Amélie Nothomb

I love books and bookstores and I hope that in this day and age of digitalization there will always be a place for both. 

When abroad,  one of my very favorite things to do is to make a trip to the bookstore to explore and see what is on the shelves.  A few weeks ago, at the end of a Provence vacation, I walked into a bookstore in the magnificent city of Avignon and found Belgian star author Amélie Nothomb's new book advertised as the main "attraction".
Amélie Nothomb is a very accomplished and famous writer. Her first novel was published in 1992, and she has published many books since at the rate of about one novel per year. 
In the "top 10" section of this book store in the Gare du Nord in Paris,  Amélie's newest book is # 2.

Mannequins

 

Whether in boutiques or on markets, creativity and inspiration are what attracts the eye of the potential customer.

Back to school

Ready or not, here we go!

Midi fair

 

After iphoneography, the blurry pictures, today's experiment is a result of pictures taken while I was driving, and I hope that the Brussels police are not reading this blog.

This time I am inspired by Pierre Boyer ( http://pierre-boyer.blogspot.com) who takes pictures while traveling.

The first photo is taken at the end of the  "Foire du Midi" (see excerpt website just below), a phenomenon which returns to Brussels every year in the summer.

The second one shows how Brussels, probably just like any other major city in the world today, is struggling every morning.
"Ever since then, the Midi Fair, the most important fair in Brussels, has opened each year on the weekend before Belgium’s national holiday on the 21stof July. The Midi Fair is held throughout July and August, for over one month and is situated between Porte d’Anderlecht/Anderlechtsepoort and Porte de Hal/Hallepoort.
Over the years, the once classical fair has greatly evolved and applied the newest technological developments to its fairground attractions. Traditional images like wrestling rings, fortune tellers, merry-go-rounds, and street organs have made way for modern variants such as bumper cars, roller coasters, and big wheels".

http://www.zuidfoor.be/UK/history/

Almost back to school but not quite yet

September 1 and school starts again. I felt like making the holiday last a little longer by posting the pictures taken at the end of the previous school year. The first one in Mechelen, where the girls were obviously delighted and the second one in Paris, where an excursion to the musée Rodin does not seem to excite the boys very much.

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.