A Picture Tour of Brussels for The Master's Book by Philip Coleman + Giveaway

I'm really excited to welcome author Philip Coleman here for The Master's Book blog tour.  I really loved this book and you can check out my review HERE. This tour is hosted by me and you can find the tour page with all the tour stop HERE.  For my tour stop I have the author visiting the blog for a picture tour of Brussels.  This is one post I'm REALLY excited about, I love 'visiting' other countries and cities!

I’d like to take you on a picture tour of Brussels, where most of the action in The Master’s Book takes place.

Brussels was founded in the 10th Century and, over the centuries, control of the city moved from the Duchy of Burgundy, to the Spanish Empire, then to France, and then the Netherlands, before finally becoming the capital of the new Kingdom of Belgium in 1831. The end of the 19th Century saw Brussels become the capital of Art Nouveau, a new style that took Europe by storm, but that faded in the grim reality of World War I, when the city was occupied by the Germans. It was also occupied in World War II, after which it became the location for most of the institutions of the new European Economic Community, now the European Union. Sadly, this led to the demolition of some fine old buildings, and the construction of some hideous new ones. But the city still has lots of charm and I’ve tried to capture these aspects in this tour.

1. Typically, the facades of every house in a Brussels street are different (although matching pairs are tolerated). Here is the Maison Saint-Cyr, a lovely Art Nouveau house, designed by Gustave Strauven, sandwiched between two relatively ordinary ones on the Square Ambiorix.

2. Every Sunday antique dealers gather in the Place Grand Sablon to sell their wares; this event features in my story.

3. The Place Grand Sablon is the location of one of Brussels’ most important churches; the Church of Our Lady of the Grand Sablon.

4. Belgium is famous for lace, tapestries, beer and, of course, chocolate.

5. The Rue du Bouchers, or Butchers’ Street, is full of restaurants aimed at tourists, where they can enjoy Belgian specialities, such as mussels and fries.

6. The Grand Place, at the heart of Brussels, is one of the most beautiful city squares in Europe.

7. Also the Grand Place.

8. The Halle Gate is the only surviving gate of the old city walls. After the walls were removed it served as a prison but is now a museum.

9. Various legends account for the origin of the Manneken Pis, the sculpture of a little boy urinating into a fountain. He gets dressed up regularly, in various historical costumes, in the kit of Belgium’s football team, as Elvis or as Santa Claus.

10. Inevitably, the girls wanted their own equivalent of the Manneken Pis, and so Brussel also sports a statue of a little girl peeing, called the Janneken Pis.

11. Belgium is also famous for comic strips, and scenes from these can be found on some of the walls around the city. Here is Tintin, Belgium’s most famous comic strip character, created by Hergé.

12. Officially, Brussels was founded in 979 AD, when the relics of Saint Gudula were lodged in the town. These relics are now located in the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula.

13. The Marolles area is one of the more quietly charming parts of Brussels, with lots of curious antique shops and restaurants.

14. Many houses in Brussels have blank end walls decorated with false windows, as with this hat shop in the Marolles area.

15. Many of Brussels’ most famous Art Nouveau buildings were originally built for commercial purposes. The Old England Department Store, designed by the greatest of the Art Nouveau architects, Victor Horta, is now the Museum of Musical Instruments, and it features in my story.

About The Master’s Book:

Sean moves to Brussels to a house that is a crime scene...
In 1482 Mary, the last Duchess of Burgundy, lies on her deathbed in a castle in Flanders. She is only 25. In her final moments she makes a wish that, 500 years later, will threaten the lives of a boy and a girl living in Brussels.
The Master’s Book is the story of Sean, an Irish teenager, just arrived in Brussels to a house that is also a crime scene. Together with Stephanie, his classmate, he finds an illuminated manuscript, only for it to be stolen almost at once.
Where did this manuscript come from? Who was it originally made for? Is there a connection with the beautiful tomb Sean has seen in Bruges? Above all, why does someone want this book so badly that they are prepared to kill for it?
Part thriller and part paper-chase, this book is aimed at boys and girls of twelve and over.

Book can be found at: GoodReads | Amazon

Author bio

Philip Coleman has worked as a biologist for most of his life—in Ireland, Belgium and now in Switzerland.

Having been an avid reader all his life, he took up writing only in 2006. This is his first published novel. He drew his inspiration for the story from the period he spent working for the EU in Brussels. He has a grown-up son and daughter (who were roughly the same ages as Sean and Maeve during the time in Brussels but otherwise aren’t a bit like them at all!). He now lives in France.

Author Sites:
Website |  Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads

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