Pensions and traffic

I should have known better than to venture to the center of Brussels but I honestly thought that I would stay ahead of the protesters...unfortunately I misjudged, only by a few minutes, but still.
Regardless of what their claims are and whether they are justified or not.....I was stuck for what seemed forever and  have to admit I felt no sympathy, none whatsoever.

Spring, train, country

Springtime at the Countryside 

by Jay Harold*

the smoggy streets of the city struck my fancy for a week

but now it’s time
to say good-bye
and i take a train to the countryside
listening to jazz
but all i hear is drum and bass

a crooner sings of a spring day and it washes over me
i’m feeling good
the sun is high
as a train takes me to the countryside
contemplating jazz
and the poetry of place

i savour the sweet smell of the countryside; i disembark
and as i walk
through this small town
i think i’m feeling good, therefore i am
digging all that jazz
as the sun shines on my face

*Jay Harold is studying Creative Writing
at the University of Essex. 
http://jayharold.blogspot.be

From Damme to Bruges

Taking you on a quick trip by car from Damme to Bruges.
Enjoy the ride!

"This is not Belgium"

copyright: Nathalie Van Eygen

Still on the same subject of the complexity of the Belgian structure, politics, bilingualism, regional co-existence  - a subject which is never far away in this country-  I'd like to introduce Nathalie Van Eygen, a Belgian photographer, author of  "Ceci n'est pas België". The book is the result of Nathalie's graduation work at the Academy of Anderlecht. It illustrates life in Belgium and the challenges of different communities living together.  What better way than photographs to put things in perspective and show narrow-mindedness or oddness here and there.

The book is for sale in different libraries in Brussels and can also be ordered directly from the author at  nathaliev@mac.com (19,99 eu).
www.vaneygen.be

http://www.vaneygen.be/Nathalie_Van_Eygen/Book_%28excerpt%29.html

Tram museum

To illustrate the previous posting, an example of bilingualism in the streets of Brussels. These trams are for rent: special trips through the city can be arranged for a party, a wedding, a business event... in one, two or several languages. 

http://www.brusselsmuseums.be/en/museum/78-brussels-tram-museum

Erasmus and Fons

These two form a perfect pair. 

There is Fons, Fons Sapientiae. The once very popular Flemish first name Fons, combined with the Latin word Wisdom, is a  humorous reference to the university's motto 'Sedes Sapientiae' (the Seat of Wisdom). Fons is reading or studying a book while he is pouring a delicious Belgian beer into his head. The sculptor is Jef Claerbout. 

The second statue, by sculptor René Rosseel,  represents the scholar and humanist Erasmus (1467-1536) who was a lecturer at the University of Leuven but is mostly known as the author of Lof der Zotheid (the Praise of Folly), a critical essay on 16th century life and customs.

http://www.vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?webpage=ST&record=bevb007

Christmas in the country

A walk in the country reveals different ways to celebrate Christmas

"Belgique - c'est chique" by Mirjam Devriendt

Mirjam Devriendt is a professional photographer and a photography teacher.  
She is originally from Kortrijk/Courtrai and after having spent quite some time in Brussels, she now lives in Ghent.  
Mirjam has a precious gift in the sense that she is able to see talent everywhere, and in everyone. To be able to deal with a student body as heterogenous as the one at the Academy of Anderlecht - they are as diverse as they come, in age, in origin and background, they speak various and different languages, they have nothing in common, except of course the one thing that connects them: photography - you have to be not only unusually patient but also quite special. Mirjam is fantastic in organizing shooting opportunities for her students, in having them participate in big cultural events (one example is the Kunstenfestivaldesarts), in getting them out there. 
Besides her work at the Academy, Mirjam is the photographer of artist Berlinde De Bruyckere and of several other artists.  
These pictures are from Mirjams album "Belgique c'est chique".
More of her photographs can be found on:
http://www.google.be/search?q=mirjam+devriendt&hl=nl&client=safari&rls=en&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=pvnXTuzCNoegOt2J2b0O&ved=0CCgQsAQ&biw=1879&bih=1255
www.kdfa.be

Man in white

 Any idea what this is all about? 

Street comfort or art?

Some benches have been put there on purpose and are meant to be in a permanent spot, like the first one at the coast in Duinbergen. Others are left there accidentally because its owner did not feel like going  through the trouble of taking it to the dump. A clever street artist got his/her hand on it and turned it into something that grabs the attention.
What do you think, I wonder, pro or against this type of street "art"?

Men in the bar on a Sunday afternoon in summer

When I passed by this café, I hopped in and out with my camera, my goal being not to frigthen these men in a row, who seemed quite happy with their beer in the tranquility of the place which, I am guessing, must be a very familiar spot to them. I therefore used no flash and the bar was rather dark. But still I got these guys and, even if the result is rather blurry,  the atmosphere is there and the phenomenon is rather Belgian. Also, I can't help but wonder when scenes like this will be a thing of the past.

"Pauvre B"

At first, I had not even noticed the writing on this contraption, fascinated as I was by its construction and colors. A closer look at the hood revealed references to the actual Belgian government-less situation. I detected Belgian flags, "Pauvre B" ( poor Belgium?) and votez (vote - meaning, no doubt, vote AGAIN).
How long has it been since the Belgians voted? 
Everyone -French and Dutch speakers, Flemings, Brussels folks and Walloons, the German speaking community  - is looking for a sign, if only a tiny bit of sunlight.  
Let's hope that the holidays brought vitamins and wisdom to the politicians who find themselves around the negotiating table again, looking for a way to reach a balanced compromise.
Wishing them well.
Fingers crossed.

Chapel and windmill

If you drive from Brussels to the Belgian coast on a weekend when the weather is nice, the chances are great that shortly before Ghent you will be stuck in traffic and will be much better off leaving the highway and trying to find an alternative to waiting in a queue. On the secondary roads you pass through towns like Eeklo where the chapel will grab your attention because of the statues on its façade. 

The chapel, inaugurated in 1900, is an example of regional neo-gothic. It is situated accross the street from a cimetry. The three statues are archangel Michael and two angels with trumpets.

Just a little bit further this magnificent stone windmill catches the eye.