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A
Guided Visit of the Comic Strip Route
Join us on Sunday, May 31, for
a unique guided visit to the comic strip murals in the center of Brussels. We
will explore the city and
its famous comic strip frescoes. This tour will take you along several walls
and statues of our famous comic book heroes such as Tintin, the Smurfs, Lucky
Luke, Astérix and Obélix and many others. The project began in 1991 thanks to
the initiative of the local authorities in collaboration with the Belgian
Comic Strip Museum to acknowledge Brussels as the capital of comic strips. We will meet on the Grand’ Place at 3 p.m.
and the tour will last approximately two hours. Please note that this visit is limited to
20 people. Event Details: |
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Dates to Remember
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Final Friday Cocktails Friday,
April 24
Serendip
Spa Have you been curious to see
what it looks like inside a spa & yoga studio? Join us on Friday, 24
April to find out! Serendip Spa & Yoga (www.serendipspa.com) are transforming
their studio on Place Stephanie into a Final Friday networking event,
complete with cash bar, a tombola for prizes – and who knows, perhaps you may
be lucky enough to try a mini massage treatment while you network! Come on by anytime from 5:30 to
8:30 p.m., bring friends and colleagues – and enjoy a lovely spring evening
with the ACB community. |
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A Wine-Tasting Seminar
Join
us on Thursday, April 30, for a very special event: a wine-tasting seminar
given by Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Lidby. Both of the Lidbys are trained
enologists with degrees from Bordeaux and Toulouse and have twenty years of
experience in the field. This is a joint event with the American Women’s Club
of Brussels and it will be held in their beautiful club-house in
Rhode-St-Genèse. |
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Comedy Night with the American Club!
Will Durst (USA) Acknowledged by peers and press
alike as one of the premier political satirists in the country, Will Durst
has patched together a comedy quilt of a career, weaving together columns,
books, radio and television commentaries, acting, voice overs and most
especially, stand up comedy, into a hilarious patchwork of outraged and
outrageous common sense. His abiding motto is “You can’t make stuff up like
this." Andy Valvur (USA) Well acquainted with the
Brussels crowd, and with European politics. Andy has already performed
several times at our comedy nights. He has Estonian origins, lives in Cologne
and San Francisco, he's one of our crowd's favorites. Don't pass on this show, a must
for all those who want to see politics on its funnier and lighter side. Event Details: |
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American Football Fix The Super Bowl may be over, but you can
still get your American football fix! Join the American Club of Brussels as we
cheer on our official team, the Brussels Tigers, (www.brusselstigers.be), 2002, 2012 and
2013 Belgian Bowl Champions. They will be battling the Fighting
Turtles. Our friends at Bookalokal (www.bookalokal.com) will take care of
the food (we will announce the menu shortly), and our friends from
BelgiBeer (www.belgibeer.com) will bring our
favorite Belgian Microbrews. The price includes food and tickets to the game. Event Details: If you are late or cannot come at the last
minute, please call Brian Dunhill at 0483/392.695 so appropriate arrangements
can be made. |
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Dine-Out
at the Café Métropole Are you an afficionado of fine cuisine? Are
you adventurous? Then join us for a special surprise dine-out at the Café
Métropole on Wednesday, May 20. The Café Métropole offers excellent
Belgian/French cuisine and that evening you will have an excellent
three-course meal with wine. The chef is a perfectionist and only puts
together the menu one week before, thus enabling him to use the freshest
seasonal products. The precise menu will be known as of May 13. Per our
request, the menu will not include fish. This is a great opportunity to meet old
friends and make some new ones. If you have not yet been to a Dine-Out, or
are looking to discover new restaurants in Brussels, this is the event for
you. This special evening is limited to a
maximum of 15 people. Event Details: |
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Memorial
Day...
American Memorial Day is here again, with
events planned for the weekend of May 23 and 24. For Americans living in the
United States, Memorial Day is a day off from work, with family picnics, and
unbeatable sales. However, when you reside in Belgium, it is the
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for your family to experience what Memorial
Day is all about. Commemorations of America’s commitment to
guarantee freedom for the U.S., her friends and allies have been held each
Memorial Day weekend in Belgium since 1923. One meaningful role Americans
play during their years here is taking part in these ceremonies. If you
haven’t done so already, don’t miss this opportunity. Attending a Memorial
Day ceremony is a chance to reflect upon the freedom we enjoy today, paid for
in the 20th century by over 345,000 brave American men and women who died
during World Wars I and II. Over 14,000 American servicemen are buried in
Belgium in three American military cemeteries. United States Military Representatives and
senior Belgian politicians offer their tributes. Belgian schoolchildren sing
both The Star Spangled Banner and the Belgian national anthem, and deliver
special poetic tributes at some cemeteries. The uplifting and dignified
ceremonies help us to recall the self-evident truths that are the foundation
of America itself, “…that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Everyone is invited to attend the Memorial
Day ceremonies in grateful remembrance. You can also help to honor these
brave soldiers and airmen by making a contribution to the AOMDA Foundation
[ING account BE19310120214412 – BBRUBEBB]. A volunteer, non-profit organization supported solely
by private donations, all money is used to ensure that the sacrifices of
yesterday will never be forgotten, with special emphasis paid to youth
outreach programs that perpetuate remembrance and understanding among future
generations. For directions and additional information:
www.aomda.org. |
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Final
Friday Cocktails Friday, May 29
Renaissance Brussels
Hotel The American
Club of Brussels is happy to welcome our friends from ACAB (American Clubs and
Associations in Belgium). And anyone else that would like to join us... Cash bar open to
all. |
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Ommegang
Dinner
Once again, the ACB offers members and guests
a unique opportunity to view the Ommegang procession on the Grand’Place while
dining in one of the most elegant restaurants in Brussels. La Maison du Cygne is housed in
a former 17th century guild house that overlooks the Grand’Place. From the
balcony and windows of a large private dining room, we will have an
unparalleled view of the Ommegang as the pageant unfolds on one of the most
beautiful squares in the world.
The Ommegang
takes place on Tuesday, June 30. Ommegang (literally “walk-around”) is a
faithful recreation of a splendid pageant that was first performed in 1549
for Emperor Charles V, his son Philip II, and the knights of the Order of the
Golden Fleece. Staged at
night on the illuminated Grand’ Place, the two-hour extravaganza includes
flag-throwers, folk dancers, archers, acrobats, jesters, jugglers,
fire-eaters, falcon-trainers, folkloric giants, stilt-walkers, and the famous
Gilles of Binche. Descendents of the nobility of the time play the roles and
wear the coats of arms and sumptuous costumes of their ancestors. This is a
spectacular affair, and one of the biggest festivals in the country. Our
dinner evening at La Maison du Cygne offers, literally and figuratively, a
window on this amazing event. Bring your camera. Please note that this is a
Members Priority
event (ACB, AWCB and Irish Club). Non-members may only sign up as of Thursday, June 18. Watch
official trailer on YouTube Event Details: |
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Corporate Profile We are pleased to introduce to you
this month The Bulletin, a long-time, invaluable presence in
the ExPat community. The current publisher, John Stuyck, is the son of the
founder, Monique Ackroyd. He is currently serving as First Vice President of
the American Club of Brussels.
In 1962, Monique Ackroyd, divorced with
three young children and determined to make a living for herself, founded The Bulletin, a weekly
magazine, to give a voice to the small 5,000 strong international community. Current events then played a decisive role
in the future of the young publication. In 1967 NATO decided to transfer its
headquarters from France to Brussels and Casteau. A few years later, Britain
joined the European Community and, suddenly, the number of expats grew
exponentially. Many American multinationals established their European
headquarters in the city and fueled the development of the publication. The expansion of the European institutions
and the development of the city’s international role fueled the growth of the
publication and led to the creation of related magazines such as Newcomer and the Expat Directory. In the
mid-1990s, The Bulletin
was by far the largest weekly English language magazine in continental
Europe. The emergence of the internet drastically
altered The Bulletin’s
model. By 2010, with the local international expat population topping the
250,000 mark, the weekly print edition of The
Bulletin was discontinued to be replaced by a website: TheBulletin.be or Xpats.com. Today, the site is probably the leading
portal for the locally-based international community, offering daily news
updates, a question and answer section to help anyone in need of information,
and providing a wealth of tips and services. Readers can subscribe to a
weekly newsletter and receive information on culture, real estate, and social
events. The Bulletin has been a supporter of the American Club of Brussels
for well over 20 years. It has organized together with ACB the U.S. Election Night
event every four years and collaborated recently on launching the "Nuts!" Night in
Brussels. Publisher John Stuyck, one of the ACB’s board members, is keen to
develop opportunities that contribute to helping the American and
international community be better recognized in Belgium. |
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Community News Melissa of Serendip Spa, an ACB corporate
member, is inviting all members of the American Club to join the Serendip
Team for the Relay. E-mail melissa@serendipspa.com for further
information. American Festival Chièvres |
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The American Club of Brussels is supported
by:
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