Car-iphoneography #4 Brussels South train station

Traveling by train is fun. Brussels has three main train stations: North, Central and South (Midi). If you happen to travel to Belgium from abroad by train,  you most likely will end up at Brussels Midi because it is an important European hub and served by Thalys, Eurostar and  TGV.  Also from Midi, depart busses to the international airport Brussels South in Charleroi. Unfortunately, however,  the traveler's first impression of our nation's capital will not be his/her brightest or liveliest.
http://www.brussels.info/train-stations/

Lkff Gallery in Brussels

Exactly as it is spelled out on the website, I was kind of automatically drawn into gallery Lkff, a few steps from Brussels' Avenue Louise: "the gallery is an open window to the world of form and 3D expression.  LKFF purposely chose a location that has optimal accessibility and where the full exhibition can be seen from outside the gallery, urging passers-by to walk in and take a closer look."
It was a great pleasure to meet Mijntje Lukoff, who showed me more in detail the installation by Fred Penelle & Yannick Jacquet.

Address

LKFF Art and Sculpture Projects
Rue Blanche, nr 15 - 1050 Brussels
Belgium

Contact us

Mijntje Lukoff
+32 2 345 92 26
info@lkff.be

http://www.lkff-sculptures.com/

Brussels Jazz Marathon

What a decor for the Jazz Marathon!  May 24-26.
 http://www.brusselsjazzmarathon.be/

TiB travelled to Menton, France

More than once it happened that I wanted to share pictures taken abroad because I  met people somewhere else than in Belgium and felt like introducing them here. First one of the series is the lady I met at the flea market in Menton, South of France not far from the border with Italy.
Tell me,  is it okay with you to go peek outside of the borders from time to time?

Modernism in Ghent, till June 30

I enjoyed this exhibition in Ghent so much that I hope that everyone who lives in or near Ghent or who is traveling to Belgium in June will take the opportunity to visit this major event. It is well worth your time and I can guarantee you that you will thoroughly enjoy.. if you love abstract art.

" BELGIAN ABSTRACT ART AND EUROPE (1912-1930)

In this first major retrospective exhibition of Belgian modernism around 1920 for more than twenty years, Belgium’s historical avant-garde will be illustrated through visual and applied art, architecture, typography, photography, films, music, literature and theatre. Belgian protagonists like Marthe Donas, Jozef Peeters, Jules Schmalzigaug, Victor Servranckx and Georges Vantongerloo will be juxtaposed with foreign contemporaries like László Moholy-Nagy, Vassily Kandinsky, Fernand Léger, Kurt Schwitters and Theo Van Doesburg". see http://www.mskgent.be/en/exhibitions/belgian-modernism/belgian-modernism 

The coast

Our Belgian coast is a delight for the the eye (of the amateur photographer...). I know I have said so before..
http://whatisbelgium.blogspot.be/2012/07/belgian-coast.html

Imany and Praline

This was a photo opportunity at the Belgian coast that was too good to pass up. Hope you all agree. Imany was thrilled to be photographed holding tiny Praline while waiting for her mother, who was shopping in the store shown in the background. Luckily, her mother came to check on her just long enough for me to get a comfortable OK from mom too. 

The Sequence in front of the Flemish Parliament in Brussels

A lot of controversy in this morning papers. An article by Brussels based correspondent of the French paper Libération, bearing the title: "Bruxelles pas Belle", was asking for it... Not much more is needed to get the ball rolling ...  Belgium's Le Soir came with: "Bruxelles, ma belle, je te rejoins bientôt". Brussels' politicians are reacting on Facebook and I feel like saying "here we go again"....
Perfect timing to show the structure by  Belgian artist Arne Quinze signs  who signs for:  “THE SEQUENCE",  meant to "bridges the communication gap between people and generates movement in the city. I want to reconnect people and let them interact with each other like they did in the past on squares. At least people talked to each other then.” Therefore concrete elements serve as the basis for the sculpture. It gives people a moment to reset their minds and think about what’s going on in those two buildings. The physical connection between neighbors, the Flemish Parliament and the House of Flemish Representatives reflects the possible connection between all neighbors in Brussels. Cross-culture connections, a connection with Europe, its diversity and entity".
http://www.thesequence.be/SEQUENCE_BLOG/
http://www.liberation.fr/monde/2013/05/13/bruxellespas-belle_902564
http://www.lesoir.be/242798/article/debats/cartes-blanches/2013-05-15/bruxelles-ma-belle-je-te-rejoins-bientot

Brussels seen by Hanna

Isn't it interesting to see your own city through the eyes of a first time visitor? These absolutely fantastic Brussels photos were made during the weekend by Hanna from Stuttgart: in the distance the Grand Place, on the side the Royal library Albertina, the Mont des Arts.  Thank you Hanna for sharing your impressions. More to come.
http://www.montdesarts.com/en/49
http://www.kbr.be/

Happy Mother's day!

Roses for all you readers out there on Mother's Day.

I was not entirely sure who celebrates Mother's Day when - outside Belgium, of course, so ... I googled.  It turns out that all of the following countries celebrate it on the Second Sunday of May.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day

Anguilla  Antigua and Barbuda  Aruba  Australia  Austria  Bahamas  Bangladesh  Barbados  Belgium  Belize  Bermuda  Bonaire  Botswana  Brazil  Brunei

Canada  Cambodia  Chile[17]  People's Republic of China†[18]  Colombia  Croatia  Cuba[19]  Curaçao  Cyprus  Czech Republic[20]  Denmark

Dominica  Ecuador  Estonia  Ethiopia  Fiji  Finland  Germany  Ghana  Greece  Grenada  Guyana  Honduras  Hong Kong  Iceland  India

Italy  Jamaica  Japan  Kurdistan  Latvia  Liberia  Liechtenstein  Macao  Malaysia  Malta  Myanmar  Netherlands  New Zealand  Pakistan  Papua New Guinea  Peru[21]

Philippines  Puerto Rico  Saint Kitts and Nevis  Saint Lucia  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  Samoa  Singapore  Sint Maarten  Slovakia[20]  South Africa[citation needed]  Sri Lanka  Suriname

Switzerland  Taiwan  Tanganyika  Tonga  Trinidad and Tobago  Turkey  Uganda  Ukraine  United States  Uruguay  Vietnam  Venezuela  Zambia  Zimbabwe

And while at it, I stumbled upon the Huffington post which is lending a helping hand by providing ready made cards to  be printed and claimed as your own, such as

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/11/mothers-day-ideas_n_3253502.html