Musee de Bande Dessinee

Yesterday I went to the famous Comic Book Museum in Brussels which is situated in a building designed by Victor Horta. It is actually quite suprising that I have never visited this museum before given that (a) I have been in Brussels for quite a long time and (b) as a child I loved comic books.

The building was breath-taking. It is one of Horta's last semi-industrial buildings preserved in Brussels and was once a shopping gallery. It is situated quite close to Nue Nueve and is thus very easy to access. The exhibition itself featured a brief history of comics with hieroglyphs, engravings and other mediums proposed as early examples. There was also a section on the process of sketching panels and crafting an engaging storyline. In Belgium a section relating to Tin-Tin is mandatory at any comic book related activity and this museum was no exception. This part of the museumm included an illustration on all the characters such as Snowy, Captain Hadock and Professor Calculus featured in different issues of the adventure series. Captain Haddock appeared as early as 1942 in the publication! The curator seemed to suggest that Tin-Tin's success is a result of his expressionless face onto which reader's can project themselves, a sort of "everyman".. kind of like Bella Swan fromTwilight then without the sparkly vampire thing. I jest. Captain Haddock is completely at the other end of the spectrum with a face brimming with emotion which provides a perfect balance to the beloved red-haired journalist. Fianlly, DuPont and DuPond, (Thompson and Thomson in the US) who were modelled on Herge's father and Uncle, act to relieve tension from the main "race" sequence.

The whole experience remided me of my first ever cartoon which I designed at the tender age of 7. The details are not too clear but I know that it featured three clowns and the punch line related to a bag of poop, which my mother promptly had me change to liquorice!

A bientot,
Niamh

Paris for a Day

Last weekend I decided to take advantage of living on mainland Europe and embarked on a spontaneous day-trip to Paris. I spent my morning viewing wonderful impressionist paintings in the Musee d'Orsay. In the evening I went to the Saint Michel area to soak up the dynamic atmosphere and enjoy some Tunisian pastries. I also paid a visit to the English language book shop "Abbey Books" run by an eccentrc American who I imagine closely resembles a young Hemingway during his time in the city of love. Since I have recently finished "A Moveable Feast", a book about the Jazz Age in Paris I paid a visit to Sylia Beach's Shakespeare and Company. The shop was filled with all the excellent beautifully bound books I had expected.. as well as the anticipated masses of pretension. My favourite part was the cashier exclaiming how common it was to sell two copies of Ulysses in a row. I wonder how many people buy the accompanying audio tape!

A bientot,

Niamh

Cake and Books

Today, in protest to the awful weather I decided to barracade myself in doors for the first time in a long time. While this might seem like a regular occurence for someone who lives in a regular home, I can assure you that it is quite a commitment for any person living in a one room studio. Nevertheless, equipped with my Kindle, Jazz Age novels and ingredients for baking I forged out a pretty awesome day in my little appartment.

I made myself a plum torte cake from Smitten Kitchen which aside from tasting heavenly is quite an aesthetically pleasing bit of pastry! This is particularly true when the plum juices seep into the sponge and leave a fresh red imprint.

I read "This Side of Paradise" by F Scott Fitzgerald and "A Moveable Feast" by Hemingway. The latter is a posthumously pubished work by Hemingway of his time in Paris with Gertrude Stein and members of the Lost Generation. It reminded me of the pleasures of simply enjoying good food and drink in cafes. Something which I rarely indulge in when out by myself. It is always refreshing to see someone with such high intellectual prowess devote pages to describing meals- it shows that they are truly alive. Fitzgerald, who features in Hemingway's book, wrote "This Side of Paradise" as his first novel inspired by incidents in his own life- in particular his romance with Zelda before they were married. The protaganist reminds me strongly of Holden Caulfield- two young men lost in the upper echelons of society, both too aware of themselves and too intelligent to accept fully imersing themselves in it.

A bientot,
Niamh

Walter Sweenan at the Wiels

Yesterday I went to the Wiels Arts Centre in Brussels to check out the annual exhibition featuring Walter Sweenan's work. Sweenan is an artist who follows the surrealist tradition of Belgian painters. However, his art is significantly less coherent than other artists such as Magritte or Delvaux- much of it apears as scribbles and blotches of colour. Sweenan is obviously very intelligent with subtle allusions to science and other concepts in his work. His bilingual upbringing (parents were Dutch speaking but raised him in French, a rather bipartisan act) also features in his work. I mostly enjoyed his doodles which were like a stream of conciousness rather than the grand pictures mounted on the walls. It was nevertheless worthwhile and some of his pictures demonstrated a very good sense of humour!

Upstairs another exhibit of animal scupltures crafted from soil and mud by a Kosovo artist, Petrit Halilaj. His work was truly wonderful at exemplifying the character of each animal through posing and facial expression. It reminded me of the great examples of taxidermy I have seen in the London Natural History museum! Halila also has a sense of humour with one piece consisting of a small owl perched below a ill-intended eagle.

Finally, the Wiels building was very nice. I was particularly impressed after a visit to their well stocked book shop and wholesome cafe!

A bientot,
Niamh

Fotofever

Last Sunday I went to Fotofever in Brussels. The event was held in the Tour and Taxi- a beautiful building which hosts many prestigious event but which is situated in an area with a rather deprived part of town. I attended the event with my friend who has a very conventional sense of beauty. It was interesting to see her negative reaction towards somber pictures of the cityscape. My personal opinion is that these pictures are beautiful because they remind you that routine sights in your life can be perceived very differently by people seeing them for the first time. Everyday objects have a history and character associated with them which makes them intriguing. I would prefer to look at an ugly something than a beautiful nothing. My friend completely disagrees and it was very interesting to see such a difference in aesthetics. Her reaction to conventional beauty was overwhelming- even mood enhancing! We both agreed that the ironically staged photos and humorously garish ones were quite good. At least we agreed on something!

Returning from the exhibition to my friend’s home nearby, we noticed an abundance of chic art galleries and modern-design furniture stores.  An investment in infrastructure was also clear in the area with new tram lines being built (and abruptly ending- oh Belgium!). It was my first time witnessing the gentrification process, which frequently occurs in cities like New York, in action. It must be an even stranger event for the people who live there. But then that is the nature of things- they change!

A bientot,

Niamh

Warhol, Pop Art and Belgian Towns

Last weekend I climbed aboard a train for the first time in quite a long time and headed to the city of Mons. The city itself is famous for its festival including a dragon slaying event called "Ducasse de Mons". However, the purpose of my journey was to see the new Andy Warhol exhibitions being held in the Arts centre- a showcase of the artist’s oeuvres which has been on display across the globe (more on the actual exhibition later). While there I took in some of the more grand aspects of the town which, as usual, were the town hall and cathedral. I also noticed the shabby conditions, as usual, of the footpath of this Belgian town! Finally, I stopped at the market for a tutorial on vegetable carvings and a cheeky speculoos cookie made by a chef from Harrod’s of London. 

The Warhol Exhibition encapsulated Warhol's primary concerns in life which were materialism, celebrity and death. Warhol mass produced his work using a printing process with such vivid colours that the appearance reminds on of a digital image. Perhaps these were the colours used by Van Gogh before they faded over time! I was quite surpised to see a portait of the famous Belgian surrelaist painter Delvaux amongst the faces of movie stars and other popular culture icon. However, on reflection this is not so suprising given their mutual preoccupation with death. Upstairs an installation with giant balloons being blown around by industrial size fans in an attempt to mimic clouds added to off-beat feeling of the exhibit. A short movie with Warhol intercting with Steven Speilsburg was screened nearby which was quite interesting.

Yet another Town Hall

Broken Roads

Chaplin sweeping the rice from the Cathedral steps after a wedding

A bientot,

Niamh

Les Fetes Romanes

This weekend the quiet suburb of Woluwe hosted a Graffiti and Street Performance Art festival. The two days included multiple acts, craft stands and Belgian food. A huge cirucuit was erected for a rope dancing preformance where performers suspended themselves from cord simply by their own strength. Next was a troop of jugglers who entertained the crowd with velcro costumes and lots of energy. A local artist drew pictures of children attending the event on the windows of the Wolubilis and a robot drew pictures on the ground with chalk for the same children to fill with coloured sand. Finally, an urban performance group drew pictures of a city-scape in black tape while dancing. During the final performance I sat next to a deaf family. The performanc was very sporadic and off-the-wall with no context for some of the dance moves etc. It struck me that deaf people probably have a similar experience of life at times in that they miss out on the context because of their hearing impairment. It must sometimes be a very surreal and scary world because of this at times!

The festival was amazing. I continue to be amazed by all the things there are to do in this sleepy suburb! 

A bientot,
Niamh

Landing in Zurich

This week I spent time in the city of Zurich. Upon arrival I had a wonderful hour long conversation with my taxi driver in German about the proletarian, banking and family. This is quite suprsing considering that I do not actually speak German! While in Zurich I was treated to some traditional Swiss dishes and saw the famous cow statues of the city. A very nice place to spend the week!

A bientot,
Niamh

Car Free Sunday in Brussels

Apple Juice stalls

This Sunday in Brussels was the annual car free day. As per usual there were lots of activities organised in the city to celebrate with a particular healthy lifestyle theme. The streets were filled with shiny bikes, children drawing in chalk on the roads and general merriment. My favourite part of this years celebrations were the young white guys rapping about the environment and the Lithuanian folk dancing near Manneken-Pis. The festival also featured Bug Food Gastronomy which presented daring customers with either a platter of grasshoppers or chocolate lollipops covered in meal worms. I went with the latter option and thoroughly regretted it afterwards. There were alot of cheese stands at this festival and it sure does not help with quesiness to inhale the aroma of blue cheese after gulping down maggots on a sticks! And with that wonderful image I will leave you!

Kinetic Energy Blender

Insect Candy

Lithuanian Folk Dancing

Bicycle and Toon Theater

A bientot,
Niamh

War and Tram Museums

The 14th and 15th of September were National Heritage Weekend in Brussels. As part of this event museusm and selected buildings are open for free to the public. I decided to pay a trip to the War Museum near Parc Cinqunatare. As part of the festival a French audio tour was offered to passers-by. Little did I know that the tour required participants to dance, hop and shimmy around the center for half an hour!

Later I went for dinner with my friends to a Madagascaran restaurant and enoyed some yummy cocktails!

Add caption

On Sunday I went to the Tram Museum in Woluwe. Unfortunatly this museum was not included in the Heritage Festival and genuinely was one of the worst museums I have ever been in. There was a complete absence of interesting material other than the well mantained trams.

A bientot,

Niamh

3 Festivals, 1 Day

Today in Brussels the city is alive with a myriad of festivals which are acknowledged on a global scale! The Comic Book, Food and Beer festivals may seem like pretty seperate events until you see a guy standing in a Princess Peach costume, chugging a beer and eating a crepe! The comic book exhibition was my favourite part with Asterix, Tintin, Marvel and other old favourites! There was also a baloon parade with a bit of a Brussels theme!

A fantastic day in a city I perpetually seem to fall in and out of love with!!

A bientot,
Niamh

Scotland

As I mentioned in my last post I have a pretty busy few weeks! Last week I landed after my 9 hour flight home from the US, went to work for 10 hours and then repacked my bag for Scotland the next morning! I flew into Glasgow which simply must be the most beautiful landing strip on the world! I then spent the wek in an old country manner hotel where I fully expected Heathcliff to come storming across the Moors!

Scotland is very similar to Ireland. People are quite laid back and friendly- unless of course you're British:P

A bientot,
Niamh

Somewhere in the US

President Petrarch

I have been on hiatus for quite some time from this blog! Over the past few weeks I have dona a substantial amount of travelling while dealing with an equally tremendous workload! I spent a full week in the US travelling through Philadelphia, Washington DC, Delaware and New Jersey.

I was based in Philadelphia so I made sure to see all the most famous landmarks and museums including the Liberty Bell, The Franklin Institute, The Barnes and, of course, the infamous art museum steps featured in the movie Rocky! The Barnes, a gallery filled with a personal collection of Early French Impressionist, was a particular highlight of the city for me.

On Saturday, I took the train to Washington DC to see the Nation's Capital. I was lucky enough to be in the city for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, for which I felt very honoured. Amazingly all of the museums are free. My favourite Smithsonian Museums were the Air and Space, Natural History, American History and the  Garden Sculpture museums. Unfortunatly the Art and Industry museum was shut for roof repairs. I also got a few picturesof my favourite little penguin outside the White House. My advise for seeing the city is to stick to the main street wih museums. The White House, Lincoln Memorial and Washington Memorial can all be reached with ease from this avenue.

New Jersey Jeep

Such a young Nation- staues with guns rather than rapiers!

The actual Spudnik at the Air and Space Museum

War Propaganda

Rocky Steps!

The US was fantastic overall.. It was lovely to speak to people who were so relaxed and friendly. In all my time in Brussels I have never been approached by a random stranger to talk. Ths happened at least 5 times in the US. What a place.. I can picture myself living there very easily!!

A bientot,
Niamh

Brussels Summer Festival

 Today I planned to attend the Medieval Festival in Bouillon. Unfortunatly the area is not exactly a tourist spot and therefore does not seem to have a train station. Rathering than*stewing* on my bad luck I decided to make the most of the day by enjoying some the events happening in Brussels city center. For all of the month of August the Royal Palace is open to visitors with free admission. I took the oppurtunity to walk through the gilded halls of the monarchy. The opening also features exhibtions on Asian music and an interactive science display. My two favourite parts were a ceiling covered in irredescent beetle wings and a collection of cards send to the King by youngsetrs. One well meaning child had drawn the Queen in a mini-skirt and high heels next to the Belgian flag!

I also took some time to enjoy the music at the Brussels Summer Festival. It's amazing to hear native dutch speakers sing so fluently in English.. with distinctly American accents!

A bientot,
Niamh

Last weekend in Ireland

Myself and a friend outside the Toy Soldier Factory

This weekend I went home for the last time before my ex-boyfriend jets off to his new life in the US. We had a wonderful weekend of baking, catching up with friends and playing with his cats. We also had the oppurtunity to have a rivate tour of a Toy Solidier Factory in Macroom which was really fun. We were able to see how the moulds are made as well as the filled and packaged.

My Smitten Kitchen Cookbook also arrived at my home in Ireland which meant some serious baking;)

A bientot,
Niamh

Croatian Summer

I spent my the remainder of my summer holidays for this year in Dubrovnik, Croatia with two of my college friends. We spent our time dining in the old city, kayaking, diving off rocks and checking out the calisthenically honed locals. Dubrovnik's recent history is quite a troubled one with the war of 1991/2 leaving visible shrapnell marks in the otherwise polished pavements. Despite this violent history, the pride of the Croatian people for their freedom resounds throughout the town.

Pertarch outside Old Town

St Blade Cathedral and Onofrio Fountain

 We also went on a day trip to Montenegro where we visited Kotor and Budva.

Montenegro

Entrance to Kotor

Petrarch in Montenegro

On the final night, after my friends had returned to Ireland, I attended the penultimate concert of Rufus Wainright's 2013 World Tour. It was held in the picturesque Bokar fortress which looks like something out of a fairy tale.. minus the dragon. Such a wonderful way to end a brilliant trip in Croatia!

A bientot,
Niamh x