Friday, July 23, 2010

Belgium's National Day

A seriously bad hair day

We returned from Reims early enough to walk to the Sablon district and enjoy some of the celebrations of Belgium's National Day. We're staying with L. just off Avenue Louise, so it's an easy walk to the Place Louise on the old inner wall to connect to any transport, the Toison d'Or for up-market shopping, and, of course, to be intimidated by the Palais d'Justice, the wholly disproportionate center of legal jurisprudence built to put people in their place when faced with the law. I have a hard time deciding whether the building, which is in major renovation, is impressive or simply God-ugly, but either way, it certainly diminishes human scale, a purpose it was, no doubt, intended to serve.

They had closed Blvd Royal to traffic and installed many booths and demonstrations. Most of the stalls were closing and we had to do with one of the last batches of frites, a gaufre (Belgian waffle) and a bottle of orange Fanta, hardly a celebration of Belgium cuisine, but the beer and other stuff was gone. The truth is, other than gaufres, Belgian fries (NOT French at all), beer and sausage, Belgium doesn't do fast food very well in the American sense of the word. This, of course, is a GOOD thing; more on food in future blogs.

The Palais d'Justice is part of the high town of Brussels, built up in the 13th century when residents finally got fed-up with being flooded in the marsh below. We stood on the parapet along the escarpment in front of the building and overlooked much of the city center, from the Atomium near Park Osseghem in the northwest, to the summer carnival installed along the old inner wall road to the south, and to the west as far as the earth's curvature allowed. As night was setting on the city it was an impressive sight.

Brussels was originally built on an island. Centuries later the river was completely covered (it had turned into a sewer and a major health hazard) and the surrounding marsh drained. Now, there is interest in uncovering the river (the sewer problem having been solved in the 20th century) and making it part of the city again. There is already a large canal cutting through the middle, and the city imports many tons of sand to create a "beach" along it for residents.

What drew us downtown was promised fireworks near the Place Royal. It was live-music synchronized to fireworks and, although we didn't get close enough to enjoy the full effect, we did get the tail end of the aerial display as we walked back to Place Louise and the tram. I understand there is a video of the event and we'll watch that. Such is the aging process.

You may have read that Belgium is going through another threatened dissolution of the federal state. The two language communities, French and Flemish (a Dutch dialect), are again at each other over perceived imbalances in financial responsibilities and social consciousness. Like so many political issues, this is a tempest in a teapot serving the interests of a few and benefiting even fewer, based on clawing economic advantage and prestige. There is a lot of simmering antagonism between the two regions that go back a century or more. You could say the French are getting what they deserve for their past arrogance, or the Flemish are selfish, self-important prigs with no sense of community or tolerance. From the turnout at the national celebrations in Brussels, you could also say that most of the people are bemused by the issue and wish the protagonists would move to Poland (It's a joke, Poland). As an English speaker with friends in both camps, I'm in the latter group. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Brussels is a region in itself, and now probably represents the true Belgian generosity and heritage. In a curious way, it is as cosmopolitan as Jerusalem with an astonishingly diverse population, very high multilingualism and an amazing embrace of cultures, languages, and histories. To walk in its streets and listen to conversations is to be anywhere in the world at a given moment. It is the most livable city I have ever seen, and in modesty, I've seen a lot of cities.

I'm happier with Brussels this visit than I was last year. The city looks cleaner, and less chaotic, although it may have to do with the fact that we're in the holiday season and many Belgians are in France or elsewhere. Nonetheless, I am content.

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