Ceci n'est pas un chat. And I really mean it!!!!!

Cats are not giant.
Cats don't have huge, round, potato-like noses.
Cats don't have elephant skin.
"Le CHat"(we'll call him this way for now) is immense, has an awfully big nose and is incredibly ugly.
Cats are cute and cuddly.

Therefore, "Le CHat" is no cat.



p.s.: Sorry, Belgian guys, your symbol really is no cat!!! Whether you call it "L'Elephant", whether you don't call him at all. Respect!!

Trains in Belgium are good. Really good.

Trains in Belgium are good and fun. Lots of fun. And inspire confidence. They are light and open and white and blue and airy, because you never have trouble if you lose them. Going from Gent to Brussels can be possible more that 24 hours a day, so , in Belgium, Life’s Good. Belgian trains(and B-rail, in particular) make people happier. And they do good for health. Knowing that, once you’ve lost your train, you can take another one in less that 15 minutes, the world seems to smile to you. NO more stress, no more “What the hell do I do now?” questions, no more inquiries, no more nothing. I am so happy B-Rail exists!! God bless the Belgian trains that make things better!!!!

Nothing's new, everything's new, nothing's new, everything's new...

Mmmm... trying to recall what has been of huge importance for me in Gent during the past couple of days... I guess nothing is of huge importance nowadays, because I kind of got used to living the unextraordinary every day. In gent, sacred can be found in all profane things :)) No, don't laugh, in this town, everything is magical... And people have silently agreed to live this magic without saying a word about it. You just live it, you don't say anything of it, in hope that the others will discover it, just like you. And they do. We all do.

Gent is lively. Lovely. Lovingly lively. Livingly lovely.

p.s. for myself: Kouter is the best square ever!!!!!

This is going to be a larger blog...one meant to summarize several experiences I've been through here in Gent:)
First night in Overpoort, 11 February- a bit empty, possibly because student were still home or coming back from home on that very evening. Such a bohemian intimate atmosphere
filling the pubs in Overpoort!! I wouldn't have believed that it's possible for a Belgian bar to have something in common with an Irish pub, a French bistro and a Dutch coffee shop :) really unique moments spent there, while sipping a Kriek(their incredibly tasty cherry beer).
Moreover, Gent at night is absolutely stunning. Close to the Gent University Complex the lights are dim, the streets are narrow and the buildings are overwhelmingly inviting... Rock'n'Roll Avenue, or the Speakers' Corner only manage to make wish to prolong my stay as much as possible, in order to keep so long a contact as possible with these genuine bits of true European culture. Taking a simple moment for oneself while crossing the street in a junction can become a breathtaking moment of pure revelation. I am lucky to be here, part of this unique city. I really am.
Today, the 12th of Februray, we got lost on the way to Mariakerke Campus. On the way back, our nerves got rewarded with candy from a huge shop that sold piles of jelly, wafers, candy and gum. Paradise, indeed :)
Buying books in an ancient bookstore close to Oude Houtlei enhanced the sense of completion, in a strange, and yet, pleasant manner. I guess I know the secret now: it is the mere bookstores, avenues and candy shops that make me feel here in a way I thought only books can depict. The shoes hanging above the streets. Or the bicycles pedalling continuously on the cobbled streets. And perhaps the people...The magical ingredient that makes the world go round... Belgians are more than simply nice, sympathetic or "good folks". They like living life to the full. They listen to music while driving the bus, they smile while helping you put your new shoes on, they even help you with luggage in case you can no longer go on... I'd like to say that it's fantastic, but I'm afraid that using words might diminish the intensity of the sublime feelings I am experiencing here, even while writing this humble lines...
So I love Gent...I think that I am starting to become part of it... Feeling like home in the photos sent back to Romania is not little, I suppose. Simply hope the feeling won't go... God, help me take advantage of everything as much as possible!!!

First Week in Gent

Gent, Belgium, Flanders... A new, complex culture, yet a wonderful one, ready to unveil unexpected secrets to me...
The medieval town in which I am to live for the next five months even managed to draw the attention I used to allocate exclusively to France in a complete new direction. Paris still remains the city of my dreams, but, as far as real life is concerned, I think I'd love it if it were Gent. Or Bruges.
Shopping, reading, watching films, hanging out in the cafes in Overpoort, seeing plays and art exhibitions...This is what life in Gent is like. Not bad at all :))

First flight, first day in Gent...5 February 2007

5 Februray...5 am. Lots of anxiousness and stress concerning the flight that was going to take me to the place where I am to spend the next 5 months to come... Fear of the unknown, fear of airsick, fear of being so afraid that I won't manage to cope with the situation..

After 1 hour spent in Koln, we finally arrive in Charleroi Airport, some 40 kilometres away from Brussels. State of things can be resumed in three words: stress, tiredness and luggage(more than anyone can ever imagine).

Train, bus, train, luggage, bus, luggage, train... That was, in short, the itinerary we had to follow to get to Gent. Asking for directions, choosing the wrong streets and having to mount in trams accompanied by the luggage made the 5th of February everything but a memorable day. At the hotel...another surprise: no elevator... I won't go on commenting upon what happened next, as, you can imagine, the whole situation had to do something with the word "luggage".

In the evening...sleeep...piles, huge hours(more than 11) of deep dreamless sleep...