First visit : Amandine (20_22/07)

So, here's the second episode of the adventures of LpM, with Amandine who visited me, a friend working in Paris. This week was the week end of the national holiday, on Saturday the 21st. And the day before was the traditional national ball. So we went on the Place du Jeu de Balle to attend what was supposed to be the ball ... and actually we've seen a concert of the Magical Flying Thunderbirds, a really swinging Belgium band (HERE), playing covers from other bands (like U2, ...). That was a great concert, all the people enjoying to dance in the middle of the place.

Copyright http://www.themagicalflyingthunderbirds.be/

The day after that was the NATIONAL HOLIDAY, with a lot of events happening all around the city. The plan was to see as much as we could in the city.

The first stop was for the law court, that we could visit :

Then, direction the very centre, through Place de la Chapelle :


and Place Royale :


And you can't imagine how many people were there ...



I even almost lost Amandine, fortunately, there was a sign for lost chlidren ^^

After that, we wanted to go to the MIM (Museum of Musical Instruments), but we decided to keep it for the day after. So instead we've been to the Bozar Museum, where there was an pictures exhibition about engineering, called Ingenium, and free (thanks to the national day). All the technics were represented, from the beginning of the Earth to nowadays, from the beginning of science to its drifts, and the power and strength of the nature, and the will of the human being to control them. That's a really great exhibition, and some pictures are thought-provoking. Until the 9th of September, to see absolutely.

One picture from one photographer of the exhibition :

Copyright http://alexandrepomar.typepad.com/

Then, we crossed the Mont des Arts, from which we accessed the centre of the city, with the Grand Place :


Walking around in the city, from there to the Mannekenpis, we saw something that can make anybody crazy, at one condition ...

... that you like chocolate !!

On our way back to the apartment, we crossed nice streets, full of people, either eating ...

or going for a walk in parks (here the Parc d'Egmont)

The evening, tired of this walk in the centre, we just ... did nothing. But remained Sunday, full of sunshine (too). So there we visited the MIM, where you had a headphone and could listen music by infrared signals, from each instrument you saw behind the windows, from Western instruments to Asian ones.

MIM

Indian instruments

After the MIM, we went for a french fries cornet, and then, a walk and a ride :

Statue for the Jewish's martyrs from WW2

In the Parc du Centenaire, there's the equivalent of the Brandebur Tor in Berlin, symbol of the traffic between city and countryside

This park is great with other buildings around, among them the Army Museum (but that's not really great in itself).

Then, we pass through the Parc Léopold, where is situated the European Parliament. Apparently during the days of Europe, you can visit it, but we just saw the outside of it.

Inside of the park Léopold

After that, we went to the train station as the week end almost ended. All in all, I visited too the city, under the sun and enjoyed the national day :)

(LpM)

Already three weeks ...

... from 1st till 20th of July

So here I am, in Brussels, for the summer (we’ll come back to its definition later) and for an internship. Well, I wanted to find an English speaking country, but for now, I won’t complain.

Finding a place there hadn’t been too difficult, one or two ads interesting to which I answered, and I found a room in a house with 7 other people, mostly Belgium, students too, or almost. I felt that the place would be a nice one to stay, even if the girl who rented out the room told me it would be a bit messy. And actually it is; but regarding the people living there, their kindness and everything, I’ve never felt alone in a foreign country … and that’s pretty cool. To make me discover a bit the district, the first day they took me out to a pub close to the apartment, to have a few drinks only (wies beer, Orval, Tripel Karmeliet, …). That helps pretty well to know people :P

The first day of ‘work’ has been quite ok too, I met my supervisor, and the other guys working in the lab’, only French students, and mostly from the same engineering school close to Paris. Anyway, three of them were pretty nice from the beginning, so even there, I didn’t feel alone at all, quite well surrounded (even if there’s only one girl in the lab …).

From my place to the lab, I have to pass close to two small lakes, small place of quietness in the middle of the district I’m living in.

Concerning the summer, as I said before, here it’s needed to be defined … Apparently, the summer begins in May, with temperatures and weather quite good, takes a break in June until the 14^th of July; from there, the weather seems to be like summer. So at the very beginning, weather was like November’s.

During the first days, I took my marks, at work and in the house; and Tuesday the 3^rd, with my co-tenants, we’ve been to the center of the city, to see … hmm … Avril Lavigne, who came for an exceptional concert for the Wilkinson American Movie Day event, organised by a movie theatre. That was pretty fun (no pictures of her, sorry ^^), and Avril, even if she sings stuff that I don’t like (should I add anymore … no, I’m kidding), is pretty cute.


LES ARDENTES

For the first weekend, as we heard about a festival in Liège (about one hour from Brussels), Les Ardentes, we decided to go with the guys from the lab on Saturday. And personally,

I really appreciated it. The festival lasted 4 days, and the programme planning was really good. Leaving a bit later that was we expected, we arrived at 4pm ther,e missing The Datsuns and !!!. Anyway, once there, you could only enjoy it! Food and drinks everywhere, a lot of different choices, in one word appreciable. Moving from one scene to another, three total, I saw French, Belgium, and American bands (I think).

Drummer band

To begin with, Clinic : hiding their faces behind surgeon masks, post-punk band, playing on the Open Air stage. The only bad thing about them is that their sound was crappy, surely because of bad work on the balance of their instruments.

Clinic

Then, X-Makeena, french band, said to be between drum’n’bass, hip hop and dub. Well, I don’t
know how to define their music, but I liked it. We’ve only seen the end of them in a closed air stage, but that was great, really great.

Waiting for Mass Hysteria on the same stage, I’ve been to see the Infadels on the open air stage, an English band. I didn’t really like all their music, maybe I didn’t stay long enough. They’re said to mix the energy of The Clash to electro music.

Back on the other stage, Mass Hysteria. Industrial metal and tending to a more pop rock sound, they were fucking good. They played, as time constraint obliged them, one hour, but one hour full of energy.

A little bit later, The Others on the third stage play. Duo of DJ from Liège, these guys inflamed the stage with their mixes. Smoking cigarette on cigarette (lighting the next on the previous one), they heated up the audience very well.

Then, just to have a look, I’ve been to the other stage very close to see Joey Starr, coming back with what seems to be a more rock music. The jaguar, as he wants to be called now, has a very powerful sound, but I don’t know about the content …

After that, Ghinzu, THE band of the day I think, was there on the open air stage. Belgium band playing a very good rock, not knowing them from before, I really liked their set.

Ghinzu

Then came Martin Solveig, a very well known DJ, whose titles are mostly hits. Playing a house that inflamed even more the audience, he played on the open air stage during 2 hours!

I left in the middle of the show, to go to another stage and see Birdy Nam Nam. Let’s talk about them quickly. Four brothers, world champions of deejaying, and their last date before another album coming soon. I came to this festival partially for them, so I hurried to see their hands playing with their ‘platines’. And they were good !! They played one hour, with not that much contact with the public, and that was great. The only thing is that they weren’t very communicative; and as Martin Solveig was playing in the same time on the other stage, and that it was late in the night, the audience was not that receptive maybe … But I LIKED it!

Birdy Nam Nam !!

Then other bands were playing, mostly electro, but we left.

BRUSSELS’S RED DISTRICT

The next Tuesday, just for fun, we’ve been to … the Brussels Red District. Just to look, don’t imagine anything else ^^ And that’s crazy. A long street with only girls behind shop windows, showing you, by the number of fingers they raise, the ten of euros you have to pay. The street where you can have a stiff neck, you could say.

Rue d'Aerschott

GRAND PLACE + FLORIS DELIRIUM

Several times I’ve been to the center of the city to kind of visit, on our way with the guys from the lab, to the so-called Delirium and Floris Bar.

We passed through the ‘Grand Place’, where several monuments are built around this place. City Hall, summerhouse of the prince (I think), art museum of the city.

The first time, a kind of middle age show took place. The other time, a kind of crooner was singing some non decodable songs. And the last time … nothing, just people going around.

Middle Age show

La Maison des Ducs de Brabant (1698)

View of the City Hall

On the Grand Place

The Museum of the City

Idem

After we passed through this place, we’ve been to what is apparently a tourist bar, but they have a beer cave of 2000 beers, 150 absinths, 150 whiskys, and much more than that. So it’s worth the glance.

There, I learnt you have different ways of drinking absinths, depending on where they do come from. The French and Swiss ones, you make a sugar melt on a spoon on the top of the glass of absinth, and then enjoy it. The Czech one, you burn a sugar soaked with absinth, and then put it in the glass, and drink it in once.

The Delirium bar

The absinthe collection of the bar (204 I heard), with the pink elephant, symbol of the Delirium Tremens's beer

In the little street where this bar is situated, called ‘Impasse de la Fidélité’, there is Jeannenkenpis, a girl pissing … Well, it’s worth a picture, so here it is.

TERNEUZEN

Last Tuesday, as guys from the lab went to Holland, just for the evening, to kite, I followed, just to have a glance of what Holland looks like. Close to the sea, with a cloudy sky (as usual), I made a few pictures of it:

Ben kiting

MANNEKENPIS

Saturday was the 14^th of July, and as Ben from the lab was there, we went to the city to … hang around. And to visit again a bit for me. And I’ve seen THE Mannekenpis, the Eiffel Tower of Brussels ^^. For the event that is the 14^th of July, he was disguised, in musketeer.

The GREAT (but small) Mannekenpis

To find the Mannekenpis, follow the Asiatic group

And, as a well known bar is close to the place, we’ve been there to try one good Belgium beer.

This last week, I think we've been out almost every night, from Monday to Thursday, and the last of these crazy nights began at 5.30pm and finished at 4am ... Pretty tough Friday, also because I had to prepare myself to welcome a friend of mine who's visiting for the weekend. But that's gonna be cool :)

Le Bois de la Cambre, where we spent one evening

(LpM)