Planning A Holiday

[poliphilo]

Ailz and Ruth are in the front room planning a holiday in Belgium. For them the planning is part of the fun. I think planning holidays is an invitation to the gods to come up with obstacles- and never really believe I'm going away until I'm there- so I'm keeping my distance. Also I've been cooking lunch.

I've consulted the atlas. Belgium is a very small country covered in battlefields- which is chiefly famous for not producing anyone famous- which isn't really fair because I can think of three: Georges Simenon, Rene Magritte and Georges Brassens.

Comments

[ex-redrain.livejournal.com]

King Leopold II?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think of him as infamous rather than famous....:)

[ex-redrain.livejournal.com]

I have some less-polite names for him :)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"Murdering racist swine", for instance?

[ex-redrain.livejournal.com]

You are too kind to him.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Hergé!

Belgium is pretty but flat. Cassel is nice if you're in the area.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Snap!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Herge- Of course!

Cassel looks interesting. I like the idea of climbing the Everest of Flanders.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Brel, not Brassens - an easy slip to make. Also Hergé.

I think - from your 'road-trip' posts - that you'll find plenty to enjoy in Belgium. Plenty of medieval towns and interesting buildings (which you don't think of as Belgian - or I don't - because Belgium didn't exist in the Middle Ages). I suspect Ailz would be interested in the Beguinages...

Well, if you're keeping your distance, I won't push. But I shall look forward to hearing about your travels.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the correction. I considered Herge, but wasn't sure- not without looking it up.

I'm interested in anything medieval- and particularly looking forward to Bruges and Ghent.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Georges Brassens

You misspelled "Jacques Brel". Georges Brassens was a Frenchman through and through.

Come to think of it, Johnny Hallyday was also from Belgium, though understandably he's not one that you hear the Belgians claiming as one of their own very often.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. My excuse is that Brassens looks like it should be a Flemish name.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

And, for what it's worth;

Audrey Hepburn, Eddy Merckx, Jacky Ickx, Plastic Bertrand, Adolphe Sax, Enzo Scifo, Django Reinhardt, Herman Van Rompuy, James Ensor, and The Singing Nun.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Django Reinhardt was Belgian? I'd never have guessed.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

I love holiday planning.
:)
It's almost more fun than the actual holiday!

Belgium is tiny but there are some lovely places there. Bruges, despite being rather touristy, is my favourite.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I like holidays to take me by surprise. The less forward planning, the better.

I believe we'll be staying close to Bruges- but then Belgium is such a small country that nowhere is far from Bruges.

[mummm.livejournal.com]

I believe that Vincent Van Gogh spent some time in Belgium too, though he was not born there of course.

Belgium has lots of lovely lavendar and beautiful lace. I understand why the ladies want to go there! My mother loved the country.

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

It also has.... CHOCOLATE. ;-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed.

And beer.

[mummm.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness YES! How could I have forgotten the CHOCOLATE???

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Van Gogh got around. He also spent time in London and Kent.

[mummm.livejournal.com]

He did a lot in his relatively short lifetime.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And the period within which he was producing great art was very short indeed.

[suzilem.livejournal.com]

Magritte have anything to do with the "Magritte Line" ?? (remember, I'm one of the heathen across the pond with little knowledge of European history...) :-)

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

Do you mean the Maginot Line? Magritte was a painter.

[suzilem.livejournal.com]

Yup. that's what I was thinking of. Sigh....Like I said...heathen.. :-)