Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 1 - Some reasons...

  

   'Writing is a journey of discovery because until you start, you never know what will happen, and you can be surprised by what you do - expect the unexpected!'

Mini Grey, British illustrator and writer of children's books 

   Welcome back to my Blog! I hope you have a good and informative time travel with me. If you should have any comments, suggestions, ideas or criticism let me know! I am very glad to receive your opinions…

Pulling my Sports Bag through the Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan

   As a German foreigner living in Taiwan for quite some time it is sometimes still very annoying to get used to or fight the customs in this Far Eastern country. We have cable TV but, honestly, never watch Taiwanese, Chinese or Korean TV dramas because they typically have a very traditionally contents with the aim to teach Taiwanese to be traditional. The stories are most time the same, a ‘good’ daughter in law is fighting the mother in law ‘dragon’ or it’s a about power struggles in families connected with money issues. As good as they might be but they are pretty much the same. The low point of entertainment came with the arrival of South Koran TV. Handsome and beautiful as a result of extensive beauty surgery with very limited acting skills and local issues directed boring to death. But most Taiwanese like dreaming of this perfect world and copy their hair styles, clothes; they even long for the same ‘plastic’ lifeless skin and opt for the same shaped noses as their idols readily available from the local plastic surgeon.
   Thankfully there are other international programs like news, BBC, National Geographic channels etc. Since the beginning of this year our cable provider cooperates with Eurosport which shows cycling nearly every day. Writing about cycling everyone immediately thinks about doping, the dark Armstrong area and the confusions within the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and the UCI (Union Cycliste International, the governing body of cycling sport) about doping which is still alive today.
   ‘Confusion’ I would call the absence of clear, understandable rules and the same treatment of all. For example a Tour de France winner with proven (!) too high levels of Salbutamol (a medication that opens up the medium and large airways in the lungs) is cleared after several months of investigations while a lesser known Swiss licensed Italian rider gets a nine months ban for the same ‘offense’. I don’t get it and know that many other cycling fans don’t get it either…Anyway, I am very interested in the sport and even attended some bike challenges by myself.
   On Eurosport I watched the cycling Spring Classics, like the Tour of Flanders or the highlight Paris-Roubaix, which mostly take part in Belgium. When watching them occasionally my wife joined. I understand that she is not very interested and sometimes she even asks: “Did we not watch the same race last time?” Actually not, but as the races are held predominantly in the same country they look very similar indeed.

http://www.skysports.com/cycling/news/12040/9732750/the-classics-a-dummies-guide-to-paris-roubaix-milan-san-remo-and-other-one-day-races

  
   Watching the Spring Classics I noted that the races are very family friendly, many children stand beside the roads watching their heroes with their parents flying by. The other thing I've noticed it that the environment and road system in Belgium is quite different from Taiwan’s. Here in the Far East everyone is fighting for his own space on the busy road while in this small European country the bike paths and walkways are clearly separated from the motorcycle, car and truck traffic. This makes the roads a seemingly slower but much safer place to share for everyone. 

   Discussing my next holidays I showed my anxious wife this road design during the races and some persuasion she finally agreed that I could go to travel in Belgium…

(to be continued@

https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/07/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_19.html)

Disclaimer: I traveled Belgium by myself, I am not sponsored by anyone. Interested subscribers and/or followers in traveling an in this small but beautiful country are more than welcome! 
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