2# IDa4 MURAL IN EUROPE: Brussels, Belgium. Hello Hostel.

So we arrived at the Capital of Belgium for our second mural.

So About the City:
If ever a city could claim split personality, it’s Brussels. French versus Flemish, historic versus hip, bizarre versus boring. Full of contrasts, contradictions and intrigue, Brussels is a city of fine food, café culture, Art Nouveau architecture and the surreal.

But a capital is a capital in my eyes, i feel you lose some of the soul of the actual country, replaced by high rise buildings and faceless people in suits.  you walk around with a tick list of things to see and once seen one you march off to the other following a gaggle of American and Japanese tourists. It has his merits but in my eyes you want to experience what a real country is like, stick to the littler towns and cites, unless you really really want that louis vuitton bag...

Grand Place main square in Brussels, Belgium

Shopping Arcade in Brussels, Belgium

Grand Place main square in Brussels, Belgium

Grand Place main square in Brussels, Belgium

We saw a few nice pieces of art around Brussels, we saw a few Invader pieces, but the best had to be the one above the pissing boy, copying him..

Pissing boy with Pissing Invader

Invader, Brussels

Invader, Brussels

Pissing Boy dressed as something?

So About the Hostel

Hello Hostel Brussels is a very cool place to stay, it has a big court yard full of different art, a big bar which is very cheap and full of good beers and cocktails. The staff are so friendly and approachable, it has a family feel to it (this is probably because most of the people there are related or are really good friends)

We stayed in the apartment block which are normally just for woman,  but the facilities were more liking to a hotel, top marks!!

So About Leticia 

We meet a very special person when we arrived in Brussels, without her this trip might never have happened, she was the first person to say yes to our exchange idea and that first break through lead us along this journey for me and Chris, She will always have a special place in our memories and i hope we have found a friend for life.

She is very active in climate change as well as running a hostel and is also a great mother to boot. We loved meeting you.

So About the Art

When we arrived, we could see that this hostel had already had some nice pieces in the court yard, these were done by the owner Laticia, and they are really good, check them out if you go, also a graffiti tiki by a south American artist.

But there were still loads of blank walls that could be used..

We discussed the plans with the Laticia, and decided to fill one  of the hall ways with a stencil and outside in the court yard, this was not to be the big art of the Brussel's stay, Laticia had asked us to take part in carless day, which would be bigger than we imagined…

We later returned to the Hello Hostel and decorated the kitchen, as the hostel is full of international visitors we transformed the blank kitchen wall into a big montage of phrases from around the world.

So About Car-less day

The 13th annual Car-Free Sunday in Brussels. Between the hours of 9:00 and 19:00, all engine traffic was brought to a halt (with the exception of public transportation, which was free for the day!) and every major roadway in Brussels was closed. Instead of grabbing their car keys, Brussels residents snapped on their helmets for a day on the town. People of all ages were out and about, partaking in the various festivities throughout the city and filling the streets with exhaust-free energy. Cyclists certainly capitalized on the opportunity to own the road, bringing all city roads to maximum capacity with their two-wheeled vehicles. 

Newcastle watch out because we will be bringing this idea home with us!!

We had a stall in the main area called Pimp my Bike, where IDa4 cut out little and medium stencils for bikes, but in the end the idea was so popular that we ended up doing prams, skate boards,  a unicycle, t-shirts, and scooters, and bags. 

It was a pleasure taking part and a big big thank you to Bredan Dalton who came and helped us on his holiday time, was amazing meeting you and we'll hopefully see you again  But what a great idea Pimp my Bike was, in the end we did over 100 bikes, so if your about in Brussels have a quick look around and you jut might see an IDa4.....