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July 10, 2008
Breakfast in Belgium
Last year, crossing under the wet bit in the wee hours, we tried to have breakfast in Belgium. We tried, and failed. First of all we couldn’t get into Antwerp, our breakfast destination of choice and home of some of my forefathers.
“Antwerp” appeared, reassuringly, on the sign posts and way markers as we made our way across the Flanders flatlands. Then, without so much as a Zentrum, Antwerp disappeared. We whizzed off the autoroute and back on again in the opposite direction believing that, whilst dreaming of coffee and croissants, we had just missed the sign to Antwerp centre. But no. Antwerp, like Atlantis, had disappeared, or at least any signs as to how the city might be accessed.
This year, somewhat unexpectedly, we found ourselves in Brussels. Then, just as we were beginning to enjoy the urban architecture after the faceless miles of motorway and noticed a rather interesting Byzantine church looming by the roadside, we were plunged into some stygian underpass which proceeded to tumble us beneath the city.
The driver of the tunnelling engine must have been at the Absinthe for the road went up and down like a rollercoaster and we hurtled along holding tight looking for an exit of which there were none. When we finally surfaced into the glaring daylight we assumed we must at least be near the border to the Netherlands, but no, after a couple of left turns we noticed a certain, albeit’s interest diminishing, Byzantine church.
We decided to breakfast.
Then began the tedious task of trying to leave Brussels, The problem seemed to centre on the fact that we couldn’t seem to shake off said Byzantine church. Obviously this is a recurring problem, for the good Burghers of Brussels had provided a convenient device for asking directions.
Posted by john at July 10, 2008 11:00 AM