I’m not crazy

the world is. At least I don’t see another explanation for this subheading:

“A group of West Country Cheesemakers attempt to set a new record by launching the first Cheddar into space.”

Full article on BBC.

Irrelevant coincidence

Both, in Brussels and in Grenoble, the free workshop where everybody can come over and repair bikes is located in rue de Londres.

Summer cycling

Despite the concrete buildings and the huge amount of people in summer, the Belgian cost can be very nice if only you take a bike and a friend with you and cycle around. No need to emphasize that good weather makes a difference too…

Anyway, we took the train to Knokke and after a short stop at the tourist office where a very helpful and kind lady answered all our questions, we went up north, always direction of the Netherlands, noticing hardly the crossing of the border. It’s a wide, open land with large dunes, white soft sand and low trees and bushes resisting the ever blowing wind.

The weather was warm and sunny; we even went for a swim in the sea… Once you are actually in the water, it feels good; to get in is the challenge.

After an additional side trip in the inner country along the canals, a stop for ice cream and another stop at an amazingly beautiful flower meadow, the sitting places in the return train to BXL were more than welcome.

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Acquaintance

I wonder why earlier today I felt obliged to say hello to this guy. True, we were both Erasmus students in Grenoble an eternity 7 years ago but we hardly had any contact then. I haven’t seen him since, I don’t know what he is doing and, to be honest, I don’t care. But then again, running into each other, we awkwardly exchanged a few banalities before continuing  our respective lives. Still, not doing it, would have been… I don’t know what actually.

On an unrelated matter: This is a very beautful picture of la Grande Place at night time.

Picking fleas

And scratching the back of higher ranked individuals, is what monkeys do to increase the group spirit and their chances for social accession.

During the firework on Tuesday, I was wondering why human beings like to come together in thousands to enjoy fireworks, concerts, and other entertainment on national days. Hope you enjoy sharing this thought…

I really don’t know

1. How a Watchtower journal from 2002 finished in the entrance of my building.
2. What language this is….

Anybody?

Linguistic drinking habits

Alcohol has a positive influence on my capacity to speak Dutch as I was pleased to find out recently at a party. I remember the very nice conversation with a Dutch couple though I couldn’t say what it was about. Alcohol never had this influence on my English or French. Until today, I better speak these two languages sober.

Ik heb me gedacht dat jij dat heel interesseert.

Really

Friends and colleagues had warned me with a pitiful smile. If a Belgian service provider says that the installation of phone, Internet, TV, whatever, will take place between 8 and 12 in the morning; the chances of the installation team showing up are hazardous at the best. Based on the experience of other people, it is apparently perfectly possible to spend two if not three mornings at home waiting for a service provider never to come.

However, once they had entered my apartment, it was a bit weird to have these two guys there , talking about their job, the color of the company t-shirts and the annoying boss as if I were simply not present. They only realised that I eventually was when I had to sign several papers with the mention “read and approved” signing my soul over to the devil finally getting my very own high speed Internet connection at home.

It was about time.

New record

Within less than 30 minutes asked by 3 people in 3 different languages where Grand Place is.

What has become of the good old skill of map reading?

Psychodelic

I went to see “Terribly happy” mainly because of “Adam’s apples”. “Adam’s apples” is a Danish movie I watched in 2006 in Berlin and an extraordinary examples of black, politically incorrect humour. I loved it. When I read the review of the Danish movie “Terribly happy” describing it as a mix of horror, western and black, politically incorrect humour, I knew what I had to do.

It is a weird story of a young cop which is relocated in the middle of nowhere in Denmark where cows and cars miraculously disappear in the marécages and where people don’t like it at all when you meddle with their business. The cop doesn’t get on well with the local bully but very well with the wife of his. Which, obviously, is not going to help and makes things going as wrong as they possibly could.

I don’t know what kind of grass they smoke up there but it has some powerful effects.