Edit: this was a while back. I thought I'd posted it, but hadn't.
Brussels
Outside the train station
Pickle-flavoured crisps. Verdict: surprisingly good
Amsterdam
Jed's been very interested in cats recently; I took this photo for him.
It's pronounced "Chin's"
"Verzorging" means "care"
Brussels again
Giant Tintin mural
Political stickers
That sticker was on a lamppost outside this block of flats that was being demolished; looked like the flats might be a squat, or occupied at one time. There was some other graffiti and signs saying "they came in when we were in our beds" with a picture of a wrecking ball.
Mickey's looking rough....
The neighborhood near the train station seemed to be an ethnic enclave; there were men in dishdashas walking around and signs in languages other than French or Flemish. Interestingly, there were the same types of discount stores and barbershops that I associate with Bushwick - I guess economic development in neighborhoods tends to follow the same arcs, even in other cultures.
"Front National" is a far-right French political party.
We got a lot of stares - i think it was pretty obvious we were from out of town. The strangest bit: A guy came sprinting down the street, apparently running from someone. We watched him go by and kept walking. Two blocks later there were cops all over the place, dragging another young man to the police car. Other cops were running around, searching for someone or something. Lots of sirens, yelling into radios, etc. It seemed like half the block's residents were outside watching the cops. There was a weird animosity in the air. We kept going, past the market, which was packing up as we got there. Jen remarked on the extraordinary quantity of rubbish strewn all over. This photo doesn't do it justice. There was fish guts, produce, paper, cardboard, and other stuff, all combining into an incredible stench. The pavement was slippery in places from the goo.
Past the market was a fun-fair. We wandered around in the streets near there a bit, but felt strangely uncomfortable, in a way we hadn't felt at all in Amsterdam.
