Belgium Notes

I took the train from Amsterdam to Brussels and the change in the economies of the two countries is visible as soon as you reach Belgium. The Brussels metro looked run down and the streets had a sombre, melancholic feel to it. Had it not been for the EU’s decision to have its headquarters here, I’m not sure how relevant Brussels would have been today. The Brussels Central Station has a memorial to the railway staff who were lost their lives during the two World Wars. The impact of the Wars on Europe is hard to miss and every city I visited has kept alive the memories of those dark days.

Belgium is a relatively young country. It was initially part of the Netherlands until the Dutch revolted against the Spanish kings to form an independent republic. They were again reunited with the Dutch to form a buffer zone after Napoleon’s defeat. But soon, the Belgians revolted and became an independent nation in 1831. Belgians don’t think much of their country and even Leopold II had famously summed up Belgium as: ‘petit pays, petites gens’ (small country, small-minded people). The northern part of Belgium, Flanders, speaks Flemish while the southern part is French (Wallonia). Though its not visible to tourists, tensions apparently run deep,

During the three days I spent there, I saw a bit of Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp.

The only museum that I visited was the Comic Art Museum in Brussels. Though a floor was closed for an upcoming exhibition, the museum provided a detailed walk-through on the history of the evolution of the comic strip. Contrary to my expectations, Tintin is not marketed as a national brand across the country (unlike Heidi in Switzerland). Apart from the museum store, I found Tintin merchandise in just one store in Bruges, Wonder if it has to do with copyright issues.

On the art front, Rubens has a statue to himself in the center of Antwerp. My biggest disappointment was missing out to see the Ghent Altarpiece – one of the world’s most coveted pieces of art (I reached the cathedral 10 minutes past the visiting hours). The French looted it after the Revolution and displayed it in the Louvre until Napoleon’s defeat in Waterloo. During WWII, the other maniac, Hitler ordered its seizure and the piece ended up in a salt mine. The other famous piece that caught my attention was Michelangelo’s sculpture – Madonna of Bruges. This statue had the exact same experience thanks to Napolean and Hitler. Both were rescued by the Monuments Men – the crack team that was assembled to get back art treasures looted by the Nazis. (Must pick up the book and rewatch the movie). The most perplexing piece of art was the Manneken Pis in Brussels. The statue was tiny and is marketed as a brand – chocolates, shop windows, buildings…

Street art is a big deal in Belgian cities and I was reminded of Delhi’s own experiments with it in the Lodi Art District. Also check out this link for some stunning works from the walls of Antwerp.

The Belgian fries, beer and waffles lived up to their reputation. Artisanal chocolates are a big thing here. But the steep prices kept me at a safe distance.

In Antwerp, Sruthi and I was accompanied by a lady who, like us, was also rushing to catch the train. She was a Bosnian-Belgian who landed up here during Milosevic’s genocide in the mid-1990s. On learning that I worked with the UN, she immediately drew out her cellphone to ask if I was aware of the UN resolution on Srebrenica which was passed in May. Srebrenica was her home. My only knowledge of it was from Joe Sacco’s work on the Bosnian War. While parting, I got to know she was Muslim and that her name was Indira! Her father was a student of Political Science, and when she was born in ’85, he decided to name her after the charismatic woman leader who was assassinated a few months ago. This is probably going to be my only lasting memory from my visit to Belgium