Frugal Fun - what to do with 6 Eur

Went out to a cafe with a friend. Wrote 6 Eur off my entertainment budget. Lovely evening. Visit this cafe when you can still afford it. The place is listed as a cafe, but I'd still call it a bar - a decent selection of beers and spirits but not too much emphasis on the deserts. Ah well, they have these kriek-beer-filled chocolates for sale, so it's a cafe-bar.

If you are more into culture and/or name-dropping than into discussing beers and candy, then keep on reading. This lovely hidden gem of Brussels, Het Goudblommeke in Papier (a golden flower in paper), kind of has no website, but does have a Wikipedia page. Considered one of the most "historical" joints, this used to be a place for the famous artists to get all drunk and inspired: first it was a "home" to dadaists, then to surrealists, with most famous visitors including Hugo Claus (even married his first wife here), my favourite artist Rene Margritte, and Hergé, the creator of Tintin comic strip. In 2006 the place went bankrupt, but since it's already been declared national heritage a decade ago, you couldn't just buy a sweet spot in historic centre and place a sushi bar there - everything had to remain as if Margritte and Co. would return any day and if they weren't inspired, it would be the cafe's personal fault. But there were enough crazy people in Brussels to take the place over, and it's been open for more than a year now. So you all should hurry up, you know how economy is, places are coming and going, although I wish this stays open.. forever! It does have this authentically artistic flavour, not a cheap imitation for wannabes, and the owners have some plans on having art workshops etc. there. Just be careful with their signature beer, for a philistine like myself it tastes like apple juice gone bad. But the genievre, the "dutch gin", was fabulous!

Otherwise, if you just have six euros to spare in Brussels, come listen to a jazz concert - I know I will. Next Friday, for just a fiver I can go downtown for some darkwave, new wave and post-punk dancing. And then there is a free Burning Ice festival for the environmentally conscious...

That, and I do want to see the global freezing battling the global warming. I was thinking of the latter this morning, when, first time in Belgium, I saw my windows iced over (quite pretty patterns though).

But I digress. Time to log off then. Check back tomorrow!