombie in NYC being welcomed by the most beautiful guy in the world. He smiled at us and I thought I was going to faint…literally. I told myself, pull yourself together. I had to act nonchalant because I knew he was probably so used to girls getting all googly-eyed over him. He introduced himself as Olivier and welcomed us into his very modern, sheek apartment. Some other girls and a few guys were already there, all of them very beautiful. They were taking tequila shots (which I learned later, because I at first had no idea why they were putting salt on their hands and biting pieces of lemon). We stuck around and talked for a while, drinking some rosé. Olivier showed us an advertisement he was just in and then explained how he wants to start shooting his own movie here in Brussels (people here are such go-getters, it’s amazing to me. Like, I’ve met so many people with the craziest ideas but they still go and pursue them. And this guy is very young too! Around 24 maybe..). He then took out his guitar and started playing “Wonderwall”, and I thought it was just the sweetest thing even though it is so unoriginal because literally every guy learns to play that on guitar to seduce girls…everyone knows that. Then I told him how I play guitar and…..He got so excited and asked for my number so we could meet up again and have a jam session!! I almost died right there in the his kitchen. I have never been so thankful that I play guitar in my life.

Then we finally left for Jeux d’Hiver. 

Basically, you have to be good looking and dressed nice to be let in the door. Obviously, all the guys were well-known there, and shook hands with the bouncer and he let us all in right away.

 The club was really, really nice--very modern and lots of LEDS lighting up the place and black velvet couches. The building is in the middle of the giant park in Brussels called Bois de la Cambre. Huge windows took up most of the walls in the club, so you could see the trees surrounding the place. It was kind of a weird feeling, having the quiet, peaceful nature of the trees outside, and then the blasting music and lights blinking everywhere inside.

The guys immediately found us a table and ordered us drinks. The waiter carried out a giant bottle of rum and a bunch of glass bottles of coke. We made our drinks and danced. Antonia kept saying hoe be have to stand by the table because it makes you look "way cooler" when you have a table. Okay?Then later someone said, “Let’s have some champagne!” And of course Antonia picked out the most expensive one (one bottle for 125 euros…no idea who paid for it, her excuse was that “It’s the best tasting one, promise! And we can’t be seen drinking cheap champagne anyway.”) She pointed out another group drinking champagne and said, “They have the cheap one. Tastes awful.” Well, I took her word for it, and when they brought it out it had a giant fire-sparkler coming out of it! We were being treated like VIPS and it felt amazing. Just the kind of night out I needed to forget about the stress of the kids and just enjoy myself:)

Now, I knew Brussels was going to be a party city, but I had NO idea I would be chilling with Mika’s band and being the special guests of honor for Abercrombie models and the most exclusive club in all of Brussels. But I’m not complaining!