Once Upon a Time in Leuven.

Once Upon a Time in Leuven, Belgium.

September 2004 – August 2007.

Cover photo courtesy of Fonske.  

The Belgian university town of Leuven will always be a special place to me. I arrived in the autumn of 2004 feeling excited by the prospect of a fresh start. I was in the midst of an exciting (and ultimately doomed) romance with a Belgian girl I’d fallen for while we were teaching English at a summer camp in England.

Young and impulsive, I dropped plans to take up a job in Italy so that we could start a life together at her apartment in Leuven. Some of you have read about this topsy-turvy period of my life in my short stories Car Crash Girl Part I and Car Crash Girl Part II. 

The short stories deal with the drama of those early Leuven days. In this article though, I’m simply delighted to add Leuven to my travel report library. To celebrate the city that I came to know and love in the years that followed the implosion of my relationship with Lucie. 

In the days after our breakup I moved out into a tiny room on a nondescript residential street called Jean-Baptiste van Monsstraat. It really was a box, while I had to share the bathroom with a bunch of students who also lived in the building. But you know what, once the pain of my split from Lucie was over I was actually pretty happy there.

Once Upon a Time in Leuven.

It was in that humble abode where I met an Iraqi refugee by the name of Zaid. Our friendship and his eventual disappearance is something that still haunts me whenever I think of the good times we had together. The spirit of which I tried to capture in my short story Zaid.

Before long, I secured a crappy call centre job in the nearby town of Diegem. Readers may recall my experiences there from the short story A Single Man. On the weekends, I began exploring Leuven, a city that I quickly fell for. In fact, I found the place effortlessly charming, with its cobbled streets, laid-back café culture and second hand record shops.

Take the Grote Markt (Big Market) square, for example, with its stunning collection of 14th century Gothic structures. Those are the city’s guildhalls pictured below. Never has paying for taxes looked so lovely. 

Photo courtesy of Snowdog.

And yet, it was one edifice that stole the show, no arguments. Dating back to 1448, The Stadhuis (Town Hall) is a giant wedding cake of a building that is truly a sight to behold. Its three stories look like finely woven layers of lace. Moreover, it has octagonal turrets pierced with slits. This allows for light to pass through, which on a fine day can give the structure a shimmering effect.  

Stadhuis (Town Hall).

Photo courtesy of Ghirlandajo.

It is such a mesmerising and unmissable landmark that it serves as one of Leuven’s most popular meeting points. Indeed it was here I would often stand waiting to meet friends before moving on to a favourite pub. While I waited, I would invariably gaze up, admiring the pointed gothic windows and the numerous niches with their sculpted biblical characters and figures from Flemish history.

Leuven is a fantastic town for sculptures and statues. One of its best loved creations stands right in front of the aforementioned Town Hall. It shows a student pouring a mug of water over his head while deeply engrossed in a book. His name is Fons Sapiente, which is latin for source of wisdom.

The statue is a tribute to the history of Leuven University and the benefits of a fine education. The water represents knowledge flowing directly into the brain. Or at least that was the intention back in 1975 when it was erected to celebrate the university’s 550th anniversary. Nowadays many students like to believe that he’s really sloshing beer over himself, a reference to the city’s lively pub culture!

It’s funny (peculiar not ha ha) that they called that square The Big Market. Because its neighbouring square is way bigger, absolutely huge some might say. This one is called De Oude Markt (Old Market), a massive cobblestone square that started life as a market in the 12th century. 

Once Upon a Time in Leuven.

Today most of the square’s handsome buildings are home to bars, cafes, restaurants and underground clubs converted from grand 18th century townhouses. Locals call it “the longest bar counter in the world”. Despite living in Leuven for over two and a half years, I never did manage to have a drink in every joint.

Photo courtesy of Snowdog.

Rather, I had my favourite spots. One was Cafe Cadi 61, an Americana themed bar. That place had such a great vibe, with retro newspaper walls, vintage jukeboxes and 1950s and 60s rock playing on the sound system. Heck, they even had a replica Cadillac (I presume it wasn’t an original) running along the back wall. 

At Cadi the pintjes (little beers) were an incredible 1 Euro apiece! Hence I had some epic nights within these walls. Back in the days when I actually went out drinking.

The below shot captures a visit from my friend Ben, a fellow Englishman. You might remember Ben from my short story collection The Slovak Files. We had a great night at Cadi reminiscing about all the shenanigans we got up to during our year living and teaching in Bratislava. R.I.P. Cadi, I knew you well. 

Cafe Cadi 61.

Another Old Market staple was Cafe de Weerelt (The World Cafe). The bar had a retro nautical theme, so this time the walls were covered in ancient maps and sketches of legendary European ships and fearsome captains.

If I recall that they had an awesome 2 for 1 happy hour, which admittedly led to disaster for some patrons (see below). Happily, the cafe survived the challenges of the past sixteen years and remains open.

Summertime sees the Old Market transform into a giant, open-air bar, with tables, chairs and umbrellas spilling forth from all establishments. In June 2006 my old pals Steve (C), Steve (P) and Adam came to visit from England.

The FIFA World Cup had kicked off in Germany, thus they’d come to Leuven for a catchup over some live games. It was a memorable couple of days and even England managed to win, bumbling to an unconvincing 2-0 win against the footballing powerhouse that is… err… Trinidad and Tobago.

The Old Market also played host to one of Belgium’s most intimate music festivals, Marktrock. I managed to grab a ticket for the 2006 event, which took place in August. I remember being blown away by the quality of artist the festival managed to secure, with the likes of Iggy Pop, Pet Shop Boys, Starsailor and Stereo MCs taking to the main stage.

Once Upon a Time in Leuven.

Furthermore, the icing on the cake for me, I also got to enjoy a raucous set from Admiral Freebee, my favourite Belgian singer-songwriter. Unfortunately, it looks like Marktrock is no more, a sad but predictable outcome after years of financial problems, legal issues and… yes… COVID. 

Another stupendous Leuven square is the expansive Ladeuzeplein. This one is the city’s biggest, a huge space that often hosts events such as farmers and Christmas markets. The spectacular Neo-Renaissance Central Library of the university dominates proceedings.

Photo courtesy of wouterhagens.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the library is a 19th century delight. However, it actually sprang up in 1921 as a gift from The United States after German forces burned down Leuven’s original city library during World War I.

The Americans even brought in one of their most renowned architects, Whitney Warren, to design it. Sadly, The Second World War also wreaked havoc on the new building, necessitating a grand post-war reconstruction.

Photo courtesy of Michielverbeek.

I used to make regular visits to Ladeuzeplein. This was due to the fact that it was home to one of my favourite music stores, Bilbo Records. I spent hours browsing Bilbo’s hallowed shelves and reckon I came away with at least several hundred albums over the years. I see they are still going today, which is nothing short of a minor miracle these days.

Ladeuzeplein.

Leafing through my archives for the making of this article, I came across a photo of myself with my buddy Mat Kovacs on Ladeuezeplein. Like Ben, Mat was one of the Slovak crew and had swung by for a quick visit. I have since lost touch with Mat, but see that he has done some acting and even has an IMDB page!

Away from the squares, Leuven plays out across a beguiling network of narrow stone streets. Predominantly pedestrianised, I’d often lose myself in the various cafes and bookstores. One of the most idyllic is Parijsstraat (Paris Street), an exceptionally pretty stretch with several restored 15th century residences.

Photo courtesy of Vertommen.

Parijsstraat was where I discovered what became my other treasured Leuven record shop. This one, Sax, is also still standing, 25 years after owner Jos Vandeput first opened its doors.

Sax is the ultimate record shop in many ways. Small, a bit cramped, but with wonderful discoveries to be unearthed if you dig around among the shelves, boxes and stacks in corners. Jos was a very quiet man, I don’t think we ever struck up a conversation. But I always smile when I think of Sax, the shop in which I began musical journeys with the likes of Elvis Costello, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding and Dusty Springfield.

By early 2006 S and I had gotten together and after a brief period of dating she came to live with me in Leuven. As a result, I said goodbye to my little room on Jean-Baptiste van Monsstraat and we moved into a proper apartment on Muntstraat.

Once Upon a Time in Leuven.

Tucked away behind the Town Hall, I loved that apartment and could easily wax lyrical here about why. But I think it’s already been covered in my short story Muntstraat. Instead, I’ll share just two of my favourite bits of the street. First prize goes to Café De Libertad, certainly the best bar I’ve ever been privileged to be a regular patron of.

Poky, smoky and with the music played loud, De Libertad wouldn’t be my cup of tea anymore. Yet I adored the place back then. Especially the music, which ranged from rock gods like Neil Young and Bob Dylan to alt-rock titans Whiskeytown and Wilco. And scandalously underrated Belgian bands such as dEUS.

Another Muntstraat gem is a Japanese joint called Samourai. They do classic and fusion Japanese dishes that are “a pleasure for the eyes, a celebration for the taste buds”. I only came here three times in the two years I lived in Leuven, which feels a bit criminal. The most memorable was when Adam revisited with his new girlfriend (now wife) Rebecca. 

The whole experience always felt authentic. From the flowery traditional robes handed to us on arrival to the skilful, nimble-handed chefs whipping dishes up right in front of us from the open-plan kitchen. According to my trusty old notes, we destroyed an absolute feast that night with tray after tray of springy soft sushi and several plates of Teriyaki Chicken. 

Samourai Japanese Restaurant.

For total tranquility, I would occasionally head out of the centre for a stroll around Leuven’s Historic Quarter (Groot Begijnhof). Originating in the early 1200s, this incredible network of cobbled lanes, garden squares, alleys and bridges was once home to Belgium’s largest community of beguines.

Photo courtesy of Benoit Brummer.

What the heck is a beguine? Basically, a self-sufficient semi-monastic woman who remains unmarried and dedicates her life to helping the sick, poor and generally disadvantaged. Such a community is called a beguinage and by the turn of the 17th century there were over 350 such women living in Leuven. 

Photo courtesy of Snowdog.

Today very few beguines remain. That’s why UNESCO recognises the importance of Leuven’s ancient quarter and why they have helped to protect the historic buildings that stand here. Now the university owns many of the houses, which are students digs, classrooms and campus offices. The below photo is from a visit I took with the wonderful Bill and Mary when they came to Belgium to attend S and I’s wedding.

Once Upon a Time in Leuven.

I’ll wrap this piece up with a look at my favourite cocktail bar, Hotel Professor. As a resident, I never stayed here myself, though a few visiting friends did and seemed happy with the place. It enjoys a super central location on Naamsestraat, pretty much on the doorstep of the Town Hall. 

I must’ve come to Professor dozens of times. With coworkers… on the occasional date… and with the good friends I made in the city. That’s Henry pictured below, back in his Colin Firth days. You may remember that whenever I go back to London, it is invariably at Henry’s house that I stay. We were so young. 

When my mum and brother came to stay for my birthday in July 2006, we paid a visit to Professor for their famous ice cream. The best in town, some insisted. We definitely didn’t hold back, ordering a trio of their largest and sweetest monstrosities.

Hotel Professor.

In September 2007 things changed. S got a new job that required her to move to Brussels. We (mostly I) didn’t want to go, but of course we did what had to be done. Thus we packed up and departed for a city that never truly charmed me like Leuven did.

A few years later we left Belgium altogether and I’ve never been back. I feel one day I simply have to return to Leuven. To show Sladja the place she’s heard so much about. To see the city through new eyes, maybe even catch sight of a ghost or two. 

For a more personalised slant on my Leuven days, dive into my story collection Based In Belgium. 

You can also have a look at my travel report on Brussels.

I’ve been living, working and traveling all over the world since 2001. So why not check out my huge library of travel reports from over 30 countries.