Fighting the Cobbles - My trip to Belgium in 2018, Part 12 - In Brussels (5)

This blog continues the previous Part 11: https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_6.html

   

Monday, June 25, 2018

   

   During my travels I am an early riser and early sleeper; this has also something to do with safety in a foreign land and a foreign environment. I advice my wife and daughter to do the same. Therefore I woke up 'naturally' around 6:30. Walking to the bathroom I've noticed that I had actually two roommates sharing the same hostel room with me even I've heard only one female voice last night. Both of them were covered with their blankets...

   After a shower and my morning toilet I went downstairs to the breakfast room which is rightfully praised in all forums online. Passing the reception desk I came into a very empty room with only one Belgian waiter still preparing the food and drinks. I took my plate and the silverware and started to stock up. There was a nice selection of sausage and different cheese, with some fresh vegetables; there were different kind of cereals with milk, different kind of bread, coffee & tea etc. to choose from. I felt like in breakfast heaven and choose a seat from which I could oversee the whole room.

Clean & Nice Breakfast Room of the Hotel I had the pleasure to stay

   As I ate I had a great feeling about the day, the excitement to discover a new place let me feel 'high' naturally, without drugs. I wanted to discover Brussels without my luggage, even with the wheels it felt quite cumbersome sometimes especially when crossing the cobbles. But today was my day off from this bag! I thanked God for the breakfast with a long prayer and gave the day in his hands....

   Eating through my blessings the others guest arrived slowly and followed roughly the same procedure to get their breakfast. Before I left there were still many unoccupied tables  due to the fact that the holiday season had not started yet.

   Back to the room I've noticed both roommates were actually female, roughly in my daughter's age. I've tried to make a conversation but the current generation is even on their holidays preoccupied with their cell or smart phones. I don't quite understand why people can't enjoy a new environment with their own senses but rather rely on their phone. What is the reason to travel anyway?

   I left the hotel at around 9:00 and, with the aide of the free map, I did not turn left to the Lift des Marolles or Elevator Marollen-Poelaert (see my "In Brussels 3") but turned right walking undiscovered territory. I passed small lanes until I reached the Boulevard Anspach (French) or Anspachlaan (Dutch), a major boulevard in the city center of Brussels. North of the Brussels Midi Station there are still many historic buildings which became shops on the first floor. Even these buildings have been a kind of modernized you still can feel the time, from the 2nd floor upstairs the buildings did not change a lot on the outside. Later the same road gets a major overhaul and becomes a broad walking pedestrian area. 
   Walking with my camera I took same shots of the views in front of my eyes. There were not many people on the road but glimpses of their lives could be clearly seen. Even coffee shops and restaurants have not been open yet so I had the road nearly for myself.

Boulevard Anspach 

   The Boulevard Anspach was built between 1868 and 1871 over the river Senne, covering it up. Prior to 1879 it was named 'Boulevard Central' until it was renamed after Jules Anspach (1829-1879), the former mayor of Brussels who instigated these works (wikipedia).
   As it is not far to the Midi (South) train station I thought to go there and have a look. Brussels is located in the heart of the small country of Belgium and therefor nearly all trains from and to all four cardinal directions must pass the three main Brussels train stations which are:
- Brussels-South (Brussel-Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi)
- Brussel-Centraal/Bruxelles-Central
- Brussel-Noord/Bruxelles-Nord.
   Stepping into the Midi station I came to a wall decoration of Comic country Belgium's icon Tintin riding on a locomotive. 

Tintin Riding a Train

   Instead of the colored comics this picture is in black and white showing the movement of the train with a determined looking Tintin hanging on the outside of a steam locomotive. Judging from the clothes I believe the scene is probably from the comic 'Tintin in America'. Later, during my walking part of the trip, I would visit the museum of Georges Remi (1907-1983), more famous under his synonym 'Hergé'. He is the artist, creator and mastermind behind the young reporter and adventurer Tintin.
   Within the train station is a station for bike rental. Contrary to Taiwan the local bike rental system 'U Bike' was implemented long after the city has been built, therefore it is rather added to the already existent system. People have to understand that In the Far East bicycles have been a part of the past when people could neither afford motorcycles nor a car. As soon as the income rose bikes were treated as obsolete and were discarded.

Bike Rental within the Midi Train Station

   This changed only a few years ago when the Taiwan government decided to implement the 5 days working week and people stopped to work Saturday mornings. In their leisure time they discovered cycling and somehow 'forced' the governments to build bike lanes. Therefore all bike paths are not this old and, in my opinion, built as an alibi. This means that the government builds them but does not want to spend money to maintain them. Most citizens still don't respect cyclists's rights and treat them as 'necessary evil'. On the bike my paths are permanently cut by motorcycles and cars alike, I got permanently honked at and seen as a traffic obstruction; cars park on or even block bike lanes without any sense of guilt.   
   Belgium has, like their Dutch neighbors, a long history of bike 'culture', bikes are a part of everyday life. Not only racers are living the bike life style but everyone from children to the old aged, female and male, single people and families are living with and on their bikes. There is a mutual respect between cyclist and motorists. This habit I can, unfortunately, not import to Taiwan!

(to be continued @ 
https://gerdiwanninger.blogspot.com/2018/08/fighting-cobbles-my-trip-to-belgium-in_12.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! If not convenient to subscribe on Blogger.com, I've started my own homepage @ https://gerhardwanninger.wixsite.com/travel