The meaning of (my) life: brussels

Showing posts with label brussels. Show all posts

A walk in the woods

I went out to the British supermarket in Kortenberg today. It's a 20 minute drive from where I live, so I don't get out there too often, but when I do it's like Christmas :)

I love British food, British brands, the homely feeling I get when I pick up a packet of oatcakes or a jar of Sunpat peanut butter (imagine I live without those things on a daily basis here!) and I do treat myself when I get out there. Walking into the store is like travelling back home :)

I was also interested in trying out some of the WW foods I'd read about on the 5+ WW board, and they had a really large selection, which was cool. I got a packet of WW naan bread and a jar of WW korma sauce, so will try those out tomorrow for dinner.

On the way back home from the store, I have to drive through some woods, and today I really felt like getting out and going for a walk, so I did.

Walking in the nature isn't something I get to do a lot here in Belgium, which is a pity as I enjoy it so much. But the reality is that there just aren't that many green spaces where you can take a walk and clear your head with no one else around. In fact, if you take my imaginary list of the "Top 10 Things I Hate About Belgium", number one would be the fact it's so over-populated (other items being their apparent inability to queue and the fact they eat their chips with mayonnaise instead of vinegar).

I grew up in Shetland... a place where you can go for a 3 hour walk without seeing a soul. You can sit on a rock and look out to sea and rebuild the world without anyone bursting your bubble. It's heaven. Here, the moment the sun comes out, it's as if every acre of forest or field is immediately populated by 5 families complete with pushchairs and dogs and a bunch of people on horses...

Misanthropic remarks aside, I guess I just find it difficult to feel "at one" with the nature around me when I'm sharing it with 20 other people...

Luckily today it was still really cold, so I only ran into 1 pushchair family, 2 people on horses and a couple of other lonely wanderers while I was out.

The walk was worth it though, and I find the woods in the winter emit a special kind of energy, with the majestic trees standing proud and barren amid a blanket of brown leaves... it was really quite beautiful.

I also managed this spooky Blair-witch project-type picture of myself... lol

Sunset

The end of another day of amazingly warm weather.

Eating out: Skievelat

Last night I met up with some friends at the Skievelat, a "brasserie" type resto-bar near the Sablon. We had a few drinks, dinner and then some more drinks and had a really enjoyable evening. I love the atmosphere at the Skievelat, with loud music and dimmed lights, and the fact they serve delicious, cheap food and know how to make a mojito.

Tom's One Man Show

Tonight I went to see "J'ai jamais compris", a one man show by a friend's brother.

The friend, who I went to high school with, has spent the last few years developing a career managing and producing upcoming comedians. His brother Tom has the same bug and recently wrote his own show. It was a really good evening, fun show and opportunity to catch up with friends I don't see enough of.

He has a few more dates planned, and I would definitely recommend going to see him!

http://tom.mediamorphose.com/

Sunrise today

I'm up earlier than usual this morning so was able to catch the sun coming up.

The Atomium

Last week I had the opportunity to rediscover some of the more touristy areas of Brussels with my 8 year old nephew who was here for a weeks holiday.

One of the places we visited was the Atomium. This strange structure, composed of 9 huge balls representing an atom of iron, was built exactly 50 years ago, when Expo58 was held in Brussels.

You can go all the way up to the top, where there is also a restaurant - not recommended though - and look out over a good part of the north of Brussels. Interactive screens are supposed to let you zoom in for a closer view and point out landmarks, but when we were there they weren't really working.

4 other balls are open to visits, but don't really offer any interesting features, a part from a few exhibits about the construction and history of the Atomium.

What is impressive are the stairs and escalators that link the balls to one another. To reach the top ball, a lift with a see-through roof whizzes upwards at a pretty dizzying speed too.

I was glad we went on a week day, as it wasn't too crowded and we were able to enjoy the views. I wouldn't want to go there in high season, though. Lol.

Sunset over Brussels

I have an amazing view over Brussels from my apartment. The most fascinating thing about it is watching the sky change and seeing all the different colours and cloud formations. Better get used to the view cause I'll be posting a lot of pictures of it :)

The Votes on stage in VUB Kultuurkaffee

Last night the Votes performed in the VUB Kultuurkaffee, the center of student life for VUB students.

The Votes are a pretty new group - they started rehearsing about a year ago - but they've got really catchy songs and hopefully they'll go a long way.

You can check out their Myspace page to listen to their music: www.myspace.com/thevotes

Oh, and the drummer is my husband-to-be, but that doesn't mean I'm biased ;)

It was really nice being back in a student setting, weird as that may seem. The untidiness and lack of formality were so refreshing and brought me back to a simpler time, when playing card games and drinking beer were top priorities on your agenda.

I especially enjoy the way students dress. Well, I guess I still dress like that. Not really caring what you have on, as long as it's comfortable and doesn't smell too bad, lol.

Student life was perfect for me. I never went to lectures, preferring to spend my days chatting and playing cards, either in the Campouce or the Foyer, or on the lawn outside the library on a nice day. I'd basically arrive around 8, as I had to pretend I was going to class for my dad. On most days there'd be a steady flow of regular friends to chat with, and games of whist for mental exercise. Some days one of the "Cercles" would organise a "TD midi-minuit", or drinks and music from noon to midnight. Great opportunities for drinking games, passing out and arriving home drunk for dinner.

I just wish I'd chosen a more inspiring subject. Business School was nothing for me. I was attracted by the diversity of topics, but truthfully, none of them managed to captivate me. I would probably have spent more time in the auditorium if they had.

I'd love to go back to university. I'd study Psychology. And hang out in the Campouce playing cards. Of course, I'd basically be 12 years older than the other students in my year and I'm not sure anyone would be interested in hanging out with me, lol.