Hidden Belgium: The romantic beach town

Our favourite spot on the Belgian coast the rare times we ventured there. The kids loved the large beach, the quistax and the ice cream. I loved the boule de Berlin delivered on the beach by some bakery boy…

Read the article from the Brussels Times:

Every Belgian has a favourite beach town. Some like Ostend for its urban buzz. Others go for Knokke for its chic art galleries and restaurants. But De Haan has an authentic charm that is hard to beat.

Le Coq (as it was originally called) was built in the dunes in 1889 by the German urban planner Hermann-Josef Stübben.

He shaped the resort with winding lanes, quaint white villas in English country house style and large gardens. The houses have romantic names like Little Red Riding Hood and look like drawings in a German fairy story.

While other resorts on the Belgian coast have become overdeveloped, De Haan has hardly changed.

The strict planning laws laid down at the time have prevented the construction of modern apartment buildings, and you still find small family-run hotels, unique B&Bs and friendly restaurants.

Francken Buiten – Francken Dégage

Watching this video from a train, I would really have liked to be there and shake hands to each and every one of the lovely persons who were there, showing their active support for migrants. What a difference with the images of anti-immigration supporters we see every day. That alone should be enough to convince anyone still undecided on which is the HUMAN way to go. Thanks to my family for attending and representing me too.

https://www.rtbf.be/auvio/detail_manifestation-francken-demission?id=2298475

 

Valeria intervistata da La Stampa: per tutti quelli che dicono “prendeteli a casa vostra”

Al minuto 6:30 del video.
http://www.lastampa.it/2018/01/04/multimedia/esteri/migliaia-di-famiglie-a-bruxelles-i-migranti-noi-li-aiutiamo-a-casa-nostra-6fpQSycAZacNCwDiLJySgN/pagina.html

The European (schools) crisis

Students, teachers and parents say the educational system for the children of Eurocrats is broken.

Sealed within the cornerstone of the Brussels III school in Ixelles — one of the most sought-after educational institutions in the EU capital — lies a piece of parchment inscribed with the founding mission of the European School system.

Students in the European Schools, the statement declares, will be educated “side by side, untroubled from infancy by divisive prejudices“ and “will become in mind Europeans, schooled and ready to complete and consolidate the work of their fathers before them, to bring into being a united and thriving Europe.”

Continue reading “The European (schools) crisis”

Il male del mondo che bussa alla porta dell’Europa – Bernard Guetta

Esattamente come la penso io, parola per parola. Per fortuna c’è qualcuno che per mestiere mette su carta i pensieri che molti vorrebbero esprimere.

Da Internazionale: http://www.internazionale.it/opinione/bernard-guetta/2015/06/10/il-male-del-mondo-che-bussa-alla-porta-dell-europa

Bernard Guetta

Sarebbe bello avere una soluzione, difenderla e provare a metterla in pratica, ma purtroppo non ne abbiamo una. Nessun governo può permettersi di lasciar crescere e proliferare gli accampamenti di rifugiati nel centro di Parigi. Ma allo stesso tempo è inutile disperdere questi sventurati con la forza, per poi ritrovarseli in un’altra stazione della metro. Continue reading “Il male del mondo che bussa alla porta dell’Europa – Bernard Guetta”

10 diktats from Brussels that are ‘ruining’ life in Britain

Read it before you label me as pro-UKIP nutter… 🙂

From lowering energy bills to stopping toxic chemicals poisoning the environment, here are just some of the ways we’re tyrannised by the EU
theguardian.com|By David Shariatmadari