Read Online 1936 On the Continent by Eugene Fodor - Free Book Online

will find all over the town. I’m not going to give you a list of them, you’d never get to the end of it. But this sort of problem will be solved for you at your hotel. If the establishment has not its own hairdressing and manicure service, the staff can certainly recommend a good establishment.”
    “And what are the places I may go to alone in the afternoon or evening?”
    “Practically everywhere. There are practically no places a woman may not go to alone. The pictures, the theatre, the café, tea-rooms, and even what we call the ‘dancings.’ (The Metropole tea-room is very smart, and at the Saint-Sauveur you will be sure to enjoy yourself too.)”
    “Which theatres do you recommend?”
Theatres
    “If you’re keen on opera, you’ll have to go to the Monnaie, which was before the War a theatre with a world-wide reputation. It has come down a little these days. The Parc—which is fitted with one of the new revolving stages—gives very good plays. If you want to see a musical comedy, the Alhambra is the place for you, and if you just need comedy and local humour—there’s the Vaudeville.”
    There are any number of cinemas. The programmes are indicated in the newspapers, and probably posted up in your hotel. If you are keen on the ultra-modern film productions there are two names to jot down—the Studioat the Palais des Beaux Arts and the Studio Arenberg, where pictures are given in the original version.
    “Do you have to dress in Brussels to go to the theatre, the restaurant or the pictures?”
    “Very rarely.”
Sports
    “What other places of amusement are there?”
    “Plenty. If you’re fond of skating, there are two skating rinks—the Pôle Nord and the Saint-Sauveur. If swimming is your favourite pastime, there is the Van Schelle open-air bathing pool. These establishments are open from morning till night, and you get anything you want there—even meals.”
    “And what about the races?”
    “Every day races are run on the race-courses around Brussels. The Boitsfort race-course is very fine. At the Palais des Sports bicycle races are run almost every Sunday.”
    “Do you play football here too?”
    “Football is one of our most popular sports. Every Sunday important matches are played on the ground near Brussels. The largest football ground of all—at the Heysel—can seat 60,000 people.”
    “And is that all, Pierre?”
    “By no means. There’s rowing on the lake of the Bois de la Cambre. When you go to the Bois, as we call it, you’ll see that dotted about among the trees there are a great number of tea-houses where one dances in the open from midday till after midnight. You must not miss that. It is a charming sight! The smartest of these places is the Laiterie; rather more middle-class is the Rossignols; quite popular and unrestrained, the rendezvous of young lovers, is Moeder Lambic and the establishments surrounding it. There you will be able to eat thick slices of bread and butter covered with cream cheese, which is a special Brussels treat. If you want more local colour, order a glass of ‘gueuze lambic’ with it.”
    “If you’re at a loose end one evening, I advise you to go to the Jai-Alai. This is a vast hall (which holds 2,000 people) where the Basque game of ‘balle pelote’ is played. There are professional teams of South Americanand Spanish players, who are thrilling to watch. Much betting goes on about the matches just as in horse-racing.”
Art
    “And after this frivolous interlude, tell me about art in Brussels.”
    “You are, after all, the complete tourist. Admirable, my dear! Painting heads the list: you’ll visit the Museum of Ancient Art; naturally. It is filled to the brim with marvels. I won’t bore you with a detailed description of it. But masterpieces by our greatest painters are sheltered there—pictures by Rubens, Jordaens, Breughel, Van Dyck, Teniers, Memlinc, and others. You’ll notice that a great effort has been made to liven up several of the