Well… here I am in Brussels!
It’s strange, of course, as I’m staying in the shadow of the Berlaymont, home of the European Commission, and the place is just so quiet, even for a Sunday. But walk the other way, and there’s a park, apartments / flats / houses and you forget that people do actually live here.
Why Brussels? Well, the EU module people will be here tomorrow, so I’ll spend an evening in their company. Plus I haven’t been away this year, having missed out on the World Cup Finals in Germany. And – sad though this may seem – I have a really good book to read!
So I’ll be spending my evenings in the hotel bar, drinking watery cocktails or caffeine-free coffees, ploughing through Frontline by David Loyn. It’s an excellent read so far, more so since it is the true story of Frontline Television News, who were the people who got pictures from Afghanistan & Iraq that they almost had to get killed for. And some were, sadly. Full review to follow when I’ve finished it, but it’s a big book, and I doubt I’ll finish it before I return to the real world.
In the real world, of course, I travel by train a lot. Cattle Class on Eurostar is interesting; the carriage I was in on the way out was quite full, yet the next one along (between me and the buffet car) had more than a few empty double seats. Railway companies – gotta love ’em! The peroxide (and rather butch) blonde behind me with the overly-loud iPod I could have done without though. And her mum (equally peroxide) had a laptop, on which she played Solitaire. Would it not have been cheaper just to buy a pack of cards??
But… anyway…
Off to Grand Place in about an hour or so, do some shopping & sightseeing, have some lunch and generally try to be a tourist. I know. Doesn’t sound like me at all, does it?