Behind the scenes

I’ve been quite quiet recently. It’s because I’ve been plotting and planning something that has stretched me in all sorts of directions. Yesterday it came to fruition. I signed a contract on a luxury 70 sq. m. flat in Brussels: for the same price I pay for a piece of, lets just say, sub-prime accommodation and an office in Holland that together offer me a glorious 45 sq. m.

It’s been almost two months of plotting and planning but last night I had the keys and slept there. Still two weeks before I move, three weeks before I close the flat in Wageningen but it feels like ‘job done’. Touch wood the whole thing has gone smoothly so far- two issues remain- putting the final details to what I hope will be a memorable leaving party and working out whether I should / have to change my car insurance / number plates to the Belgian system. It’s too late to worry about that tonight.

Instead I went out with a friend to celebrate. In typical Belgian style we ate at nine-thirty and in keeping with the international ambience we ate a la Roumanie. A hearty meal – we didn’t even make it to dessert. There are so many good and affordable restaurants in Brussels and eating out is a very strong part of the culture. In Holland I eat out about once a month – here it averages twice a week. It’s what people do – part of the ‘South European mentality” – even though geographically Brussels is only 100k from Holland it has an entirely different vibe. People ask me if Brussels is expensive. That aspect of life certainly pushes up the monthly spend.

The future’s bright. The future’s not just Orange.

Back To Brussels part 2

Other highlights of my visit to Brussels included getting familiar with, and beginning to master, the city's labyrinth of road tunnels - with roller coaster contouring and multiple entries and exits.


I wouldn't have felt at all confident about mastering (or even taking on)this network without my newly acquired Tom-Tom. I do wonder how they work underground when they refuse to work, or give a location reading, when I am in a building.

A friend came to join me for the last couple of days and we enjoyed a couple of galleries and I was able to demonstrate my new-found prowess in navigating the metro and trams to get us to an out-of-the city centre gallery. Located in a former brewery in a run down neighbourhood, WIELS had a wonderful exhibition by Wangechi Mutu an artist with African roots who explores the paradoxes of a world in flux and the changing and conflicting identity of African women. We were both captivated by her subject matter and the broad range of styles and the techniques that she employs. Definitely a name to watch out for (tip for London-based readers- she has a solo exhibition there in the autumn). The afternoon was rounded off by a healthy, hearty and extremely cheap lunch in the gallery cafeteria that almost floored me and left me wanting a light and late supper (not that such a thing as a light supper exists in Brussels).




On our last night in the city the cycling theme reemerged as hundreds of skaters and cyclist congregated on the inner ring for a 'critical mass' ride. These events -which started off as protest bike rides - have now turned into regular social nights in which the young and fit reclaim the streets - effectively bringing large parts of a city's road system to a grinding halt and creating a safe environment for cycling and skating and one hell of a party.