English

MISSING PERSON

Take part in a fun adventure quest through Brussels' European district.

EUgene Ryckevelde is missing. According to his wife Rita, EUgene was a bit confused when he told her he went to Brussels. She did not hear from him ever since he left.

EUgene Ryckevelde is missing, so what now?

Gather a group of friends, relatives, colleagues or people from your organisation and travel to Brussels.

The adventure quest is done completely independently with the help of a ‘police report’. If you carry out the activities correctly, you will find EUgene's location.

Kids accompanying their parents or other adults, carry out their own adventure quest. They have to work out the exact description of EUgene's clothes. The solution is a drawing.

This adventure quest is a way for organiser Ryckevelde vzw to put the spotlight on Brussels as the capital of the European Union. The activities cover aspects of the European collaboration as well as facts about the European Union and quarter. It aims at making people aware of how important the EU is in our (daily) lives. This adventure quest is a fun and educational way to spend an enjoyable day out and discover Europe in/and Brussels! (English translation thanks to BIP - Brussels Info Place.)

Practical information

This quest is entirely for free! Below you find all the information you need to successfully carry out your adventure quest.

Forms

Adult adventure quest: MAP (PDF). This is a map of the European quarter and also the key to the solution. Print a couple of copies of this map, one to find the answer and another one to help you find your way around. Note: names of places and streets are indicated in French and Dutch.

Adult adventure quest: POLICE REPORT (PDF). This document contains the route description and activities. To complete your adventure quest, you need to print this document as well as the map. Note: This document is in landscape. The print settings of some printers need to be adjusted manually in order to get a good result.

Children's adventure quest: FILE EUGENE RYCKEVELDE (PDF). This is a TOP SECRET file for children only. You will be looking for items of clothing EUgene was wearing on the day he disappeared. Make sure to bring your coloured pencils and/or felt-tip pens with you! The police report used by the adults will mention when you can carry out an activity.

Where?

The adventure quest starts at Brussels-Schuman train station and ends at Brussels-Central station. You can get there:

By public transport (strongly recommended): When in Belgium, buy a return ticket for the Brussels zone. This way you can get on or off at any station in Brussels. Go to http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/ to find out more about timetables and fares. Check www.railtime.be to see if there are any delays. If you are travelling on the weekend make sure to ask for a weekend ticket. A Rail Pass may also come in handy (74 euros for 10 journeys) or perhaps a Go Pass (-26 years, 50 euros for 10 journeys). Ask at the ticket office which formula suits you best.

By car: There is ample free car parking available at the esplanade of Jubelpark /Parc du Cinquantenaire. From here, it is only a short walk to the start of the adventure quest. You may want to begin the quest by first taking in the beautiful view of Brussels from the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History situated in Jubelpark/Parc du Cinquantenaire (extra activity in the adventure quest). If you want to park where the adventure quest ends, please visit http://www.biponline.be/bip-contact for more info.

When to do it?

DAY: The adventure quest can be done any day of the week. However, if you do the adventure quest on a Monday, you will not be able to go up the triumphal arch of Jubelpark/Parc du Cinquantenaire (an extra activity in the adventure quest). Make sure to also check the calendar of Brussels to avoid ending up in any demonstrations. Also, do not plan your visit during a European summit as chances are that the European quarter will be closed to the public at that time. To find out more information, please visit www.brusselsinternational.be. You can get a reward if you find the right answer until the end of the Belgian Presidency, December 2010.

TIME: Start at Brussels-Schuman between 8:00 and 14:00. Some of the answers of the adventure quest can be found at the exhibition "experience Brussels!" at the BIP - Brussels Info Place. This exhibition is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Please take into account that you will have to spend a little bit of time at the exhibition looking for answers. Make sure you arrive there no later than 17:30.

Who can take part?

Everyone can take part! There is even an "adventure quest within the adventure quest" especially for children.

Interested schools: Students from 16 years onwards should have no problem doing this adventure quest in small groups. If in doubt: download the adventure quest and assess whether your students will be able to manage it.

Ideally, the adventure quest should be done in small groups of 2 to 6 people. Is your group bigger than that? No problem! Simply split the group up into smaller teams. You could even carry out the adventure quest as a race against time (and each other), for instance, with each group leaving at 5 minute intervals of the others. At the end of the adventure quest, play "The euro game" together and use this as an "elimination activity".

What do you need?

Documents for the adventure quest. Every participant needs to bring the two documents related to the adventure quest: the police report and the map. Print a couple of copies of the map. This way you can use one copy to find the solution and the other one to help you find your way around. Make sure to print the map at the highest possible print quality as this will increase legibility. For the children, there is a separate document with the children's adventure quest.
A ballpoint pen and felt-tip pen (children)!
A mobile phone
An umbrella. Check the weather forecast to see whether you will need to bring one along: http://www.meteo.be/meteo/view/en/65239-Home.html
Make sure to wear comfortable shoes. The adventure quest takes too long to do in heels or uncomfortable shoes!

How long does the adventure quest take?

The adventure quest takes 2.5 hours. Please note: this is an adventure quest 'with extras'. These extra activities may prolong your outing considerably! On average our test groups took 4 hours to complete the adventure quest, including time spent on breaks and extra activities. Without the extra activities, the course covers 4.5 kilometres.

Some of the more obvious extra activities to the adventure quest include

Beautiful view from the triumphal arch in Jubelpark/Parc du Cinquantenaire. Open from Tuesday to Sunday between 9:00-11:45 and 13:00-16:30, not accessible to wheelchairs. Call 02 737 78 33 to find out whether you can definitely get in. Allow an extra 45 minutes for this extra.
The euro game: Allow circa 10 minutes per group of 6 people. The bigger the group, the longer it will take.
The collaboration game: Allow an extra 5 minutes.
A break: Taking a break in between will certainly be a good idea when doing this quest. Be aware that this can easily last half an hour.

Picnic area

The BIP - Brussels Info Place provides an area where groups can eat their sandwiches at lunchtime. However, this must be booked in advance. You can do this by calling 02 563 63 99.