Things to do in Roubaix/Brussels in October

[defspace]

I'll be in Roubaix and later Brussels in early October. I will not have a bike.
Obviously I'll make a pilgrimage to the Roubaix velodrome. Are there any other must-see/must-do attractions? We're considering day trips to Ghent and Bruges, so I'd be eager to hear recommendations there too.

We're into:
Parks, natural spaces, plants and animals
Hole in the wall dining
Live music
Weird, off the beaten path things (where's the Jerk when you need him?)
History, museums

Not into:
Bars/Alcohol

[72gmc]

I've never been to Bruges but I'll recommend it anyway based on what people have told me. It's apparently worth a full day of wandering + overnight.

[rwsaunders]

Bruges is one of the coolest towns that my wife and I have ever visited...it's a UNESCO World Heritage site and a 30 minute train ride from Brussels. We were there in the Fall of 2023 and I can locate some restaurant names etc. if you decide to go. The BnB that we stayed in is located on the canal and was built in 1434...awesome place and host. No car required and 2-3 days is just perfect.

[j44ke]

In Roubaix there is La Piscine, which is a restored indoor swimming pool complex converted into an art museum displaying work of French artists from the mid-19th and early 20th century. Alongside La Piscine is Méert Musée de la Piscine, an old style French brasserie from the makers of the famous Méert Waffle (made with Madagascar Vanilla!) Both are worthy of the designation "eccentric" but value can be found in both.

http://www.roubaix-lapiscine.com/

https://www.meert.fr/

Also interesting (so I've been told - we saw art and ate at La Piscine but this museum was closed) is La Manufacture Roubaix, a museum presenting the history of the textile industry in Roubaix, a center of Jacquard machine woven fabrics. The museum is built inside the old Craye Company textile factory in Roubaix.

https://lamanufacture-roubaix.com/en/

Note the brick work on the buildings in Roubaix. Really interesting to see an industrial town from an era when brick must have been king.

[echappist]

I'll be in Roubaix and later Brussels in early October. I will not have a bike.
Obviously I'll make a pilgrimage to the Roubaix velodrome. Are there any other must-see/must-do attractions? We're considering day trips to Ghent and Bruges, so I'd be eager to hear recommendations there too.

We're into:
Parks, natural spaces, plants and animals
Hole in the wall dining
Live music
Weird, off the beaten path things (where's the Jerk when you need him?)
History, museums

Not into:
Bars/Alcohol

Depending on what art suits your fancy, Old Master's Museum in Brussels, short walk away from Brussels Central Station*, where one can store luggage in lockers. It may not be the Louvre or the Rijksmuseum, but it has quite the collection of early Nederlandish Painters (quite a few by the Breughels and and a few by Bosch). My wife and I happen to like Northern Renaissance paintings, so it's right up our alley (though not everyone's cup of tea).

Belgian Art (as in, after independence in 1830) is not generally as well appreciated, but there are gems such as this one by Gustav Wappers. Note the similarities to Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix.



Gent, of course, is home to the famous polyptych by Van Eyck, located inside the St Bavo's Cathedral. There's also a portrait of the eponymously named patron saint of the city, painted by another one of Flander's famous sons, Peter Paul Rubens.



Both Gent and Brugge are full of confectioneries and bakeries whose delectables could do serious damage to a cyclist's waistline. I think @Chik has a particular recommendation for a chocolatier** located a literal stone's throw away from St. Bavo's. Bakeries serving speculoos biscuits can be readily found in either city.

A lot can be accomplished in 4-5 days in all three cities.

Getting train tickets is super easy on SNCB (all online, with conductors checking tickets on the train).

Feel free to ask questions here or via PM.

*N.B. Brussels Central is not the same as Brussels Midi, the Midi refers to trains to the Midi (as in Middle) region of France. Confusing, as Brussels Midi is otherwise the South (Zuid) Station where the major international trains (TGV, Eurostar, and Thalys) stop.

**Website here https://www.deduytschaever.be/.

ETA: photos from our trip in December 2022 (full of dreary rain)

Gent (moat near St Bavo's Square). About the two hours when it didn't rain on that particular day.



Carillon drum inside the Brugge Belfry (presumably the vantage point from which @rwsaunders took the first picture in his helpful post above):

[kdawg]

[Chik]

Yep, la Piscine in Roubaix should be on your list. I've been wanting to go for years, but there was always a reason why I couldn't: it was still being restored, I didn't have enough time, etc.

If you go to the velodrome, then a wander through the shower room probably should be on the list. I don't think it's as easy and spontaneous as it used to be. This site says that you need to book a guide and recommends contacting the Roubaix Tourism Office. It was some years ago when I had a look around after I asked a maintenance guy I spotted walking by if I could have a look inside. He unlocked the door and left me to my own devices.

As you might know Roubaix is part of greater Lille. Lille is a pretty little town that's worth a quick wander. Much of the region's wealth came from the textile trades, mainly because of the quality flax and hemp grown in the area (Flanders, both French and Belgian bits) but also because of the lace production alongside nearby areas like Calais and Bruges. There's no such thing as Irish linen anymore since flax production has all but ceased in Ireland -- even though there is still some weaving in Eire -- which makes Flanders the remaining quality European linen producer. That said, much of textile production has now gone abroad, and Roubaix consequently became a bit of a deprived dump. In more recent years, things have improved noticeably although I don't know why or how.

And speaking of textile wealth, if you are interested in Modernist architecture, I would strongly recommend going over to neighbouring Croix to visit the Villa Cavroix, built by Robert Mallet-Stevens. I've been 3 times, including once in the evening: I spent a couple of hours every time but discover new details that I couldn't absorb in previous visits.

In Brussels, as far as parks / nature goes, there are a couple of options like the Bois de la Cambre and Forêt de Soignes, parts of the vast green areas that used to belong to the Solvay family (chemical trade) but became public properties in lieu of paying inheritance tax.

As far as a hole in the wall is concerned, Pizzeria La Bottega Della Pizza at the original location might be a consideration. Saint Gilles is a neighbourhood in Brussels. Their second location is just off Place du Grand Sablon which may be more convenient depending on where you're situated (bigger, more touristy), but Saint Gilles is my preference. Good pizza is becoming harder to find in Italy, and I can say that these guys in Brussels do better than many in Italy, whether it's in the south or in Milan.

And speaking of chocolates, Brussels is home to Pierre Marcolini. He overextended too quickly at one point and had to be saved by Nestlé. Their finances have stabilised, and PM was able to buy back the shares from Nestlé. I would have a look at their flagship at the north end of Place du Grand Sablon and their biscuit 'Manufacture' on the west side of the square. There are plenty of other locations in Brussels and elsewhere in Belgium, in case you can't make it to Sablon.

[j44ke]

Villa Cavroix is an A+ recommendation. Mallet-Stevens is not well known in the US, but he was building functionalist buildings around the same time as the more well-known designers. And his buildings seem to hold together better. There is a nice housing development (one block long) in the 16th that was a nice surprise walking back from Le Courbusier’s apartment across from PSG’s stadium.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/11/t...e=articleShare

[Chik]

Villa Cavroix is an A+ recommendation. Mallet-Stevens is not well known in the US, but he was building functionalist buildings around the same time as the more well-known designers. And his buildings seem to hold together better. There is a nice housing development (one block long) in the 16th that was a nice surprise walking back from Le Courbusier’s apartment across from PSG’s stadium.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/11/t...e=articleShare

To be fair, the French state had done extensive work to restore Villa Cavroix, which was in really bad shape after being abandoned and occupied by squatters.

Yep, nice street in the 16th. I've yet to go inside Galerie 54. (Touchaleaume has made very prudent purchases in various parts of the world.) That said, I was a bit saddened to see how the 'Villa' at the corner of rue du Dr Blanche had been modified and lost compositional balance.

I'm waiting for Maison La Roche to re-open after their summer holiday...

[j44ke]

To be fair, the French state had done extensive work to restore Villa Cavroix, which was in really bad shape after being abandoned and occupied by squatters.

Yep, nice street in the 16th. I've yet to go inside Galerie 54. (Touchaleaume has made very prudent purchases in various parts of the world.) That said, I was a bit saddened to see how the 'Villa' at the corner of rue du Dr Blanche had been modified and lost compositional balance.

I'm waiting for Maison La Roche to re-open after their summer holiday...

He must own more Prouvé than Prouvé ever did. I saw one of his Maison Tropicales. I didn't know then who he was or that he owned the building until I read the NYTimes article. But as a kid I imagined a house I could clean with a garden hose, and that was about as close as it gets.

There are a series of letters from the owners (specifically the wife) of the Villa Savoye to Le Courbusier. Evidently it was never truly habitable and always leaked and always had a mold problem. And there was the low grade reinforcing bar and poorly mixed concrete that spelled ongoing issues all over. I think Mallet-Stevens used a lot of brick beneath the stucco. Much better understood material then and thus more dependable.

[Chik]

He must own more Prouvé than Prouvé ever did. I saw one of his Maison Tropicales. I didn't know then who he was or that he owned the building until I read the NYTimes article. But as a kid I imagined a house I could clean with a garden hose, and that was about as close as it gets.

There are a series of letters from the owners (specifically the wife) of the Villa Savoye to Le Courbusier. Evidently it was never truly habitable and always leaked and always had a mold problem. And there was the low grade reinforcing bar and poorly mixed concrete that spelled ongoing issues all over. I think Mallet-Stevens used a lot of brick beneath the stucco. Much better understood material then and thus more dependable.

I don't think it really helped that LC made decisions on the fly when building Villa Savoye. From a design (aesthetic) standpoint, it's a masterpiece, but walking through the house, it's not difficult to imagine a variety of issues although to be fair, reinforced concrete was new at the time so nobody really knew what they were doing. The funny thing for me personally is the fact that I was struck by how Fumihiko Maki was deeply influenced by Villa Savoye when I was standing on the ramps in Poissy. One of my fave features of my old school in Tokyo that Maki built is the set of ramps with light flooding in from the continuous windows on one side. It was as though I was transported back to school as I stood there. I had a quiet giggle.

Construction issues aside, both the Cavroixs and the Savoyes never had a chance to live in their respective homes for very long because the Nazis marched in just a few years later.

PS, Jorn, do you know why there aren't any toilets at Villa Savoye? The main bathroom, the child's bathroom and the guest room all have bidets but no toilets. The bog on the ground floor was installed more recently for the use of staff and visitors.

[Chik]

Sorry, @defspace. Went a bit off tangent there.

[j44ke]

...

PS, Jorn, do you know why there aren't any toilets at Villa Savoye? The main bathroom, the child's bathroom and the guest room all have bidets but no toilets. The bog on the ground floor was installed more recently for the use of staff and visitors.

If I remember correctly, some were damaged and have yet to be replaced. I remember seeing a plug in the floor but that might have been the apartment. I do think I remember one of the guides at the house mentioning that there is no longer sewage connection above the ground floor. Some toilets are in their own "water closets" as originally designed, so the door was just locked to prevent issues. I thought the master bathroom toilet was behind a thin wall until further renovation, but that doesn't seem to be the case now that I look at the drawings. It sits behind the black door opposite the bidet.

[Chik]

If I remember correctly, some were damaged and have yet to be replaced. But I think I remember one of the guides at the house mentioning that there is no longer sewage connection above the ground floor. Some toilets are in their own "water closets" as originally designed, so the door was just locked to prevent issues. Others, like the toilet opposite the bidet in drawings of the famous master bath with the tile chaise lounge, have been removed and drain plugged and hidden behind a thin wall.

Thanks. I tried to open that door from the master bathroom, but it was locked. It seems odd, from today's perspective, to have the bidet and the toilet separated by a wall or a corridor in the case of the child and guest. A bit awkward, I would have thought.

[j44ke]

Thanks. I tried to open that door from the master bathroom, but it was locked. It seems odd, from today's perspective, to have the bidet and the toilet separated by a wall or a corridor in the case of the child and guest. A bit awkward, I would have thought.

I wrote that it was behind a wall and then had to go check the drawings because I doubted my memory. And the master bath toilet is behind the door actually. No wall.

Le Courbusier had a thing for bidets evidently. His wife used to put a tablecloth over the one in the bedroom of their apartment. She found it embarrassing. Le Courbusier felt it revealed the sexuality of the domestic space. Or some such. That tidbit from an architectural historian friend.

And on that note!

[defspace]

This place never ceases to amaze. Thanks for all the recommendations and discussions on toilets!

[72gmc]

I wrote that it was behind a wall and then had to go check the drawings because I doubted my memory. And the master bath toilet is behind the door actually. No wall.

Le Courbusier had a thing for bidets evidently. His wife used to put a tablecloth over the one in the bedroom of their apartment. She found it embarrassing. Le Courbusier felt it revealed the sexuality of the domestic space. Or some such. That tidbit from an architectural historian friend.

And on that note!

That's a vow stretcher right there. "To have and to hold, unless you put a bidet in the bedroom ..."

[Chik]

I wrote that it was behind a wall and then had to go check the drawings because I doubted my memory. And the master bath toilet is behind the door actually. No wall.

Le Courbusier had a thing for bidets evidently. His wife used to put a tablecloth over the one in the bedroom of their apartment. She found it embarrassing. Le Courbusier felt it revealed the sexuality of the domestic space. Or some such. That tidbit from an architectural historian friend.

And on that note!

Technically, you weren't wrong: there's a wall and a door. :)

And, well, everyone's got some fetish of some sort, I suppose. Being French, he may not have known that a Gentleman's Wash is done in the sink.

[sk_tle]

Technically, you weren't wrong: there's a wall and a door. :)

And, well, everyone's got some fetish of some sort, I suppose. Being French, he may not have known that a Gentleman's Wash is done in the sink.

Being french, he also knew cyclists all have hemorroïds! Any decent man would rather wash their ass correctly than wipe and irritate those delicate parts!



The bidet was first introduced for the ladies and usually stored in the bedroom, where the ladies could wash themselves after having sex. In the twentieth century usage had evolved and it would be used as a common tool for intimate parts, ass and feet. So maybe Le Corbusier clients usage was the feet first and it found its place in the main bathroom for that very reason.

[Chik]

Being french, he also knew cyclists all have hemorroïds! Any decent man would rather wash their ass correctly than wipe and irritate those delicate parts!



The bidet was first introduced for the ladies and usually stored in the bedroom, where the ladies could wash themselves after having sex. In the twentieth century usage had evolved and it would be used as a common tool for intimate parts, ass and feet. So maybe Le Corbusier clients usage was the feet first and it found its place in the main bathroom for that very reason.

I think your feet explanation makes sense. Toilets wouldn't be in the bathroom in France, so the actual question is about the placement of the bidet rather than the placement of the toilet.