Unfortunately this is my penultimate post about my Year Abroad. I return back to Britain on Wednesday, and I can't say I'm overly thrilled, I am going to miss Belgium. Like Darwin's Finches myself and the other English Erasmus have adapted to our environment and discovered the riches of being away from the anglophone world. For me personally, this has given me this perpetual feeling that I will return to Belgium one day and now travel, constantly travel. Being away from the UK has given me this new desire to see and experience more locations and places of interest. I will keep blogging of course. Provided I remember to; many apologies to those who do read this and for the lack of information/posts throughout this second half of the year.
Wednesday, Dad is coming to get me in the car via Eurotunnel and then I say Bon Voyage to La Belgique. I feel, unlike my Spanish, my French hasn't really improved as much as I would have liked it too. Here I seem to speak plenty of Spanish with my Espanolas and not enough of French, even when I am travelling in the North I will speak Dutch/Flemish/English and neglect my Francophonism. I've enjoyed being here nonetheless, despite my reservations after my "Spanish Ordeal" (as I like to refer to it), there have been so many opportunities that I've loved and taken up, and there are plenty more waiting for me (I hope) in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, France, Luxembourg etc. Looks like my Summers are going to be busy for the next few years...
What have I done recently? Well recently, since my last post, I have been travelling quite a bit as per. I have ventured far north again with Miss Friend and saw the Flemish city of Antwerp (Anvers/Antwerpen), which I can safely say is the most Germanic looking city I have encountered in Belgie. It fast became my favourite Belgian city, mainly because of the usual reasons; Architecture, Language, Shopping facilities, the museums there are fantastique with beautiful paintings by some rather famous Flemish and Dutch artists, such as Reubens, whose house we visited. There are some beautiful examples here (much like the rest of Belgium) of Baroque churches, demonstrating this style mainly through the belfries and spires of the Cathedral. I found my favourite bookshop EVER in Antwerp (as we all know I do love a good bookshop - bookworm...) called Othello. I highly recommend giving a look if you're ever in the area, it is located just by the Cathedral.
Travelling has also taken me to Liege, a city which I have as little to talk about as there is there to see. Liege (Luttich/Luik) is definitely a city you need to do your research for before you visit. I found it rather boring, despite the blazing heat (heat in belgium? Shocker eh?) that I had when I visited, I wondered the streets with my maps and guides without any idea of what there really was to see. I saw the general sites, Montagne de Bueren and Guillemins Station among others. It was highly overrated in my opinion, nonetheless with some research and some cultural intrigue I'm sure you reader would find it interesting and enjoyable.
My next adventure was only last week and was to Lille, France. France has become the 5th country I have visited on my Year Abroad, and unfortunately Lille is the only place I have had the chance to visit. Nevertheless, Lille it's is a glowing example of a Northern French City. The architecture surrounding the city is very typical of the region Nord Pas-de-Calais (or so I read). A very busy city there was plenty to do and see, so with myself only being there a day, I decided to go for a bus tour, rather lovely it was too, I managed to see everything I wanted and more, however, my damn camera ran out of battery. So not may pictures from Lille reader. You'll however be pleased to know, or at least take interest in the fact I swear I saw Hercule Poirot on my train back to Belgium! (If you don't know who Poirot is, read an Agatha Christie Novel!)
Yesterday I ventured with Charlotte again to another hot spot of Belgian tourism, and visited the town of Waterloo. Not much to see in Waterloo, but what is there is (for me at least) extremely enlightening and educational on an area I wasn't very clear on in not just Belgian, but British history too. We looked around Wellington's Head-Quarters and saw a delightful little Anne Frank Exhibit, then caught a bus to the Butte de Lion (The Lion's Mound), which we climbed all the 200 steps, so that we can see the battlefield of Waterloo, what a great sight that was, we could see for miles. A truly glorious view of the natural field of the low countries which seem so untouched by industry and change.
Sadly, last week, I was ill with the flu, and I wish I could say it was Man-flu, but no way was this that. I was soo ill that I couldn't go to Luxembourg City in Luxembourg (of course). Which is such a shame as I long so badly to visit the small Grand-Duchy, the last one in Europe. I have developed quite a fondness for the little country as I have been reading about it, quite a history it has had and how little people know about it. I will go, definitely, I just don't know when right now, but I'll find some time soon I hope.
Mons has given us some rather nice events this last week. Preparations had been made recently around the town for a festival called le Doudou or La Ducesse de Mons. A large festival that I must admit I haven't fully grasped the concept of, but there is loads of drinking initially, for about 5 days all the bars, restaurants and eateries in Mons open up outside and the Grand'Place, Marché-aux-herbes etc. are full of people from all over Wallonia. Saturday there is a large service in the Collegiate Church near the Gare (train station), and then there are processions on Saturday and Sunday, and finally on Sunday there is battle called Lumecon, which is the Battle of St. George and the Dragon. The Dragon has on it's tail some horse hair, which is dangled over the crowd surrounding the arena in which the battle is taking place (Grand'Place), is considered lucky and people scrounge for it. I caught one.
More soon readers, for my last year abroad post.
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