Brafa art fair in Brussels (1) Tintin for sale

Brussels ' prestigious art and antique fair is running till tomorrow; here's your chance to acquire this bronze statue of Tintin and Snowy aka Kuifje en Bobbie or Tintin et Milou, made by sculptor Nat Neujean 

Au pays des merveilles.

Apple in Belgium

 Apple opened its first store in Belgium on September 19 in Brussels' Avenue de la Toison d'Or/Guldenvlieslaan. 

Also look up when visiting Brussels

Near the Palace of Justice and across the street from the Church Notre Dame du Sablon in Brussels, the small park at the Petit Salon/ Kleine Zavel is surrounded by columns with bronze statues representing the guilds and craftsmen in appropriate attire and carrying their tools. 

A little jewel. 

Boredom

The pains of waiting in line at the town hall alleviated by the pleasures of social media. 

Europalia Turkey in Bozar, Brussels

 If you have not yet seen the exhibitions organized in the Europalia Turkey context, it is time to hurry over to Brussels' Bozar ! 

Anatolia till January 17

"More than two hundred archaeological treasures, miniatures, fabrics and sculptures from prestigious Turkish museums are on view for the very first time here in Brussels. They give an intriguing overview of the civilisations which came together hundreds of years ago, succeeded one another and merged in Anatolia. In this exhibition you find out what unites Hittites and Ottomans, Christians and Muslims, or the Phrygian goddess Cybele and the Olympian gods. In Anatolia you discover the age-old relationship between rituals and cults relating to the cosmos, nature, the gods and their relationship with people, from prehistoric times right up until the twentieth century".

Imangine Istanbul till January 24

"For centuries Istanbul has exercised a magical power of attraction on photographers, filmmakers, writers and musicians from home and abroad. In the exhibition Imagine Istanbul, alongside photos by the Turkish–Armenian Magnum photographer Ara Güler -the ‘Eye of Istanbul’- you can also see works by Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Turkish-Dutch ‘Photographer of the Fatherlands’ Ahmet Polat. Europalia sent the Belgian Magnum photographer Bieke Depoorter to Istanbul. She returned with powerful images of the legendary city on the Bosporus. The exhibition itself is laid out in the form of a photographic circuit, with new compositions by the French musician Débruit, films, interviews with, amongst others, Orhan Pamuk and installations by contemporary artists such as Ayşe Erkmen, Sophie Calle and Kasper Bosmans".

http://www.bozar.be/en/activities/105309-europaliaturkey

Happy 2016

How 'bout starting the year on an optimistic note with something typically Belgian and something everyone likes? A colorful note by our oldest living cartoonist Marc Sleen (born in 1922) on a wall in  Antwerp should do the trick. This wall with Sleen's most famous character Nero who embarks on a journey to the North Pole adds to the charm of the well known Kloosterstraat.

"This street has charming antique and vintage design stores dispersed all over. It’s a small district that comes alive on Sunday, provided that the weather is dandy.This amiable avenue harbors several venues where you can enjoy a beverage and an excellent meal. You even get to witness some locals wandering through this delightful decor. People who say that money can’t buy you happiness don’t know where to shop apparently!" from http://www.spottedbylocals.com/antwerp/kloosterstraat/