A week that started in Brussels and finished with my usual Alicante activities at the office, on two wheels, and just enjoying life.
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I woke up Sunday morning at my hotel in Brussels. My flight home was in late afternoon, so I had time to enjoy the city a bit more and visit another art gallery. I started with a walk in the Marolles neighbourhood. It used to be a working class neighbourhood, there are many immigrants, but also many art galleries and quirky shops. A very eclectic place which I enjoy every time I visit. I started my walk on Rue de l’Epée, and as is evident from the rain drops on the bench, the weather was the usual Brussels February weather:
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The main street of Marolles is called Rue Haute, and there is a nice mix of architectural styles when one looks up:
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But sometimes it is worth to look down. Before World War II, Marolles was also a Jewish neighbourhood, and many of its residents ended up in Auschwitz and other concentration camps. In recent years, there is a movement to place “pavés de memoire” (also known by the German word “Stolperstein”, literally meaning “stumbling block”) outside houses in such neighbourhoods, commemorating the people who once lived there:
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The side streets of Rue Haute are a feast for the eyes:
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One of the many quirky shops on Rue Haute, with a different kind of Tintin book in the window:
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The last item on my Brussels agenda was a visit to Wiels, an art centre which I had not visited before. It is located in a part of Brussels called Forest/Vorst (Brussels quarters always have French and Dutch names), in a building that once housed one of Belgiums hundreds of breweries:
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There were two main exhibitions at Wiels, one of which was by the Colombian artist Oscar Murillo:
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The other exhibition was a large retrospective of Belgian artist Jef Geys called “You don’t see what you think you see”. I was not familiar with his work, which is the whole point of going to such exhibitions:
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Then I made my way back to the hotel, picked up my luggage, went to the airport and flew home. More photos of Brussels can be seen here, and there is also a gallery devoted to the art I saw in Belgium.
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Back in Alicante, I resumed my usual rhythm of cycling early in the morning and then going to work. I saw two particularly beautiful sunrises during the week:
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Our office art club WeArt held its annual general meeting during the week (this is a requirement for “official” social clubs at the office). Our chairperson, Kari, reported on the events in 2023:
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The members of the club who showed up listen to Kari:
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On Tuesday evening, some of us met for dinner in the centre to get together with a Swedish ex-colleague who was visiting Alicante. I did not take many photos, but there are a couple I like, such as this one of my colleagues Nicki and Ben, while we were having a pre-dinner beer:
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Inside the restaurant, two women outside check out the place:
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Continuing with office life. On Wednesday our international cooperation department received a visit by a Dutch IP law firm, and I was asked if I would take some informal photos. Of course I said yes. There was a two-fold fit: they knew that that I like to take pictures, and also I speak Dutch. I joined them in the meeting room for a few minutes:
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Then we went out on the terrace to take some pictures. The visitors came with some appropriate accessories to wear for the session, which my Dutch colleagues are modelling here:
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One of the group photos, with the pose selected by the visitors:
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On Friday afternoon I stopped on Plaza Seneca to buy some Polish goodies from the Eastern European grocery store there. The square was occupied by the annual book fair. The books on display were not of much interest to me, since they were all in Valenciano, but I stuck around to take a few pictures:
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More interesting than the book fair was the play area next to it:
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I stopped for a beer at the nearby Eden bar. I really enjoy the light and the atmosphere of the place. It is a real neighbourhood place, mainly frequented by people of a certain age, but they know how to pour a proper pint of Guinness, and the decor is beautiful:
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I finish with Saturday’s bike ride to Agost. The almond trees are beginning to bloom:
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I took the usual break on the town’s central square and observed local life. A little boy was inside the butcher shop with his mother, but then he got bored and decided to come outside:
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Then a delightful scene unfolded; a teenage girl was playing with her dog. The dog was very energetic. Here, running:
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Jumping:
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Getting a short rest and a bit of love:
