Belgium

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The Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and France, with a short coastline on the North Sea.

Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Latin Europe, Belgium's two largest regions are Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north, with 58% of the population, and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia, which accomodates 32%. The Brussels-Capital Region is an officially bilingual enclave within the Flemish and near the Walloon Region, and has 10% of the population. A small German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia.

My Trip

• 2003 November 12 to 2004 May 05 (6 Months): While working at Kochi, I went to Brussels for a project at our client site. I stayed there for some months to complete the project and these are the collection of mails I sent to my friends and family members during my stint there.

Visited Places/Attractions

• Brussels (Grand Place or Grote Markt, Hotel de Ville, Manneken Pis, Galeries St Hubert, Bourse' the Stock Exchange, Reclining statue of 'Everard', Atomium, Butcher's Street, Royal Palace of Brussels, Le Berlaymont (European Commission), Council of the European Union, European Parliament, Sonian Forest)
• Leuven (Stadhuis (Town Hall), Academic libraries in Leuven, Leuven Park)
• Waterloo (Butte du Lion or the Lion's mound)
• Antwerp (Grote Markt)
• Roeselare (Friend's house)
• Bruges (Belfry (Belfort van Brugge), Markt, Town Hall, etc.)
• Ghent (Gravensteen, Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Het Belfort van Gent, Saint Nicholas' Church)
• Aalst (Carnival of Aalst)
• Trois-Ponts (Au Val De Wanne or Valley of Wanne Skii Resort)
• Tervuren (Royal Museum for Central Africa)

Mails from Belgium

1. The Trip to Brussels

2003 November 12, Wednesday

Hi All,

I landed safely today, in Brussels, capital of Belgium, for the implementation of our project. The whole trip was nice, eventhouh a bit long. I started from Cochin on November 02 and stayed in Doha, capital of Qatar, with my uncles and family, for 10 days.

From Doha, I started today at early morning 03.15 AM, by Qatar Airways and landed in Milan, capital of Italy after 06. 15 Hrs. It was very cold and had to wait outside for a long time to get into the airport due to some extra security checks. Immigration formalities were completed from there itself, eventhough I was going to Belgium, thanks to the Schengen Visa, which allows free travel throughout the 15 Schengen countries in Europe. Again it took more than an hour to reach Brussels from Milan by Brussels Airways' small Avro plane. The client's person was waiting there in the airport and he took me to the office in Drève Pittoresque, in the Uccle region, which was about half an hour drive away.

The winter has just started and it was chilling cold, when I reahced here in the afternoon. Belgium is GMT + 1, so Indian time is 4.30 Hrs ahead.

I was given a nice room, attached to the office building, but with all facilities. The IT Head Steve, took me to a department store for buying items for my food. I'll have to cook myself and since I don't know it's ABCDs, I asked him to pick the items. We bought so many items and filled the refrigerator. For today's dinner he picked 'Italian Macroni', saying that its easy to make and eat. In the night, when I checked the pack for cooking instructions, it was written in 3 languages but not in English! By guessing from pictures, I unpacked it into a plate, kept in the microwave oven for a minute and enjoyed myself. But had to eat some apples to fill my stomach!

Regards,
Sameer.

2.Dinner at Butchers' Street

2003 November 15, Saturday
Hi All,

First, something about Belgium. It's a small country in Europe with Germany, France and Netherlands as neighbours. It don't have a language of it's own but German, French and Dutch (Flemish or Netherlands) are the official languages. NATO and European Union headquarters are located in the capital city Brussels.

Last Friday evening, I went to the city with Steve and the MD of our company. She came from Cochin for a short visit. This was my first visit to the city and really enjoyed it. Slowly moving trams through the center of the roads were an amazing scene for me. We visited the 'Grand Place' central square, but since it was night, couldn't see much of it. Moreover the temperature was falling down to zero and my jacket wasn't enough to cover me up. So we rushed to have dinner. Steve led us to a famous place called 'Rue des Bouchers' or the Butchers' Street, where restaurants and cafes stand in close proximities, their tables spilling out onto the sidewalks. While we walked watching the food displays, the waiters kept on canvassing us describing their speciality foods. We settled on one place and ordered seafood (crabs, prawns, lobsters, etc.) and some meat, and enjoyed them from the tables on sidewalks where electric heaters warmed up the place. After a stroll through the cobbled streets, which were mainly busy with tourists from different nations, we returned from the city at night.

Finally, something about my food. By seeing my situation, they brought some readymade food packets for me. Here even cooked rice and curries (Both Vegetable and Chicken) are available in department stores. And am sure, microwave oven was discovered for the guys like me. Whatever you get, put it in, switch on, it will be hot and ready to eat!

Regards,
Sameer.

3.Through the Sonian Forest (Forêt de Soignes)

2003 November 16, Sunday
Hi All,

The first weekend here is over. Everyone left and I was all-alone. There is a lady who used to come every evening to clean the room and wash the plates. She handed over a slip with a telephone number and said so many things in French. I thought she has given her number, which I can use in case I need any help. But later Steve explained that it's the number of her Indian friend whom I can contact on weekends. And he may be willing to take me out to see some places.

I was more than happy and called that number on Friday night. A Sardarji picked up the phone and said something in Hindi. Or was that Punjabi? I said I couldn't understand it. Then he started speaking French! At last all I understood was that he is not having a car and can't come over here to pick me.

So on Saturday noon I went outside. Here the sun rises at 8 AM and sets at 5 PM. In between the day appears as if it's still the early morning. The sun appears rarely in the noon, and it was still chilling cold. Walked alone through the roadside watching those beautiful autumn trees shedding colourful leaves. When I saw a path leading from the main roads to the forest side, decided to try it, even though I was a bit sceptic about it's safety. Walked a lot and then waited when I saw a man coming. When I asked him where is this way leading to, he smiled and said: 'Er.. Sorry Er... No English.. Er... Excuse Me... '. Without venturing out further, I returned to room. I need to learn French immediately!

The whole Sunday, it was drizzling outside. So remained in the room and office. For the first time in my life, cooked some rice. It came out well than I expected! Enjoyed it with some readymade curry, yoghurt and a can of coke.

Regards,
Sameer.

4.The City of Leuven

2003 November 21, Friday
Hi All,

Visited the city of Leuven. My first trip outside Brussels. Steve took me there in his car to see this ancient capital of the province of Flemish-Brabant and to get me a travel guide on Belgium, which will help me to move around in his absence.

He is leaving for Ghana this weekend and will be back after three weeks. He has made sure that am well equipped to survive these days by giving a local SIM for my mobile, a wireless network card for my PC (so that I can work from my room itself and get connected to the server in office and internet, wireless!), Stereo Speakers for PC (fulltime music!) and a lot of English novels and stories.

Leuven is a famous university town, east of Brussels. It has got so many universities and colleges and we could see students all over, walking or cycling through the streets. Its main attraction was Belgium's most ornate Stadhuis (Town Hall), built in 15th century. It was really a flamboyant structure, with its terraced turrets, delicate statues and fancy stonework. Then we visited some of the universities/colleges and the public library. All the buildings were centuries old.

You know for what Belgium is famous? It's for chocolates and beers. Yes, beers of different colours and tastes! And Leuven was also famous for its pubs and bars, which you can always find busy with students. We went to a street where on both sides there were only pubs. Entered one to see how it looks. There were different kinds to choose from and all of them had it's own special glasses. For instance the amber colour one will be served in a round glass with its brand name written on it. And the Hoegaarden white beer will be served in solid tumbler.

Regards,
Sameer.

5.Trying the city bus

2003 November 23, Sunday
Hi All,

The weekend wasn't bad. Did I tell you about the place I am staying? It's called Drève Pittoresque, a beautiful suburb on the outskirts of Brussels. It takes around half an hour to reach the city centre from here by car or bus. This time I decided to go to the city alone.

Everything was new for me. The guides said it's easy to move around in bus and that's all. There was a lady in the stop and I asked her about the bus travel. But she speaks only French. I tried my newly learnt French skill with 'Bonjour Madam' (Hello Madam). Alas! Then she kept on talking in French, which obviously I didn't understand. At last I had to say 'Je ne comprends pas' (I don't understand'), one of the few words I learnt to use in emergencies.

I was having a 50 Euro note and the driver refused to give me ticket. And to my astonishment, there was nobody in that bus who can speak English, even though it was full with around 50 people. Since I was holding the note, someone did understand what I am looking for and helped me with changes. It was € 1.65 for a single trip. And there were bell switches near all seats which u can press to stop the bus. When the last person also got out from the bus, I joined him. Realised that am in 'Gare du Midi'. Explored that place and the station in detail from where one can catch bus, tram or metro to different places in Belgium and train to different European cities. Visited some shops and walked around the near by places. Everything was costly, so I had to forget about shopping. Since it was getting late, returned to room. At least now I know that I can go by myself to see places.

Regards,
Sameer.

6.Office and Work

2003 November 28, Friday
Hi All,

Some of my friends were asking me to tell about the office and working here. Well, it's a small office here with only few people. They have large oil palm plantations in Ghana, Nigeria and Gabon and all consolidation works are done here besides major purchases for them and hiring of consultants. MD (owner of the company) work here, but most of the time he will be travelling. His daughters also work here, one as Director of Group Operations and the other as Business Development Manager. Then there is Steve, the IT Manager, who spends most of the time in Ghana or Nigeria. And two guys in purchases department.

Then there is the secretary, a nice lady sitting next to me. She has been very friendly with me and used to talk a lot about her grand children who likes to play with her always, mom who is in a care house as she is not feeling well and still thinks about those war days and asks her to take cover from Germans and the Bombs, and about her sister's adopted Srilankan son and Vietnamese daughter. She used to bring me nice food made using Belgium's winter special vegetable chicory. But sadly, she is leaving the company today as her contract is over.

Now you know how small this office is and the work time is from 8:30 - 12:30 and 2:00 - 6:00. Everyone comes in casual dresses and the environment is very charming.

My cooking is going well these days. Used to cook ghee rice, chicken curry and vegetable curry. That's all for now. Will mail in detail after the weekend.

Regards,
Sameer.

7.Waterloo

2003 November 30, Sunday
Hi All,

Yesterday, visited the historic site of Waterloo by bus. It was a nice trip. This is the place where the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, was defeated on 18th June 1815, by the Prussians and British, in a battle that changed the course of European history.

The main attraction there was the 'Butte du Lion' or the Lion's mound, a massive bronze statue of a lion, mounted on a 100m-high monument marking the site where one Prince of Orange, was wounded. There were 226 steps to be climbed to reach the lion from where we can enjoy the splendid view of the battlefield.

Here I was not alone, as the place was full of tourists from different nations and with them walked a lot through the important places in Waterloo with a map in my hand, which depicted the strategic locations and positions of different army troops. Since I didn't want to waste money for visitng museums, returned from Waterloo before it was dark.

Regards,
Sameer.

8.Exploring Brussels Central

2003 December 14, Sunday
Hi All,

After making myself comfortable with the street names here by analysing the guides and maps, explored the central part of the Brussels city. Here they write all the names in two languages and for me, first it looked like one long name, as they write them together in many places. When I was clear that South Station is 'Zuidstation' in Flemish and 'Gare du Midi' in French, it was easy from then to travel by bus and to find out the places with the help of a map.

Started from 'Grand Place'. That is the city's magnificent central square, which dates from the 12th century! Centuries old guildhalls on four sides surround it and the splendid 'Hotel de Ville' is the superb among them with a creamy facade and a 100m-high tower.

Now the Grand Place is transformed for the Jingle Bells season into a huge pasture where different animals (replicas) graze around the giant Christmas tree. It was fully crowded with tourists and many performers making money from them. There was a lady dressed like a doll, standing on a podium singing nursery rhymes; a colourfully dressed man looking like a statue and moving his limbs with funny sounds; puppet show and many other street side performances to attract people of all ages.

Visited some more tourist attractions in the near by area like the glass domed 'Galeries St Hubert', one of the Europe's first shopping arcade (1846); 'Bourse' the Stock Exchange, another 18th century edifice; famous comic strip murals and the reclining statue of 'Everard', who defended the city in 14th century, where people were rushing to rub his gleaming torso for good luck.

But the interesting one was 'Manneken Pis'. It's a statue of a small boy taking a leak and I was surprised to know that this is a national symbol and he has got 675 different costumes for various occasions. Now he is dressed up like Santa Claus and everyone was busy taking photos of him.

Then visited the Christmas market, which was set-up around Grand Place for the season. Numerous wooden stalls sold handicrafts and seasonal articles besides varieties of gastronomic produce. I tasted hot chocolate drink with sausage sandwich.

Also visited the Sunday Market near the Midi station. The variety of goods available there was incredible. From vegetables to seafood, garments to electronic items, I really got tired wandering through the stalls arranged near the tram tracks, just for the Sunday forenoon. Bought two nice T-shirts, a passion I still can't escape from.

That's all about the central part of city, and I shall write more as I visit the other parts.

Regards,
Sameer.

9.Antwerp and Christmas Season

2003 December 28, Sunday
Hi All,

Christmas in Europe is always a big event. All the cities welcome it by decorating the streets and buildings and with Christmas markets and lots of fun filled events.

I visited Antwerp, another big and famous city in Belgium. It was a night trip with Steve and his friends. The Christmas market was arranged in the central square of Antwerp, which is dominated by its cathedral. We tasted some special seasonal drinks from the stalls there. Then all of us enjoyed ice-skating in the rink. It was not at all easy for me and I always sought help from others to move around. I fell down many times, but enjoyed some nice skating with the support of the friends, who moved me holding my both hands.

I was really excited to see the snowfall, few days before Christmas. It's my first time, experiencing the snow. It lasted for just two days, but was enough to amaze me. Spent hours watching the snow slowly falling down, and then enjoyed a walk outside to feel the snow. All the roads, cars, buildings and trees and everything were white topped and it was fun to walk through the snow even though it was chilling cold.

Enjoyed the Christmas dinner with Solange, former secretary in this office, at her house in a village named Asse. Her husband came to pick me and the trip was very nice. She invited me to the kitchen to see food preparation and I could pick up some tips and tricks.

Spent a whole day in the Christmas market in Brussels. It was interesting to mingle with the crowd and visiting all the wooden stalls selling different items. This time I tasted chocolate wafers and some nice hamburgers. There were a troupe of Santas performing band music and some distributing sweets to kids. Children were enjoying the place very much with many rides, ice skating and crazy bikes, etc. I also enjoyed a ride in the giant wheel, just to watch the whole city from a good height. The view was splendid and I could see the whole Christmas market area and the numerous big buildings around it, in a bright daylight.

Regards,
Sameer.

10.Roeselare, Bruges and New Year

2004 January 04, Sunday
Hi All,

Steve invited me to his place for the New Year holidays. It's called Roeselare and is more than 100 km away from Brussels. We went together on 31st after the official party in the office at noon. Since he was busy with cooking for that night's party, I went to Bruges, which is half an hour far from Roeselare by train. It was my first travel in train from here, and Steve accompanied me to the station to show me everything. Train arrived at exact time and that short trip was nice. With the help of a map, I found it's very easy to move around in this famous medieval city. First visited the 'Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival'. It was a fairyland of snow, ice and light setup in a chilled hall at a temperature of -5° C with giant snow and ice sculptures. Even though the entry fee was a bit high (9 Euros), it was worth with those magical wonders and everything inside was created from ice including the tunnel, walkways and an ice bar where drinks are served in an ice glass.

Next visit was to the historic Markt, the large open square flanked by gabled buildings and the 83m high belfry named Belfort. Since it was late in the night, Belfort was closed and I missed the chance to climb its 366 steps to the top to see panoramic view of town. Before returning to Roeselare, visited The Burg, another impressive open square.

The New Year's Eve party was really great with that typical European touch. Steve hosted the party in his house and all his friends came at night with gifts, mainly wine bottles. All were stylishly dressed and everything in the party was well arranged including the flowers and candles on the dinner table. Food ranged from mushroom and shrimps to wild boar and oyster besides different cheeses and sauces. I enjoyed everything very much and stayed that night in his house.

It was a white New Year Day! It snowed heavily in the morning and the whole place looked serene with snow and only snow. There was another party at Steve's parent's house during the lunchtime, with his family members. Afternoon, snowfall stopped and it was time to play in snow, which was accumulated, allover. With Steve's cousins had a very wonderful time playing snowball fight and making snowman. It was full of fun and we made a big snowman, which was later converted to a snow woman!

One more party was awaiting us in the night at Steve's girl friend's house and I really got overwhelmed by eating varieties of food. Stayed one more night in Steve's house and returned to Brussels with him on next morning.

Regards,
Sameer.

11.Walking the canals in Bruges

2004 January 26, Monday
Hi All,

It's been many days since I wrote something about my life here. Well, I am still here in Brussels, bit disappointed due to the extension of my stay. Now instead of filling my mind with the homesick thoughts, I am trying to become more acquainted with the life here. With the very few French and Dutch words, I can now manage to move around without a map, through buses and trains.

Learnt a lot of interesting things about the people and life here. Chocolates are part of their daily life and they are available here in all shapes and tastes and colors. Like the normal Belgians, now I also eat chocolates daily. Almost every family here owns a dog, and they take it everywhere they go. It's common to find dogs in buses, trains and restaurants.

Once I met a Belgian in a train and he said he have a friend from Kerala. He even surprised me with few Malayalam words. I collected the details from him and met that Malayalee last weekend. He was in the city of Bruges and I went there by train to spend a day with him. He was from Trivandrum and is in Belgium since three years and I am the second Malayalee he is meeting from here! He had a terrible accident from here, which almost took his life and after more than a year, is able to walk with crutches. He showed me all the important tourist places in Bruges. It was nice walking along the picturesque canals, speaking only mother tongue and watching the centuries old buildings. Government now protects them and the owners are not allowed to make any modifications on the exteriors. So the whole city looked as if suspended in time, so old and elegant, even though the interiors of those buildings were modernized. After having lunch from an Italian restaurant, I returned by the evening train to Brussels.

Regards,
Sameer.

12.Torture Castle in Ghent

2004 February 12, Thursday
Hi All,

I completed three months here in Belgium. It was the end of autumn when I came here. Now am passing through the extremely cold winter days. Still I used to walk everyday for more than half an hour during the lunch break through the nearby forest, which has designated tracks for walking, cycling and horse riding. Since that is the only exercise these days, I am sticking to it even during very cold climates and slight rainy days. First there were colorful leaves allover the trees and on the grounds. When the autumn was over, there were no more leaves on trees. Here in winter, snowfall is not common. It snowed only five times so far. During the snowfalls, the entire forest looked awesome and walking through the snowy paths was a pleasure. The minimum temperature I experienced from here was minus eight degree Celsius and the maximum temperature these days varies from 2 to 10 degrees.

Met one more Malayalee from here and visited the city of Ghent to see him. He is also an IT consultant and we had a nice time there cooking food and enjoying it together. Ghent is another famous medieval city in Belgium on the banks of three rivers. It looked like the city of Bruges with its centuries old buildings, tall churches and water canals passing through the center of the city. We took a walk along the streets to see the important places. When a preserved building is undergoing any repair works, it was mandatory to display its original life size picture in front of it to help tourists to identify it. We also visited the 'Three towers of Ghent', viz, The Saint Nicholas Church (14th century), The Belfort (13th century) and The Saint Baaf Cathedral (built 1274-1569). While we were watching the tall towers of Belfort, clouds were moving fast in the clear sky background giving us an illusion that the whole tower is moving! Then there was Gravensteen, the big Castle of the Counts of Flanders on a riverbank, known for its torture instruments. The scene of this centuries old (built in 868) Torture Castle, in the middle of the city was amazing.

Regards,
Sameer.

13.The Aalst Carnival

2004 February 22, Sunday
Hi All,

Here in Brussels, there are many speciality restaurants, which serves the food of specific countries. People here enjoy food from different nations and most of the weekend outings end up in such restaurants. I had already been to Congolese, Spanish and Italian restaurants to taste their special food. This weekend I went to a Brazilian restaurant with my colleague and his friends. Since the carnival was going on in Rio de Janeiro, all the staffs were in colourful carnival dress. We really enjoyed their special food with interesting Brazilian music in the background.

Aalst is a small town in the Flemish speaking part of Belgium and is 20km away from Brussels. The town is famous for its yearly celebration of carnival on February and is said to be the biggest carnival in Belgium.

One of the staff in this office is from that town, and he was on one-week leave to celebrate the most important event of his town. The carnival is a three-day extravaganza, ending on the Ash Wednesday and it allows inhabitants and tourists alike to vent the frustrations pent up during the long winter months in a burst of colour and music.

The carnival begins with a procession, in which the locals present their own interpretation of the previous year's events. I went to Aalst to watch this spectacular procession with colourful large-scale caricatures and plenty of good old comedy. There were around 80 groups, which all showcased plots, most of them were based on the local politics. There were some international themes also which included Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. The groups were moving with interesting music and dances and the whole place was packed with cheerful crowd who were also dressed up in fancy costumes with colourful hair and painted face.

By evening, the procession was not yet over but the climate was getting colder. So I had to rush back from Aalst without watching the entire groups, but with a nice experience of participating in a famous carnival.

Regards,
Sameer.

14.Skiing at Valley of Wanne

2004 February 29, Sunday
Hi All,

The only place in Belgium that is suitable for skiing is 'Au Val De Wanne' (Valley of Wanne) in the famous Ardennes highlands which extends from France. This week it snowed heavily and that skiing station was open for public. There was a special scheme by the railways here, which allows the public to do skiing for one day, and the ticket worth 28.3 Euros included train and bus charges to this place besides the rent for skiing equipments.

This place was very far from Brussels and I went there with a colleague at early morning. First we went to the city of Liege and it took almost an hour to reach there. From there changed to another train to go to Trois-Ponts (Three Bridges). That one-hour train journey was really fantastic as the train travelled mostly along a riverside offering wonderful panoramic view of the snowy forests. The whole riverbed was covered with thick snow and the view was amazing.

There was a big crowd for skiing. From Three Bridges a bus took us uphill to reach the skiing station. We showed our tickets and collected the skiing equipments, which included a pair of skis, skiing boots and walking sticks. With those we entered the higher side of the valley. It was not at all easy to get started with skiing. I tried many times and was falling down most of the time. I didn't know how to stop or how to take turns. After trying for hours, I finally managed to reach the bottom of the valley, but with many tumbles in between. All my hope was to enjoy a nice ride uphill through the lifts which are poles extended from a ropeway. But that also needed some skiing practice and I fell down from the lift after sometime. At the end of the day, my body was paining all over but I was satisfied to enjoy one more first time experience in my life.

Regards,
Sameer.

15.Central African Museum in Tervuren

2004 April 17,Saturday
Hi All,

It's been many days. I knew my days in Europe are limited as our project were nearing completion. It was my dream to visit maximum countries in Europe before I leave from Belgium. During the last days, I visited Paris in France, Luxembourg City in Luxembourg, Utrecht and Amsterdam in Netherlands (Holland) and Duisburg, Dusseldorf, and Cologne in Germany.

Now there are not much places left here that I can easily visit from here on weekends or short holidays. The climate was not that friendly for trips outside as it rained very often and was still pretty cold. I used to wait for bright weekends to see some more near by places.

Today, I woke up late but dressed up and started working eventhough there were nobody in this office on this saturday as usual. In Cochin also most of the guys were on leave. Then I noticed that it is bright sunshine outside which is not so common during weekends. So decided to go out.

Went to the city by bus. My plan was to enjoy a nice tram ride to Tervuren, a beautiful village 14 km from city. Since I had noticed this in the travel guide, this was in my mind. Took a one day transport ticket worth 3.80 Euros which allow travelling in buses, metros and trams for 24 hrs. From Gare du Midi boarded a tram to Montgomery and from there another tram to Tervuren through the city suburbs and forest areas. It was nice. Tervuren was known for its Royal Museum for Central Africa which displays numerous objects from Belgium's only colony in the past, Congo. Since I wasn't interested in museums I didn't waste time there but instead had a look all over and spent time in the beautiful garden in front of it which was so vast and nice with small lakes and canals all over. There were lots of tourists and families, came there for picnic and all were having nice time enjoying different activities like roller skating, cycling, etc in the perfect sunshine. I had my packed lunch of bread and biscuits with a can of cola from there. After taking enough photos without bothering about time, returned from there. There was still enough time, so I went to Heyzel by tram to take some good snaps of the Atomium which I couldn't take during last visit due to rain. That area was also crowded with tourists and I could take some good snaps. But it started drizzling by that time and I rushed back to the city. Had Pitta as dinner. Bought a small glass souvenir with Belgium's important attractions marked on it. By night returned to my room.

Regards,
Sameer.

16.European Union in Brussels

2004 May 01,Saturday
Hi All,

Today was my last weekend here. So I went to city to see the remaining places in my list before my return.

My destination was European Union area. Brussels big boast is that it is the capital of Europe, as it is the head quarters of EU. On my way met a Malayalee young couple who are from UK on holidays. Spent some time with them and they were also saying that the old joke of meeting a Malayali wherever you go, is so true!

Then went to the European District by bus. Today is a significant day in the history, as 10 more new countries (Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia), mostly from Eastern Europe whcih was under communist rule are joining the EU. The accession unites Eastern and Western Europe, patching rifts left by World War II and the Cold War. The additions bring the EU's population to 450 million, with 25 countries, making it the world's largest trading block. The other countries in EU are Belgium(Belgïe/Belgique), Germany(Deutschland), France, Italy(Italia), Luxembourg, Netherlands(Nederland), UK(United Kingdom), Ireland, Denmark(Danmark), Greece(Ellas), Portugal, Spain(España), Austria(Österreich), Sweden(Sverige) and Finland(Suomi-Finland).

The enlargement summit was in Dublin. Until I reached the EU area , I didn't know that Brussels is celebrating the accession on this May Day in a big way. This part of city was closed for traffic and there were hundreds and thousands of people in these area carrying EU flags and balloons marking different EU organisations, and other promotional stuff, cheerfully moving from one stall to the other organised by member countries. There were lots of entertainment activities going on all over this area with performers from all EU countries. I was more than happy to be a part of this crowd to witness history in making. All the countries were promoting their culture and specialities and distributed promotional goods like brochures, pens and hats and even food. One stall provided pencils with name of our choice carved on it. There were long queues in front of all major EU buldings for the free tours.

I started with European Parliament, the distinctive domed steel and blue glass structure. It is the legislative branch of EU. I soon recognised the place with flags of all member countries as that is the one which appears in TV all the time whenever they mention EU. The parliament's huge debating chamber, 'hemicycle' was really amazing. All the tourists were busy posing for photos in the central podium of hemicycle and I had to wait for some time to get my chance.

After, went to the Schuman point where the four winged 'Berlaymont', the previous headquarters of European Commission, stands deserted as it is closed for repairs since many years. Next to it was the Council of European Union, a beautiful pink granite building. It is the EU's main decision making body that approves all EU laws. There was a guided tour in the language of our choice. The facilities in press room and meeting room and other places were really amazing. Since the member countries of EU have different languages, everything was translated to all languages instantly. There were cabins for interpreters around the meeting room with state of the art technologies. So a member can listen in his own language when others speak in their own languages. The Archival room displayed all the treaties signed by EU.

I was late to reach the European Commission Building, which was also hosting some exhibition, and it was closed by evening. My foot were so tired by walking a lot, seeing all these and returned to room by night. I was having a bagfull of promotional goods collected, like brochures and posters and carry bags. There were some good items worth carrying home like pens, cryons and balloons for kids. Then there were sticky notes, calenders and mousepad.

Regards,
Sameer.

17. Goodbye to Europe

2004 May 05, Wednesday

Hi All,

My stint of more than five months in Europe is over and I returned from Belgium on May 5th. I was eager to be back home after such a long period and was not in a mood to enjoy my return trip. It always happen with all return trips I guess.

Steve came at early morning, and we left for airport at around 8 AM. There were so many confusions and problems in confirming my return ticket and I was so disturbed with that. Steve was teasing me saying that I may come to see another problem in airport. As he said, my name was not in the list! I was horrified. Later, they came to know that it was booked with my middle name!

After some more problems with the airlines, the small flight of SN Airlines left very late than the scheduled time. I was totally annoyed to see that there wasn't enough time to catch my Qatar Airways flight to Doha from Milan. I had to run a lot through the busy and long buildings of Milan airport to catch the flight just in time. The flight reached in Doha at night and spent long boring hours in the airport waiting for my next flight to Cochin which was at early morning. Reached Cochin safely on Thursday morning and joined home happily.

Regards,
Sameer.

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