BRUSSELS WITHOUT CAR

Each year in September there is one Sunday without any car in Brussels. The different municipalities and Brussels center is closed to cars, except of course emergency, taxis and police cars.



and so it looked like on the big boulevards surrounding the city.



I took the bus in Waterloo and went into what once had been Brussels' heart. The oldest area of Brussels which I had known in my youth very well. There were lots of very  old houses, original Brussels' and Spanish restaurants, little theatres and the whole area had a special atmosphere.



I didn't recognize anything it was as if I was in another city. The old houses had disappeared and my Spanish restaurant where I used to dance flamenco alone on the table, had vanished too. Anyway now at my old age I wouldn't dance flamenco on a table anymore.



I walked and walked direction Grand'Place saw a ruin which now they try to save by all means, but there was not written what it was, only that there will be apartments around (modern of course)



Just opposite the Ursuline's hospital (I don't know if it's still open) is now a place for Skaters !



I mean it's nice to do something for the youth but still ... why there ?



The summit was that I found myself suddenly in the middle of an Afghanistan demonstration. Without thinking I took pictures and then I thought now they will kill me, but not at all they even invited me to take more pictures. It was for the good cause. They had a lot of space walking on the free boulevard.



Finally I crossed the Flea Market which takes place each Sunday and they were just busy to clean it and load their trucks. But all Brasseries, Bistros and cafés were full and people sitting on the street.



I approached the Grand' Place, and was surprised that I was still alive, as the bikers didn't respect the driving rules at all, drove on the sidewalks, didn't pay attention to the red lights or even worse drove in the wrong direction. In the evening in the News I heard that there had been more accidents then normally with cars ! Not very important once but still. Little kids were driving around without paying any attention and I wondered where the parents were.



On the Grand Place was a Folklore Festival.



and the buildings looked so pretty. Brussels city must have won in the lottery or maybe recuperated some of the defrauded money from some politicians, as the buildings had been freshly repainted in "gold" ! It looked really beautiful. The months we could only admire scaffolds were over !



Of course the Giants of Brussels were there and the community of the moustaches too !



People were watching folklore dances and beer flowed freely in gallons, (not free of course)



What I missed was the royal family showing up on bikes. It hadn't been programmed at all, they just came spontaneously. The 4 children had Brussels waffles and the Queen drank a beer. ! I just imagined "The Queen" and Prince Philip.

A few cm shorter because of all this walking and jumping aside to avoid the killer bikes, I took my bus and went home.