I have to mention that I wrote everything and after that, I selected the pictures. After selecting the pictures, I realized that it has been a very good year, I've seem so many places, meet so many incredible people, learned so much ... so really..."bad" things don't really matter. "Bad things" are so meaningless in this case.
So please enjoy the pictures taken in the past 10 months in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany.
I'll start with the bad things ... it's always easier to criticize, right?
Things I don't like in Belgium (especially Brussels)?
Let's start with the fact that today I've been told at 18:10 that I cannot try anymore some clothes because they have to close ... at 18:30! Maybe I should also mention that it was not at all a huge store. Don't try to explain that there is time, they get irritated.
Ok, say like them and do like you. They closed the fitting room? I tried the sweaters directly in the store. I had plenty of time to look for other clothes, pay and...guess what? I left the store at 18:25!
This happens almost in every store ... of course it's not their business, otherwise they would treat the clients differently.
This is a good time to make the connection with the fact that even the French teacher (Belgian) told us that Belgians are considered stupid, that's why we're gonna hear so many jokes on that.
Do I consider them stupid? Let's not overreact. I simply think that the society offered so much, that they don't have to think! They know to do things they face every day. If you get them out of their usual habits, they get completely lost.
We complain that people in Bucharest get in the tram and stop near the door, blocking the entrance, even though they could let other people in. Here is the same. Well, the only difference is that here I've never seen a bus as crowded as tram 41.
As long as I'm talking about how crowded is Brussels, let me tell you that people complain here that the traffic in Brussels is awful. Really? Come to Bucharest. It took me even 2 hrs to get to work.
And step by step, I'm getting to good things. One thing I love about Brussels is the architecture. You can rarely see high buildings; most of the houses are 4 levels at most.
The old town is amazing, starting with the Grand Place, considered the most beautiful market in Europe. No wonder that these public and private houses composing the Grand Place are part of UNESCO World Heritage.
Actually, all the towns visited by me in Belgium have big markets rounded by the same style of houses. Well, the style is not the same, but the final image is similar.
Earlier, I said that people are complaining that the traffic is bad. Of course I don't agree. I believe that all towns should have ... two ring roads. Ok, most of the towns have one ring road, but Brussels has another one, that rounds the center. And one another great fact: they have built tunnels, for avoiding traffic lights and leave the parks intact.
I have one famous park close to my place (Park Cinquantenaire), very well taken care of. Many people are running here every day; actually, I see people running during the lunch break, or going to gym, or simply riding a bike. One thing's for sure: sport is an import part of their life.
Let's talk now about the weather. Well ... I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing. People kept telling me that the rain is going to drive me crazy, but the weather was not like that at all. Except for the summer, when it was not as hot as in Romania, (we even had some really cold days), I cannot complain.
During the spring, while Romania was facing some storms, we were enjoying a really nice weather here. Now it's February. I just spoke with my mom and I can tell I do not miss at all Romania and the minus 27 degrees these days. I'm so enjoying the zero degrees here (two days ago, the temperature was around 7 degrees).
And here I am, mixing the good and bad part of Brussels. Which makes me add that I love and hate at the same time the mixture of nations living in Brussels. Why love? I love to see so many different people, to find out about their own cultures ... to observe the differences between them.
Why hate? If there's a problem in I don't know which country, the people from that country living here are going to have a strike. Why would I care? Because it's not nice to hear that they fired cars, broke windows ... You simply don't want to be there.
As a matter of fact, I don't know how many Belgians live in Brussels. I met only a few of Belgians, but lots of foreigners!
Another thing I love and hate is referring to the cubic stone. Don't laugh. I love it because it works well with the old houses, but it ruins my shoes. Ok, this sounds stupid, I know, but trust me, my shoes are suffering.
And here I get back to the good stuff. I've never seen so many authentic restaurants in one place. Russian, Thai, Moroccan, Mexican, Ethiopian? No problem, come to Brussels. And the most important fact: they are all family businesses, so expect to see Polish people cooking in a Polish restaurant.
I guess that if you search "what to do in Belgium", chocolate and beer would come as suggestions. No question about it. Beer and chocolate are so much better here. I wasn't a big fan of any, but now ... well, I keep trying and of course enjoying them. Can you blame me?
If you plan a trip to Brussels, I highly recommend you to rent a car or take the train to Bruges and Ghent (at least!). If you have more time, go to Antwerp, Oostende (or Knokke, De Haan for the beach and not only beach).
Belgium is not a big country. Lucky me, 'cause I can easily get to Paris (300 km), Amsterdam (200), Luxembourg (230 km), Cologne (215 km), London (4.5 hours by car).
One thing I have just discovered it that trains are cheap, fast and comfortable. From Brussels to Antwerp I paid 13 euro both ways and one trip takes 30 minutes. The train gets you in the center of the town, you don't have to worry about the parking and you get to see the marvelous train station. Trust me, it's breathtaking.
I still have many things in my mind, most of them positive, but this post is starting to look like a book.
So, last but not at all least: many people moved here with their work. Which means a bunch of people eager to go out, to visit, to make friends, to have fun.
If I draw the line, yes, the good things beat the bad ones. And it's definitely an interesting and positive experience.
