Who Needs Sun? : A November Photo Tour Of Brussels
Rainy days needn't be spent with one’s head in one’s hands ;-)
Camus once said that “autumn is a second spring when every leaf becomes a flower”. Indeed, in Belgium, that idea holds water…literally. One of the facts about Belgium is that it rains. A lot. And throughout autumn (and much of winter, the majority of spring…and commonly parts of summer) it rains seemingly nonstop. One of the common stereotypes of Belgians is that they are always running off on vacation…somewhere else!
Now, for people who enjoy strolling outside and taking photographs, this might seem to be one of Dante’s Hells. But not so. In fact, Belgium is a perfect reminder that life doesn't stop because it rains a one or two (or twenty) days straight. It can make the commonplace transform, gives reasons to visit the previously unvisited and – with a tad of effort – the ordinary extraordinary for those who bother to look.
The following is a photo collection of Brussels taken during one such recent stretch of dampness…conditions which particularly favor black and white photography. ;-)
Enjoy!
Tell me about it!
Have you visited Brussels?
Comments
You really do capture such interesting photos of what would normally be an ordinary pic. Making a rainy place seem mysterious and splendid is further proof of your talents.
And I am not a rain lover, so BRAVO even more so.
Exceptional pictures. Thank you
Love the imagery, very inviting.
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Thank you for stopping by :-)
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Thanks, Mhatter. I have another batch I'm working on from the same period (different topic)...watch this space ;-)
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Thanks Shiningirisheyes...appeciate your kind comments :-)
Awesome photo, thanks for the great tour !
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Thanks, Kashmir!
You really have an eye for a great photograph...the black and white add that 'something' in the damp conditions, and you have captured some great Autumn colours in the park photo's ( I like the Camus quote too, I haven't heard that one before!) :-))
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Cheers, Valleypoet. It really is my favorite season to photograph :-)
Gorgeous pics! That one of the Eglise Notre Dame is breathtaking. I tried to go to the top of the Old England building in September, but the elevator went from back and forth from floor 1 to floor -1 four times before it broke completely and my claustrophobic friend--with whom I'd already been stuck in an elevator once--started to panic. We had to drop it. I definitely want to see that view on my next trip.
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It's worth a visit. If possible, try going to the 10th floor restaurant on a Sunday. They have a very nice brunch (at a good price!) and the view is to die for. ;-)
An interesting approach (I had no idea that it rained so much in Belgium) and some great photographs -- I rally do like the black and white photographs. They seem to catch shadows and nuances better. Sharing.
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Thanks phdast7. And, indeed, Belgium is one wet place. Fortunately we have nearly 1500 different beers to keep us warm ;-)
Great pictures of Brussels! The pictures of the woods, is it "les Bois de la Cambre"?
If I remember well, there was a Milk Bar in the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert when I was a kid; I used to go there for lunch with my mother. Later, I taught in a school not to far from "La Grand Place".
Thank you for sharing a few sides of that big city! For me Belgium was just too grey to stay. The year my husband and I left, we had 2 days without rain during the summer!
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Hi Kidscrafts! Nope, that's "Parc de Bruxelles" (in front of the Royal Palace downtown). And I think the milkbar you're thinking of was (been gone a number of years...I think have some of their dishes at home, actually)"La Vache Qui Regard Passer Les Trains"...loved their ice cream :-)
Glad you enjoyed the pitcures...thanks for stopping by! :-)
Thank you for the precision about the park :-)
Enjoy your day!
jimbo - Wilbur, In my experience there few thigns that can give you a singular focus and clarity of mind better that fear and pain. Not nagging fear or dull pain but that real in your face pucker factor fear and hot poker in the eye type of pain. Sounds like you have received both by the score as of late. Sorry for that! But for what it's worth I agree with Carol that your even more so yourself and it has provided a sharpness and richness to your posts that I don't think you are even aware of. It has transformed you into quite the Hemingway. Take that for what it's worth but it leaves me looking forward to you next post. Know that we are actually living vicariously through you as hard as that may seem to fathom. You have the rare gift of time (yeah I know probably too much for anyone's liking!), and the greater gift of the inclination to stop and smell the roses. We all want to make time to examine the world we live in in greater detail, to take it all in and roll it about in out brain pans for bit longer than we usually can afford to, but alas we are too caught up in our rodent races and the minutiae of our lives to stop and do so. So thanx for doing some of it for us, it really is providing a rare bit of escape from our grinds. Love ya man!
Nige - Just been back home again to Scotland and was at Atholl myself that prpetomd me to pop in here again and I thought a few comments might be useful. The socks are called hose and if you are an Atholl Highland piper then you wear diced hose in other words the stripey red and white numbers. I wore the same at university in the OTC but they were footless! They were for decoration above the spats we used to wear with shoes, mens' highland as the Army calls big clumpy brogues. This lot are different and wear her diced hose right down to the and proper footwear with the large silver buckle that hasn't changed shape since Bonnie Prince Charlie's time. The pipers also wear red facings, have a different pattern of sporran and have swallows nests on their shoulders to denote that they are musicians. Note the pipe banners some are carrying on the pipes, and how some have silver mouth pieces (very flash) on their pipes. The four chevrons upside down on the right sleeve of the boss denote the pipe major. The Highlanders themselves wear white facings and red and black mix woollen socks. All wear the Glengarry headdress and a sgian dubh (Gaelic for black knife) wee knife in their right sock. Bet you knew all that though anyway!
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