tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-322853462024-03-13T06:58:58.189+01:00The WitloofFor those who think that Belgium's national vegetable is the sproutHercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-64630273989247648962007-11-13T17:50:00.000+01:002007-11-13T17:52:10.687+01:00156one hundred and fifty six days and counting without a government. you have to <a href="http://berlaymonster.blogspot.com/2007/11/patriots-unite-both-of-you.html" target=_blank>laugh</a>.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-1093192658714308732007-11-11T20:56:00.000+01:002007-11-11T21:00:27.123+01:00Clowns<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpO0rYBjQRLXRSD1X1g1QoaSvRyqQirnx7t726cTmRuAAGzlpPIJ4ZwhBfViWYuilfBgkD8lJ6GKrHVjlOAtJfmjRNwmMZWyrUAk6ZcTzZFpY0DIywaKrOwTvQnP7lRhciqjMeTw/s1600-h/flamand+dehors.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5131674491780291042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpO0rYBjQRLXRSD1X1g1QoaSvRyqQirnx7t726cTmRuAAGzlpPIJ4ZwhBfViWYuilfBgkD8lJ6GKrHVjlOAtJfmjRNwmMZWyrUAk6ZcTzZFpY0DIywaKrOwTvQnP7lRhciqjMeTw/s400/flamand+dehors.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />which Flamand (singular you see) they want out remains a mystery....Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-9137457274775989632007-10-16T22:28:00.000+02:002007-10-16T22:31:14.897+02:00DumpIf you simply cannot wait for this years Brussels christmas market then why not just <a href="http://www.plaisirsdhiver.be/" target=_blank>"dump"</a> into the atmosphere of the 2006 edition.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com320tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-84763254208989136642007-10-14T19:49:00.001+02:002007-10-18T11:07:21.035+02:00WAKAt last someone has raised the most pertinent question about the potential break-up of Belgium: Who would get all <a href="http://splitsbartdewevernu.blogspot.com/2007/10/wak-witloof-aktie-komitee-sticker.html" target=_blank>the Witloof</a>?Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-76972633970985594152007-10-07T11:57:00.000+02:002007-10-07T12:03:31.531+02:00Belgian politicians head for the negotiating tablethis was sent to me in an entirely different context but what the hell.........<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQe6BGFeIPOyAoKUw7WpnOe4NWTTY8DfbkUECBVtBPRDf1uELy__d0ZfrrJ7HVDz6C6CddSkOrPdIqC0GA-bbG4M8VA-5F3xfP9oklvPFGWAImrChRKxGY9uABFBwNeem1FJJB5g/s1600-h/ontheirwayhome.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:left;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQe6BGFeIPOyAoKUw7WpnOe4NWTTY8DfbkUECBVtBPRDf1uELy__d0ZfrrJ7HVDz6C6CddSkOrPdIqC0GA-bbG4M8VA-5F3xfP9oklvPFGWAImrChRKxGY9uABFBwNeem1FJJB5g/s400/ontheirwayhome.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5118532128478343138" /></a>Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-85617602813691383572007-09-29T12:54:00.000+02:002007-09-29T12:57:36.770+02:00Sarko knows his shit<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <P class=western lang=nl-BE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0in; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" align=left><IMG style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 244px" src="http://docs.google.com/File?id=dfvv25d9_1ds8sqsgr" align=bottom name=Object1><IMG style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 240px" height=240 src="http://docs.google.com/File?id=dfvv25d9_2hstb5thc" width=542 align=bottom name=Object2><IMG style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 245px" height=245 src="http://docs.google.com/File?id=dfvv25d9_3gxk7xsm7" width=542 align=bottom name=Object3></P></BLOCKQUOTE>Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-46459582439408188342007-09-18T22:54:00.000+02:002007-09-18T22:56:33.406+02:00More Belgian negotiations break downThe Witloof can exclusively reveal that top-secret negotiations between high ranking Flemish and Francophone politicians on the break-up of the country have broken down. <br /><br />The talks, taking place in a crowded pub in downtown Brussels, had been progressing well according to one well placed source. There was broad agreement that Flanders would keep the economic growth while Wallonia would keep large numbers of unemployed. <br /><br />Flanders would get the majority of the beer, while Wallonia would take the lion’s share of the chocolate. Wallonia would also get the royal family, a key Flemish demand. <br /><br />Experts had expected the most difficult aspect of the talks to concern the future of Brussels but there was apparently unanimity that this should be given to the Moroccans. <br /><br />The breakdown of the break-up negotiations actually came as those involved failed to agree on how to divide up the family silver. In addition to the embassies in Washington, London, Paris and Moscow, Flanders wanted a rather expensive looking crystal chandelier and a set of six ceramic dinner plates. Flabbergasted Walloon negotiators are understood to have stormed out without even finishing their 33cl glasses of Jupiler. <br /><br />The question now is whether the two sides can be tempted back to the negotiating table. Those familiar with the key players estimate the chance of a resumption at about 30%, coincidentally also the average strength of a local beer. <br /><br /><em>Inside: Mannekin Pis refuses to take sides.</em>Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-54124827721961054722007-09-17T09:32:00.000+02:002007-09-30T20:24:17.892+02:00The EndIt has reached <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2170606,00.html">the guardian</a>, it must be serious.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-67501004190191395142007-09-15T12:42:00.000+02:002007-09-15T13:12:18.417+02:00Lessons LearnedA world record was broken at the Memorial Van Damme athletics meet last night in the Heizel Stadium, Brussels. Meseret Defar ran the 2 mile in a time of 8:58.58.<br /><br />It is an improbable story. Defar arrived in Brussels from Addis Ababa only the day before the race having, wait for it, taken part in Ethiopia’s <strong>millennium celebrations</strong> on Tuesday evening. <br /><br />More improbable, in a stadium which saw 39 football fans crushed to death in 1985, was the <a href="http://www.sport.be/memorialvandamme/2007/eng/nieuws/?Article_ID=230740">following</a>: <br /><br /><em>“Jupiler Blue offers every single spectator of the crowd of 47000 a free Jupiler Blue should a world record be broken at the Memorial Van Damme on 14 September 2007. <br /><br />As soon as a world record has been broken the audience can collect their free Jupiler Blue at the bars.”</em><br /><br />I hope the queue was orderly.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-50993475842075302132007-09-02T14:21:00.000+02:002007-09-02T18:22:40.509+02:00Michael Jackson diesMichael Jackson passed away on 30 August. <br /><br />Admit it, you are shocked to be reading about this first here. Several days after the event.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/01/db0102.xml" target="_blank">renowned beer expert</a> had been battling Parkinson's disease (stop sniggering down the back, he was not drunk) for some time and was suffering from other undisclosed health problems.<br /><br />Jackson put Belgian beers on the map almost singlehandedly, writing the <a href="http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000213.html" target="_blank">Great Beers of Belgium</a> at the beginning of the 1990's in the days before Leffe was available in any self-respecting hostelry.<br /><br />It was a dirty job but someone had to do it. Now, I'm off to the Brussels Beer Festival to raise a Geuze to the great man.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-16004537204741614212007-09-01T09:46:00.001+02:002007-09-01T10:03:13.947+02:00Belgium on the rocksBelgium on the rocks. Sounds like a dodgy cocktail. Well as we all know Belgium is a bit of a dodgy cocktail. Of different language groups and regions. And it is on the rocks. Le Figaro <a href="http://www.lefigaro.fr/debats/20070825.FIG000000504_la_belgique_va_t_elle_demander_le_divorce.html" target="_blank">asks</a> if it is all going to end in divorce? And quite unbelievably the author urges French President Sarkozy to prepare for the annexation of Wallonia by France.<br /><br />But enough about dodgy Belgian cocktails. Let's talk about something much more important. Beer. If you are in Brussels this weekend, DO NOT miss the <a href="http://www.weekenddelabiere.be/en/pages/home.htm" target="_blank">annual beer festival</a>. It takes place on the historic Grand Place/Grote Markt (I don't want to upset anyone, I am a guest here..) and has about 200 hundred beer types just waiting to be tasted. <br /><br />Santé. Or should I say Gezondheid!Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-5276551416914905222007-08-13T14:07:00.000+02:002007-08-13T14:18:22.544+02:00NeighboursWhere’s the best place to hide your money?<br />Under a Frenchman’s soap.<br /><br />Just one of the jokes that the Belgians like to tell about their southern neighbours. <br /><br />Generally, however, it is the Belgians who are the butt of most of the ribbing.<br /><br />What is the longest road in Belgium? The roundabout.<br /><br />Why wasn’t Jesus born in Belgium? Because they couldn’t find three wise men there.<br /><br />Etc etc etc<br /><br />One of the funniest bits of Belgium mocking comes in the very funny ‘Le Diner de Cons’. If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out.<br /><br />Some background. Every Wednesday Pierre Brochant, a celebrated Parisien writer, attends an “idiots dinner” with his friends. Brochant and his friends each bring along an “idiot” they have unearthed in every day life. At the end of a dinner a champion is chosen. The “idiots” are unaware that they are the victims of a cruel joke, believing instead that they are being accepted into fêted Parisien society. This week, however, the joke is on Pierre Brochant. His “idiot”, Francois Pignon, a man passionate about matchstick constructions, will turn his world upside down.<br /><br />Perhaps it is just me but I think that this is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQegc8uMEW8&mode=related&search=" target="_blank">the funniest thing, ever</a>.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-11835966923096139562007-08-03T09:59:00.000+02:002007-08-03T10:04:09.154+02:00Brussels LesbiansWell spotted <a href="http://lowlander.wordpress.com/2007/07/12/brussels-lesbians/">Lowlander</a>:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnUcj7_SGP8AYgYdUss1kmmlt186ZeKD_x0uSby6fXZV2x-96G0FJ5tpni6J7xCqvTrkfJ7nciwAIlXF0Av46lcuNtII13s7-MnrOhVP08PHRM5lk6mkLMEKdbty3gQB5_RlI2w/s1600-h/brusselslesbians.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094381592894367010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnUcj7_SGP8AYgYdUss1kmmlt186ZeKD_x0uSby6fXZV2x-96G0FJ5tpni6J7xCqvTrkfJ7nciwAIlXF0Av46lcuNtII13s7-MnrOhVP08PHRM5lk6mkLMEKdbty3gQB5_RlI2w/s400/brusselslesbians.gif" border="0" /></a>Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-57376552162112114202007-08-01T18:31:00.003+02:002007-08-01T18:33:22.794+02:00Yves Leterme in front of the AtomiumThe baiting of the man who would be Belgian Prime Minister continues.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNBNQhnJZ-jLwwts3MPX2T2ErZIiMzowuHPo4I2pzbEAB7E_41gq6fTSYaNLry0c9bGW1qU-aZovHs0Q0SPxZhhlLk_wQW17R51-aepkB25TeuWhJkPYtFjW9dTE8VtxsSZCZ1w/s1600-h/leterme.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNBNQhnJZ-jLwwts3MPX2T2ErZIiMzowuHPo4I2pzbEAB7E_41gq6fTSYaNLry0c9bGW1qU-aZovHs0Q0SPxZhhlLk_wQW17R51-aepkB25TeuWhJkPYtFjW9dTE8VtxsSZCZ1w/s400/leterme.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5093770908674417938" /></a>Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-63382692510570692572007-07-26T10:30:00.000+02:002007-07-26T11:50:27.697+02:00Vive La.....France?Belgium continues to astound. <br /><br />Some may remember that there was an election back in early June. Well there is still no sign of a government being formed. In fact the man charged with leading the negotiations - Christian Democrat Yves Leterme - managed to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHKh57Mls84" target="_blank">considerably complicate his task</a> by confusing the French and Belgian national anthemswhen asked for a verse of the latter on Belgian National Day (21 July)!<br /> <br />Imagine the future Canadian prime minister belting out a verse of The Star Spangled Banner on July 1, or Ireland’s Bertie Ahern treating his public to a rendition of God Save the Queen on St Patrick’s Day.<br /><br />Ironically, the country that Yves thinks he is on the verge of running might have come to his rescue. The doping shenanigans at the Tour de France have relegated his gaffe to second spot on the evening news bulletins. As if the Vinokourov revelations weren't enough, yesterday evening came the news that the Yellow Jersey, Michael Rasmussen, has been kicked out. And good riddance. <a href="http://thewitloof.blogspot.com/2007/07/tour-de-farce.html" target="_blank">Tour de Farce</a> indeed.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-56854571635151334042007-07-19T10:58:00.000+02:002007-07-19T11:15:39.394+02:00A Champagne Lifestyle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vMjJBFtHjF1QIaT_kSGm8ubY1y2u_LTKlIYh16iUpJuz0-voOvvZTcvWm9WcK0gYfCmLIPizn8HhC-otUcTJNAYiQzOd4lpo2L1b5Qk6mAxIGlj-auMs7K34VzTAF6KhEfctSg/s1600-h/champagne.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088831794674037554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 183px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 202px" height="176" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vMjJBFtHjF1QIaT_kSGm8ubY1y2u_LTKlIYh16iUpJuz0-voOvvZTcvWm9WcK0gYfCmLIPizn8HhC-otUcTJNAYiQzOd4lpo2L1b5Qk6mAxIGlj-auMs7K34VzTAF6KhEfctSg/s400/champagne.jpg" width="152" border="0" /></a>The two policemen were already laughing when they saw our license plate bearing down upon their roadblock. Only two Belgians could be attempting to drive onto Reims’ Place de la Republique on the eve of Bastille Day. “Impossible ca”, chuckled one as we explained that we were staying in a hotel that now lurked in the shadow of a gigantic stage with two speakers on either side of it that could quite easily be sitting proudly in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ever of their kind.<br /><br />An auspicious start to our visit to Champagne.<br /><br />Champagne is an entire industry developed just to relieve Belgians of their disposable income. Almost every car we saw parked outside a champagne house had the unmistakable red license plate, three numbers, three letters.<br /><br />At least they show you a good time while liberating your wallet of its contents. Leaving our hotel in Reims at 11am the following morning, we were at the celebrated headquarters of Piper Heidseck by 11.10, imbibing our first glass of bubbly of the day by 11.30. It seemed the appropriate way to start the Bastille Day celebrations. A little better than Marie Antoinette’s suggestion of cake.<br /><br />The majority of the most famous champagne producers have their main cellars in Reims. Ruinart, Pommery, Piper-Heidseck, Taitinger, to name but a few, all have premises a short stroll from each other. Others such as Moet et Chandon, the world’s largest producer have their HQ’s in Epernay. It was to here we headed from Reims.<br /><br />The area between Reims and Epernay is dominated by the Parc Naturel Regional de la Montagne de Reims. It is probably the most touristy of the Routes de Champagne but no less charming for it. The antique villages, each cluttered with tempting signs for the local brew, come thick and fast. There is one called Bouzy. We didn’t visit it but it amply describes our jaunt through both the petite and grande montagne.<br /><br />Our first stop for, ahem, refreshments came at <a href="http://www.champagne-casters.com/">Champagne Louis Casters</a> in Damery. If the outsized sign at the corner of the building hadn’t made us wise to Mr Casters’ potion, the six Belgian cars surrounding the entrance probably would have. Casters, who it turned out is Belgian himself, quickly made us feel at home, treating us to healthy pourings of his Brut Sélection, Grande Reserve, Cuvée Supérieure and his Brut Rosé. We liked them all, particularly for the average price of €13.<br /><br />It turns out that ink for home printers – in Britain a typical replacement cartridge costs about £1.70 per millilitre compared to 23p per millilitre for a bottle of 1985 Dom Perignon - is now <a href="http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-5590282-details/Ink+more+expensive+than+champagne+/article.do">seven times more expensive</a> than vintage champagne. We bought several bottles of everything Casters served us.<br /><br />A few miles up the road, in Mareuil-sur-Ay we pulled in at <a href="http://www.champagne-guy-charbaut.com/">Champagne Guy Charbaut</a>. Again we were greeted by a Belgian, again we departed with less room in the boot of our car than we arrived. Guy Charbaut has chambres d’hotes should you not feel like reaching for your car keys at this point. Assured that the police had better things to do on 14 July, we pressed on south to Troyes.<br /><br />Troyes, the German influence of whose architecture is reminiscent of some of the towns in Alsace, contains a spectacular cathedral and a very worthwhile museum of modern art. However, by far its biggest attraction for me was a Coupe de Champagne costing a mere €4.80. I ordered five.<br /><br />The great thing about Champagne is that, like Guinness, it is good for you. The many benefits of a few glasses of sparkling are outlined in a very informative and comforting book called <em><a href="http://www.savoirboire.co.uk/introduction.html">The Healing Powers of Champagne</a></em>. Obesity and Cellulite, Appetite Loss, Arterial Stenosis – apparently the narrowing or blockage of the artery that supplies blood to the kidney -, Migraine, Insomnia and Lazy Bowel, to name but a few, have all met their match in a bottle of bubbly.<br /><br />Unfortunately champagne does not appear to have any effect on heatstroke and with temperatures well north of 30 degrees my northern pigmentation was beginning to prove a drawback. Thankfully, only a few miles outside of Troyes, Francois Bradier welcomes you to his convivial <a href="http://www.domainedeslacs.com/">Domaine des Lacs</a>. With only five rooms and one self catering college crowded is not a word that is often used to describe the loungers by the swimming pool. Francois also kindly provides a fridge for you to chill your Premier Cru.<br /><br />Now that’s what I call a champagne lifestyle.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-42728383324460824802007-07-11T14:57:00.000+02:002007-07-11T15:07:48.208+02:00Tour de Farce<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-9vpySWqvhe-7bJSofBU75JaOCXdKwHTGEtVakMALrNZe9twWriY54ppAxqyOvKghScIbKzxVFeSau143jM5S9wHMuPHTAw4EOYfA7z2iq5aC9KUJYWFOMjw5XRkRYA9BQMZHg/s1600-h/flemish+flag.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085923683322986146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-9vpySWqvhe-7bJSofBU75JaOCXdKwHTGEtVakMALrNZe9twWriY54ppAxqyOvKghScIbKzxVFeSau143jM5S9wHMuPHTAw4EOYfA7z2iq5aC9KUJYWFOMjw5XRkRYA9BQMZHg/s320/flemish+flag.gif" border="0" /></a>High times for the Flemish at the moment. Today is their national day, an opportunity to take a day off work and to wave their rather scary looking flag.<br /><br />The day commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of the Golden Spurs at the Groeningekouter, outside Kortrijk, in 1302 at which the Flemish defeated the knights of the King of France.<br /><br />Almost 705 years later to the day and along comes another almost as momentous. On Monday the Tour de France came through Flanders, the stage concluding in Gent. It ended in a Flemish one-two, Geert Steegmans stealing in ahead of his more celebrated compatriot, Tom Boonen, to spark wild celebrations and much waving of the intimidating lion.<br /><br />They were predicting that about 250,000 people would deluge the city, although in the end the rain deluged it more and about 100,000-150,000 turned up. The Witloof, wary of not being able to see a damned thing in a crowd of that size, headed instead for a smaller town - Deinze - just outside Gent. The town website - <a href="http://www.deinze.be/" target="_blank">http://www.deinze.be/</a> - looked pretty. I had a good look around but I still have no idea where they took the photographs. Possibly Gent.<br /><br />Although the peleton was due to pass by at 16.45 I arrived at about 13.15. Being three and a half hours early, I quickly found a vantage point beside a roundabout that I thought offered a decent combination of a view of the peleton arriving and also the likelihood of it slowing down as it passed by. There were about three of us at this point. I took out my book – the excellent Pornographer of Vienna by fellow Brussels resident <a href="http://www.lewiscrofts.com/">Lewis Crofts</a> - and started to read.<br /><br />Engrossed in Egon Schiele’s artistic, and other, endeavours in Vienna, I failed to notice that I was gradually being pushed to the back of a considerable throng. By about 15.00 there were hundreds - perhaps even thousands - lined up along the sides of the road in either direction. Not the ideal position to be in as, at 15.15, the first vehicles from the 'caravane' began to pass. The 'caravane' is, I think, what everybody actually comes for. It is a procession of promotional vehicles from which employees of the firms sponsoring the tour throw sample products and other souvenirs out into the crowd. Never in my life have I seen such a clamour for miniature bottles of shower gel. Fifteen bodies in a writhing heap before one triumphant soul would emerge with a key ring. If anything was thrown in my direction I leapt out of the way. It all seemed a little bit commercial, a tad unfrench, until a car stormed past promoting a trade union.<br /><br />The final cars in the 'caravane' were the official merchandisers. ‘Allez, allez’ they would cry, ‘c’est le tour de france, c’est la folie’, before proudly displaying all of the English they had learnt in England the two days before by continuing ‘don’t furget to buy yeur remembers for le children’. For twenty euros you could get your hands on a yellow bag ‘remembers’ containing a like-coloured tour de france t-shirt and cap. For about the same outlay you could also purchase a gaudy yellow umbrella with tour de france imaginatively emblazoned along it. I felt like shouting that the tour had left Britain so they could put their umbrellas away. Twenty minutes later the skies opened and I stood with about four other paraplu-less people under the nearest tree.<br /><br />My despair was almost complete when not long afterwards, and before I could negotiate my cameras exit from my sodden pocket, a flock of 8 riders stormed past. Merde, I roared, to much amusement, possibly because of my accent or possibly because the cyclists were actually only a bunch of lucky cadets chosen to ride the stage well in advance of the pros. Ten minutes later another five cyclists whooshed past, stooped over their handlebars, panting for breath. I kept my cool this time, confident that the peleton could not contain people so clearly from four different generations.<br /><br />Eventually, and not a minute to soon given that ducks might at this point have been considering package holidays to the sun, three helicopters reared onto the horizon. A frisson of excitement rose through the crowd. I abandoned my tree and knocked a few children out of the way - well they had taken most of the free stuff so I felt entitled - to get close to the road's edge. With half an eye out for irate parents bearing down on me with their shiny new umbrellas I managed to more or less miss the first three riders, who had amassed about a minute's lead on the rest of the pack. Zut alors, I wailed, regardless of my accent. Not to be denied again, I crouched down into professional photographer position, camera at the ready, for the arrival of the peleton. Four clicks of my digital camera later - and that is being generous as the final picture contains but a few shiny spokes of the back wheel of the bike that was bringing up the rear – they were gone again. The whole thing was over in about five seconds. I stood there, insistent that there had to be more, until there were only the original three of us left. Myself and two traffic cops.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-11296356441015632302007-07-03T18:50:00.000+02:002007-07-03T18:52:37.038+02:00Naughty EU<a href="http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/organgrinder/2007/07/post_40.html">this</a> seems to have gotten pulses racing in polandHercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-17016212205773347622007-07-02T16:37:00.000+02:002007-07-02T17:05:47.232+02:00Separated at birth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrBfT7bcl0WStZHLn6lO2-Rbm8tvub1ysg-mbGD5NODNzh28iLMWU8WdBnDeE0CXpf8oiCUyzj0R0YH2dg13-SnaY4xNB4zvK9iIzdFp9VAxAp9LzYuIUz6zvEYJOlkO6QtJDGw/s1600-h/christina+pickles.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082611168321109650" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLrBfT7bcl0WStZHLn6lO2-Rbm8tvub1ysg-mbGD5NODNzh28iLMWU8WdBnDeE0CXpf8oiCUyzj0R0YH2dg13-SnaY4xNB4zvK9iIzdFp9VAxAp9LzYuIUz6zvEYJOlkO6QtJDGw/s400/christina+pickles.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong></strong>A slightly windswept Neelie Kroes<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUmbz9YdLyuf7YeMA2sn4T626zmhbIMYyiPNDFOFrNtunNNWesNyekUutlgQEqEvt8PBliWjW_es0PagD1eq0NLNa7ockbPvyPl0U_Bd0hlvNJ4C8SB6KpVkK0nxd6vX1smPpdg/s1600-h/neelie+kroes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082610034449743490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUmbz9YdLyuf7YeMA2sn4T626zmhbIMYyiPNDFOFrNtunNNWesNyekUutlgQEqEvt8PBliWjW_es0PagD1eq0NLNa7ockbPvyPl0U_Bd0hlvNJ4C8SB6KpVkK0nxd6vX1smPpdg/s400/neelie+kroes.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong></strong>Judy Geller (Ross & Monica's mom in Friends) talking nonsense in Brussels<br /><br /><br /><br />To see which Commissioner most resembles the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz please click <a href="http://polkadots-moonbeams.blogspot.com/search/label/peter%20mandelson">here</a><em></em>Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-27883520482845041402007-06-25T16:52:00.000+02:002007-06-25T17:06:20.241+02:00Battle Royale<div><em>Back from a long break, the witloof goes into crusading mode. </em><br /><br />El Pais (you have to go a long way to find any news on Belgium these days) brings us <a href="http://www.elpais.com/articulo/agenda/Miserias/tristezas/casa/real/belga/elpepuint/20070617elpepiage_1/Tes">news of</a> the success that Galway-based Belgian author and journalist Mario Danneels' has had with his new book, The Trauma of the Throne. Sitting atop the Belgian book charts for weeks now, The T of the T investigates how the members of the Belgian royal family have become totally alienated from the real world and normal life and how this has affected their standing amongst their subjects.<br /><br />A <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/482456.stm">sex scandal,</a> an <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/200701/09/eng20070109_339614.html">embezzlement affair</a>, even an <a href="http://www.buzzle.com/articles/140941.html">antique chair controversy</a>, there is very little that they appear able to do right at present. You would almost feel sorry for them if they did not have the rather plush castle in Laeken, on the outskirts of Brussels, at which to lick their wounds.<br /><br />It is this particular piece of real estate that really gets the witloof’s blood boiling. It is 189 hectares of nature situated between the densely populated districts of Laeken and Schaarbeek. Unfortunately it is also surrounded by a very high wall and utterly inaccessible to the general public.<br /><br />Thankfully, the local representatives of the Flemish Liberal Party share the witloof’s discontent with the offending wall. They have launched an <a href="http://www.vldbrussel.be/openpark/steun_de_petitie.php">online petition</a> for (at least part of) the park to be made open to the public.<br /><br />So come on people, sign the petition. And let's tear that wall down! </div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGK2eWoTJSz7ciXe1hvjxuM72EFosvzLjasZJeL_7az3wFsfVzP5qmNnHh-uDNn4PIzON9WV4bgtoJGriHoOio6zzz3RVDbRmNYCvgf-cuNzFLVkHZzJTBZ5zEERpLT1VQUIutQ/s1600-h/berlinwall-t.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080017778971349634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGK2eWoTJSz7ciXe1hvjxuM72EFosvzLjasZJeL_7az3wFsfVzP5qmNnHh-uDNn4PIzON9WV4bgtoJGriHoOio6zzz3RVDbRmNYCvgf-cuNzFLVkHZzJTBZ5zEERpLT1VQUIutQ/s320/berlinwall-t.jpg" border="0" /></a>Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-70929254613423197402007-05-04T12:06:00.000+02:002007-05-04T13:06:10.285+02:00May DaysMay is a tremendous month to be gainfully employed in Belgium. It is a bank holiday fest.<br /><br />With a refreshing lack of beating about the bush the very first day of the month is off. This year May 1 was, of course, a Tuesday. In countries where work is potentially more sacrosanct (thus defeating the entire point of May Day), this would probably lead to a postponement of the bank holiday until the following Monday, allowing for a long weekend at that point. The Belgians, however, have a better scheme. They engage in the endearing tradition of "making the bridge", which entails turning up for work on neither the Monday nor the Tuesday. Being (reasonably) new here and wanting to ingratiate myself with the natives I decided to try to impress them by also making the bridge between Tuesday and Friday. I think they liked my style.</div><br /><div>For those of you who did not know, 17 May is Ascension Day. I have absolutely no idea what it signifies (although I could probably guess if I thought about it for a couple of, erm, milliseconds) but I do know that this year, as if by miracle, it falls on a Thursday. Those of you who are quick on the uptake will have already realised that Thursday has more in common with Tuesday than six letters. It is also perfect bridge making material. So while everybody is busy not turning up for work on Friday 18, I will be making the somewhat longer (lets call it 'the Oresund') bridge, between Monday and Thursday.</div><br /><div>Unfortunately the final bank holiday of the month, Whit Monday, falls, as its name would suggest, on a Monday (28th). This is not really bridge building material but having already been out for most of the month it is difficult to really complain. This is particularly so if you happen to work for one of the European Union institutions. Already not exactly renowned for a Stakhanovite approach to toil, they have actually managed to chisle an additional holiday all to themselves this month. Schuman Day, named after the French architect of the Union, Robert Schuman, is an annual day on the doss for them. Every 9 May they get together, presumably in the metro station also named after Robert, and sing Beethoven's ninth symphony. This year they will probably also be reciting the Treaty of Rome, it being 50 long years since its signing.</div><br /><div>It doesn't sound that exciting but I guess I'll have to take Schuman Day off too. seeing as it is a Wednesday, I'll probably make a bridge or two too. When in Brussels.....to bastardise the phrase.</div><br /><div>Anyway, May the 4th be with you!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOOwojCm4GCMvm4hcRBUgQuBIN5MyvTnzJEC-_fbmBrI9PCCZo7Kq2umydgn-G6Jq8zXaj3qe0IVGLTQqpSc3ZU2O7jal8ciWgUWa1Xag4zB5vZs7ijMHxscKYZWR-RE6Q7fQdg/s1600-h/skywalker.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060658514069155970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOOwojCm4GCMvm4hcRBUgQuBIN5MyvTnzJEC-_fbmBrI9PCCZo7Kq2umydgn-G6Jq8zXaj3qe0IVGLTQqpSc3ZU2O7jal8ciWgUWa1Xag4zB5vZs7ijMHxscKYZWR-RE6Q7fQdg/s320/skywalker.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><br /><div></div>Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-31585458494130041862007-04-19T17:02:00.000+02:002007-04-19T17:19:54.317+02:00Oh-la-la-laBelgian punk rockers T.C.Matic once sang <a href="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=115671835">'Oh-la-la-la'</a>. It is a song title that is conspicuously absent from this, frankly mental, <a href="http://www.thewhitehotel.be/pages/white_imagine.htm">website</a> for a Brussels hotel.<br /><br />Take a look.<br /><br />For those of you who have stumbled upon this site while googling Brussels' hotels, then today would appear to be your lucky day.<br /><br />It appears that, particularly if you resemble Steve Martin, you'll be met at reception by a sexy woman quoting song titles and then you'll partake in some ooh-la-la in a fancy white room.<br /><br />As T.C.Matic also said: putain, putain, c'est vachement bien.Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-33158710359891278882007-04-06T16:56:00.000+02:002007-04-06T17:07:15.976+02:00Old EuropeDonald Rumsfeld may be gone but Old Europe appears to be alive and well in the minds of some other US opinion formers. Dan Bilefsky of The International Herald Tribune has headed to Aarschot and returned with a piece entitled <em><a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/03/news/belgium.php">Pining for power, modern Belgians return to the Middle Ages</a></em><br /><br />Apparently..."Across this country of 10 million, a growing number of Belgians are trading in their jeans for suits of armor. They are rubbing stones together to make fire, eating their dinners out of cauldrons, re-enacting heroic battles and participating in mock hangings."<br /><br />I know a fair few people who have visited the Rubens museum but has anybody noticed any of this slightly more extreme sort of carry on? Has it really become a "national passion"?Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-75608492828665361522007-04-03T16:22:00.000+02:002007-04-03T16:26:39.231+02:00Never Never LandI do not intend to become a repository for youtube clips so i promise i will try to write something original in the not too distant. In the meantime, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9uHhLe6WE0">a reminder</a> that sometimes it is good when promises are broken...Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32285346.post-34591785337073711882007-04-02T15:24:00.001+02:002007-04-02T15:27:05.628+02:00Lost in Translation<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncirovhlQcw">this</a> could liven up a few of those European Parliament debates....Hercéhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08379889155246509026noreply@blogger.com1