Things to do in Roubaix/Brussels in October

[johnmdesigner]

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.

Sometime in the 90's I believe I took the train out to Poissy to see this house. There was a penitentiary in the town and there were 2 prisoners in handcuffs in my car being escorted there.
The place was a wreck. A caretaker was on break from mowing the lawn. A little conversation and he opened the gate. The inside was dusty and forlorn but one brightened up seeing that tub and the tile chase. I'm glad it has been restored to all its glory.

[Chik]

@defspace, since you mentioned that you weren't interested in booze, I hesitated to bring up stoofvlees / carbonade flamande previously, but for the sake of completeness, I'll mention it now. It's a Flemish beef stew made with dark beer -- and the Belgians make the best beers, hands down. Where the French might use red wine to make beef stew, the Flemish use beer.

Assuming you and your missus eat beef, here are a few places that are rated highly -- other than the last one, I have not been myself. Given that it is a humble dish, you tend to find good ones at hole-in-the-wall type places as well as joints that have been around for ages.

't Bagientje in Bruges.

Brasserie Paradijs in Ghent.

In Brussels, I believe Covid killed off Viva 'MBoma, sadly.

If you happen to head to Antwerp, De Arme Duivel, which is down the road from where I used to live, is worth going.