This is Belgium

Imany and Praline

2013-05-19T14:04:00.002+02:00

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 for me, 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

2013-05-15T11:36:00.000+02:00

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

2013-05-13T11:41:00.000+02:00

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!

2013-05-11T23:34:00.000+02:00

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

L'intemporelle

2013-05-11T12:43:00.001+02:00

pictures taken with iphone
"The tiny but lovely restaurant, L’Intemporelle, is located just a few steps away from Place Brugmann. A hotchpotch of tables, chairs and other furniture and colourfully painted walls make diners feel a million miles away from the dreary weather of Brussels.
An assortment of paintings, drawings and photographs on the walls adds to the overall style.
At L’Intemporelle you can enjoy traditional French cuisine with an emphasis on fresh produce. The chef does his own shopping at the local fruit and vegetable market and refuses to let anyone else anywhere near the oven. The menu changes daily but the house specialities are always available: three fish tartare and bass in saffron sauce .
L’Intemporelle is even more charming on sunny days. In the blink of an eye, an enormous terrace is set up for diners under the shady trees of Avenue Lepoutre with a wonderful view of Place Brugmann".
http://uk.eurostar.com/uk/travel-to-belgium/travel-to-wallonia/travel-to-brussels/restaurants/l-intemporelle-idp-3251841

Today's procession in Bruges

2013-05-09T09:22:00.001+02:00

picture: visitbruges.be

Today, Ascension day, is for Bruges the highlight of the year, the most beautiful and spectacular day. I am therefore reposting a photo and entry by Visit Bruges. "The Procession of the Holy Blood, that dates back to at least 1304, takes place in Bruges every year on Ascension Day. Although there have been many changes over the centuries, the heart of the event is the reenactment of the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ".
And.... great, glorious weather to boot!
Have some of you attended this event in the past? Anyone planning on being there today?

http://visitbruges.be/event/heilig-bloedprocessie#main, https://www.facebook.com/VisitBruges

Deima

2013-05-07T18:29:00.002+02:00

It has been a while since I posted people's portraits. The sight of Deima who was shopping with her friend (still in the shop) and having a lunch-break sandwish (hidden in her bag for the photo) reminded me that it was time.
Thanks Deima for being such a fantastic model for TiB!

Your chance to vote!

2013-05-03T21:10:00.002+02:00

A wonderful surprise indeed .. the nomination we got in the category "voyage" of the blog award competition organized by Vif Weekend.

And of course, now that we are this far, why not give us a bit of an extra push? You can simply vote by clicking on the link below.

Moreover, as Graham made this awesome banner to mark the occasion, it is extra easy for all of you to vote and share this post on Facebook or Twitter! Thank you, Graham, and thank ALL of you! ;) Deadline = May 10.

Vote here:

Weekend Blog Awards

May 1

2013-05-01T10:58:00.001+02:00

On the first day of May, a holiday ( Labor Day), the tradition is to give a bouquet of a few Lily of the Valley (" muguet" in French - "meiklokje" in Dutch) to mark spring and to wish good luck to your loved ones, family and friends.
Today, the flowers are everywhere; street vendors offer them at a not so interesting price.. only today, idem in flower shops. They are on tables in restaurants and street cafés, in peoples hands, hats or hair or in men's lapels.
I have been lazy this morning and not been out yet. I hope you forgive my just posting a picture from the net...
"As the story goes, on the first of May 1561, King Charles of France—who was ten at the time—was presented with a fragrant bunch of muguet: the delicate green sprigs capped with tiny white bells that we know as lily of the valley. It was a gesture signifying luck and prosperity, which so touched the king, he continued the tradition by giving the sweet-smelling blossoms to the ladies of his court each year on the same day". http://www.vogue.com/vogue-daily/article/lily-of-the-valley/#1

Belgian draft horses

2013-04-28T22:00:00.002+02:00

Photo taken by Alexandra Winand
We received a few wonderful Belgian related photos by Alexandra Winand and are so delighted that she is willing to share them on this blog as well as on This is Belgium's facebook group. I particularly like her Belgian draft horses.
If you want to find out more about this breed, originally from the Brabant region of Belgium, check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_horse
or
http://ruralheritage.com/horse_paddock/breeds1.htm
Alexandra has more to show, such as pictures from a school in Mons, another true beauty but closed since 1990...
Stay tuned.

Ostend... just how long?

2013-04-24T21:46:00.003+02:00

These folks are enjoying the warm temperatures at the coast in Ostend while they can; according to the weather reports there is only one more day left... That is Belgium for you !?

Secretaries - Personal Assistants

2013-04-19T12:11:00.001+02:00

Catleya is one of the most gorgeous flower shops of the city. I wrote about it before: http://whatisbelgium.blogspot.be/2011/02/flowers.html

I happened to pass by there yesterday and it looked like one for their busiest day, business was definitely booming.

In the meantime I read that in the US 'secretary day' has been renamed "Administrative Professionals' Day" with two objectives in mind: to recognize "the secretary, upon whose skills, loyalty, and efficiency the functions of business and government offices depend," and to call attention "through favorable publicity, to the tremendous potential of the secretarial career."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_Professionals%27_Day
http://www.cityplug.be/en/Brussels/FVFHCMHM_Shopping_Fleuriste-Catleya.html

Save the Villa Normande from demolition!

2013-04-15T09:45:00.000+02:00

photo by Hans van der Saag

The "Villa Normande", built in 1923 and located on one of Brussels' most beautiful and prestigious avenues, Avenue W. Churchill, is now threatened with demolition. The villa is surrounded by a beautiful park and more importantly, it is one of the last examples of houses that were built at the time when the avenue was created. Its interior remained intact till today.

The decision makers of the town of Uccle have been asked to decide on the application by a real estate developer, requesting a demolition permit to build an 8-floor apartment.

And of course, we here at This is Belgium, believe this gorgeous, unique and exceptional villa should be saved. The neighbors have united and gathered forces; they want to defend the heritage and the city's history.

The "Commission Royale des Sites et Monuments" had advised already in 2004 that this beauty should be protected but unfortunately, it seems that the villa did not make it to the list of untouchables!

Will the voices of the neighbors be loud enough to be heard? If any of you, readers, would like to join this worthy cause and support them, help them fight for this valuable monument, please let the town authorities know and send a mail to the mayor at info@armanddedecker.be and to the person responsible for urban planning, marc.cools@brutele.be

Freedom of street "art"

2013-04-10T12:14:00.000+02:00

You can be for or against, like or hate this kind of colorful or black and white decoration, you can agree or disagree.
What strikes me is that when the author wants the public to understand the message, English is used even in an almost 100% francophone area where the second picture was taken. I took the first one in Antwerp a few weeks ago.

Patrick Gerola

2013-04-06T14:50:00.000+02:00

I have no idea whether you, readers, are familiar with the most known of all Brussels' symbols? Manneken Pis is a famous landmark, a rather small fountain sculpture representing a naked boy urinating. It was designed by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in the earlie 1600's. There are as many stories and legends about the little guy as you can imagine and if interested, you can have fun with them here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis

A few months ago I met, in an art gallery at the Belgian coast, Patrick Gérola and his Japanese wife and singer Tomomi Hida. Patrick has made Manneken Pis his specialty. Patrick was born in Brussels in 1959, where he studied and graduated from the Academy of fine Arts. He left Brussels to go live and work in Japan in 1983 but returned - temporarily, he told me- after what happened in Fukushima.

http://gerola.org/profile

http://www.yesicannes.com/yesicannes/japan_exhibition_at_carlton_gallery.html

Easter trip

2013-04-02T09:33:00.000+02:00

While I am already back home in cold Brussels from my short Easter trip, hopefully this man is enjoying sun and warmth somewhere South of here.
Such a colorful man can not go unnoticed. Indeed, when I left from Brussels airport last Friday he stood out because of the colorful combination of his clothes and accessories, not very common for a man like him, at least here in Brussels.

Stroll in upscale uptown

2013-03-28T16:08:00.003+01:00

I thought/hoped that his man wanted to be seen and not be un-noticed. A few photos were no problem. The story however, that was something else. I have to confess that I did not understand very well where it was going . He said that he only walks around in the nicer neighborhoods and that he was looking for sponsor...

Jef, the Brussels King of Snails

2013-03-26T10:36:00.001+01:00

Chez Jef et Fils Escargots is an institution in Brussels.
You can find Jef himself at the Bourse in the center of Brussels and his annex in Anderlecht.
Delicious snails in their broth are served in a plastic cup for €5, with a glass of white or rose wine available for €2.
Jef must be about 70 now, he started this job when he was 13 working with his mother, he enjoys his trade a lot and... his succession is assured.
http://www.nordeclair.fr/france-monde/la-longue-vie-des-caricoles-bruxelloises-ia28b0n59505

Kandinsky in Brussels

2013-03-22T14:42:00.005+01:00

Lately, I have been spoiled by impromptu visits of dear friends. I talked about Marie-Anne hopping in from Greece in my previous post and last weekend Laurence showed up in Brussels which made for an unforgettable weekend. When asked where she is from, Laurence always answers that she keeps moving up North; she is originally from Pau in Southern France, lived in B (Biarritz or Bordeaux, I forgot which) for a while, moved to Paris and came to Brussels at the end of the 80's. She has now been living in Sweden for almost 10 years with her Swedish husband and three kids.

Laurence is an artist, a painter herself and we had such a great time visiting Kandinsky in Brussels. No pictures allowed at the exhibition but I am hoping that these i-phone shots do not qualify.

Truly wonderful and interesting exhibit, which places the artist's work in the greater Russian context. Wonderful explanations, beautiful catalog. In short: well worth a visit, highly recommended.

Antwerp, tourist impressions

2013-03-16T19:55:00.000+01:00

It seems that now that I made it to Antwerp, it is pretty hard to stop talking about it, and, there is so much more. As Alain mentioned in his comment on the previous pictures, the city is known for its jewelry and as the diamond center (do I dare say?) of the world. I did not even come close to that part of town. How about the fashion Academy and its world :-) famous graduates?
What I am showing here is a glimpse of the harbor (after Rotterdam, the second largest in Europe), and sights that a first time tourist and visitor might want to concentrate on? The cathedral, the quaint streets, all the different styles and architectures. I was accompanied by Marie-Anne, a gorgeous young Belgian-Greek student of architecture, who has been living and studying in Greece for a while now and will graduate in November.
Picture two shows Brabo and the Giant's hand being thrown in the river:
"according to folklore, and as celebrated by the statue in front of the town hall, the city got its name from a legend involving a mythical giant called Antigoon who lived near the river Scheldt. He exacted a toll from those crossing the river, and for those who refused, he severed one of their hands and threw it into the river Scheldt. Eventually, the giant was slain by a young hero named Brabo, who cut off the giant's own hand and flung it into the river. Hence the name Antwerpen, from Dutch hand werpen—akin to Old English hand and wearpan (= to throw), which has changed to today's warp"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antwerp

Antwerp, random shots

2013-03-13T10:05:00.004+01:00

It is true, what people say, that when you live in a city your vision becomes oblivious to the obvious. I noticed that on my day trip to Antwerp, a city which I do not know all that well. Everything looked different, unsual and interesing, while I had travelled less than 60 km from Brussels. These shots are just randomly taken. Dan Zollman is one of the city photographers in Antwerp and his and his colleagues photos are on open-air exhibit near the cathedral. Planning on showing you some of the more classical Antwerp shots next.

MAS Antwerp

2013-03-10T20:31:00.004+01:00

The Mas (Museum aan de stroom - Museum at the stream) taken in the afternoon when I arrived in Antwerp and in the evening when I left with two in between impressions.

The Museum is a relatively new construction but has been photographed and written about many times.

Have a look at Linda's (blogger of Occasional Scotland) posting here:

http://occasionalscotland.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/skywatch-friday-de-countrified.html

http://www.mas.be/MAS-EN

Antwerp’s newest - and largest - museum!The MAS is the city’s new icon, ‘a bridge’ between port and city. Standing sixty metres high, the MAS affords a breathtaking 360° view of the city, the river and the port.
… an open house. You can walk in and out at will. The MAS Boulevard is a succession of escalators leading from the ground floor to +9. Along the way you have wonderful views of Antwerp through the 6-metre-high glass panels.
… high-end architecture in a lively new part of the city The MAS is an architectural gem in a lively new district, walking distance from the city centre. It is the perfect place to start or end your visit to the seaport.

Antwerp museum joy

2013-03-07T21:45:00.001+01:00

I will post pictures of my trip to the MAS museum in Antwerp next but found it interesting to deduce how spiritually uplifting a museum visit can be from the fun that these ladies were having. They were thrilled to have their picture taken for TiB. The lady in black is from Antwerp and her friend from Hoogstraeten. Their museum visit was a small part of a day of friends catching up, seeing the city, shopping, enjoying the rare sunshine on a terrace near the Schelde .....

First sun

2013-03-05T18:20:00.001+01:00

Amazing what a bit of sun, the first of the year, can do. How different the light looked today in Leuven (photo 1 and 2) as well as in Brussels (photo 3).
Enjoy!

City bikes

2013-03-03T21:30:00.001+01:00

A quick posting to wish everyone a happy Sunday evening.