Norman Darlo
Last summer, I travelled to Brussels in Belgium for a short break. We (me, the missus and the teenager) arrived in the middle of a heatwave, with temperatures in the mid to high thirties, so it actually felt more like Sicily or Greece than Northwest Europe. We had rented an apartment in Schaerbeek, a suburb with a large immigrant population, and the mix of Arabic and Portuguese on the streets added to the exotic atmosphere. As many a European traveller knows, immigrant areas offer the best of deals in accommodation, as well as an exciting array of food!
#1 First sunset
The evening we arrived, there was the most amazing sunset! The image above has not been edited in any way. I just pulled in tight on the zoom. It was taken from our fifth-floor apartment, at the top of an old building with narrow stairs and no lift ? Here is the wider view from our dormer window, across the city rooftops:
#2 The skyline at Schaerbeek, Brussels
#3 Two old burghers
Here’s an 18-second clip, courtesy of my wife, that will give you a clearer idea of the charm of this little park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6KQrWjn2pU
From there we made our way to La grand-place (‘The Big Square’) with its opulent guildhalls, the Town Hall, and the Breadhouse. As well as admiring the magnificent architecture, we passed an enjoyable half-hour people watching. The place was awash with tourists, including of course ourselves ?
#4 La grand-place, Brussels
You might recognise this square from @leigh_kemp ‘s superb rendering of the place here: https://virily.com/art/two-nights-brussels-21-seasons-end/
Next day we took the tram to the outskirts of the city, to visit the Botanic Garden at Meise. Belgium is divided into two main language zones: in Brussels and the south they speak French, but here in the capital’s hinterland everyone speaks Dutch. Luckily I have both languages, having worked for years in The Hague, but it soon became apparent that the Dutch (or properly, Flemish) spoken in Flanders is considerably different from the Dutch of the Netherlands, despite the fact that they are essentially identical when written. But I muddled through!
#5 Victoria cruziana
#6 Nelumbo nucifera
#7 Nelumbo nucifera
#8 Merguez et frites
Lastly, if you're interested, here's a nine-minute video tour of those wonderful botanic gardens, again courtesy of my wife: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks2FOVaX48I
Very interesting story! Hope you’ll post more 😀
Thank you very much, Inez 🙂
kiya bat hai larke chah geya
Marvelous pictures, especially those lovely Victoria Cruziana….amazingly beautiful.
Thank you, Nadeem! I totally agree, those leaves are so amazing 🙂
I thought I was captivated by the beautiful skyline on one of the photos but the water lily leaves are the best. They are incredible I could not believe their shape and form.
Oh yes, those leaves are quite fabulous! Thanks for reading 🙂
I love this post, so many gorgeous photos!
I’m very happy you like it, Ellie 🙂
The pictures are lovely. Beautiful
Thank you for your kind words, Manni 🙂
Its Seens So beautiful Norman!
Thank you, Hamza. It is a lovely place 🙂
The pictures are unique, as you say for a brief walk we took us to Brussels. thank you Norman
Thank you, Elenka, for accompanying me 🙂
Wow loved all of these beautiful photos Norman. The sunset, oh my that was stunning!
Brussels looks like an enchanted place to visit.
Brilliant place for a short break. And I didn’t even mention the beer! Thanks very much for reading, Carol 🙂
I am sure the beer is worth mentioning as well! 🙂
Seems to be a wonderful city!
Is it a fact? Can we now mention users in our stories? @darlo
It is a wonderful city, and it was great to get some “southern” weather while I was there 🙂
As you can see in the post, When I typed @leigh_kemp it automatically made a link to that user’s profile, but I doubt if it sent him a notification (although I can’t be sure), so it’s not really tagging – more linking. However, we can’t even do that in a comment yet!
Yes, I will try tagging someone next time and I will ask if a notification is received … hehe
Thank you for replying!
Good idea. Feel free to tag me 🙂
Wow, I am speechless. So glad to see you post a story again, I have always loved your photography, and I have missed you wifes smiles. The video was so amazing, what a garden. I found myself trying to ID the plants before she showed the plagues. lol I have a few of these fuzzy plants with the red rims in my yard. I had NO idea they got that big, I am going to have to transplant them. Im kind of glad quizzes are down, ha ha. Thanks for the great tour (s)
LOL, Kim, your encouragement is very welcome, but I pretty much stopped taking photos back in August! I hope it’ll come back to me, as I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. This was a fun trip, packed tight with visiting, eating and drinking. The Botanic Garden really was a high point, which I’m glad we saved for the last day. Rachel will be very happy to hear your remarks about her video 🙂
No time like now to get back into it.I for one would love to see more. Looks like you had a great time, it shows in those smiling faces.
I really enjoyed this! Plus in my book, I am calling this one a perfect norman. I did not miss a single question!!!!!!
In all seriousness, great post your pictures were and are amazing. I really enjoyed the second sunset post and the botanical garden pictures!
Thank you, Doc, that’s really encouraging! And I’m very happy to have helped you get a perfect norman 😀 😀
Now for one on one of your quizzes!!!