A VERY SPECIAL BRUSSELS' CAFE

February 16, 2016

My friend Nicole showed me a very special Brussels Café,  which was created in November 1944 in the center of Brussels below the Sablon, not so far away from "La Grand' Place".  It is named "La Fleur en Papier Doré" (The flower of gilded paper).  It is a café with an illustrious past. It is here that met the leading figures of Belgian surrealism of the twentieth century: René Magritte, Louis Scutenaire, Marcel Marien etc. Later, artists and writers regularly frequented the place. Today it is still  a meeting place for  artists and writers.  and it is normal to see them sitting at the tables writing or drawing from early morning on.




From outside the place doesn't look very special, there is not even the name on it, and on purpose !
The Café has become over the time a real Aladdin's cave, a treasure of objects, photos and texts collected by Gerard van Bruaene the creator of the Café,  or donated by visitors, more or less famous. You will find pictures of Herge (Tintin), Jean Brusselmans, Magritte but also texts of Guido Gezelle, Jan Cox,etc.



At the entrance stands this very beautiful stove



and poems or sayings are written on the walls






The bar has still the old beer pump



The staff is very friendly and still speaks the Brussels' dialect which is so typical but unfortunately is dying out.



The walls are full of paintings, drawings, and texts.





When we stepped inside the café and I wanted to take a picture of the paintings, we were heartly greeted !








There was nearly no room on the walls to hang up other things !



The waiter proposed to make a picture of us.



and this is a photo probably taken beginning the  50th with painters, and other artists. I think the second from right is René Magritte

The café also serves only typical Belgian food,  like stoemp, and pottekeis. But I saw that they also have Spaghettis ! That's probably for those who don't dare to try something unknown !