Birthday (not-so) Blues

After our ferret issues I thought my birthday would be a bit of a downer but we got some good news as we set out for the day so I was feeling a little lighter on my feet and I was determined to have a nice day if at all possible. We set out in the morning for the Museum of musical instruments. Being a musician this was a very intriguing place for me. It is housed in a former Old English department store done in an almost over the top art nouveau style. What is housed inside was slightly overshadowed by the splendor of the building. It is not laid out as I would have liked. Meaning, really, in any particular order. I would have liked to see it done more in chronological order with some explanation of the anthropology of the instruments. Also, they had a half baked method of hearing the audio samples provided for most of the instruments. With all that said, it is a beautiful museum with an extensive collection of instruments from around the world that date up to the early 20th century. The true highlight for me was a video being shown in the piano room about the replication of the very first Steinway. then there was the replica. It was so fascinating especially as a woodworker. From there we moved on and decided to make it a full Art nouveau day by heading out to the Victor Horta house museum. It was a bit of a hike but it was a nice day and the museum was in a part of town we had not been to yet. The house was simply amazing every time you turned around there was something, some small detail, to marvel at. I also want to use this moment to say that I never want to hear another european complain about American tourists so long as they continue to let Italians out of Italy. They are by far the rudest group of people we ran into on our trip. While we were in the museum an Italian man was having a very heated work related phone conversation right there in the greenhouse. And that was just one of quite a few run ins we had with Italians. I just wanted to get that off my chest. On our way out to the Horta we stopped at a little cafe/restaurant and grabbed a quick bite. We started with a round of drinks, I had a Hoegaarden just so I could compare how it was here with what we get in the states. It was much crisper and didn't have the slight chalkiness I always get from it at home. The Mrs. was very excited to see Campari and soda. For food I had the chicken cordon blue. It was nicely fried with a good ratio of chicken to ham with a flow of melty cheese in the center. It was probably not the best I had ever had but very good. The Mrs. had the kaascroquette and had the epiphany when they showed up that they were cheese sticks. Good cheese sticks, but cheese sticks nonetheless. And then after the Horta we stopped off at the famed Mort Subite for a couple rounds of their lambic. I started with the White; it is a light gueze with a slight peachyness, very refreshing. The Mrs. was branching out and had the Faro which is straight gueze sweetened with sugar. It was very nice and surprisingly dry. To follow, I felt I had to try the Kriek. It was very balanced and did not have the syrupiness I usually associate with lambics. After finishing up there we went back to Vaudeville for dinner. I wanted a good meal for my birthday dinner and I was pretty sure they would not disappoint. Also, it was not teaming with tourists, a big plus. This time The Mrs. had the carbonnade and I had the skirt steak cooked rare with a Kriek lambic mushroom reduction. It totally hit the spot. to drink i had the house beer. I have no idea who the actual brewer was but it was a big malty Belgian; just what the doctor ordered. And for a night cap, and since we were celebrating, we headed back to Delirium for one last bite of the apple. Yes, it's a tourist trap, but who cares when there is that much beer to be had. The real problem is, for me, Belgian beer is so heavy I can only drink a couple at sitting and they do not believe in flights here. First round was the house Delirium Nocturnum, it was a light, sweet brown ale, lighter than I would have expected. The Mrs. continued here tour of Kriek with a Kasteel. It was very sweet and, to be honest, a little hard to drink. Honestly, I don't remember and have no notes for my second round. By this time I was tired and ready for bed. And having avoided the subject all day wanted to get back for a Dex update. Things were looking up so I slept well. Tomorrow Bruges.