Our First visit to Belgium

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Our first visit to Belgium was a real mixed bag. I had to go for a job interview with SWIFT, and we decided that since part of the trip was being paid for, we should make the most of the opportunity and stay a bit longer to check out our potential new home together. As it was both Jeannie and my first time in Belgium, neither of us knew what to expect.

For those who haven't been there, Brussels is a fairly large, grey town that has a kind of unapproachable charm... It was definitely still winter and quite cold (Jeannie got to experience her first snow flurries) and we ended up booking a random hotel on the Internet in an "interesting" area of Brussels - none of which added to the immediate appeal, but we quickly found our feet and did a bit of exploring.

It slowly became apparent that Brussels is the most multicultural city I've ever been in (quite possibly it is one of the most multicultural cities on earth, but I don't know how I would go about testing that hypothesis?) In addition to being the bi-lingual capital of a nation divided between the Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons, it is also the "administrative capital" of the EU. This means that all European cultures and languages are very well represented. Further to this, though, due to Belgium's checkered colonial history ("checkered" is a strange word, but seems to be used a lot in the same sentence as "colonial" for some reason, so why shouldn't I?) in the Congo, and its other dabblings in North Africa, Africans and muslim cultures are also very strongly represented. Modern-day Brussels is also a high-profile tourist destination with some great sights that attract more typical camera-wielding Asian and American tourists.

Perhaps because of this overt multiculturalism and the related tensions that seem to be simmering just under the surface, one has a real sense of being an outsider no matter where in the city you are.

Anyway, this was just meant to be a quick intro passage - I'm obviously getting carried away, so will save all this philosophising for another entry later...

Suffice to say that our first trip (and the job interview) went well. Jeannie also managed to slip in a side trip to Gent (or Ghent, depending on whether you're Flemish or a Walloon) while I was doing my interview, so some of the pics are from there I think. Perhaps she'll add some comments on that?

For such a small country, Belgium seems to have a lot to offer (beyond just its proximity to the rest of Europe.) I think it is one of those countries that has all the opportunities on earth if you want to go make something of them. Only time will tell I guess, but I'm looking forward to getting to know Belgium and Brussels better, and can't wait to uncover the many jewels they have to offer.