Visit to Ghent

Once again we decided to do some traveling while Jan's best friend, Sasa, was here visiting. So we decided to take a day trip to Ghent.

Here's some information about Ghent from Wikipedia. Ghent (IPA: /ˈɡɛnt/; Gent IPA: [ʝɛnt] in Dutch, Gand [ɡɑ̃] in French, and formerly Gaunt in English) is a city and a municipality located in Flanders, Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and became in the Middle Ages one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university.

Archeologic evidence shows human presence in the region of the confluence of Scheldt and Lys going back as far as the Stone Age and the Iron Age. Most historians believe that the older name for Ghent, 'Ganda' is derived from the Celtic word 'ganda' which means confluence. There are no written records of the Roman period but archaeological research confirms that the region of Ghent was further inhabited.

When the Franks invaded the Roman territories (from the end of the 4th century and well into the 5th century) they brought their language with them and Celtic and Latin were replaced by Old Dutch.

Around 650 Saint Amand founded two abbeys in Ghent: the Saint Peter Abbey and the St. Bavo's Abbey . The city grew from several nuclei, the abbeys and a commercial centre. Around 800 Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, appointed Einhard, the biographer of Charlemagne, as abbot of both abbeys. In 851 and 879 the city was however attacked and plundered twice by the Vikings.

The city recovered and flourished from the 11th century on. Until the 13th century Ghent was the biggest city in Europe after Paris; it was bigger than London, Cologne or Moscow. Within the city walls lived up to 65,000 people. Today, the belfry and the towers of the Saint Bavo Cathedral and Saint Nicholas' Church are just a few examples of the skyline of the period.

The rivers flowed in an area where a lot of land was periodically inundated. These richly grassed 'meersen' ("water-meadows": a word related to the English 'marsh', but not meaning exactly the same, a 'meers' is not permanently under water) were ideally suited for herding sheep, the wool of which was used for making cloth. In fact, Ghent was during the Middle Ages the most important city for cloth.

The wool-industry, originally established at Bruges, created the first European industrialized zone in Ghent in the High Middle Ages. The mercantile zone was so highly-developed that wool had to be imported from England. This was one of the reasons for Flanders' good relationship with England. Ghent was the birthplace of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. The trade with England suffered significantly during the Hundred Years' War.

The city recovered in the 14th century, while Flanders was united with neighboring provinces under the Dukes of Burgundy. High taxes led to a rebellion and eventually the Battle of Gavere, in which Ghent suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of Philip the Good. Around this time the center of gravity in the Low Countries started to shift from Flanders (Bruges–Ghent) to Brabant (Antwerp–Brussels), although Ghent would continue to play an important role.

In 1500 Juana of Castile gave birth to Charles V, who became Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. Although native to Ghent, he punished the city after the 1539 Revolt of Ghent and obliged the city's nobles to walk in front of the emperor barefoot with a noose (Dutch: strop) around the neck; since this incident, the people of Ghent have been called "Stroppendragers" (noose bearers). The Saint Bavo Abbey was abolished, torn down, and replaced with a fortress for Spanish troops. Only a small portion of the abbey was spared demolition.

The late 16th and the 17th century brought devastation because of the Religious wars. At one time Ghent was a Calvinistic republic, but eventually the Spanish army reinstated Catholicism. The wars ended the role of Ghent as a center of international importance.

In the 18th and 19th century Ghent the textile industry flourished again in Ghent. Lieven Bauwens introduced the first mechanical weaving machine on the European continent, of which he smuggled the plans out of England, in 1800.

Ghent was also the site of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent which formally ended the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States of America. After the battle of Waterloo Ghent became a part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands for 15 years. In this period Ghent got its own university (1817) and a new connection to the sea (1824–27).

After the Belgian Revolution, with the loss of port access to the sea for more than a decade, the local economy collapsed and the first Belgian trade-union originated in Ghent. In 1913 there was a World exhibition in Ghent. As a preparation for these festivities the Sint-Pieters railway station, was completed in 1912.

Here are the pictures from our trip. Enjoy!

Here a video of the organist in the cathedral practicing. Shhh, don't tell anyone you saw it, we weren't supposed to take any pictures or video.

And one final thought...CRACK KILLS!

Belgium teeters on a linguistic edge

As French-speakers spread north in Belgium, Flemish hear a threat

By Steve Erlanger

LIEDEKERKE, Belgium: If Belgium vanishes one day, it will be because of little towns like this one, where Flemish politicians are riding a new wave of nationalism and pushing for an independent state.

Liedekerke has only 12,000 inhabitants, but its elected council has caused a stir by insisting on the "Flemish nature" of the town. Not only must all city business and schooling take place in Flemish, true throughout Flanders, but children who cannot speak the language can be prohibited from taking part in holiday outings, like hikes and swimming classes.

"België barst!" says the graffiti on the bridge near the train station, or "Belgium bursts," the cry of the nationalists who want an independent Flanders. But here they also want to keep the rich, French-speakers from Brussels - only 21 kilometers, or 13 miles, away, and 15 minutes by train - from buying up this pretty landscape and changing the nature of the village.

Marc Mertens, 53, is the full-time secretary of the town, a professional manager who works under the elected, but part-time village council. Sitting in a café near the old church - Liedekerke is thought to mean "church on the little hill" - he describes how his grandfather fought in World War I under officers who only gave commands in French.

"And then they would say in French: 'For the Flemish, the same!' " he said....(Click here for remainder of article).

Antwerp with Sasa

A few weeks ago, Jan's best friend, Sasa, was here visiting from Prague. So we went around seeing some of the sites here in Antwerp. It was really quite fun, because, even though I've been here since October, I've not gone around to see the sites. So here are some pictures from Antwerp. Enjoy!

Jan and Sasa

The Cathedral of Our Lady

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, or the Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp, was started in 1351 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never been 'completed'. In Gothic style, its architects were Jan and Pieter Appelmans. It contains a number of significant works by the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, as well paintings by artists such as Otto van Veen, Jacob de Backer and Marten de Vos.

The cathedral is on the list of World Heritage Sites.

Antwerpen Stadhuis (Town Hall)

The City Hall (Dutch: Stadhuis) of Antwerp, Belgium, stands on the western side of Antwerp's Grote Markt (Great Market Square). Erected between 1561 and 1565 to the design of Cornelis Floris de Vriendt and several other architects and artists, this Renaissance building incorporates both Flemish and Italian influences.

The low arcaded ground story is of rusticated stone, and at one time housed little shops. Above are two stories with Doric and Ionic columns separating large mullioned windows, and a fourth story forming an open gallery.

The richly ornamented center section, which rises above the eaves in diminishing stages, holds female statues representing Justice, Prudence, and the Virgin Mary, and bears the coats of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, the Spanish Habsburgs, and the Margraviate of Antwerp.

In the 16th century, the municipal authorities proposed to replace Antwerp's small medieval town hall with a more imposing structure befitting the prosperity of the great port city. Domien de Waghemakere drafted a plan (c. 1540) for a new building in a style typical of the monumental Gothic town halls of Flanders and Brabant.

But an atmosphere of war prevented any progress on the project. The building material intended for the city hall was instead used to shore up the city defenses. Not until about 1560 were new plans developed, this time in the new Renaissance style. Completed in 1565, the building lasted hardly a decade before being burnt to a shell in the Spanish Fury of 1576. It was repaired three years later.

Renovations during the late 19th century by Pierre Bruno Bourla drastically modified the interior. Much of the stately decor dates from this period, as does a roof over what was once an open-air inner courtyard.

This and that

It was a beautiful day, and all the people were out eating in the sidewalk cafes. These cafes are all over the city, and are lovely ways to pass the time.

As you walk around Antwerp, there are so many buildings to admire. Many are from the 17th century!

This one's for Bret's Dad and brother.

Trams in Antwerp

This is what the majority of the trams in Antwerp look like, including the graffiti. There is graffiti everywhere in this town. People writing or spraying on virtually every surface. It's like New York City in the 70s and 80s. I've never understood people's need for destruction of public property, but that's just me.

Chocolate Hands

The city gets its name from the old word for "harbor", but more appealing, it gets its name from a well-known myth. Back in the days, Antwerp was terrorized by a giant called Lange Wapper, who collected toll from passing ships. One day a fellow named Brabo didn't want to pay and fought and killed him. He chopped of the hand of the giant and threw it into the river Schelde. Throwing hands in Dutch is "hand werpen", hence "Antwerpen". The statue on the central square (Grote Markt) depicts this myth. So now-a-days you can find these chocolate hands everywhere.

Some kind of sex bus...I don't really know, or want to.

Old People in Belgium

Ever since I arrived in this country there has been something that has just annoyed the living daylights out of me, and today it really boiled to a head. So any of you out there who are reading this, understand that this is venting, and a bit of a rant. The level of rudeness in this country is unbelievable; especially from the over 60 crowd. Don't misunderstand what I'm going to say here; I'm not leveling a charge at those over 60 in the US or in Burkina Faso for that matter, I'm only speaking about those elderly people who live here in Belgium.

These people walk around with an air of entitlement and snobbishness that is enough to make one lash out uncontrollably. As an example, I was waiting in line at the post office this morning, and I was next up in the queue. I was standing there, bitching to myself that it must be a requirement that all postal workers the world over take a course in moving at a glacial pace. Anyway, I digress. As I said it was almost my turn. Well right when the guy who was in front of me left, this crotchety old sack of skin, no offense to lovely sacks of skin out there, jumps up from the back of the line and walks right to the window! I was flabbergasted! I couldn't believe that she had just done that. Well not speaking pigeon-Dutch, I could only tell her off in English, which she clearly understood from her reaction. Did that stop her? No, not at all. Did the person behind the counter tell her to go back to her place? No.

Now, yes, there is something to respecting your elders. I'm all for that. This however, was way beyond that. I was furious, and must say still am. I'm sure that much is obvious from the tone of this post. I would still be angry if this were an isolated incident. It's not! It happens all the time. There are geriatric line jumpers all over the place in this country. These people walk around, or hobble would be more apropos, with these scowls on their faces. Not just an unhappy face, but a full on "I was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Congolese natives, and I'll kill you too if you get in my way" kind of looks. It is very unsettling, and not to mention depressing.

What I want to know is why? Why do these people feel that it is their right to get away with all of this? Is it because of their age? Well get over it! It's no great achievement to live beyond 60 or 70, I mean tortoises do that all the time. So what is it? I would love for someone to tell me. Now this entire rant can be seen as ageist by some, and most likely by me as well when I calm down and gather my rational mind again. But at this point I'm just letting the reptilian part run free.

Good News

Well we have some good news. We received our approval from the Belgian government to proceed with our marriage. Yahoo! We're very excited about that! So we're going to be going to the town hall and schedule a date. Some things about Belgium drive me crazy, but the fact that they give Jan and I this opportunity is the way the world should be! Stay tuned.

For any that are interested, here's the letter we received from Antwerp:

¡Muy ausente!

So, the first thing I must do is apologize for my long absence from posting anything on this blog. I know that there are just oodles and oodles of people out there wondering how Jan and I are getting along, and I've been slack in providing the wanted information. Well here it goes.

We went over to the town hall, or districthuis, here in Deurne, to file the necessary paperwork in order for us to get married. I figured it was going to be similar to the forms one would have to fill out in the States. Oh, how wrong I was! First, there is just the sheer number of documents needed by both of us. We need birth certificates, criminal records searches, affidavits that we've never been married before, proof of citizenship (and no the passport is not enough, go figure that), and finally some crazy document stating what the marriage rules in our home countries are (I have no idea why this matters). While obtaining all of these documents is not difficult, rather simple actually, every single one must have a apostille stamp, which is a stamp that certifies the document as internationally legal. Furthermore, every single one must be translated into Dutch. Uggh! What a pain in the butt. So what was a relatively simple task, has turned into a time, and money, consuming chore. Sigh.

So I obtained, though my Mom, a certified copy of my birth certificate, complete with apostille stamp from the Colo. Secretary of State. All good and legal. We went to the districthuis to turn in the documents we had gathered thus far, the woman got a really puzzled look on her face when I gave her my birth cert. Well she wandered off to confer with some colleague somewhere; we could hear them prattling back and forth. When she returns, she says that they don't know if they'll be able to accept the birth certificate! What? Why? Well it doesn't look like their example. You've got to be kidding me? Well after them showing me their example, which was a copy of a birth cert. from Michigan! After sighing heavily, and I'm sure there was an eye roll involved at some point, and went about explaining to these bureaucrats that every State has a different certificate, and there is not one national certificate issued by the U.S. government. Well, what I thought was a rather simple concept, took a full 20 minutes discussion. Them saying many different things, and me saying the exact same things over and over. Finally, they said it would be accepted.

We were told that we would be giving a date where we would have to appear for an interview. The kind of interview that people in the States have to go through with INS if they're getting married to an immigrant. Our interview, was scheduled for the 24th of April, which was of course last week.

We appeared at the appointed time, and in typical Belgian fashion, the interviewer was 20 minutes late. Any who, she interviewed us separately, asking us questions about each other. "What's Jan's fathers name?" "What did you do last weekend?" "Were did you meet?" Blah blah blah. No big deal, really. She told us afterward that since we'd been together for so long, with pictures and everything, she didn't ask us very probing questions.

Now, she sends the interview back to the districthuis here in Deurne, and they will get back to us sometime over the next three weeks, with an affirmative or negative decision. My god, what a process! So that is where we stand right now. We're just waiting for the letter. Belgium is a lot like the Navy, in that everything is hurry-up and wait.

With all of that said, I will endeavor to keep this blog updated from now on. Cheers for now, and watch your back out there.

Belgium Forms Coalition Government, Ending Standoff

By STEPHEN CASTLE
Published: March 21, 2008

BRUSSELS — Belgium finally got a new government on Thursday, after a nine-month political crisis that prompted speculation that the country might split, but many voters say that the new five-party coalition may be too weak to last.

Yves Leterme, leader of the Flemish Christian Democrats and the winner of elections last June, was sworn in as prime minister by King Albert II.

After the elections, warring Flemish and French-speaking parties were not able to agree on a coalition government. The dispute was so acrimonious that it prompted fears that Belgium, formed in 1830, might divide along linguistic lines.

Although those concerns have subsided for the time being, polls indicated that confidence in the new coalition was extremely low even before it took office.

One recent opinion poll of a representative sample of 1,027 people commissioned by the broadcasters RTL and VTM found that almost two out of three of those surveyed thought the government would fall within the next three years.

After the elections, Mr. Leterme, 47, tried to form a government but failed after the collapse of complex negotiations. In desperation, the king turned in December to the departing Flemish prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt, to lead a caretaker administration....(Click here for remainder of article)

Belgium to Pay Holocaust Survivors

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press Writer

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - David Susskind survived the Holocaust by fleeing to Switzerland, eventually joining the French Resistance. When he returned to Belgium after the war, he had nothing.

His mother, a widow, died in the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. Strangers were living in his family home in Antwerp. The local grocer greeted him with shock, saying, ``You're still alive?''

"We lost everything. There was nothing,'' said Susskind, now 82.

On Tuesday, Belgium's banks and government sought to make material amends, announcing $170 million in restitution for the Jewish community and families of Holocaust survivors whose property and goods were looted by Nazi occupiers.

Overall, $54 million will be paid to individual claimants, with the rest going to a Jewish trust that will help the poor and keep the memory of the horrors of World War II alive.

``In a certain way, justice has been done. Unfortunately, there are people who never came back'' from the Nazi death camps, said Eli Ringer, the co-chair of the committee on the restitution of Jewish assets.

Some 50,000 Jews lived in Belgium in the 1930s and about half died in the Holocaust....(Click here for remainder of article)

Belgium: huge transit port for drugs

Published: Monday 03 March 2008 12:40 UTC
Last updated: Monday 03 March 2008 14:44 UTC

Washington - A US government report says that a quarter of all drugs intended for Europe are imported through Belgium, making the country one of the biggest drug transit ports on the continent. The report says that every year 60 tons of cocaine and 30 tons of heroin arrive in the country.

Belgium is an ideal entry point for drugs because of its extensive network of highways and the presence of the port of Antwerp, which also lies close to the Dutch port of Rotterdam.

The report says that some of Antwerp's dockworkers are actively involved in the smuggling, mainly of drugs from South America. It also notes that Brussels' Zaventem airport is popular with couriers bringing in drugs from Africa.

[(c) Radio Netherlands Worldwide]

Ivan the Terrible

We have a new addition our little family. His name is Ivan and he's a 9 week old Jack Russell Terrier.