Street theater

A while ago, after visiting a photography exhibition in downtown Brussels with a friend, we could not help but notice the beer cans nicely lined up on Pierre Marcolini's window sill and its consumer,  a man wearing a hat in the Belgian colors. I believe that at first he was not too thrilled to have his picture taken but when I explained what I had in mind, to publish the photo on This is Belgium,  he was all smiles.  The terrace of the café across the street was loaded with people enjoying a refreshing Belgian beer... and the unexpected interaction going on in front of them.

Girls and their phone

Whatever the mood - angry, happy, puzzled..... and whatever the weather - good or bad, girls and their phones ... inseparable ... always.

Eduardo Dargent in Lima

Once again a favorable wind blew a "Belgian abroad" story into my inbox. 
Happy to introduce you to Eduardo Dargent (photo 1), a Belgo-Peruvian historian, from Lima, author of a book on the  history of the Flemish in Latin America.

Eduardo's grandfather arrived in South America a century ago. He came from Flemalle in Belgium and married the Peruvian grandmother. Eduardo's dad was also born in Flemalle in 1919 (photo 2: dad and granddad).

The family has kept dachshunds (Salchichas, Sausage or Wiener dogs) ever since Eduardo's father at the age of 8 visited Belgium and his grandmother who had a teckel. Upon returning to Lima they got a teckel themselves and started a tradition which is still alive today.

Picture three shows Eduardo (about age 6) and his mother with their brown teckel "Pituca".  In the last one Eduardo and his two sons are holding from left to right "Stanley", "Ursula" and Ursula's two sons "Tiger" and "Chico". 

Copies of "Presencia Flamenca en la Sudamérica Colonial" can be obtained from the author by email upon request.

Guest post by Michelle Damiani - Three days Brussels

                             Pictures: copyright Michelle P Damiani
My guest blogger today is Michelle Pina Damiani.  I am not only happy to have discovered her blog but also, or even more so to have received her permission to share this absolutely fabulous article about Brussels with you! 
It starts like this: "Three days in Brussels is simply not enough. I feel like we barely scratched the surface. We saw enough to enamor, enchant, and enliven, but it was a wrench to leave. The food, the architecture, the pace of the city…we loved it all"    
and it ends like this: "And we haven’t lost sight of wanting to go back. We planned this trip with the intention that for each person’s birthday we’d  take a trip designed for them. Now we’re thinking that for each person’s birthday we’ll go to Brussels".
I know you want to read everything in between: http://www.ilbelcentro.com/2012/10/08/three-days-in-brussels/

Michelle is a freelance writer and food lover currently living in Spello, Italy for a year. A practicing clinical psychologist based in Charlottesville, Virginia, Damiani's short fiction recently was awarded first place by author John Grisham. 

She has been blogging daily since she arrived in Italy on July 27 about her experiences there with her family of five. The blog will be a chronicle to treasure of the special year in the life of her family. 

Michelle lived in Belgium when she was small and visited again for a couple of reasons, see more here:

http://www.ilbelcentro.com/2012/09/16/birthday-abroad/

Local elections day

Belgians had to - yes, voting is compulsory - go to the polls today in municipal elections. In my town these ladies were very tired but obviously also eager to see the results on TV tonight. 

Karen Renders passed away

12/10/2012

I had the opportunity of meeting Karen very briefly only once and was so impressed by her warm, radiant, energetic and engaging personality.

PRESS RELEASE Artexis (Art Brussels)

"It is with a profound sadness and much emotion that we must announce the premature loss of Karen Renders. Despite her iron will and her immense joie-de-vivre, Karen was unable to win her battle against illness and passed away this Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at the age of 54.

An engaged and passionate woman, she was present at all the formative moments in the creation of Artexis, a specialist exhibitions organiser. As a partner in the business, she made a huge contribution to its development.

For more than 20 years, Karen provided a public persona and character to many trade shows, but her great passion remained Art Brussels.

With the invaluable assistance of the Belgian committee and the international collectors’ committee, a team that she knew how to motivate like no other, and numerous players in the worlds of art and of business, Karen Renders turned Art Brussels into an unmissable event in the world of contemporary art.

This exhibition has grown in the course of the years and today occupies an enviable position among contemporary art exhibitions in Europe and around the world.

A lady of natural elegance and with a sharp aesthetic sense, Karen will remain in our memories even if fate now compels us to say farewell. We have lost a partner, a colleague, a friend and confidante, a member of the Artexis extended family..."

(article and picture copyright Metropolism) excerpt from http://metropolism.com/fresh-signals/karen-renders-overleden/english

Photographers (4)

Photographers, you find them anywhere and everywhere in all forms, shapes and colors. Wishing you a happy weekend!