BFGLP

There is a band in Brussels. BFGLP. Band for Good Looking People. They do not think about themselves as good looking, but they are provoked when ugly people are listening to them.

The photo session is done. The concept is settled. Now they have to learn how to play the guitar.

Urban picnic

Sun (believe it or not) in Brussels and some electronica.

Piknik electronik!

Who is German?

Papa in the urban jungle.

Secret garden

In a rough street I discovered a small secret pépinière built up by the Anderlecht municipality in cooperation with a NGO. The idea is to make a garden of great biodiversity and promote sustainable development in the neighbourhood, i.e. economic, social and environmental development in harmony. People of different age worked with plants and trees in this small old cosy yard. In the great variety of projects run by NGOs in Brussels I have rarely seen something as practical and tangible. There is apparently hope for the future of Eurocrats.

Eurowash

A launderette is a frequent element in the streetscape in Europe. In many residential areas you find one on every street. As a friend told me: "Next to the washing machines people that never otherwise would have met start talking. Clothes, and the procedure of washing them, is the lowest common denominator". True or not, the launderettes are friendly. Next to my place in Brussels there are plenty of them. In the entire Sweden there is one! Or so I have heard, I have actually not seen it yet. I presume this says something about spontaneous meetings in Scandinavia.

Belgian signs and unintended irony

Capital of the Belgian Kingdom is full of signs. During the week-end I made photos of a few of them.

Sir Fatty cannot stop laughing when seeing the sign of Rue de la Victoire. The first obvious question is, which victory do the Belgians have in mind? Is there actually one, and if so, is it something to be proud of?

Belgian quality? Irony is always most amusing when it is unintended.

In quest of urban environment? Then you know you are on the right track!

Rainbow in Brussels

During the week-end there was a rainbow over Brussels as the Brussels Gay Pride took place. There was even a glimpse of sun as thousands of people were partying in the streets to loud music.

Pissing creatures and frites

Italy has Colosseum, France has the Eiffel Tower, Belgium has ....the Manneken Pis! It is Dutch for “little man urinating”. The most famous monument of the country is a 61 cm tall boy in bronze pissing. What does this say about Belgium? Well, maybe a lack of ambitions and no delusion of grandeur. At least, it cannot be blamed for being pretentious.

The small boy pissing also has fashion ambitions that can be generalised to the Kingdom of Belgium.

Not only human beings pissing are merited a statue in central Brussels. According to me, the focus on urinating creatures is somewhat narrow.

The second national pride, which also not is subject of pretensions, can be combined with the pissing young man. How does it feel that the national dish number one is named after another country? French fries!