About the Brussels Central railway station : )

Right at the center sits an homage to the railway workers who were victims of the two World Wars, and then above the entrance, a fresco that depicts some Belgian cities. If that doesn't attract your attention, then these runaway balloons will—just kidding, although it's good to know Spiderman is always looking after you.

If you look up at the ceiling and become engulfed by a giant painting of the Smurfs, you know you are at Brussels Central Station. Despite its vast open design to welcome enormous crowds, you are easily drawn towards artworks like the relief of the old Putterie district at the entrance, or the vast artificial lighting that welcomes you in.

The station is bathed in a calm white light and sandstone from local quarries, which Belgium has many of. If you've read Asterix and Obelix, that part of course wouldn't be news to you.

There are boulangeries, kiosks, and train schedule information boards all over the premises, which is basically built underground. And that is what makes this skylight appear even more outstanding. One of the two brains behind this architecture is Brunfaut, who emphasized a seamless lighting scheme all over the station. The other architect, called Victor Horta, even has a gallery to his name right here in the station.

And these travertine floors are open to all, including the pigeons who make their way in and out of the hallways and platforms. Down below, where the main event takes place, I find it rather amazing that the station houses only six platforms, which makes me wonder how the train traffic sits between Brussels Nord, South, and Central stations—but I guess that's for another discussion...

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Climbing the tallest church of our savior in Copenhagen, Denmark : )

Every road I took or boat I ferried on, I was just not able to escape the sight of this magnificent building in Copenhagen. Out of a lingering, unreconciled curiosity, I stepped into the Church of Our Saviour, which describes itself as Lutheran-Protestant. Since the actual interior was under construction at the time, I took a ticket to climb up the 400 steps and catch a bird's-eye view of the city. To be honest, I knew nothing about this 17th-century marvel, so all my next discoveries were as much overwhelming as serendipitous. The Baroque design inside was accentuated by actual pieces of the construction, including previously mended façade portions and statues, which oddly added to the spiritual effect of the climb. As I ascended over some creaking and thin wooden steps, I began realizing that the tower is really, really tall. I mean, the 90 m height totally creeps up on you with the full effect of a cardio workout as you carefully squeeze past woodwork and other descending peopl...

The Parakeet Problem, Belgium : )

I think parrots are the orange cats among birds, because what else can explain how captivating their nonchalance can be, especially amidst the litany of crows, pigeons, and ducks that patrol each city. Sometimes I am able to get a response from a few of them, but these green citizens of Belgium are rather smug and settled with their complicated history of invasiveness. As one story goes, tropical ring-necked parakeets were first released into the city by an amusement park in Brussels wishing to contribute to developing birdlife, and over the last five decades, their population increased by 250-fold. This is no surprise of course—parrots are basically green pigeons, and they are smart in surviving urban environments. Now it does become a concern for Belgium's native bird species like the wood nuthatch, who cannot successfully compete against these big parakeets to find burrows in trees for nesting. From a Darwinian context, it is only a matter of time that parakeets dominate the b...

Staycation in Gingelom, Belgium!

Look, I started this trip with a rainy morning, so I will make sure you relive it again with me. Sure, I had a couple of cakes and coffee to pump up my spirits when the joyful cloud of grey decided to accompany me on this vacation. And where else would I be headed to, but Gingelom, the most eventful of all municipalities in Belgium. I am being slightly sarcastic, but I actually had a great time—so why was I there in the first place? Let me take you back one month, talking with my friends about how nice it would be to enjoy the summer of Belgium in a relaxing BnB somewhere we have never visited before. And in that research, we discovered Gingelom. The official webpage for Gingelom describes it as a landscape of sunken lanes, orchards, rolling fields, authentic monuments, and much tranquility. That was the bait, and we were hooked. Right, back to the bus we come—fortunately rather empty and peaceful towards this side of town in Limburg—and to be at complete liberty switching seats ...

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