Victor Horta House

In the Saint-Gilles neighborhood of Brussels you can find the house-turned-museum of the famous art-nouveau architect, Victor Horta. Not only did Mr. Horta have a noteworthy house, but he is credited with art- nouveau masterpieces all over the city of Brussels. He was one of the foremost creators of this architectual style.

What is art-nouveau? It is described by the museum as a way of designing that "creates harmony between architecture and interior design by devising its own ornamental language, which transforms the home into a work of art." Hmmm. My translation is that it is more rounded and curvy than the edges and corners found in traditional architecture. Think scrolling lines and a warm glow incorporating as much natural light as possible.

This afternoon Connor and I met Dallas to take in Horta's mansion museum. Knowing and understanding Mr. Horta seems an important step in becoming more of a local (culturally) in town. All of the Brussels buildings that make you stop and stare took influence from him. So now we are more "in the know" with the culturally astute crowd.

The museum was lovely and a good blend of abstract yet understandable. My favorite was all of the chandeliers and lights. Just look at this chandelier in the tiled dining room! The blown glass, colored flower bouquet was stunning. Connor thought so too!
Here is an example of the abundant stained glass skylights. Combined with the warm wood paneling and antiques, the mood inside was aglow. Connor took in all of the fabrics and light with enthusiasm. She was respectful in the museum and listened well. I was pleased. Especially given this was another, no strollers and no cameras kind of places. (These interior photos are of postcards I bought). Please just look at this shot...this is the Horta museum we walked with Connor. She loved skipping up and hopping down the steps. I can't imagine living in a home with so many floors. Or raising a child in a home with so many stairs!We were inspired as we circled the block on foot after our Horta Museum visit to look for some of the art-nouveau facades nearby. Not sure if these officially qualify, but they looked rounded and art-nouveau-ish to me! Plus the windows are fun and made me smile.

They did give us a maps of all the art nouveau styles nearby. Maybe I will do a more extensive walking tour of them when it is not raining!

If the sun ever comes back!

Rain, Costume, and Lace

It was a rainy, stay-inside Monday. Mondays are always the most difficult days to get out and about. Kirk is back to work and for some reason it is always cold and raining. Yuck. A hard way to come down after fun, full weekends together.

So this morning we stayed in our PJs and played in our apartment. We read lots of books and Connor found some new favorites. She was talking about Sam's Cookie and Sam's Ball ALL DAY long. She couldn't go 15 minutes without another reading of Sam. Connor especially loved the page where "Sam cries"??? I don't know why, but she puts on a very empathetic squished up face at this page. Dudley sent these books to us - she is a world-class children's librarian so no wonder she always knows best.
We also built "houses" with the foam letters. These foam connectible sheets are wonderful. Everyday we use them around the perimeter of the couch because I am phobic of Connor bouncing off the couch and falling on her head on the hardwoods. They are fun and colorful and provide a tiny cushion if Connor were to bump her head. But today they served as fun forts. Connor thought it was wonderful. There were several versions of our "house" and it was the most I have ever seen Connor sit still. She played in the "houses" with play dough and dolls and toys for a while.
Finally, after naptime we were getting pretty stir crazy and despite the rain I was determined to get out. In looking through our Brussels tour books I saw there was a Museum of Costume and Lace not far from our home. So I grabbed an umbrella, covered Connor's stroller in plastic and off we went with a map to find the place. I walked around in circles for a while (in the rain!). Brussels has the craziest twisty streets with very few street signs so finding the simplest spot can be pretty complex! Finally I found the elusive Musee and in we trudged wet and but victorious in our location challenge.

The museum was gorgeous and definitely my kind of place. The only challenge was - like so many places here - no strollers allowed. This despite huge aisles and an elevator to upper floors. That is crazy! Anyone would agree that a stroller is better than a wild toddler running around the antique garments. But I clutched Connor's hand and we went through the museum on foot "practicing the colors" of all the beautiful gowns.The museum reminded me of the Princess Di Dress exhibit I saw the summer I lived in DC or the Jackie Kennedy Dress exhibit we went to during my Bachelorette Weekend. Very girly and the variety and detail of the dress styles were stunning. So fun to take it all in - even if I did have to hold my breath the whole time that Connor stayed on her best behavoir!

The lace was also an extra special treat. Have you ever seen the way lace is made?!? It is woven with countless bobbins in complicated patterns. My eyes squinted and hurt just thinking about the practice.

There were beautiful full lace and antique satin wedding gowns on display. I wish they allowed photography so I could share those with you, but no cameras.

Finally tonight I took this photo for you at dinnertime.
I always try to serve something Connor likes (mac & cheese) and slide in some type of veggie. Tonight it was tomato. It is unbelievable how Connor knows how to eat completely around the nutritious component. Tonight she managed to pick out every last pasta piece. Just look at that face when I encourage the tomato. Oh well. Will keep trying!

Antique Toy Museum

We joined Brady and Karen at the Musee du Jouet yesterday morning. Karen's parents were visiting from North Carolina, so we were a gang of 6 ready to play! When we arrived I was a little uneasy because the unassuming museum seemed at first glance a little overcrowded, junky and dusty and there were a lot of glass display cases with antiques. I wondered how our busy toddlers would take to this type of play.
But when we started meandering around we found so many treasures! All of the toys were antiques, nevertheless play was highly encouraged. So Brady and Connor climbed all over these amazing old toys. You definitely would NOT find this type of toy museums in the USA - too many fears about recalls and other cautions. But for us it was a real treat. There were cars, buses, trains, and planes. Goldie Oldie familiar favorites from my childhood and from generations before. I got the sense toys were donated from families and they just put them out on display til they break. Quite a concept!
Connor loved the antique baby carriage and a rather plain doll with a turquoise dress - which she proceeded to carry with her throughout all the floors of the museum. The museum keeper seemed more amused by it than bothered by Connor's attachment.
As our eyes adjusted to the packed toy museum we had so much fun spotting all the treasures in every corner. There was even a marionette theatre similar to the one they made on "The Sound of Music" with real puppet shows for school groups.
The photo below is one of my favorites. It was just like the "Little House on the Prairie" schoolhouse! An abacus and folding desks and everything. Connor still with her doll with the turquoise dress!
It was a gem of a museum. What a cool place! We couldn't stop thinking of how much Cara would have loved it given her collection of antique toys.

Click here for Fun at the Musee du Joet (full album)