Il mio Overseas a Sydney, Australia (Gen-Lug 2007)... e il mio periodo di Tesi all'Estero a Rotterdam/Utrecht, Olanda (Ott 2007-Mar 2008)!

A stopover in Brussels/2

However, luckily, after a few minutes the rain gave us a break. Well, actually it was still raining, but at least not as heavily as before. So we could move to the central square. It must have been an amazing one, but unfortunately they were building up a stage for some show that would have probably taken place the following days. Consequently we could not appreciate the whole square but only the tall bell tower.

We also went to look for the girl who pisses (probably created to respect the right equality between males and females) and then the boy who does the same. The latter is much more popular and centrally located. It was even easier to take a picture of this sculpture, and I am sure you have already seen it.
It was then time to go home. We were absolutely hungry and decided to cook something for dinner (err... I must admit that Francesca cooked everything while I was having some rest... lazy boy!). However, before arriving home my attention was taken by a strange coloured building. Many lights were turning on and off hiding and showing this tall building in the centre of Brussels.
It was certainly not the luckiest day in the place where my friend lives, in fact there had been some theft in the morning when we were travelling from The Netherlands to Belgium. This was the most discussed topic at dinner time among the people who live there: boys and girls from Italy, Spain, Israel and so on, everyone trying to imagine how could it have been possible to happen. At around 11pm people went back to their rooms. Francesca had to work hard to convince Chiara to come out with us. Luckily Elisa was already convinced by herself.
They brought me to a pub where they have a lot of different beers. I cannot remember the exact number, but we are talking of more than 2000. Maybe even more than 3000. Not bad!
In the picture Elisa is the first on the left. She is from Parma and studies there. She is the PR of the group, according to what I have been told.
Second from the left is Chiara. She is from Pesaro, my city, but actually I’ve only met her in Bologna where she studies and is a coursemate of Francesca.
Third is Francesca, my lovely friend from Bologna who visited me in Rotterdam and housed me there. Lucky girls, all of them still doing the Erasmus exchange, while for me it was the night before finishing with my exchange programs at the University...
The next morning I had to catch my flight to Italy. I missed the coach to the airport for 2 minutes, but I was still on time to catch the next one and get there quite on time. Unfortunately the bus did not show so a man gathered 8 people, including me, for a cab. Everything seemed fine, even the same price as the bus... but after 5 kms the driver (not the same man who pushed us in the car) started to ask for 15Euros. Still fine for me, but not for everybody (some of them were not that in a hurry). A discussion and then... he turned back! Damn! Those moments were crazy. I told him in Italian that if he would have really brought me back at the train station (which would have implied me missing the flight for sure) I would have broken his car. After some bargain with some of the present, he decided to go to the airport turning on the taximetre. A man on the rear row was going to call the police otherwise. Later on we found out that he was a politician. Actually he has been the only one who paid 11Euros. All the others, including me, paid 15Euros. But I did have not any other choice to get that flight! Another last-minute move, but not as bad as the one in London 2006! On the flight I met a girl and her mum who were in the same mini-van to the airport and, incredibly, even a girl who was left at the bus stop when we left with the cab. Okay, she did not have to do the check in, but I would have never bet a cent on her managing to catch the flight.

Postato da: DexterH46 a 16:56 | link | commenti
holiday, brussels, journey/flight, belgium

A stopover in Brussels/1

On the way back to Italy I had the opportunity to stop in Brussels, being guest of my friend Francesca.
We have done an exchange in the exchange. First she visited me in Rotterdam, then I visited her in Belgium where she is doing the Erasmus exchange. I am at the end of a cycle. She is at the beginning... lucky girl! :-)
After a nice trip in the train where we met an Italian man who moved away from our country many years ago, we arrived in Brussels and went to the place where she lives to take a rest for a few minutes (and to let me sending the last part of my thesis to my colleagues).
Then we went out. Obviously when we arrived the weather was sunny but when it was time to go out and visit the city it started to rain. However we were still able to visit the “unknown soldier” (the same as the Italian “milite ignoto”)... I am now wondering if they have one in each country! :-)

Ten more walking minutes and we were in front of the residence of the Belgian Royals. Nothing strange, except for the fact that the huge road in front of the building was quite empty, and that the king of Belgium actually does not live there. Don’t ask me where, I have spent there just one day!
I was with my guide, Francesca. When we left the place we kept on walking, finally reaching a church at least to repair from the rain that was becoming more and more intense. It was funny in someway. Many saints were represented in the sculptures outside this church, but my poor knowledge of art let me recognise only one of them. Saint Peter... together with his keys, of course!

Postato da: DexterH46 a 11:15 | link | commenti
holiday, brussels, journey/flight, belgium