A Pinay in Europe

Belgium is the home of Tintin in “The Adventures of Tintin” comics

Because it is the headquarters of the European Union, Belgium is officially known as the Capital of Europe! What the heck! How can it be when 95% of their business establishments don’t even honor the internationally accepted Visa cards! All petrol stations in the country do not accept Visa cards! only their very own Bancontact card! so how can other Europeans driving past the country be expected to re-fill their tanks? (tip: go to neighbouring Luxembourg, it is the country in Europe selling the cheapest petrol!).

Belgium is second to Switzerland as a CASH society (Germany is a runner-up!) The country is deluded with restaurants but only a few accept credit cards!

Their tv ads are stupid! so gross! imagine watching on primetime a seriously obese man wearing tongs! Tongs or string bikini showing the two cheeks of his butt!

The houses in the old town are okay, a mix of architecture from the 17th century. But as soon as you get out of the town, it’s like everything goes - from a melange of boring red brick houses to concrete slabs - no character at all!

chateau-like houses like this dot the capital

Last Sunday, with nothing to do, we decided to go driving and explore some pretty charming villages (if there are!). Following the sign of a seemingly nice name of a town, we drove and found it. Hardly two minutes of walking, me, armed with a camera, i swear i couldn’t stand the boredom any longer, i had to get back to the car.. quick! this is not an exaggeration!… i am stating a fact! The country is so boring that in the past, we used to spend our weekends driving past the border - to Lille, a chic French town: or to Luxembourg which is two hours away, or to Aachen in Germany (which is another story to tell!).

Tomorrow, we are driving to the Ardennes, the supposedly-beautiful foresty French region. hmmm… remains to be seen

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Belgium is a country of two nations - the Dutch/Flemish speaking North and the French speaking south. These two do not like each other so much that they even have their own French and Flemish regions even in Brussels, a city the same size as Quezon City. Always at odds, but the only thing they share is their dislike towards the Dutch and the French.

We are driving a French-registered car so we are always honked on the road, bullied if you may say. Upon arriving here some two weeks ago, we parked in a seemingly nice open space. the second day, one of the headlights was smashed - intentionally - a “subtle” way of saying ‘Get out of our carpark!’. On another occasion, we saw a Parisian car (you know by the last two digits - 75) and it was repeatedly honked and honked! poor Parisian!

So one minute you are driving at a Flemish area where all the signs are in Dutch, then in another five minutes, all signs are in French! Some three years ago, we wanted to join a gym and we found one in the Flemish area. all the flyers and all information are in Dutch! It’s like saying…..”this establishment is for Flemish only!”

Brugges, in the north of Belgium, is a Flemish region.

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The Mannekin Pis 

If Eiffel Tower is the symbol of France, the statue of the Pissing Boy, the Mannekin Pis, is the symbol of Belgium.

Story goes that he saved Brussels from burning because he pissed on the fire meant to burn the city!

My own version would be - and those with Belgian husbands and Belgian sons-in-law, don’t get mad at me, I am only speaking at what i observe - it represents what the Belgians are! just pissing everywhere they want to! (Bayani Fernando should go to Belgium!). But in fairness, they are not the only Europeans who pee everywhere, the French are just as bad! On driving on French roads, a lot of times we see men, stopping their cars, turn their backs from the road, no cover, and just pee…to all their hearts’ content! with no care even if a whole load of people are walking pass.

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A very stressful work week, so how do you make the most out of your weekend… in Brussels?

GO SWIMMING!

- the best way to de-stress! i swear, i saw my hubby looking 10 years younger as soon as he got out of the water!

the public indoor pool is just a 15-minute walk from the flat. consider the walk as part of the exercise regime, also saves money on metro ticket! so while the hubby swam, i was in a room doing the stretching alongside other ladies.

by the way, for you parents out there, it’s really fun to take your little kids go swimming with you on weekends. how cute it is watching those daddies being hugged by their defenseless little girls and boys in the water… i cannot explain but try it and you will find out what i mean!

… a family tip courtesy of mariadams

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If i am given a free one day holiday and asked to choose between Amsterdam and Brussels, I would choose Amsterdam because i just find it much much prettier, with its canals and bicycles and flowers markets and architecture (but bring your own food because Dutch food is tasteless!)

So okay, but you are sent by your company to attend a seminar in Brussels, might as well make the most out of it! The Grand Place and the few alleys surrounding it is the place to go. Go on a good sunny day (it’s mostly grey in this part of Europe) so you can take photos of the beautiful buildings on the square. Go back at night so you can watch the light and sound show where the town hall building lights up in different colours, dancing with the music of Bach, Mozart, etc.

Brussels can well take pride of its food! Eating is their favorite pastime and restaurants are simply everywhere even in small communities like where we live. Wall-to-wall dining is what they call of the narrow alleys just outside of the Grand Place, because both sides are packed with tables where diners are eating elbow-to-elbow, slurping their mussels accompanied by crispy french fries! Dining in Brussels is so much fun! At reasonable prices, you can get a 3-course meal, with accompanying “amuse-bouche” or appetizer served à la 5-star! On the other hand, if you are really scrimping on the Euros, go to Chinatown, behind the Marriott Hotel in town where you can find Hongkong style eateries.

Belgian chocolates - if the Swiss make tasty chocolates, I think the Belgians make them best!  Their famous snack is the “gaufre” or Belgian waffle dipped in chocolate.

And of course, their beer! I don’t really drink beer, after my first taste in high school of San Miguel beer, followed by some adventurous sip of Singha, Budweiser or Heineken… I swore..never again! but Leffe light…..it’s sooo mild for me! On a hot summer’s day, an icy cold Leffe soothes my thirst more than coke!

If you see the Stella Artois sign outside of bars, that is a Belgian beer!

Belgian beer

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The most beautiful square in the world - “Grand Place” in French or “Grote Markt” in Flemish.

Because of some chaos in the square to which some policemen arrived, even the chefs took time out from the kitchen to see what was happening…

There!  I went to town this morning to take a photo of the most beautiful square in the world!

But in truth and in fact, as soon as you get out of Brussels, all the rest is a boring country!  If not for work, this is the last place in Europe where you can find us.

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Guys, have you tried the Aquagym?

You should! it’s not only healthy, it’s fun! and for me, I can already feel the difference after one session!
The Sports Club is just a Metro stop away from our flat so today, I also went for the body-sculpting.

So for you all out there who just arrived in a place and don’t know what to do and don’t know anybody… the best start is to join activities like this. This is where you meet up people who eventually become your friends. Like today, at the changing room, parang United Nations, I already made friends with an American, a Belgian and a French.. all housewives!

Brussels - like London and Paris - is a very cosmopolitan city. Mas marami pa nga yata’ng foreigners kaysa sa Belgians! And there are many Asians, too - Chinese, Japanese, Thais, etc. Because this is the seat of the European Parliament and the NATO Headquarters, there are many diplomats living here, so many countries represented, and they bring their entire families too, hence the multi-cultural mix.

Last Sunday, we went to a Thai Festival held at a big square. Oh my gosh! we felt like we were in Bangkok that day! - the colourful costumes, the Thai dance, the Thai massage, the fruit and vegetable carving and most of all, Thai food and Thai delicacies! It’s been 5 years since our last Thai holiday and after seeing that place, we are raring to go back for a good long visit to our favorite Asian country again!

That day, the place was teeming with people! Belgian/European husbands came with their Asian or Thai wives and their cute mixed-looking children.  It’s amazing to be surrounded by Asians, makes me feel homesick!  A group of Asian looking people joined our table while husband and I were feasting on Tom Yan.  Then they were speaking in Tagalog! “Are you Filipino?” I asked. It turned out, they are from the Philippine Embassy based in Brussels. I asked if there is any plan to do a similar thing because this festival organized by the Thai Embassy is definitely a big success!  All the food kiosks are being queued up! They (the Phil Embassy people) said they are looking at preparing something for December, too bad! I am going to miss it!
 

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What’s the difference between the two images?

The first one is the Swiss flag sign….the second, the Red Cross sign.

The use of the red cross on a white background, which is actually the Swiss flag reversed, was granted to the International Red Cross to commemorate the organization founded by Henri Dunant, citizen of Geneva ([url]http://www.eda.admin.ch/washington_emb/e/home/geninf/flag.html[/url])

From the chaotic and un-landscaped Italian expressway, the scenery gradually changes into that of green rolling meadows, pine trees, farms that are spotlessly clean with their logs perfectly stacked up and of course, all those mountains that Switzerland is known for.We always saw Switzerland in her all-snow glory (and that I strongly advise that you visit it when the mountains are covered in snow…It’s magical! It’s like stepping into a postcard!)

Switzerland in winter

This time - in October, which is still mild - the mountains are green with vegetation but dotted with the orange, yellow and red colours of trees that will soon shed their leaves in the winter.

You know that you are in Switzerland when you hear the tinkling of bells coming from cows. These bells which are hanging from cows’ necks have become a Swiss icon, similar to the cuckoo clock which originated from there. And you bet, we had seen so much cows in just one day, not only in the meadows but also within residential areas, practically peeking at someone else’s windows.  So if you think cattle is only prevalent in India, you are mistaken!

Lucerne in October

Because of the 3 countries bordering Switzerland (Liechtenstein is the 4th but too small to influence it - only 33,000 inhabitants in a 160sqkm of land) - France, Italy and Germany - the architecture, language,food, culture, etc change accdg to which region you are. We have been to French-influenced Montreaux, the German-influenced Zurich, the Italian-influenced Lugano and what a big variation of everything - as if Switzerland itself is really a part of France, a part of Germany, or a part of Italy but since it is not, the common denominator is ORDER - CLEANLINESS - PERFECTION - PRECISION! For example, those unmaintained-looking Renaissance architecture in Italy (which i find charming anyway) will be perfectly painted, no speck of stain whatsoever in Lugano, Switzerland. Maganda pa rin pero nawalan na ng Italian charm!

They have 4 official languages - German, French, Italian and Rumantsch, hence road/store/food/etc signs and labels are translated into 4, even 5 to include English!

We stopped in Lucerne and the first thing we noticed is the artistic nature of the people who have inhabited the place centuries ago. Most buildings in the old town are painted with frescoes!

frescoes

a village square

Did you know ….
- that all Swiss homes and public buildings like schools and hospitals have underground shelters where they can hide themselves in case of war or even a nuclear attack! that these shelters are well equipped with food, water and all necessary things for survival whilst underground.
- that all homes keep guns for self-protection. all able-bodied men between 20-30 are registered in the army and issued with a rifle in the event of an alert

Switzerland is a CASH society. Our visa/mastercards are mostly left unused except when withdrawing cash from ATM machines, but withdrawing is very limited as the minimum amount of choice are either 20 CHF (Swiss Franc) which is 16 USD or 100 CHF or 79 USD.
In getting into a shop, restaurant or a hotel, always look if the visa/mastercard/amex/JCB etc card signs are stuck by the door or window, if not, then you are most likely be asked to pay in cash!

Unlike in France, Italy and Belgium, fashion doesn’t seem to be a national pastime, at least in Lucerne. People here are dressed more for comfort rather than for the show.

We were looking forward to a nice meal. There are lots of international restaurants around the lake that it is very difficult to guess which one would be good. (I compare scouting for good restaurants to looking for a wife or a husband - sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you get so unhappy!)

Menus with their prices are displayed outside of restaurants. All prices are way too high, but since we are in Switzerland, we thought… “oh what the heck! let’s have a greal meal!” A nicely decorated Italian restaurant attracted our attention. Even the indoor decor was charming - with huge candle chandeliers and hanging pots of plants on the ceiling. We ordered lasagna and a half-bottle of red wine. When our order came, at the ridiculous price written on the menu, the plate (or shall i say the steel bowl where it was served was too disappointingly small for our hunger! ) The cheese was so overcooked it was almost melted rubber! and the taste of steel (on the bowl) seem to have gotten incorporated in the tomato sauce. it was so unpleasant, the ugliest lasagna i have ever had!

The waitress came and asked if the food is alright - without hesitation I said “NO! the cheese is like rubber!”

waitress: but i see that you have eaten it all!
me: because it is so expensive, i might as well finish it!
waitress: you could have told us, we could have given you another one!
me: oh really? ok, next time!

my husband swear that he saw her face getting red! that was the last time we saw the back of her. feeling that we are now getting ignored, we decided to go to the counter where we paid our bill.

Lesson of the story: Never eat around lakes, rivers etc of a big town. the food is usually crap and expensive! It’s usually the small family-run restaurants away from the crowd that offers very good value for your money.

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This is not the first time we have passed through Switzerland.  The two Swiss border stickers in the car’s windshield says we went thru it twice and hence, no more passport check except that we have to pay 30 Swiss Francs for a 2006 sticker.  The sticker is valid for a year and regardless who is inside the car, even your newly arrived grandmother from the province won’t probably get visa-checked anymore, as long as the car she is riding has the Swiss border sticker on it.  The more sticker, the more ease in getting past the border! Continue Reading »

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It is supposed to be a 3-month assignment in Belgium so for the nth time, we will be setting up a home away from home (which is France).  Driving from the south of France up to the north - where Belgium borders the northeastern part of France - takes 12 hours according to mappy.com.   But instead of taking the usual route of traversing the Hexagon (France is so-called because of its shape) in a straight vertical line, we opted to take the more diverse route - crossing through Italy, Switzerland, back to France, Luxembourg then Belgium.

First country to traverse - Italy
 
If you want to live longer, for goodness’ sake, don’t drive in Italy!
Italian drivers are suicidal!  Traffic lights are treated as a form of street lighting;  cars ahead are bumped like toys;  overtaking on double lines on a tunnel road is the norm;  cars on your left will suddenly swerve in front of you to go to the right, with no warning whatsoever;  national roads are turned into carparks, and one of the stupefying sights we saw, a motorbike driving away from you but its tail lights in white instead of red!  It’s crazy!  We were on the edge of our seats the whole time that we were on the road and it didn’t help that there are not enough directional signs to lead you where you should go! yeah! We got lost in Turin! driving for more than two hours - round and round while trying to save our lives! We knew that we were following the same circular direction for the simple reason that we kept driving past some painted women (prostitutes) for about 3 -4 times !

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