Pictures of Belgium

**Dandelion** · 05-31-2020, 06:40 AM

Don't be fooled by my flag. I actually live right across the border in Essen. And this long weekend I think I'll visit Wallonia like I did previous week (area Huy and Rochefort). I noticed a similar mentality concerning the pandemic over there. Many people wearing masks, everyone keeping their distance.

You can drive 90 km/h at more places and you can park against the direction (which gets you fined in Flanders).

I think this time I'll go to Walloon Brabant. Interesting place as well. The only province of Wallonia where Dutch is somewhat a mandatory course in school, one of the wealthiest provinces of Belgium despite being in the least wealthy part. Historically part of Romance-speaking Brabant and because of that even every village seems to even have both a Dutch as a French name, but French (langue d'oïl) was their language since forever.
Now, knowing that Dutch is more understood there, one should still realise that Walloon Brabanders hate it when you assume they speak your language (they didn't particularly enjoy their mandatory course). Just like vice versa. You make friends by trying your best French there the same.

**PHDNM** · 06-05-2020, 05:49 PM

Bruges

**The Lawspeaker** · 06-13-2020, 02:32 AM

Flower-shop in Brussels, designed by Paul Hankar (1893).

**Ouistreham** · 06-14-2020, 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by Dandelion

I think this time I'll go to Walloon Brabant. Interesting place as well. The only province of Wallonia where Dutch is somewhat a mandatory course in school, one of the wealthiest provinces of Belgium despite being in the least wealthy part. Historically part of Romance-speaking Brabant and because of that even every village seems to even have both a Dutch as a French name, but French (langue d'oïl) was their language since forever.

I very much appreciate your politeness, but "their language since forever"... no.

You know better than me that since the Middle-Ages the Dutch language area lost a long string of parishes, from Dunkirk to Eben-Emael. They switched from Flemish (=Dutch) to French (=Picard and Walloon). Some of them retained their original Dutch spelling, most famous example being Waterloo.

Walloon Brabant used to be until recently an agricultural, under-industrialized district. But now it becomes a remote affluent suburb of Brussels. Buying an old farm in Walloon Brabant is the dream of every upper executive in Brussels (furthermore since there are no language complications like in Rhode-St-Genese/Sint-Genesius Rhode or Dworp). Therefore this province is becoming dirt rich, without any mentionworthy economical activity.

**Dandelion** · 06-14-2020, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by Ouistreham

I very much appreciate your politeness, but "their language since forever"... no.

You know better than me that since the Middle-Ages the Dutch language area lost a long string of parishes, from Dunkirk to Eben-Emael. They switched from Flemish (=Dutch) to French (=Picard and Walloon). Some of them retained their original Dutch spelling, most famous example being Waterloo.

Walloon Brabant used to be until recently an agricultural, under-industrialized district. But now it becomes a remote affluent suburb of Brussels. Buying an old farm in Walloon Brabant is the dream of every upper executive in Brussels (furthermore since there are no language complications like in Rhode-St-Genese/Sint-Genesius Rhode or Dworp). Therefore this province is becoming dirt rich, without any mentionworthy economical activity.

I going over it all very loosely of course.

Also, the name Flemish for our language, I believe it's really a result of hitting low times in our past. Especially since the dialect spoken is not even historically Flemish, but Brabantian. A real product of Belgium or getting ruled by foreigners.

**~~Ercüment Çizer~~** · 06-14-2020, 04:49 PM

**The Lawspeaker** · 06-26-2020, 05:29 PM

Most images are of Belgium:

The ICE International is Germany's high speed rail from and to other countries. In this review or trip report or travelmentary, I'll show what it's like to travel on the German bullet train in first class from Brussels South train station to Cologne Central Station.