This blog
continues the previous Part 16,
Tuesday, June
26, 2018
On
my 3rd day of my trip I planned to leave Brussels, wanted to walk to Namur, a
destination within Belgium. According to the map it is only around 56 km air
distance but no one walks in a straight line, the distance says nothing about
road conditions, about hills, about curves. Therefore it would take me some
time to go there.
I
woke up with a very upbeat spirit and started the day with a nice shower. At
7:00 a.m. I went to the breakfast room and was, like yesterday, the 1st guest
arriving. I took a good supply of cheese and sausages, bread and the obligatory
coffee. I enjoyed my breakfast and had some scrambled eggs as a desert.
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Enjoying breakfast
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Back
to the room I packed my things into the sports bag with rolls. I made sure that
I packed everything like before: clothes first into waterproof bags and then
properly into the big compartment together with my tent, the sleeping bag and
my tripod. The camera, the lens and the batteries I put in my messenger bag
together with a light jacket in case of some cool breeze. Finally I finished,
tied up my walking shoes and was ready to leave.
I hauled the heavy bag (13.5 kgs) down the narrow stairs and returned the
key into an empty basket beside the same empty counter of the empty reception. In my mind
I said good bye to the hotel and left through the main door around 9:00. It
felt great to leave the familiar and heading into the unknown.
The antique market on the open square was already busy and I walked the
familiar way to the Lift de Marolles which was surprisingly empty. I followed
the Rue de la Regence, passed the Place Royale and the Parc de Bruxelles but I
turned right after the park into the Rue de la Loi. As I went the same street
and passed the same places yesterday I did not take many photos from the same
placed but moved on rapidly.
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‘Pay attention to Slugs’ or Snails activity in the
Brussels Park
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The Rue de la Loi (French), Wetstraat
(Dutch) or Law Street (English) is a principal road running through central and
eastern Brussels which is notable for government buildings of Belgium and the
European Union. Indeed I passed many high modern buildings, reflecting the
morning sun in their glass windows. The traffic was very busy and nearly
everyone looked busy while wearing business suits or dresses.
On the left side I
came to the Berlaymont, an office building that houses the headquarters of the
European Commission, which is the executive of the European Union (EU). The
structure in located at the 'European Quarter' at the Schuman roundabout. This
remarkable building is utilized in the European Commission's official
emblem.
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Berlaymont,
the Headquarters of the European Commission
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Drawing of the
Berlaymont, the Headquarters of the European Commission
On the left side I came to the Berlaymont,
an office building that houses the headquarters of the European Commission,
which is the executive of the European Union (EU). The structure in located at
the 'European Quarter' at the Schuman roundabout. This remarkable building is
utilized in the European Commission's official emblem.
For me, the European Union is a pinnacle of
the human achievement in the younger history. We must remember that in the last
centuries Europe was in constant fights within and outside their borders. Most
notable are two World Wars which started in Europe and started conflicts all
over the world. Looking back for me it is a miracle that former foes come
together in peace and create first a common market in which they share and
later even followed a parliament to govern the fragile product of the 'new' Europe.
Of course there have been, are and will be many different
opinions, dissatisfaction and arguments between the members but for me the
EU is new construct in the making, not a final fact. There are and will be
changes in the future addressing the laws, management and institutions but it
is already proofs that the EU can withstand threats form the outside (e.g.
trade war with Donald Trump) and the inside (Brexit or the exit of Great
Britain from the EU).
The Schuman roundabout ends the Rue de la Loi which goes underground before the Berlaymont. I turned around and took a picture of the modern buildings I
just passed. The blue sky gave the scene a special vibe which would carry me
forward during the whole trip.
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Looking back at the Rue de la Loi
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The Schuman roundabout is named after the Luxembourg-born
French statesman Schumann who was an independent political thinker and
activist. The twice Prime Minister of France was instrumental in building
post-war European and trans-Atlantic institutions. He was one of the founders
of the European Union, the Council of Europe and NATO.
"The European spirit signifies
being conscious of belonging to a cultural family and to have a willingness to
serve that community in the spirit of total mutuality, without any hidden
motives of hegemony or the selfish exploitation of others. The 19th century saw
federal ideas being opposed and, with the rise of a national spirit,
nationalities asserting themselves. Our century, that has witnessed the
catastrophes resulting in the unending clashes of nationalities and
nationalism, must attempt and succeed in reconciling nations in a supranational
association. This would safeguard the diversities and aspirations of each
nation while coordinating them in the same manner as regions are coordinated
within the unity of the nation."
Robert Schuman, speaking in Strasbourg, 16 Many 1949
I will leave on this note and encourage the readers to think about these wise words in a time of violent, selfish (America first!) and corrupt governments....
(to be continued @
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! If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel
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