Halfway through

How fast time flies by! Before you know it, summer is halfway through and September is not far off anymore.

This will be the last schoolyear my sister is working. At the end of June 2023 she'll go into a well-earned pension! Both of us are very much looking forward to this, as it will allow us to do whatever we like. For instance, we can travel in those periods when it's less costly (airlines, hotels and such take advantage of the fact that schools are closed and raise their prices). Or we can do some chores in the house, like painting front and back of the house. That's an undertaking that takes several days, and you can't do it on your own. And in an old house like ours, there is always something in need to repair/renovation.

And we have some nice prospects for when Christine's pension arrives. We are planning a trip to Australia in the autumn of 2023. That's a destination that is still on our list of places to see. We are gong to try and see a good part of Downunder, going from Perth to Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin. Definite reservations we'll make later this year, about a year in advance, as then you get the best fares on flighs. 

Next to this, we have already trips planned to Iceland in February, to Egypt in April and to Albania in July. Plus of course a couple of weekends either in Antwerp or Brussels. As I mentioned, good prospects.

And the weather is still co-operating. These past July days have been fine days with not a lot of rain (and then it was overnight). A big difference from the summer we had last year!

July 21st

Quite a coincidence, but lots of national holidays are in the month of July. The Americans celebrate 4th July, the French 14th July. And we Belgians have 21st July. Not that there really is a national feeling in Belgium. For that, the two main groups of residents are way too different.

There are the Flemish (65% of the population) on one side, and the Walloons (35%) on the other one. The rest, 5%, are German-speaking and don't count for anything.

If you go back in time, to the Middle Ages, Flanders was a force on its own, while the other region was also independent. In 1830 the state of Belgium was created. In those days, the level of welfare came mainly from the southern provinces, because they had steel factories and coal mines. French was the language spoken - and the poor Flemish were considered ignorant peasants.

But times change. The ignorant peasants got their own universitiy, developed special skills and slowly the balance changed. Now we are the rich part of the country, and a lot of our tax money is shifted to the poorer part. Here in Flanders there are a couple of political parties that strive for independence. I don't know if it's ever going to happen.

Brussels is a case apart. It doesn't belong to Flanders or to Wallony. Neither part would want it to be their capital in case of two seperate states. The Flemish capital would be Antwerp or Ghent, and Namur of Liege could be the one of Wallony. In Brussels you have a mix of nationalities, it's the base for the European Parliament and there's a big center of NATO.

Around noon today there will be a national defile, attented by the royal family: King Filip and his wife Mathilde, their sons and daughters (Elisabeth, Gabriel, Elionore and Emmanuel), his brother and wife, his sister Astrid and her husband - and their new sister, princess Delphine (the bastard daughter of former king Albert II).

Tomorrowland 2022

For a consecutive three weekends, De Schorre in Boom (Flanders) is the absolute center of the world. After two years of corona, Tomorrowland is back and has added an extra weekend to the event.

Young (and older) people from all around the world gather in Boom to have the time of their life. That is, if you like techno! I must honestly confess that I'm not a fan of it. I like the songs from the 70s and 80s, beside country, rock 'n roll, opera and classical music. Enough, but it doesn't include boem-boem-boem. 

I have the impression that the general population has gone a bit crazy after more than two years of corona restrictions. Everybody wants to amuse him/herself, go out, travel - despite the increasing number of infections with the latest version of corona. When we travelled to Malta, there were more people than usual at the airport. And when we returned on a Sunday evening, it was still very busy at the airport. Right now, here at the coast, there are also a lot of tourists present - although the weather will be responsible for it as well. A heatwave is coming on, and then it's best at the coast!

Vacation in Malta

The past week, my sister and I spent on the Maltese islands. We had our hotel in St. Julian's (Portomaso) and it was wonderful there. For starters, the weather was more than beautiful - temperatures above 30° Celsius and always sun.

We were not entirely lazy (the hotel had different pools and relaxation area's) but did some exploring too. With our private guide Joseph we discovered the isle of Malta one day, and on another trip the isle of Gozo. On our own we headed to Valetta, the capital city of Malta.

We had a great time there, and I'll be writing about it in my travel blog as soon as all the pictures have been uploaded (might take a while, because I have a new pc at the coast and it needs to be installed yet).

We returned yesterday evening and today after noon we'll be heading to our flat at the coast. The weather forecast is positive as well, looks like we'll be having nice weather for the rest of the week!

Now the vacation is really starting

My sister is finishing her last hour of work for this schoolyear - people in administration need to work a couple of days in July and August, in preparation of the new schoolyear. Then in September she'll begin het last schoolyear before her pension. We are both looking forward to this!

But now the vacation is really starting for us. 7 weeks of not having to do anything, unless you want to. As of July 2023, this will always be the case. A time for being lazy, spending time at the coast or making trips abroad, now that most countries have abolished corona measures. 

Hopefully the weather will co-operate somewhat. Up to now it's not really bad - sun and clouds - but not really fine either. We were at the coast the past weekend and we were able to sit outside on the roof terrace, but not in bathing suit. Got some tan on my white skin, though. Since I have begun taking pills for my cancer, my skin (plus hair) have turned completely white and it's difficult to get some color on it. Plus my hair is not very manageable. When it grows, it sticks out and I look like a mad professor. So the only solution is keeping it short.

Wishing you all a great summer!