The French Cancan? Not quite…

Christmas. Christmas time is here, and Christmas songs you  love to hear.
Thoughts of joy and hope and cheer, but mostly shopping, shopping, shopping.
Christmas. Christmas time is here, the sleigh bells and the red nosed deer.
Songs and songs we love to hear, all played a thousand times each year.

Heard this same song 20 times and it’s only Halloween (Joy to the World)
It’s not even cold outside (Deck the halls with boughs of holly)

Christmas, Christmas time is here, and Christmas songs you love to hear
Thoughts of joy and hope and cheer, but mostly shopping, shopping, shopping.

Christmas season, starting sooner every year.
It’s October, stores with plastic Christmas trees.
Ransack the mall, shop until you lose your mind.
Spike the eggnog, sit back and watch Rudolf, Frosty, Tiny Tim, and Scrooge the price, or Charlie Brown
It’s time...
It’s time to do the Christmas can-can if you can’t, can’t dance well that’s ok
(not going to do the kick line)
All you need is a tree, some lights, about a thousand presents; wrap them up and pray for snow!
Run to your closet find your Christmas sweaters, screaming carols all the way
(fa-la-la-la-la)
Maine all the way to California: it’s the Christmas can-can Halloween to Christmas day.

It’s the most wonderful time of year, we’re running mad with Christmas cheer.

Hey what’s troubling you my friend?
It’s not fair if your Jewish, Jewish (not fair if your Jewish, Jewish)
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, I made it out of clay. You realize that Christmas ain’t the only holiday!
Hey, he’s right who made these laws?
Look! Wait!
Here comes Santa Claus, Santa Claus, Santa Claus, Santa Claus, Santa Claus (Santa, Santa, Santa, Santa, Santa, Santa, Santa, Santa)

Hey Santa do the can-can help them if you can-can. Join in the parade.
All you need is a tree, some lights, about a thousand presents; wrap them up and pray for snow.
Run to your closet find your Christmas sweaters screaming carols all the way
(fa-la-la-la-la)
Prance all the way to Indiana: it’s the Christmas can-can that’s the end.
Wait for our ending. We should share this holiday. I wanna give a happy Chanukah to you, a happy Chanukah to you, a happy Chanukah to you.
A merry Christmas, Chanukah and also Kwanzaa.
Merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, and mer-ry Kwan-zaa too!

With special thanks to Julie, who told me to watch this on youtube. When listening, I couldn’t help but smile, and I can only hope you’ll be doing the same thing.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Expect the unexpected.

Have you ever been invited to have dinner with someone you never met? Did you ever spend an entire evening at a complete stranger’s home? I can only recommend it, after what I’ve done yesterday…

Shannon saw my profile on couchsurfing, and wanted to meet me for a drink and a walk through the town of Genk. We spent a couple of hours together, and she ended up inviting me to her hosts place for dinner the next evening.

It felt kind of awkward and strange to be invited for dinner by people I’d never seen before in my entire life. And on top of that: they weren’t personally inviting me, they sent somebody else out to deliver the message.
I decided to jump into deep water and swim…

So there I was, entering somebody’s privacy, sitting at their table, talking to people I just met and already feeling very welcome and comfortable.
This evening turned out to be wonderful. We had a delicious home cooked meal, chatted the night away, and ok, I admit, some alcohol joined the party as well…

I always thought that this was only possible in other countries, in other cultures. Turns out that this spirit is also to be found within 5 minutes from my doorstep.
After this wonderful night, and in times where some people want to split this tiny country, I can only quote Mr John: “Potverdekke, it’s great to be a Belgian!"

Surfing.

As most of you will know by now, I’m planning a trip around the world. I’m thinking of keeping this trip as low budget as possible by making use of couchsurfing. The idea is to find a place to spend the night with local people, take in local culture and save money.

So I subscribed to couchsurfing.org, and I had my first experience two weeks ago. I got contacted by a guy that was going on a weekend with other bikers, and their tour started about 10 km from where I live. He didn’t want to ride the 200 km from his home to the start of the tour on the day itself, and decided to spend the night at my place, on my couch.

I arranged for a mattress, and welcomed this total stranger in the late afternoon. We had a drink together, had dinner (just sandwiches, no big deal) at my place, and I must admit that I felt really comfortable with this situation. We had some small talk, learned about each other’s interests and jobs, and I didn’t get bored for one second.

I even felt comfortable enough to leave the house for my weekly game of squash, leaving this perfect stranger all alone in my apartment. Keys and laptop on the table, stereo and television within reach… I trusted the guy right away, and I never had a doubt in my mind about him being honest and fair.
I must admit that it felt a tad strange when I came home, and found this new face, sitting in his pajama’s in my chair. It brought a smile to my face, though.

We ended the night sharing a pizza, and I went to bed as he laid down on an old mattress.
The next morning, we had breakfast together, and he took off on his motorbike.
It was a whole new experience for me, and one that I want to repeat as soon as possible!

Couchsurfing is turning a missed train into an opportunity for a new adventure.

Time to look back and ahead.

We’re halfway through September, and summer is coming to its end. This is the time for a recap of the last couple of months.

Most people go abroad when they’re having their annual leave. Even before 2011 started, I decided not to leave the country this year. The budget of this year’s holidays will be added to next year’s.
Instead of crossing the Belgian borders, I had people from outside the country coming over to visit me. It’s nice to reverse things every now and then.

I spent a fantastic time hosting these people. I learned a lot. I played tourist in my own country. And believe me: although being a small country, we have a lot to offer.
I saw that people can really appreciate Belgium and its people. I experienced that we can make people feel at ease. I found out that we are a serving country and that the services we provide are often fast, clear and well organized.
And that there’s a statue of a man on a horse in every Belgian city that you visit.

I spent my summer holidays in the company of some wonderful people that have become my best friends, or even more: family.
We had fully planned, long days and short nights.
I’m enjoying my last week of vacation now, and there’s an enormous difference with the preceding period.
The contrast is probably best explained by the way I experience time. The hours flew by those last couple of weeks, and days were gone in the blink of an eye. Today is not such a thing at all. Minutes seem to be hours, and hours seem to last forever.
There's no plan, nowhere to go to and nothing to look up on the internet.

All I'm saying, is that I spent a wonderful time with you, girls, and that I can feel with every fibre of my being that my friends and family share that feeling.
I’ll have to set my pace and rhythm back to daily routine, but I can assure everybody that I’m already looking ahead.

I can only thank my visitors from the bottom of my heart for spending their precious time with me and for making this summer one to never forget.

I am pretty sure I will see those people again. I’m planning, budgeting and counting the days!

The sound of silence.

Can anybody explain me what the sound of silence actually sounds like?
I imagine it to be the sound of nature, with all rustle of us, humans, excluded. Shouldn’t it be the breeze of wind in your ear, maybe interrupted by a buzzing bee or mosquito flying by? The twittering sound of birds, warning each other that an unwanted visitor is approaching, is something I’d allow to be part of the sound of silence. Or the sudden “plop” you hear when a fruit falls from a tree. The pattering of a rabbit fleeing into the bushes, ok, I can live with that being part of the sound of silence.

Last week, I did a 20 kilometer walk in the neighbourhood where I live. For the most part of those kilometers, I found myself in a nature reserve. I saw deer, birds, frogs, mice, ants, you name it…

The one thing I didn’t find, was the sound of silence. There’s always something interfering with it. I heard the noise of cars on the motorway nearby, I crossed the path of chatting people, I noticed playing children somewhere in the distance, a carpenter hitting the nail on the head, the loud growling of a motorcycle…

And just when I thought I didn’t hear anything anymore, at the moment that I thought all side-sounds had died, I start hearing this zoom. I look up, and 15000 feet above me, an airplane has started its descent to Brussels Airport.

Well, here’s my question again: Can anybody explain me what the sound of silence actually sounds like?

They're coming!

Less than three weeks. I had to pinch my arm to make sure I’m not dreaming. In less than three weeks I’m having a visitor. From Norway!

I’m so looking forward to Kiki’s visit. We met almost a year ago, in a hotel in Saint-Petersburg, we spent a wonderful first evening together and had a lot of fun during our journey on the transsiberian railway.

After she’s gone, there’s another special person coming to stay with me for a week. A long lost sister. Julie spent a year in our family, in 1974, and – unbelievable but true – she’s coming to see my family and me again in september.
I have to admit that it’s a strange but oh so exciting feeling.
1974, the pre-internet era, which means we completely lost track of each other after she left. I’m so glad I found her again. My sister and I are almost fighting to host her. It’s been 37 years, so I guess we look a bit different since the last time we saw each other.

We haven’t had really nice weather so far, but august 24th, that’s when my summer starts!

The rainbow.

Friday afternoon, and for the first time in months I got home from work early. Just in time to see the last 70 kilometers of today’s stage in the Tour de France. A stage in the French Pyrenees, over  legendary mountains with even more legendary names: Aubisque and Soulor. A stage that finished in a place very well known for totally other reasons: Lourdes.

One man stood out today, determined to finish first in this pilgrimage.
The  Norwegian bull called Thor Hushovd was on a mission.
Wearing the rainbow jersey, the most beautiful jersey in the world, he flew up Aubisque, got caught again long before the top, but played his best card in the descent towards the finish: his weight. This guy is not made for climbing, he’s  made to dive down a hill like an eagle diving down on its prey.

He’s wearing this rainbow jersey since he became world champion in October last year, and he’s wearing it with pride, taking every opportunity possible to show it.

After today’s stage he admitted that this was the most beautiful victory in his career.
He already had a rainbow. Today he found the pot of gold.

Alea jacta est.

I’ve always loved traveling. I like to soak up other people’s way of life. I’m keen on mother nature’s different appearances. I ‘ve learned to appreciate doing things in a less comfortable way when away from home. To travel is to live and to experience.

Often have I met people that were

Stuck.

A hospital bed is one of the things you need to avoid in life, but sometimes certain circumstances decide differently, and before you know it, you’re stuck to this hi-tech, moving-in-all-directions-piece of furniture.
So here I am, trying to make things as comfy as possible, which is not easy, believe me, when you’re right arm is in a sling, your shoulder hurts like hell and you need to do everything with your left arm.
Go ahead and give it a try. If you’re right-handed, here’s a random list of things you could go for, using only your left hand:

Crash. Boom! Bang!!

A nice Saturday morning. Perfect weather for a bike ride. Heading towards the fruit region of our province to admire blooming apple, pear and cherry trees. Flowers turning towards the sun, soaking up as much light and warmth as possible. In a couple of weeks those flowers will have turned into fruit, bending the branches with their weight. Tons of healthy things will be harvested here, and distributed all over the world.

It’s not what you know.

Last week, all the locks of the apartment I live in were changed with only one purpose: open all the different doors with just one key.
After an incredible amount  of nagging and whining, the promotor and real estate guy of our block yielded and kept a promise made three years ago. It’s quite a hassle, you know, dragging around separate keys for the gates, your front door, your apartment door, the cellar, the garage, and in my case even the elevator (it ends up directly in the hall of my apartment and therefore can only be operated with a key).

Little did I know of what was going to happen next…

Not complaining.

Pfieuw. Hehe. Out of breath. Broken. Whipped. “Kaput”!
There’s this crazy colleague of mine, who got the stupidest idea in her head of doing a half marathon. 13.1 miles. 21.1 kilometer. 21100 steps of 1 meter.
Last week, she started doing her 3 month schedule to prepare herself for this event. I decided to join her every now and then, just to keep fit myself. Holy crap, what a wrong decision that was!

A day at the races.

Most of you might think of horse races, with a title like that. Well, I’m not.
I’m not thinking horses, I’m thinking bikes.

Today is the start of the season. And I mean the real start. Yes, there have been some races somewhere in the south. Yes, we’ve had the tour of Qatar, the tour of Oman, and the Ruta del Sol. All of those are just considered to be the preparation to the start. From today on, it’s the real stuff. It’s the first race of the season on Belgian ground. It’s the start of Flanders’ classics.

Perfectly shaped bodies. Athletic from head to toe. Some of them

Politics, anyone?

The current world record is 289 days.
Belgium is heading for that world record. We are on our way to have the longest government formation period ever! And guess who’s the current record holder… Iraq!
A world record to be proud of? I don’t think so.

My number 1.

There are people you dislike, there are people you tolerate, there are people you like, and there are people you love. But there’s always this one person that you admire and adore, no matter what. And I’m no exception.

The person I adore today, is somebody with little mistakes.
She may not always agree with me, but she’ll never be mad at me.
She may not always like what I do, but she’ll never judge me.
She may not support all my acts, but she’ll never let me down.
She takes care of me, I rely on her.

Whenever I have a problem, I turn to her.
A stain on my shirt that I can’t get out? I call her.
A replacement car when mine is in the garage? I’ll lend her Daewoo.
Craving for my favorite dish? She’ll prepare it.
Whatever my question is, she’ll never demur.

She’s the best mother in the world. She’s my number 1!