Shir Hashrim – Song of Songs Chapter 3

Once upon a time a young Jewish boy  living in a modest neighborhood of Buenos Aires , Argentina with his parents, four sisters and four brothers  had a great dream. His name was Moshe Mizrahi.

At only seven years of age, every night after his prayers and before going to sleep Moshe wished only one thing; He wanted to have the opportunity one day  ‘ make beautiful things”.

He had no idea what these beautiful things would be, but he knew for a fact that they would be one of a kind in the whole world. When Moshe turned 18 he flied to New York where he attended a Yeshiva school in Brooklyn.

As a good scholar he learns in depth the religious teachings of his ancestors, the Hebrew alphabet , calligraphy and the scriptures in which valuable Jewish  laws and ancient traditions are meticulously kept and perpetuated throughout generations since bible times.

After the Yeshiva studies in Brooklyn, Moshe’s first trip to the promised land offers a promising future, and a promising future wife who wisely invites the young graduate her future husband to stay for a while in Jerusalem and ” study more the Torah“.  And is in the traditional neighborhood of Mea Shearim that Moshe’s  prolonged stay makes of him a great husband as well as one of the most renowned scribes in Israel of present times. (Estimated  worldwide  only about 300)

The day becomes busy as early as 6 AM  and like Moses the first scribe, with impeccable precision Moshe scribes , sacred texts on Torahs, Tefillins, Mezuzahs, and Megillahs , attends three times a day the Synagogue for daily prayers and evening times enjoys being a father of his growing family.

It is important to acknowledge that Jewish law dictates that every Torah, the holiest of all Jewish books, should be meticulously written out by hand rather than mechanically reproduced. The writing of one single Torah, (which consists of the first five books of the Bible, from Genesis to Deuteronomy), can take up to one year and cost a synagogue very high sums.

A Torah must be created according to strict rules. A scribe can make no mistakes  in a Torah or any other holy scripture  this is why they  are carefully proofread after completion. Considered a living document,  the Torah must be made entirely of natural materials. That means using kosher ink, made from the crushed outer bark of a wasp’s nest, a quill made from a turkey or goose feather, and cloth made from a calf killed for food.

With the years slowly Moshe gets acquainted with those precious rules, along with writing letters out by hand in a calligraphic style identified as Spanish , sometimes a painstakingly long process, he also learns to meticulously selects individual parchment sheets by color,  density, texture and size. He then cuts , collects and separate the sheets in groups depending on the text he is working on,  wears white gloves while working so that the oils of his skin don’t get on the parchment, and finally seals the fully completed and carefully revised  work with  perfumed natural Israeli beeswax.

During the time of apprentice of the secular techniques several Jewish artists immigrated in Israel from different countries approach our scribe  with beautiful illustrations and art works to be incorporated as per their suggestion into his sacred manuscripts.  Moshe agrees with the new experience and after about 6 months, the first prototype comes out.  The content of this manuscript is very precious in Jewish faith, and it’s called in Hebrew Shir ha-Shirim (Song of Songs).

The Song of Songs is a book of the Hebrew Bible—one of the five Megillot (scrolls). It is also known as the Song of Solomon, Solomon’s Song of Songs, or as Canticles.
The protagonists of the Song of Songs are a woman (identified in one verse as “the Shulamite“) and a man, and the poem suggests movement from courtship to consummation. Additionally, the Song includes a chorus, the “daughters of Jerusalem.”

With no explicitly religious content, the Song is often interpreted as an allegorical representation of the relationship of God and Israel, or for Christians, God and the Church or Christ and the human soul, as husband and wife.
It is one of the shortest books in the Bible, consisting of only 117 verses. According to Ashkenazi Jewish tradition, it is read on the Sabbath that falls during the intermediate days of Passover. In the Sephardi community it is recited every Friday night.

We are in the 70s,  a wealthy Jewish Judaica collector calls Moshe on the phone to Jerusalem and flies him over to  ” check” upon a Torah he recently purchased.Very happy with the result the collector and Moshe become good friends and apart from selling his fist work of art the Shir Hashrim Moshe comes back with a list of made to order commissions for several Jewish holidays.

On his way back , very quickly, encouraged by the unexpected trust on his creative potential of his first wealthy new client Moshe gathers around himself in Israel, a very valuable community of devoted artists  who had anxiously waited for his return from the States. Some of those artists were just starting , some others were famous including Yuri Haissman an extremely respected painter/ scuptor at that time.

In a few months,  top of the line Russian silversmiths , engravers from Poland, Armenian jewelers, and Moroccan painters become part of Moshe’s daily routine. Some of them live in the North around Haifa, others in the Zedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv others in the Negev desert region. Moshe is not afraid to enterprise long driving journeys crossing the stunning Israeli landscape to meet and supervise the different phases of each of his almost mission-impossible craftsmanship creations, whose production process sometimes took from18 months to 4 years like the one of a kind custom made Haggadots signed simply with three small initials MDM. (To be continued)

Perhaps under the influence of eccentrics Thierry Mugler and Jeremy Scott, where he held stints, Quentin Veron is crazy about fur. The young Frenchie, a newcomer to Paris Fashion Week, designs and makes his coats, jackets and accessories (like great Russian hats, or ushankas) at the esteemed Paris workshop of Patrick Lestarquit—but these aren’t your grandmother’s heavy furs stuffed with mothballs…

You grew up in the middle of France, in Clermont-Ferrand. Did you have a strong fashion point of view early on?
When I was a teenager, you could be a skater and listen to rock or a bad boy and listen to rap. If you were out of those two groups you were considered a dork. Outside of Paris, it’s hard to find cool clothes and there are almost no vintage stores. I found my own style when I moved to Paris. Now I know where to find clothes I like, but I want to create pieces that are different.

Who inspires you, in real life or in cinema?
My collections are constructed like tales. I create my own characters, but I’m truly inspired by the universe depicted in Tim Burton films. That universe, tinged with darkness, also represents my creative vision.

Tell me about your experiences at Jeremy Scott in Los Angeles.
Jeremy is an amazing character with a superb energy. Sometimes, to reenergize us as we worked hard in his atelier, he’d come and sing and do a few dance moves. It forced us to smile. Or occasionally, when we were working late hours, he’d tell us stories about living in Paris, which I loved.

What did you think of L.A. fashion?
People really dress up there, they have fun. But of course I’m speaking of the crowd I was hanging out with, not the Hollywood crowd, who dress up only in designer clothes. It was interesting for me to start from zero in a city I didn’t know anything about. Normally I love to wear layers, but it was so hot there that I had to find another way to show off my style.

Your clothes are made at Patrick Lestarquit’s workshop. What is that like?
It’s amazing. I’m surrounded by fur. It feels like an older era with all the handcrafted work. I choose the skins, staple them, try out some mixes. Patrick Lestarquit teaches me techniques and how to choose my skins. He’s like my mentor. Then I have two people working for me. One is a Greek man, a specialist of minks. He’s been working with fur for at least 40 years, since he was 13. The other is a woman who takes care of all the linings, and she sews everything by hand. It’s going back to basics. It’s not like you just make a drawing and send it to the other side of the world to be made.

Is it true you only got into fur about two years ago?
Yes, but I always wore and liked fur. When I finished school, I asked Patrick if I could come to his workshop. I became a kind of apprentice and fell in love with the craft. Touching fur everyday reminds me of my childhood. My father is a professional horse rider, and I loved working with him.

You’ve said “fur always existed and human beings always wore it.” Okay, it’s natural, but it’s also controversial. Why fur?
The smell, the feel, the way it looks and moves. I mean, fur is like a diamond. It’s unique, beautiful and makes women feel pretty.

What do you think of PETA protesters?
They make me laugh!

Have you ever been confronted by anti-fur people?
Nope.

Where do you get your furs? Have you ever hunted?
I only use farm-raised furs, animals that are specifically raised to be fur, not wild animals. I don’t think anyone would go hunt a cow to have their steak.

Could you envision yourself designing pieces in other materials, or is it fur forever?
I have a fashion designer background, I’m not just a furrier. In fact, for my next collection, I’m starting to add other materials. But fur will always be the center of my collections.

Tell me about your experiences at Jeremy Scott in Los Angeles.
Jeremy is an amazing character with a superb energy. Sometimes, to reenergize us as we worked hard in his atelier, he’d come and sing and do a few dance moves. It forced us to smile. Or occasionally, when we were working late hours, he’d tell us stories about living in Paris, which I loved.

Joelle’s Tips:

The Furrier: Quentin Veron

The source: via Hint Fashion Magazine

Photos Credits: Courtesy  Jenny Lexander for Quentin Vernon

Derriere is a fairly unique restaurant concept in the heart of Paris. It offers to its guests the qualities of having a gourmet dinner in a restaurant with the comfort and warmth of eating in a traditional Parisian home. The basic idea behind this concept was to make guests feel as if they are invited and treated in a friend’s house – a concept that is lately starting to become more and more popular amongst Parisian restaurants, bars or even clubs.

Starting with the site of the venue, Derriere is located in the 3rd district of Paris amongst numerous bars and restaurants of the area. Its name (derriere=behind) originates from its exact location, which right at the back of 404 restaurant and Andy Wahloo cocktail bar in la rue des Gravilliers. As you walk on, hidden at a rather exclusive spot of the street Derriere appears as surprise offer amongst the options of Le Marrais.

What is very distinguishing about this restaurant is its atmosphere, which again provides its focal point. With the decoration of a French baroque house, Derriere is equipped with numerous ‘little touches’ that make the visitor feel as if they are having a family dinner, or one amongst friends – so that they do feel easy to behave likewise. Little wooden chairs, messy bookshelves loaded with huge piles of books, an old ‘baignoire’, a bed placed in the middle of the room space, a ping-pong table and lots of other objects that add a little something to making Derriere ‘feel like home’.

Upon their arrival the ‘guests’ of the restaurant are welcomed by the staff and are asked to choose their sitting according to their mood, having to choose between settling in the traditional yet cozy dining room, playing ping-pong in the home-like decorated salon, watching a film in the ‘movies’ designated area or having a cocktail with their friends in the boudoir.

The venue also offers a more quite area on the upstairs, which functions as a bedroom, and guests can go to relax.

What should not forget to mention is Derriere’s famous ‘secret room’. This refers to a delicately discrete fumoir (smoking room), which is a hushed whispered by many. With its entrance door looking like an old baroque wardrobe no one expects that opening it will lead you to a private room where smoking is ‘off-the record’ allowed.

Regarding the cuisine and menu options offered by Derriere, it could be said that the proposals are more or less similar to most hype restaurants of its genre offering the typical ‘revised’ French cuisine. What is rather interesting is the menu itself. Derriere has commissioned the design and graphics of the menus to Ich&Kar, also responsible for the graphic design of the famous Momo in London.

The menus are printed in thick paper illustrating vintage images such as the ones shown, whereas each dish carried in the menu is accompanied by its dictionary definition.
Regarding drink choice, being a French restaurant Derriere offers a large variety of wines whereas cocktails and champagne are also available upon request of the ‘guests’.
Derriere is open for lunch all weekdays from 12.00 to 2.30 and for dinner all week except Monday from 20.00 to midnight. As we all seek warmth and comfort, it is better to book at least five days in advance…

The menus are printed in thick paper illustrating vintage images such as the ones shown, whereas each dish carried in the menu is accompanied by its dictionary definition.
Regarding drink choice, being a French restaurant Derriere offers a large variety of wines whereas cocktails and champagne are also available upon request of the ‘guests’.

Derriere is open for lunch all weekdays from 12.00 to 2.30 and for dinner all week except Monday from 20.00 to midnight. As we all seek warmth and comfort, it is better to book at least five days in advance…

So secretely  Chic!

Joelle’s Tips:

The Restaurant Derriere 69, rue des Gravilliers 75003 Paris + 33 1 44 61 91 95
info@derriere-resto.com

Photo Courtesy: Andrea Ferrari

Production: Studio Pepe Milan

Source: Via Yazer

Rio de Janeiro’s 2010 Carnaval celebration was in full swing amidst soaring temperatures and a wave of optimism as Brazil’s economy thrives, its president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva enjoys remarkable popularity, and the city enjoys its status as the site of the 2016 Olympics.

There has been a controversy over a seven-year-old girl performing as the rainha da bateria (”queen of the drum section”) of a major escola de samba and mayor Eduardo Paes’ attempts to bring increased safety and cleanliness to a chaotic event.

The usual flock of celebrity visitors are in town (Beyonce, Madonna, Hugh Jackman, Paris Hilton, and Alicia Keys this year); they typically come to watch the samba-school parades, attend private parties, and promote themselves.

Meanwhile, record-breaking crowds have partied outdoors on the avenues with the blocos (Carnaval street groups consisting of musicians and/or sound trucks with crowds trailing behind).

Rio has been suffering from an unprecedented heat wave for much of the Southern Hemisphere summer, and temperatures reached 40 degrees Centigrade in some neighborhoods as an estimated 700,000 visitors poured into the “Marvelous City” for Carnaval (”Carnival” in English).

The festivities run officially from Feb. 13-16, although the partying started earlier and ended later.

The city claimed that 2.5 million people were celebrating in the streets this year, topping an estimated two million merrymakers enjoying the long-established street Carnaval up north in Salvador, Bahia.

An astonishing 1.5 million people followed the bloco Cordão da Bola Preta through downtown Rio, according to O Globo newspaper.

Rio’s street Carnaval, once a distant third in the local hierarchy to all-night balls and the escola de samba parades, made a dramatic comeback over the last ten years and is now a major tourist attraction.

Along with Cordão da Bola Preta, other blocos attracting mass number of revelers include Monobloco, Banda de Ipanema, Carmelitas, Suvaco do Cristo (Christ’s Armpit, which gathers below the statue of Christ on Corcovado), and Simpatia é Quase Amor (Sympathy Is Almost Love).

The festivities begin at designated time and place where members meet up (the concentração), wearing the bloco’s T-shirt and fortifying themselves with beers and caipirinhas.

The bloco winds its way slowly down the streets of a particular neighborhood, with crowds trailing behind or lining the parade route. Most blocos play samba and marchas, while some add funk carioca, samba-reggae and maracatu to the mix

There are now some five hundred blocos in Rio, with two hundred just in the Zona Sul (the part of the city in which Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana are located). At this year’s Carnaval, the mayor’s efforts to reduce disorder and unhealthy practices has generated controversy.

On the hygiene front, the city is attempting to stem the yellow tide of public urination; hundreds of thousands of beer drinkers who party with the blocos in the streets had been accustomed in the past to decorating the walls, gutters, trees and beaches of Rio with their outpourings.

The city has quadrupled the number of public chemical toilets and threatened those who relieve themselves in public with arrest.

In addition, Rio is trying to clean up the food waste on its beaches by preventing roving vendors from selling snacks on the sand, a popular tradition with cariocas (Rio natives).

Not only that, soccer next to the water is outlawed until after 5pm in the afternoon, to help keep order on the crowded shores of Ipanema and Copacabana. Many Brazilians are outraged. Paes is no doubt trying to prepare Rio for the Olympics, when all eyes will be on the city.

It all seems a little surreal: Brazil, especially Rio, has always been an absurdly tolerant and neglectful place, with lax enforcement of its laws.

Another controversy, more international than Brazilian, is swirling around the Viradouro escola de samba (samba school)’s naming of seven-year-old Julia Lira to be its drum queen.

Brazil has long had Carnaval balls for children, there is a children samba parade at the Sambódromo, and kids sometimes parade in costume with the alas (theme sections) of the escola.

But it is unprecedented to have a child perform as an escola’s drum queen, a role normally filled by scantily clad models and actresses who dress like sexy showgirls and samba sensually to the music.

Another concern is the physical effort required of a child dancing for eighty minutes in Rio’s wilting heat.

Children groups like the state’s Council for the Defense of Children and Adolescents complained bitterly and sought to legally block Julia’s appearance with Viradouro, but a judge ruled that she could perform with the escola.

Although the dispute made world headlines, most of Brazil has paid little notice.

Of course, Carnaval is partly about provocation, taboo breaking, and mocking the established order.

It is a pre-Lent celebration (like Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in many Spanish-speaking countries) that takes place seven weeks before Easter and has its roots in pre-Christian festivities held by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and others.

For four days, from Saturday through Tuesday, the country sings and dances in dance halls and clubs, on the streets and beaches, or wherever there are people and music. Carnaval is celebrated all over Brazil, with different cities favoring different traditions and musical styles.

Rio is most famous for its samba schools, a tradition that began in 1928 when Deixa Falar took to the streets.

The big samba schools like Mangueira, Portela, Salgueiro, Viradouro, Mocidade Independente, and Beija-Flor parade with around three hundred drummers and percussionists and more than four thousand costumed dancers and participants at Rio’s Sambódromo (”Sambadrome”).

Designed by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer, it is a seven-hundred-meter-long pathway flanked by concrete stands that seat ninety thousand people.

Each escola performs its own samba-enredo (”theme samba”) chosen for the year, a song that may have a political or historical theme, or be a tribute to a particular person or place.The parade encompasses dazzling floats, outlandish costumes, and veritable symphony orchestras of rhythm.

It is like a giant popular opera, with so much happening, musically and visually, that you can’t possibly take it all in at once.Salvador, Bahia is home to Brazil’s most famous street Carnaval.

Musicians atop sound trucks perform axé music; blocos afro like Olodum and Ilê Aiyê pound out samba-reggae and Afro-Brazilian rhythms; and groups like the Filhos de Gandhi offer rhythmically rich afoxés. In Olinda and Recife, one hears driving, hypnotic maracatu and raucous, hyperkinetic frevo.

Many cities have informal blocos who perform in the streets, as well as spontaneous groups of people singing and beating cans and bottles. Some celebrants wear special outfits for the occasion, some don’t.

People wear the T-shirt of their favorite bloco or dress as clowns, pirates, sheiks, Indians, aliens, celebrities, what have you. Lots of men dress up as women. Lots of men and women wear very little at all. This year, of course, revelers painted blue like Avatar characters are also on the prowl.

Not every city in Brazil has an intense Carnaval. Some only host relatively tame indoor balls. And people with less carnavalesco souls use the holidays to travel to places where they can relax far from the drums during the day and, if they feel like it, go dancing at night.

But between New Year’s Eve and Carnaval nothing really important is decided in Brazil. Quoting a popular Chico Buarque song, most people will say, “I’m saving myself for when Carnaval comes.”During that time, the weather is hot, people become more outgoing, and sensuality is in the air.

But amidst all the craziness and frivolity, Carnaval serves the important purpose for Brazilians of maintaining cultural traditions–encoded in the music, dance, and costumes of the celebrations across the country.

Carnaval is a canvas across which the country’s values and issues are displayed, as evidenced by the themes chosen by the escolas, the presence of a seven-year-old girl dancing before Viradouro’s drum section in 2010, and the reactions to the mayor’s attempts to change some long-standing customs and bring order as Brazil seems on the verge of achieving its great potential.

The Unidos da Tijuca samba group won the battle for Rio bragging rights for the first time in 74 years for their parade entitled “It’s a Secret!” that also featured rapid-fire costume changes and a dancing impersonator of the late pop singer Michael Jackson.

Joelle’s Tips

Source and Credits:

Photos: AP Reuters / Brisbaine times

Via The Hunffington Post

“Master of the fantastic” certainly  among my favorites, British designer Alexander McQueen died last week at his London home.

Together with a short biography and without adding many words I ‘ve preferred  to pay my personal tribute through  a selection of pictures that in my opinion represent the evolution of one of the most creative fashion genius of all times.

Visual references from the movie Avatar have been added to better illustrate McQueen’s 2010 Spring collection , a fashion show with  a flair on ” the origin of species ” that  as some say,  Charles Darwin would have certainly liked.

Goddess save McQueen.

Born in London in 1969 as the youngest of six children, McQueen left school at the age of 16 and was offered an apprenticeship at the traditional Savile Row tailors Anderson and Shephard, then at neighbouring Gieves and Hawkes.

At 20 he was employed by the designer Koji Tatsuno. A year later McQueen travelled to Milan where he worked as a design assistant to Romeo Gigli. He returned to London in 1994 where he completed a master’s degree in fashion design at Central St Martins College. His degree collection was famously bought in its entirety by Isabella Blow, a leading figure in the fashion world who died in 2007.

In less than 10 years McQueen became one of the most respected fashion designers in the world. In October 1996 he was appointed chief designer at the French label Givenchy where he worked until March 2001.

In December 2000, 51% of Alexander McQueen was acquired by luxury brand Gucci, where he became creative director. Expansion followed and included the opening of flagship stores in New York, London and Milan.

McQueen was a four-time winner of the British designer of the year award as well as the international designer of the year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He was awarded the CBE in 2003.

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine’s Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine“.

Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine. Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. There was often a social gathering or a ball.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine cards. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800’s and now the date is very commercialized. The town of Loveland, Colorado, does a large post office business around February 14. The spirit of good continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

Valentine’s Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl’s name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius canceled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.

He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honor of a heathen god. On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.

The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavored to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine’s Day for the celebration of this new feaSt. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way.

Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine’s Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:

Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine —
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.

And to mention a few traditions…In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, “You unlock my heart!”  In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him. Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together — but not too closely!Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off. Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

Joelle’s Tips

Victorian Valentine Cards

” I sent my soul through the invisible, some letter of that afterlife to spell;
and by and by my soul returned to me, and answered, “I myself am Heav’n and Hell””

Omar Khayyam

I was born in Milan, I have a Brazilian nationality, a Spanish  passport, and I live part time in new York when seasons  bloom.

My father is from Lebanon his parents from Siria, my mother is from Lebanon as well and her father and mother are respectively from Turkey and Spain.

I have decided to take a break and spend sometime at my parent’s home in Brussels located in the charming neighborhood of Ixelles. Their house is a landmark duplex with South West bright sun exposure in a  light grey ardoise facade built in the 70s with interesting Art Deco style balconies .

On the entrance hall, beautiful white Thasos marble from Greece, framed by a border designed in neoclassic black onix unmistakably capture one’s attention. The brightness of the white marble is enhanced  by a aligned procession of  small  halogen lamps strategically placed in different parts of the roof.

I take my shoes off, with my camera I amuse myself to observe the different details around this hall.

A Persian carpet probably dating from the beginning of the century with a central motif representing a small house, maybe a synagogue, maybe a mosque near a tree that looks clearly like a Pinus Haleppensis typical of that region, lies n the center of this piece.

At my right a lacquered chest from Japan where on top my parents keep a  collection of equally Japanese smaller boxes also in lacquer, and a pair of original  containers giving the impression of being wood vases or lacquered baskets whose presence is  fundamental in  an Ikebana composition.

The sculpture at the end of the hall is placed on a pedestal in from of an Italian contemporary canvas by Toti Shaloya my mother says is Roman, and dates of the 2 century after Christ, she precises  looking straight in my eyes that if it dated 2centuries before Christ the sculpture would be Greek.

Without my shoes, I walk to the bibliotheque ( library) the most popular room of the whole duplex and this is because it’s the place where all the family spends most of the time. It’s cozy, warm and has a  very equipped collections of art,  non-history  fiction books and last 40 years of hard cover and paperback  best sellers all in French.

The tones of the room are warm  Mediterranean oranges as to give a harsh contrast to the portfolio of greys typical of the Belgian capital weather. The two armchairs facing the window are upholstered in red satin and colorful trimmings and a very thin wool with Persian and Indian paisley motifs coming from the celebre Milanese house Etro in the neighborhood of Brera where I was born.

The carpet on the floor I brought very proudly a few years ago in a small suitcase from Istambul it’s a Bessarabian. While  looking down and noticing pleased that my crimson cashmere slippers fit perfectly with the surrounding atmosphere of colors and textures , I decide to take a look at the local newspaper ” Le Soir”.

An ivory inlay mirror on the illuminated shelf, probably brought from my same trip in Istambul, still emanating the aroma of fresh sandalwood after so many years, is distracting me from reading the paper. My portrait is reflected through the glass and I can’t help asking myself the same question…

Where exactly am I coming from? Without reasoning too much I go back to my reading and realize that one of the most acclaimed movies of the moment just came out. It’s called “ Le Concert“.

“Considered the greatest conductor of the 80’s, during Brejnev’s rule, Andrei Filipov was shamefully cast aside for supporting Jewish musicians, defying orders from the Soviet regime. 30 years later, Filipov still works at Moscow’s largest theater, the Bolchoi, but as a cleaner, and is profoundly affected by the degradation of the orchestra’s performing level…..”

I lift my eyes and my gaze stops over the Italian painter, Michele Cashella canvas on the opposite wall of the library, dated from the 1960.It depicts a Californian seaside landscape in early springtime where most of the area is covered by a large tree explosion of yellow Mimosa.

Next to this image in my mind, my eyes travel back to the shelf where a picture of my daughter and I lay behind a bouquet of dried Lavander interlaced beautifuly with a  light orange cotton ribbon made from the region of Provence in South of France.

Back to the newspaper I read more about the film  ” One night, after an umpteenth rebuttal from the administrator from whom he was requesting his old position back, Filipov discovers a fax sent by the famous Parisian Chatelet Theater’s manager, inviting the Bolchoi to play in Paris two weeks later.

The old conductor has a ludicrous idea: with his wife’s help, he hopes to bring his old musician friends together to travel to Paris and pose as the prestigious orchestra.

Four years after his heart-wrenching «Live and Become», Jewish-Romanian-born French director Radu Mihaileanu further develops a theme which seems dear to him – positive imposture – and

weaves an dashing drama, between tears and laughter, confronting the contradictions of modern Russia to the discreet Western world of classical music.”

I decide the movie is just what I need at the moment. I cross quickly the bright yellow walled salon. An Austrian symbolist painting portrays a lady with a a gold necklace and dark and mysterious expression  almost as she’s coming from another world. It’s a ” gaze ” from another hidden dimension, one we are constantly looking to discover or to penetrate…

The movie, by Romanian director Mihaileanu (Train de Vie, Live and Become) has a knack for telling warm human stories about the dispossessed of all kinds including identity.

The beautiful Melanie Laurent,  (fresh from her breakout role in Inglourious Bastards) as young French violinist Anne-Marie Jacquet, confides to Andrey Filipov (Guscov) at a candlelight dinner before the concert in Paris, that when she plays her violin , she is constantly seeking for the ” gaze “of her parents,  presumably killed on an airplane crush in the European Alps .

Andrei will conduct Tchaikovsky himself – and he insists on having  Anne-Marie Jacquet as his soloist. We see from the start that there is a ghost from the past linking Andrei, Anne-Marie and her over-protective agent, Guylene (Miou Miou) – but it takes almost two hours to finally unravel it.

he first third of the film, mostly set in Moscow, zips along entertainingly, with the rounding-up-of-the-musicians sequence providing some nice moments and some lively ” gypsi-ness.”

The word ‘Gypsy’ derives from ‘Egyptian, the same as the Spanish Gitano or the French Gitan. It emerged in Europe, in the 15th century, after their migration into the land of the Romani people (or Roma) in that continent.

They received this name from the local people either because they spread in Europe from an area named Little Egypt, in the Southern Balkans or because they fit the European image of dark-skinned Egyptians skilled in witchcraft. When they first arrived at numerous places in Europe they claimed to be from Egypt, and required to travel for seven years as penance for apostacy.

Around the ninety-minute mark, though, Andrei finally lifts the baton and the concert begins. From here on in The Concert is pure weepie pleasure – and a brilliant, old-fashioned lesson in how a piece of music can be used cinematically to carry and mould an audience’s emotions.

And through the power of the universal sound of music tuned coincidentally or not into a Tchaikovsky composition, the fate of Anne Marie’s past is at last instinctively unraveled.

And looking around while she’s playing in front of a crowed room,  at the intense expression of these peculiar and un-traditional musicians who have brilliantly aligned as per enchantment in a complete harmony to her solo violin representing one of the world’s most legendary orchestras,  she finally realizes in a climax of her true origins, briefly reflected in the momentum like a glimpse of light standing out from a dense darkness coming from afar.

Back home before just before dinner time , I stroll once more around my parent’s rooms…  A large book on  the Persian poet Omar Kahayyam is quite inviting,  and at this moment like Anne Marie Jaquet, I still seek for inspiration…

Very carefully not to damage the beautiful ceramic Art Deco vase, I lift the heavy book and lay it on top of an old Sirian mother-of- pearl inlay commode where a picture of my maternal grand-mother Sara from Izmir portrays her holding proudly a baby , me, in her arms  few weeks after I was born.

And like the sound of a cello from this afternoon ,  still vivid in my mind,  I read from the poet a quote that accidentally falls under my eyes .

My gaze then travels to the  bright light of the Shabbat candles , like a violin , a piano or a tambourine, they evoke the original melody from a distant land… the journey is the one through  the hidden DNA of my own soul.

Shabbat Shalom

Joelle’s Tips:

The Film: Le Concert by  Radu Mihaileanu – Watch the trailer

January 1, 2010 : comment

“ Bonne anne a tous . Je voudrais commenecer cette annee en dediant ma premiere pensee a ma fille, Joelle que j’ai la chance d’avoir parmis nous en ce debut d’anee. Pourquoi  Elle ecrit de si beaux articles en sublimant personnages, lieux de beaute et de reves , qui mieux que sa maman pour s’ ocuper d elle. Qui de vous n’as pas reve en voyant les images somptueses, en lisant ses textes amusants et inhabituels. Qui de nous n’est pas sorti de son quotidien en voyageant a Venise, Prague, Capri et Naples? Sa reussite est du a son grand coeur. Elle donne a tout le monde avec generosite , spontaneite, et beacaup d’amour. Puisse-t -elle continuer dans la vie comme dans ce quel fait avec bonheur et serenite. Amen. ”

Jaqueline Maslaton

Grande Place

In the 10th century, the Duke of Lower Lotharingia constructed a fort on Saint-Géry Island, the point at which the Senne river became navigable. This was the seed of what would become Brussels. By the end of the 11th century, an open-air marketplace was set up on a dried-out marsh near the fort that was surrounded by sandbanks. The market was called the Nedermerckt, or Lower Market.

The market likely developed around the same time as the commercial development of Brussels. A document from 1174 mentions a lower market (forum inferius) not far from the port on the Senne river. The market was well situated along the Steenweg (Causeway), an important commercial road which connected the prosperous regions of the Rhineland and the County of Flanders.

At the beginning of the 13th century, three indoor markets were built on the northern edge of the Grand Place; a meat market, a bread market and a cloth market. These buildings, which belonged to the Duke of Brabant, allowed the wares to be showcased even in bad weather, but also allowed the Dukes to keep track of the storage and sale of goods, in order to collect taxes. Other buildings, made of wood or stone, enclosed the Grand Place.

Improvements to the Grand Place from the 14th century onwards would mark the rise in importance of local merchants and tradesmen relative to the nobility. Short on money, the Duke transferred control of mills and commerce to the local authorities. The city of Brussels, as with the neighbouring cities of Mechelen and Leuven constructed a large indoor cloth market to the south of the square.

At this point, the square was still haphazardly laid out, and the buildings along the edges had a motley tangle of gardens and irregular additions. The city expropriated a and demolished number of buildings that clogged the Grand Place, and formally defined the edges of the square.

The Brussels Town Hall stands 96 metres tall and is capped by a 3 metre statue of Saint Michael slaying a demon. The Brussels City Hall was built on the south side of the square in stages between 1401 and 1455, and made the Grand Place the seat of municipal power.

To counter this symbol of municipal power, from 1504 to 1536 the Duke of Brabant built a large building across from the city hall as symbol of ducal power. It was built on the site of the first cloth and bread markets, which were no longer in use, and it became known as the King’s House , although no king has ever lived there.

It is currently known as the Maison du roi (King’s House) in French, though in Dutch it continues to be called the Broodhuis (Breadhouse), after the market whose place it took. Wealthy merchants and the increasingly powerful guilds of Brussels built houses around the edge of the square.

On August 13, 1695, a 70,000-strong French army under Marshal François de Neufville, Duke of Villeroy began a bombardment of Brussels in an effort to draw the League of Augsburg’s forces away from their siege on French-held Namur in what is now southern Belgium.

The French launched a massive bombardment of the mostly defenseless city center with cannons and mortars, setting it on fire and flattening the majority of the Grand Place and the surrounding city. Only the stone shell of the town hall and a few fragments of other buildings remained standing. That the town hall survived at all is ironic, as it was the principal target of the artillery fire.

The square was rebuilt in the following four years by the city’s guilds. Their efforts were regulated by the city counselors and the Governor of Brussels, who required that their plans be submitted to the authorities for their approval. This helped to deliver a remarkably harmonious layout for the rebuilt Grand Place, despite the ostensibly clashing combination of Gothic, Baroque and Louis XIV styles.

In the late 18th century, revolutionaries sacked the Grand Place, destroying statues of nobility and symbols of Christianity .The guildhalls were seized by the state and sold.

The buildings were neglected and left in poor condition, with their façades painted, stuccoed and damaged by pollution. In the late 19th century, mayor Charles Buls had the Grand Place returned to its former splendor, with buildings being reconstructed or restored.

The Grand Place continued to serve as a market until November 19, 1959, and it is still called the Grote Markt or Great Market in Dutch. Neighboring streets still reflect the area’s origins, named after the sellers of butter, cheese, herring, coal and so on. The Grand Place was named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998. One of the houses was owned by the brewers’ guild, and is now the home of a brewers’ museum.

N. Toebac Real Belgian Lace

Brussels lace has always been a a synonym of quality and exclusivity. Nicole Toebac shop at the Grand Place is  a family business who grew in three generation to the most important distributor of real handmade Belgian lace.

They  are specialized in Renaissance and Princess lace.They proud ourselves for employing the best lace-makers in the country and using the finest materials. Their lace is made in the traditional way as it was one hundred years ago. The shop is a must!

Museum of Costume & Lace

Four opulent-looking houses and an old warehouse built in the late 17th-early 18th century were rehabilitated so that the delicate materials preserved in this museum could be nestled in a delightful setting.

Many fashion accessories, embroideries and original documents, as well as an impressive variety of middle-class outfits designed between the 17th century and today are a major part of the museum’s treasures, and high-quality temporary exhibitions do a brilliant job of highlighting them.

Additionally, the museum also pays tribute to lace, the production of which forms an integral part of Brussels’ heritage. From its development in the 17th century to the late 19th century, this precious fabric experienced a long golden age. The use of lace fell into disfavour during modern times and is now considered a work of art.

Biscuiterie Dandoy

Set in the heart of Brussels just between the Grand Place and the bourse ,the family-owned business has perpetuated a unique craftsmanship in the production of many traditional Belgian and Brussels specialties for almost two centuries.

Based on original recipes Dandoy biscuits are prepared by hand in the firm’s own workshop , with natural ingredients. Dandoy’s most famous specialties include the Pain a la Greque, the speculaas, the almond bread, and several kinds of Macaroons. Go for it!

La Maison du Cygne restaurant

A true gastronomic and cultural gem, and quoted by Zagat as top Europe Restaurants , this 17th century house offers its guests a unique atmosphere in the very heart of Brussels and one of the most beautiful squares in the world.

In the great French tradition, the Maison du Cygne boasts some of the best cuisine in Brussels, acclaimed by critics and connoisseurs alike.

Under the watchful eye of Michel Verdoodt, Restaurant Manager, and his team, you can enjoy innovative yet authentic cuisine brilliantly masterminded by Donald Loriaux, 4th at the Bocuse d’Or.
To accompany your meal, the Maison du Cygne has an impressive cellar of over 20,000 bottles including some of the finest wines available.

Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels met here twice a week in 1848, but the clientèle now is mostly expense account, which may or may not support their manifesto.  The main dining room, on the first floor, is panelled in old wood etc.  The tables are well spaced and it is quiet.  The ground floor is a tavern and light lunch place and can be a private salon at night.

Le Roy d’Espagne cafe

Built in 1697, was originally the House of the Baker’s guild. The name is due to the bust of Charles II which decorates the façade on the  second floor. In 1697 Charles II was the King of Spain and the sovereign of the
Southern Netherlands, which included the present day Belgium. On the ground floor, above the entrance, watches Saint-Aubertus, the Patron Saint of the  bakers.

The house, which suffered much damage during the French Revolution, was renovated to its original state in 1902 under the impulse of the Mayor of Brussels, Charles Buls. After having been a café and a hardware store of which  the first balcony remains, the house regained its vocation as a café in 1952.

Marche des erbes

In 1836, the young architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer, born in the Netherlands in 1811, had the idea to construct a covered gallery of more than 200 meters that would directly link the “Marché aux Herbes” (herbs market) to the “Montagne aux Herbes Potagères” (vegetables market), by demolishing a number of sordid alleys in which the bourgeoisie did not dare to come.

It took nine years before the administrative and financial formalities required to proceed with the numerous expropriations were completed. The construction of the building itself lasted one year and a half. These expropriations provoked a lot of complaints and even a few tragedies.

An old lady of rich descent that lived in the “Maison des Orfèvres” (goldsmith house), at the present entrance in the Rue du Marché aux Herbes, died of panic and anger when the bailiff came to announce her that her house was to be demolished shortly. What remains of this house is the ancient motto : “Omnibus Omnia” (all for all). Mister Paneel, a barber by trade, obstinately refused to leave and preferred cutting his throat with a razor blade rather than watching his houses being destroyed.

When the construction was already in an advanced phase, the first stone was laid with a golden trowel by King Leopold the First, accompanied by his two sons. At the meeting of the board of the company on the 4th of December 1846, the names of the three parts of the new gallery, to pay homage to the royal family, were agreed upon :

The Galerie du Roi (the King’s gallery) to the east of the Rue des Bouchers, ( Butcher’s street) the Galerie de la Reine (the Queen’s gallery) to the west, and the Galerie du Prince (the prince’s gallery),  a 54 meter long gallery that links the Galerie du Roi to the Rue des Dominicains. In October 1965, the building, originally called “Passage Saint-Hubert“, received its present name “Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert”.

The narrow street connecting the two alleys already existed in the 13th century, but it was called “Bogart” or “Bomgaard” (orchard street). The name of Saint-Hubert appears in 1685 , because of a cabaret dedicated to this Saint. The cabaret was very often visited by the “échoppiers” (stall keepers) of the nearby Marché aux Herbes. During the French regime, it was called “Rue du Chasseur” (hunter street).

In the middle of the 19th century, the Saint-Hubert Galleries were the longest, highest (8 meters), best decorated and best lit galleries in the world, thanks to the enormous glass roof which is 200 meters long. From the day of their inauguration, these galleries have been highly successful and entertaining. Later on, the luxurious specialized shops added their part to this success. The “exterior” terraces of the cafés, cake shops and ice cream sellers attracted a smart public that came there to forget the humid Belgian climate for a few hours.

Taverne du Passage

During the years, the Passage Saint-Hubert became a literary centre, where one could meet famous French writers such as Baudelaire, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, Apollinaire or Verlaine in the “Café de la Renaissance” (the present “Taverne du Passage“), which was the meeting place of the Artistic et Literary Circle. Nowadays, the galleries still are an important commercial centre for luxury goods in an old-fashioned environment that was recently restored with a lot of care.

Nehaus

Among the remarkable shops, there is the number 23 of the Galerie de la Reine, where the Swiss Jean Neuhaus installed a confectioner’s shop in 1857. Neuhaus was specialized in making cough bonbons, marshmallows and liquorice for stomach pain. His son Frédéric made delicacies such as chocolates filled with vanilla. In 1912, Jean Neuhaus introduced a number of novelties, such as chocolates filled with fruits, crushed nuts paste, various sorts of creams and even liquors.

He called them “pralines“, because their form looked like the grilled nuts covered with sugar of the Marquis of Praslin. One fine day, his wife came up with the idea of putting the pralines carefully in a little cardboard box, because she was tired of serving them in a paper wrapper. They called this cardboard box a “ballotin“.

Theatre of Saint-Hubert

Cultural life was present in the galleries as well. In the Galerie du Roi number 32, one can still find the Theatre of Saint-Hubert Galleries, that was conceived by Jean-Pierre Cluysenaer himself and inaugurated on the 7th of June 1847. Originally it was used for comedy, drama and vaudeville. In fact, the City Council of Brussels had forbidden singing or music, in order to prevent it from competing with the “Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie“.The Vaudeville was recently restored and is now used again as theater and reception room.

Delvaux

Since the beginning of the previous century, number 31 has housed the renowned Belgian leather shop Delvaux, creator and manufacturer of the most refined traveling-bags, trunks, handkerchiefs, purses, and various leather objects.

Petite Rue des Bouchers

Already in 1366, this street was mentioned as “Cleyn Vleeshouversstraete“. However, in the 17th century, it was named “Crantje Straetje” (tap street). In the 17th century it was sometimes called “Rue du Cornet” as well.

At the beginning of the 19th century, a lot of tripe butchers came to this street, after a prefecture’s order of the year X (revolutionary calendar) had expelled them out of the “Marché aux Tripes” (the tripe market, which became an extension of the herbs market).

The street still has today about twelve houses dating from the 17th and 18th century. During the “Belle Époque” (Edwardian era), the street sheltered more small music-halls than restaurants. On the first floor of number 30, there was the jazz-club “La Rose Noire”, where Jacques Brel, the famous Belgian singer, had his first successes in 1953.

Unfortunately, for safety reasons, this successful cabaret had to close its doors in 1961. The building was bought by the restaurant “Les Armes de Bruxelles” in 1963 and was used as the restaurant’s kitchen the next year.

Les Armes de Bruxelles Restaurant

A Brussels institution since it opened in 1921, this family-owned establishment offers gracious, rather formal service, combined with a casual, relaxed ambience.

It’s an excellent place for your introduction to Belgian cooking, since it combines traditional cuisine with great quality, and offers just about every regional specialty you can think of (including mussels in every conceivable style). You can sample anything from an excellent beef stewed in beer to a delicious waterzooï to a steak with pepper-and-cream sauce, all at reasonable prices

Scheltema Restaurant ( my favorite!)

Located in the historic centre of Brussels just a few steps away from the Grand Place, the Scheltema has been an institution in the Ilot Sacré area since 1972.

The establishment is known for its seafood specialties and its turn of the century pub ambiance, which combine to make the Scheltema one of the most prestigious restaurants in Brussels.

Joelle’s Tips:

The restaurants :

La Maison du Cygne Rue Charles Buls 2Brussels, Belgium 1000 / Phone: +322-511-8244
Fax: +32 2 514-3148

Aux Armes de Bruxelles: Traditional Belgian  Rue des Bouchers 13 Bruxelles / +322 511-55-98

Scheltema : Sea food Specialties  Rue des Dominicains 7 1000 Brussel / Phone : +32 2 512.20.84

Chez Leon : Belgian Cuisine  Rue des Bouchers 18 /Bruxelles 1000 /+32 2 511.14.15

The Cafes: 

Le Roy d’Espagne Grand’Place 1 B-1000 Brussels / Phone : +32 2 513 08 07 fax : +32 2 513 11 27  info@roydespagne.be

La Taverne du Passage : Cuisine Belgian  Galerie de la Reine 30  100 Bruxelles / Phone + 32 2 512-37-32

The Shops:

N. Toebac: Belgian Lace 10, Rue Charles Buls  1000 Bruxelles / Phone : + 3202 5120941 Fax : +32 2 5020481  E-mail : info@nicoletoebac

Delicacies:

Biscuiterie Dandoy : Rue au Beurre 31 1000 Bruxelles

Neuhaus: Galerie de la Reine 25  1000 Bruxelles

Delvaux: Galerie de la Reine 31 Phone +32 02512-71-98

The Museum:

Musee du costume et de la Dentelle Rue de la Violette 6 Phone +32 2  213 44 50

The source: Commune libre de l’Ilot Sacre / Fodors Guide of Brussels

Some photo credits: Courtesy of Charles le Brusseler / Renato Serra for Commune libre de l’Ilot Sacre

Sir Rocco Forte is an elegant , charming and handsome man. He was born in Bournemouth on 18 January 1945, educated at Downside School in England and read modern languages at Pembroke College, Oxford. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1969, and became a Fellow in 1979. Sir Rocco chaired and led Forte Plc, a company founded by his father, Lord (Charles) Forte, in 1934

During his time at Forte, Sir Rocco had responsibility for more than 800 hotels, 1,000 restaurants and almost 100,000 employees in 50 countries around the world. As Chairman, Sir Rocco transformed Forte from a UK operation to an international hotel player based on the Meridien chain and a collection of luxury hotels including the George V in Paris, the Sandy Lane in Barbados, the Ritz in Madrid and the Plaza Athénée in New York. Forte Plc was sold in 1996 following a hostile take-over bid and has since been broken up.

His latest venue is creating a collection of hotels; each with its own personality, reflecting location and nationality and as members of the The Rocco Forte Collection brand, they share a high priority for stylish design and attention to detail, exemplary levels of service delivery as well as the latest technology. All have exercise facilities and several of them have sizeable spas and health clubs. The restaurants within the hotels have their own identity and serve food of the highest standards to both guests and local residents.

The Rocco Forte Collection includes the Hotel de Russie in Rome, The Balmoral in Edinburgh, Hotel Astoria in St Petersburg, Hotel Amigo in Brussels, Hotel Savoy in Florence, The Lowry Hotel in Manchester, Le Richemond in Geneva, Brown’s Hotel in London, Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt, Hotel De Rome in Berlin, The Charles Hotel in Munich, The Augustine in Prague and Verdura Golf & Spa Resort in Sicily.

Among those, the one I would like to feature today, is the Hotel Amigo, located next to The Grand Place in Brussels,  one of the Europe’s most beautiful squares , close to the famous Sablon antique district and a myriad of restaurants and bars.The original building predates 1522 when it was bought by the city council from a wealthy merchant family and turned into a prison.

The Spanish rulers at the time mistook the Flemish for prison to mean “friend” and translated this into their own language as “Amigo“. The irony of this misunderstanding seems to have pleased the people of Brussels and the name has been retained.  The building was re-build as a hotel by the Blaton family in 1957 for the Universal Exhibition in 1958.

On January 11th 2000, the hotel was acquired by Sir Rocco Forte to form part of his exclusive chain of luxury hotels in various parts of Europe. Following the purchase , the hotel  has undergone a complete refurbishment restoring it to its former glory it’s fresh modern interiors whilst retaining its character and charm, making it the best luxury hotel in the city.  followed by the stylish eye of awarded Olga Polizzi, Rocco Forte  sister and the Collection’s Director of Design.

Historic artifacts displayed on the premises include canvases from famous artists such as Courtens, Dansaert and Wagemans together with paintings by the Dutch and Italian schools. Flemish wall tapestries from the 18th century and the authentic paving stones in the lobby, which were originally used in the surrounding streets, help create the special charm and character of this place.

” With all properties in my Collection, – Rocco says- “you will find the services at the hotel Amigo courteous, warm, friendly and efficient, with our staff ready to respond to your every need”. Having said that I decide to meet some friends who came to visit me in the city  at the  Amigo’s Italian restaurant Bocconi to check personally the matter.

The traffic is intense, it’s the holiday season and there is no place to park. After dinner we have the intention to have a walk at the illuminated Grand Place. I leave my car with the superbly elegant doorman of the hotel. The hallway is charming, there is an old flair atmosphere reflected by the old tapestries , the oak furniture at the reception desk  and the aligned red velvet armchairs all resting on polished dark grey ardoise floor. I feel to be welcomed back into and indulgent atmosphere of a few centuries in history.

The restaurant is at out left, I am waiting for my friends who are also staying at the hotel. The contemporary atmosphere of the main room is lively, the colors of the walls are of a bright yellow, and enhanced with several black and white Fornasetti plates . Dedicated to the delights of Italian cuisine, Ristorante Bocconi has received a number of awards and rates as one of the best places to eat in Brussels.

As per suggestion of the chef Vincenzo Regina  we pick a special treat in the new menu has been compiled in association with  Fulvio Pierangelini, the best known chef in Italy, who preaches: “simplicity is the most important thing in the kitchen. Like so many of today’s leading chefs, Fulvio is happy to pass on his knowledge and expertise to others and acts as an art culinary advisor to the hotels of the Rocco Forte Collection. Today’s menu combines the best products from Italy and Belgium to please all lovers of fine cuisine.

After dinner I ask my friends to join me by the bar for a digestive tea and some Belgian Speculose . A selection of tarts, waffles and miniardises ( savouries)  are displayed on a tray. The waiters suggests a range of fine teas from the legendary french tea house “Mariage Frères”, we ask for mulled wine , a digestif and a glass of champagne..

I can’t avoid noticing the elegant tones of greys of the pillows and their marvelous embroidery scrupulously matched with silk upholstered sofas, the lighting fixtures, the furniture ensuring an overall  “modern- traditional”  accent.

The 194o look of the low chairs in black wood and cherry leather seats, the drink menu in impeccable and thick cream and  handmade Verge paper, cozy round  mirrored low tables,  the  authentic 1950’s  bar build in superbly polished steel pass  firmly  Rocco’s family great tradition of stylish five-star comfort and excellence in the “hotel industry”

I ask the waiter if he could introduce me the general manager of the hotel as I was interested to check the newly 90 meters apartment for some friends. I less that 10 minutes a young and charismatic lady comes my way with a folder in her hand and a courteous smile. Her name is Delphine de Kinder. I explain that I would like to visit the rooms and she offers personally to take my friends  and I for a tour in the hotel  including the spectacular Magritte suite. The ones not available, I could check during the daytime tomorrow.

Delphine tells me that the Rocco Forte Hotel Amigo has been offering since its “rebirth” in 2002 one of the most beautiful suite in Brussels, The Blaton Suite.  Following the success received during these years, the Hotel Amigo has desired to offer to its clients a new Suite, the sister of the Blaton Suite: more intimate, personalized with a soul. The atmosphere is truly authentic as a tiny private apartment.

The Suite pays homage to the leader of surrealism but also to one of the major artists of the XX century, René Magritte. Also focusing  on an important collection of local artworks and rooms named after Belgian celebrities such as Hergé or Brel, the Hotel Amigo wants to stay close to the identity of the country.

In the meantime, my camera is wild taking close macro views on so many delicate and thoughtful details. Heart-shaped cherry flavored chocolates from  Marcolini, celebre Belgian maison of luxury goods in leather Delvaux, Belgian artists drawings lithographs, beautiful artistically embroidery details on   curtains, pillows, carpets and upholstered comfortable armchair.  Delphine confides me proudly that famous antique district Le Sablon has inspired  family designer Olga Polizzi to make a selection among the best warm colored cottons and Brussels’s linens

The 90m2 Magritte Suite is situated at the third floor offering a beautiful view over the typical Brussels’ streets and the Grand-Place. Its large windows also ensure the suite natural light all designed and decorated with elegance.

After a refurbishment, which has taken 3 months and a cost of 150,000 Euros, the Magritte Suite is ready to invite guests in love with refinement and cosiness.

Special attention has been given to small details that make “The” difference: a selection of Magritte’s paintings, books from major writers, and a bathroom with Tintin characters. The Magritte Suite’s guests can also enjoy high-speed Internet access , large flat-screen LCD televisions, and DVD players inboth the living room and the bedroom.

The architecture and welcoming atmosphere of the Amigo, together with its privileged position right in the heart of Brussels, the red brick façade of the hotel built in Spanish Renaissance style, fits perfectly into the architectural past and present of its surroundings.

With Christmas just around the corner, it is the moment to start planning a cosy family get together or a wonderful New Year’s Eve Dinner. I thank the sweet Delhine for her kindness and head to  Riccardo Fusari, the Head Concierge at the hotel who assures to me  with elegant posture that himself and his team will be able to assist personally and with pleasure any of my friends or guests should they have Brussels as their choice for this year holiday season.

I am told by his attentive assistant that on 24th December guests of the Bocconi restaurant will enjoy a sumptuous five-courses dinner created by our freshly new Executive Chef, Vincenzo Regine.  For Christmas day, leaving the hard work of the festive period at home and enjoy a delicious lunch and dinner Christmas menu. ( see photos in the gallery)

The New Year’s Eve will also be exclusive this year with a stunning musical programme.
In the Bocconi restaurant and the prestigious “Salon Ambassadeur” guests will try the ultimate culinary experience prepared by our passionate Executive Chef Vincenzo Regine while listening to Aldo Granato and his friends. These outstanding artists will offer a mix of cultures and emotions.

From the 21st December to 6th January, the Rocco Forte’s Hotel Amigo proposes to enjoy the luxury and contemporary stylish rooms at special prices. As from 185 euros per room, or to discover Brussels with its   “White Chocolate Christmas Magic”, a great weekend full of surprise is only to 236euros per room, per night,  all subject to availability of course.

White chocolate surprises for the new year, Magritte , Delvaux shopping and relaxing views from a spacious terrace over a magnificent Market Square, protected by the world patrimony of UNESCO.  How friendly that is?  Make your plans!

Joelle’s Tips :

The hotel: Hotel Amigo Rue de l’Amigo 1 – 3, Brussels 1000, Belgium / Tel
Tel: +32 2 547 4747
Fax: +32 2 513 5277
E-mail: reservations.amigo@roccofortecollection.com

The Hospitality Group : The Rocco Forte Collection :

Some photos courtesy of : The Rocco Forte Collection

Toll Free Numbers for Reservations : France 00 800 7666 6667  Germany 00 800 7666 6667                   Italy 00 800 7666 6667 Russia* +7 812 494 5759 Switzerland 00 800 7666 6667  UK 00800 7666 6667
United States 1 888 61 888 667 9477