This is Belgium

Hastière-par-Delà

2022-09-23T12:54:00.002+02:00

Wonderful autumn walk on the banks of the river Meuse, near the tiny village of Hastière-par-Delà with its 11th century church.

Car-free Brussels last Sunday

2022-09-21T10:53:00.007+02:00

Photographs taken by Teodora Lalova-Spinks

The Brussels region prides itself on being the largest car-free zone in Europe last Sunday.

Who would ever have...?

2022-09-16T13:44:00.004+02:00

A friend asked me recently what happened to "This is Belgium"?

Who would ever have thought that I would receive gentle pressure to pick it up again?

Who would also ever have thought that we would so anxiously be waiting for a few drops of rain? ... I saw the first ones, finally, on the windscreen of my car as I was driving in the direction of Place Madou a few days ago.

Covid-19 evening stroll in Ghent

2020-05-07T11:29:00.000+02:00

Covid-19 frees up time to return to an old passion like blogging. I received these gorgeous shots taken by a good friend on a magical stroll through Ghent yesterday evening.

A new Classical Festival in the Abbey of Averbode

2019-03-31T23:12:00.002+02:00

A Festival is born.
Three young Belgians got together to create a chamber music festival in the old Norbertine Abbey of Averbode.
The concerts will take place on May 11,12 and 18.
Tickets available on the website www.averbodeklassiek.com

Hergé museum in Louvain-la-Neuve

2018-08-26T20:50:00.000+02:00

"Wonderful Hergé museum in Louvain La Neuve outside Brussels. Building is architecturally very interesting and attractive, collection beautifully displayed, and learned a lot about the creator. A must see".

Thank you Bonnie for sharing your impression of your Tintin visit with TiB

Edgard Tytgat in Schiedam, the Netherlands

2018-08-19T18:16:00.002+02:00

I have asked for contributions in my previous post and here is the first one about the exhibition dedicated to Tytgat in Schiedam. Looking forward to getting more Belgium related posts and pictures from you, readers.

Belgium's hot summer

2018-08-14T13:42:00.000+02:00

A good friend complained to me yesterday. She expressed her disapproval: “Why are you not posting anymore? Why do I still see that little man?” She was referring to my last entry posted on the occasion of the soccer World Cup? We were enjoying a girls’ luncheon and soon enough another one joined the complaint: “I used to like your photo's. They were cool.” She lives abroad, and I assume that this little touch of whatever Belgium does something for her in one way or other. A third one suggested that I look at the blog as if it offers an exposition opportunity.

My answer: what's the point? I do not have that much ‘free’ time on my hands, I do not take pictures like I used to anymore, I never carry my heavy camera around these days. My photographic activity is limited to point and shoot, mostly using my telephone (while driving .. shhh .. I mean, while parked at the red light or stuck in traffic jams, there are many of those in Brussels).

Ok, so here we go again ....Here's to Chris, Vera, Myriam!
I hope the visitors of this blog can live with telephone quality pictures.

Better still, send me your photo's or messages or whatever you have that connects you to Belgium, and I will gladly lend this forum to you.

Above, what a summer we had or are having! I am thoroughly enjoying and hope you are too!

Red devils #REDTOGETHER

2018-06-19T09:29:00.000+02:00

by Alberto de Francisco

Pensions and traffic

2018-05-19T12:18:00.001+02:00

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.

Winter or spring?

2018-04-06T10:52:00.001+02:00

Ice-cream
A childhood's dream

Brussels, the (sometimes/often) beautiful

2018-04-03T15:04:00.001+02:00

A delight to have this jewel so nearby.

Behind every corner ..

2018-03-22T11:11:00.001+01:00

Also this...
Luckily I was on foot and thoroughly enjoying my walk in Brussels' Bois de la Cambre/Terkamerenbos a few days ago.
Expected by no-one. Every-one got caught.
A fruitful day for our friends from the law enforcement department.

Snow in March

2018-03-16T09:19:00.002+01:00

People claim that a few snowflakes bring this country to a complete standstill.
More snow is on the way tomorrow... which is rather unusual in March except in the Ardennes.
I do enjoy the photo opportunities that come with it.

Belga

2018-03-05T13:24:00.002+01:00

"un Belga" undoubtedly refers to cigarettes - at one time smoking a Belga was considered an expression of national pride.
"Made in 1923 in Antwerp by the family Vander Elst, the Belgian had reached such a patriotic Germans have banned its production in 1941.
The projects of the painter René Magritte (1898-1967) who took his wife Georgette as model were rejected by Tabacofina, only to say the care was made to choose "Miss Belga." For a Belgian, smoking in that time was synonymous with "nationalism."
http://historyofafricaotherwise.blogspot.be/2012/01/belgium-sacred-and-expensive-belga.html

Lonely bird

2018-01-10T16:45:00.000+01:00

Wishing all of you a splendid 2018
May the new year bring you sunshine, health and happiness , less rain and more photo opportunities than ever before.

The art of negotiation

2017-11-23T17:24:00.000+01:00

Such wonderful photo opportunities on a grey day. Can't wait to return.

"The Jeu de Balle Flea Market is a sociological representations of the area. It gathers antique lovers, collectors, occasional visitors and people who are simply headed out for a stroll. Here you can find almost everything and anything you’ve ever wanted in a lively and entertaining atmosphere. The market is composed of dealers selling pieces strewn out on blankets and sheets or off the back of their trucks and cars. There are also stands crammed with objects, from antique porcelain and pictures to 19th-century crossbows and tiny tin objects made from the 20th century, parchment, fabric, vintage clothes, etc. Most of these stands offer a variety of different objects, but here and there you can find sellers dedicated to only one specific kind of treasure". and more :https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/the-complete-guide-to-the-jeu-de-balle-flea-market-in-brussels/

Open air markets

2017-11-16T10:17:00.000+01:00

Open air markets, like this one in Brussels' Saint-Gilles, combined with the autumn foliage provide pretty colourful photo ops.

The Raft, conversation with Ostend

2017-11-03T10:44:00.002+01:00

I have not yet seen this exhibition but glimpsing through the splendid catalogue has me all convinced... till April 15,2018.
"The Raft. Art is (not) Lonely’ is not only an exhibition, but also a conversation with Ostend, the City by the Sea with its own distinct history and scent. The baseline of the dramaturgy of Mu.ZEE’s exhibition, which will be presented in various locations spread across the Belgian seaside resort, is the thorough research conducted into ‘The Raft of the Medusa’ (1818) by Théodore Géricault and Jan Fabre’s utopian raft ‘Art is (not) Lonely’ (1986). Although there is an unmistakable 170-year time difference and a completely different historical origin, both works tie in with each other thanks to their visualisation of the expedition and the destination of the artist, which is a theme acting as a metaphor of the condition humaine.

http://www.muzee.be/en/muzee/t208000/the-raft-art-is-not-lonely

To live, breathe, eat and drink on water in the city.

2017-10-19T15:01:00.002+02:00

The "mini living breathe' installation, at the occasion of the Brussels Design Days in September, near Place St Catherine, Brussels
"An island in a large water feature on the Vismet in the centre of Brussels which encloses a large round sharing table for inhabitants to use. The installation uses its own natural materials to filter and clean the surrounding air in order to revitalize the people and the city. This piece of work embodies the idea of shared city living within a compact footprint"
http://designseptember.be/project2016-uk-480-18.html

The Viaduct by Paul Delvaux -

2017-10-09T14:45:00.000+02:00

Photo by Graham

Museum Thyssen - Madrid

"This work was painted in March 1963, a period in which Delvaux again felt strongly attracted to the subject of trains and stations, which he discovered very early on in his career. Towards 1920, at the time when he was attending the Académie, he got into the habit of painting at the gare du Luxembourg in Brussels. Later, he drew inspiration from the little foresters' station in Boistfort, the borough of Brussels where he lived. Evoking Delvaux's world without referring to trains is impossible, since it is a recurring theme in his work. Here he reveals himself as a painter of reality, of a meticulous reality. In Delvaux, no detail is left to chance, and each element is studied in depth. In fact, he ordered scale models of trains and trams which reigned over his studio, next to a skeleton, another important source of inspiration. That way, every time he wished to do so, he was able to copy them carefully and integrate them in his works. The Viaduct is a very interesting piece, because it gathers in a single, very dense composition, all the elements which constitute the artist's world: the suspended lamps found in his childhood homes, the magical and unusual atmosphere of the stations at nightfall, the mysterious train passing and covering the horizon with its strange smoke, the mirror reflecting another world, another reality. And absence, too. Everything is fixed, inanimate, waiting for an event which does not take place. The work frightens and at the same time fascinates, since it is inhabited by poetry. The houses are lit, but no human being seems to live in them. No life animates this composition constructed like a theatrical scene".

https://www.museothyssen.org/en/collection/artists/delvaux-paul/viaduct

Jozef Cantré in Mudel, Deinze

2017-09-30T15:14:00.000+02:00

the curator of the exhibition, Mr Peter J.H. Pauwels

the catalogue, exceptional, interesting, a treasure

by Leon De Smet, 1920

the artist Jozef Cantré at work

The Belgian weather this weekend might offer you the perfect excuse to travel to Mudel, Deinze's Museum aan de Leie, near Ghent, to admire and enjoy this exceptional exhibition dedicated to artist Jozef Cantré, expressionistic wood engraver and sculpturer. The catalogue by Peter J.H. Pauwels that accompanies this exhibition is itself a work of art - beautiful, evocative, instructive and scientifically documented.

http://www.mudel.be/en

Colm Tóibín at Passa Porta in Brussels

2017-09-20T13:02:00.005+02:00

The International House of Literature, Passa Porta, located in the center of Brussels regularly organises unique encounters and invites writers of national and international renown to talk about their work. I had the great pleasure of listening to Mr Colm Tóibín yesterday. The author read from his most recent book, House of Names, talked about his oeuvre and answered questions. I thoroughly enjoyed this interesting, fascinating evening.
See the schedule for the coming season here:http://www.passaporta.be/en/agenda/

Brussels Art Deco Birds

2017-09-14T20:28:00.001+02:00

Alberto De Fransisco was inspired by the Art Deco birds which This is Belgium published on its Facebook page. Alberto's drawing shows his interpretation of the detail found on a fireplace in a house in Brussels built at the end of the 1920s.

A pleasure?

2017-09-13T18:30:00.001+02:00

Only a few days left to see "What did Brussels look like 50 years ago? .... Since 1977 this Brussels publishing house 'Plaizier' has built up an image library including vintage postcards, prints, calendars and books. Architectural gems and urban transformations are all portrayed, together with items that illustrate the resolute path pursued by the publishing couple Wijnand and Mieke Plaizier. Their love for the Belgian capital is evident from every image".
Baudelaire, on the other hand, unequivocally voiced his thoughts about Belgium in a rather unflattering way. More on the Baudelaire exhibition in my next post.
http://www.bozar.be/en/activities/124394-brussels-is-a-plaizier