Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Wandering in Belgie.

The day after writing and it seems a spell check was in order. Hopefully the worst has been fixed. I fell into bed just after writing it.

I've been running for two days ... doing fabulous things, yes really darling, simply fabulous things!

Yesterday Shannon picked this sad blogger chick up out of her little sad place, dusted her off and ordered her to Brussels where she bought me the best carbonara I've possibly ever had.

We wandered down through the Bourse/Beurs (Stock Exchange) and sat at an outdoor cafe, drinking cool drinks in the heat. I then found a boutique full of photographer clothes that I needed and said I would be back for a few items after selling a kidney.

Because my taste runs to expensive, since moving to Belgian I have dressed like a street person ... however, I have had the most excellent adventures.

It was a lovely day that ended mid-evening after homemade pizza and a little chianti.

Thank you to Shannon!
Oh, and did I mention my eyebrows?
Shannon is the queen of shaping beautiful eyebrows, I was lucky not to be picked up by a beautiful stranger on the train on the way home.

Today dawned and I had things to do 'oh so urgently' before running out to catch trains across Belgium - Antwerpen, Lokeren then Zele.

There I met with my writer friend and we were off on a grand adventure to a small village on the border with France ... in Warneton, a place that sounds simply delicious when spoken aloud by a French speaker.

She delivered me to her friend Eric and drove her parents to the location of the ceremony leaving me to interview Eric all the way there ... Eric the stunningly superb world traveler, just back from biking to Rome, having been traveling all over since the 70s.

We met up with the Italian ambassador in Belgium, an ex-Italian ambassador, the New Zealand Deputy Head of Mission and all kinds of other interesting people and the ceremony began ... out in a field somewhere in Flanders.

I'm delighted with some of the images from the day, I have 'results' despite strong sunlight and a tree full of bees (I'm still a wee bit nervous after last week's bee sting).

9.10pm and it was back across Belgium on the train at Zele, then Lokeren then home.

It's a soft warm night here tonight and alles goed in my world.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good to see you out and about, I was beginning to fear you had entered a depression at the start of summer. Nice flag picture, very serene.

Di Mackey said...

Thanks mate but no, I usually bounce back fairly fast. This time there was just a wee bit too much happening and I couldn't find a way through it however I have excellent and superb friends and alles goed ;)

How's the exams going?

Antipodeesse said...

Glad you had such a lovely day! I read your deleted posts in a big hurry and wanted to come back and comment later...

Please keep posting, because it's such a good way to stay in touch with likeminded people. Your photos are beautiful and inspiring, and even on days when you don't feel like writing, a photo can say so much!

Erin said...

Now THAT reads delicious. In every sense of the word.

I'm with antipodeesse, by the way. What she(he?) said.

Cat in Rabat ( كات في الرباط) said...

"homemade pizza and a little chianti" ... I am green with envy.

Anonymous said...

A meeting with the Italian ambassador is a sure-fire way to beat the blues ;-)

Di Mackey said...

Hey antipodeesse.
Ahhh, the deleted post ... an occasional specialty of mine.

Thanks for writing :)

And gracias to you too w-w.

Come on over any old time Cat, we'll dig out whatever you and your man require after your time in other places.

A good cure indeed, Peter. It was kind of surrealy delicious to stand there in the middle of the countryside in a place I'm not sure I could locate again, listening as the 3 national anthems played.