A Famous Belgian

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Cowboy Ron, thou dust go too far, prompting me to make a list of 10 good things about Brussels and Belgium:

 

7. Ostend has an excellent pavement.

 

Only the one? I counted four worthy of mention.

 

 

Um... to add to Godot's excellent list, it does have one of the greatest motor racing circuit in the world. It also makes excellent (if somewhat pricy) chocolate.

It is also easy to get out of to somewhere better.

 

It's Luxembourg I can't stand. What a complete waste of a country. It should be invaded by the Belgian Resistence.

[Monoclinic 39]

Okay, so I'm just going to have to add my piece now, am I not?

 

When I first arrived here all I seemed to do was curse and swear and say "but it's not like that in England", then I swiftly realised you just have to go with the flow. (Ignore anything I may have posted in room 101 to the contrary, it must have been a bad day) No matter where you go in this world you will stumble across strange bureaucracy and different systems - vive la difference as they say! Believe me there will be a lot of things I shall hate about the UK when my time here is up. Now that my departure is in sight I can't help but feel sad about all the lovely people I shall be leaving behind.

 

In conjunction with this thread I've been thinking about my 10 best bits of Belgium so here goes, in no particular order:

 

1. Fête de Wallonie and its Peket.

 

2. The Ardennes, beats The New Forest hands down - I live just on the outskirts but since I no longer have my car here I've been missing this for quite some time... La Roche, Bouillon, Rochefort...

 

3. Girly Beer - Kreik and Framboise are great substitutes for Cider.

 

4. Any excuse for a parade, from the sublime to the ridiculous, stilt walkers, water jousting, 2 hour pageants, Carnival week...

 

5. The ability to still exist without the need of a government. ( 148 days and counting since the General election)

 

6. The Flemish towns of Leuven, Bruges and Ghent with their gables and towers

 

7. Canals that don't contain shopping trolleys, wellies, plastic bags...

 

8. A health care system that works (okay so the level of taxation accounts for this but number 8 makes up for this)

 

9. Not being ripped off everytime you set foot on a train, in a supermarket, in a restaurant

 

10. Being able to wake up and say to yourself what shall I do today? Oh I know lets pop to Germany/Holland/France/Luxembourg...

 

I agree that the Manniken pis is a lot smaller than you'd expect and generally best avoided as there's usually some drunken stag party lurking around the corner or someone trying to flog you novelty shaped chocolates but never say they don't have a sense of humour.

 

Jeanneke pis

 

Edited November 6, 2007 by Notapotato
The big image was causing some problems for some folks.

[Godot 149]

Wonderful list Mono. I was tempted to put the Ardennes on my list too but for some reason my brain was invaded by words in gothic script: like Panzer and Blitzkrieg. Funny how some places retain a kind of indelible association. With the New Forest it's ponies for me.

[Anubis the Jackal 77]

My uncle encountered a New Forest pony once. Unfortunately for both him and Dobbin, he was doing 55mph on a Honda at the time.

 

He's still alive, although he was a few weeks in hospital. The pony, however is currently holding some wallpaper on a wall somewhere.

 

With the New Forest it's ponies for me.

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

9. Ghent has a very fine alter piece (by Van Eyck)

Mono also had something nice to say about Ghent, so maybe one has to be there a bit longer to experience all its wonderfulness. I once dated a woman who lived near Ghent and during one visit there was so little to do we went to the movies all three nights I was in town. In fact, the only thing I remember fondly about the weekend was that her Dad not only liked Melrose Place, but that his favourite character was the scheming Michael.

[Anubis the Jackal 77]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

 

 

 

I once dated a woman who lived near Ghent

[Tuber Mirum 125]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

[Monoclinic 39]

9. Ghent has a very fine alter piece (by Van Eyck)

Mono also had something nice to say about Ghent, so maybe one has to be there a bit longer to experience all its wonderfulness. I once dated a woman who lived near Ghent and during one visit there was so little to do we went to the movies all three nights I was in town. In fact, the only thing I remember fondly about the weekend was that her Dad not only liked Melrose Place, but that his favourite character was the scheming Michael.

 

The thing that's good about Ghent is it is a more realistic Flemish town. By that I mean less inundated with little old ladies on a SAGA coach trip buying lace. Something that chocolate box Brugge has in spades and there is nothing more annoying than tourists.

 

PS - Sorry to break up the flow of the limerick, hopefully some kind mod will move it.

[Alphonsin 1]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

 

A policeman came by

[Anubis the Jackal 77]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

 

A policeman came by

with a glint in his eye

[Tuber Mirum 125]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

 

A policeman came by

with a glint in his eye.

What a lucky young lady from Ghent!

[Alphonsin 1]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

 

A policeman came by

with a glint in his eye

Who said "Ik wil graag een naar Kent"

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,218]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

 

A policeman came by

with a glint in his eye

and said

"Get yer draws off luv, you've pulled"

[halleluyahjohntudor 5]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

 

A policeman came by

with a glint in his eye

 

Though he'd given up ladies for Lent.

[Death Watch Beatle 41]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

 

A policeman came by

with a glint in his eye

 

but luckily turned out to be bent!

 

DWB

[halleluyahjohntudor 5]

There was a young lady from Ghent....

Who was loitering once, with intent

 

A policeman came by

with a glint in his eye

 

but luckily turned out to be bent!

 

DWB

 

It doesn't quite scan. In any case, there is no evidence that Belgian policeman are more prone to the acceptance of pecuniary inducements than any other continental sleuths.

[Madame Defarge 21]

There was a young lady from Ghent

Who was loitering once, by intent.

A policeman came by

with a glint in his eye

but his boodle* was already spent.

 

*No real evidence that Belgian police are more likely to take bribes, either...

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

There was a young lady from Ghent

Who once dated a chap born in Kent

Her country was boring

So he ended up snoring

Every time that he went

[maryportfuncity 10,639]

Dunno about a famous Belgian, but - as of yesterday - the whole country has gone 150 days without a proper government, since the various parties charged with the job of governing can't agree how they'll do it.

 

I think the European record is the Netherlands going 209 days from election to agreeing the make up of a government in the late 90s.

[Monoclinic 39]

For Belgian harmony, let's not forget the poetry of Wallonie...

 

There was a strange man from Bastogne,

Who had discontent with his groin,

Each time he would fiddle,

The poor man would dribble...

[Cowboy Ronnie 78]

Dunno about a famous Belgian, but - as of yesterday - the whole country has gone 150 days without a proper government, since the various parties charged with the job of governing can't agree how they'll do it.

 

I think the European record is the Netherlands going 209 days from election to agreeing the make up of a government in the late 90s.

 

I thought Italy hasn't had a functioning government since they slung Il Duce up like a straw man and changed sides in the war. Again.

[Monoclinic 39]

Dunno about a famous Belgian, but - as of yesterday - the whole country has gone 150 days without a proper government, since the various parties charged with the job of governing can't agree how they'll do it.

 

I think the European record is the Netherlands going 209 days from election to agreeing the make up of a government in the late 90s.

 

I thought Italy hasn't had a functioning government since they slung Il Duce up like a straw man and changed sides in the war. Again.

 

 

Within the last hour it's got worse. I won't bore you with details I can't quite fathom myself but everyone seems to be intently listening to the radio/internet this afternoon whilst us foreigners carry on regardless.

 

For those that might care and speak a little French...

 

Someone has told me they seriosuly think today is the beginning of the end of his oountry...exciting times eh?

[maryportfuncity 10,639]

Also an exciting opportunity.

 

Maybe we should have a DL International thread, speculating on which is the next soveriegn territory facing demise.

[Godot 149]

Even Belgium deserves its 15 minutes of fame. I'm sure it will get over it and fade once more in to amiable obscurity. If only those politicians knew it, here is one of the few opportunties they will get in life to earn the kind of fame that gets people deathlisted. The clock is ticking. Somehow I can't see any of them making it.

[Monoclinic 39]

I don't know how long this will last before ebay pulls it, however one Belgian president is up for sale.