Long weekend

During the month of May, we get two long weekends. On this first one (starting on Wednesday), Chris and I made a trip to The Hague in Holland. Not far away, but still a nice destination. By train it takes about 2 hours to reach the Dutch capital.

Our hotel was in the middle of the town center, which made it great for exploring. The Hague is a cozy town and the people are friendly. Everywhere we went drinking or dining, we were served by folks who love what they do and don't have a thing with tourists. Prices are equal to those in Belgium.

On our first evening, when dining in the hotel's restaurant Blue Blood, we were talking to an American woman who sat at the table next to ours. She told us that the famous Vermeer painting, Girl with a Pearl, was back in the Mauritshouse. Back on our chamber, we immediately tried to book tickets and managed to get a time slot for Saturday. I can certainly recommend a visit to the Mauritshouse. They have a fine collection of Dutch and Flemish masters, like Rembrandt, Van Dijck, Rubens, Breughel, Steen, Vermeer, ... Up to April, most works of Vermeer were on display at the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, but all tickets were sold out when we visited two weeks ago. 

But luck was with us, as now we had a chance to see the famous painting. As a memento, we bought a framed tile with the image of the painting on it.

Also with the weather we were lucky. It didn't rain for a change, and the temperature became more agreeable day by day, with Saturday being the best.

Eurovision 2023

Did you watch last night? Thousands of people did, including us. Our country had qualified for the big final, with Gustaph and his song 'Because of you'.

In the media, the winner was already known: Sweden with Loreen's 'Tattoo'. 

As always, it was a big circus with some special acts. You only need a big bag of potato chips and a bottle of wine to get through it! 

Gustaph brought his song as always: with a strong voice, good live vocals and some dance. Personally, I found this song the best of all. It gives you a good vibe. He's gay, but I've experienced that gay people are very nice ones. When I lived in Bensberg (Germany), my best friend was a gay man. He cuddled me often, but it never gives you a bad vibe. With straight men you always have to be on your guard, because any of their gestures could be sexually interpreted. So when a gay fellow likes you and shows his affection, you know it's genuine and you can just enjoy it. Unfortunately, my friend is no longer with us. 

In Belgium, both Flanders and Wallony send it candidates for the Eurovision Song Festival. One year Flanders, the other Wallony. Belgium only won the contest once, with Sandra Kim (J'aime la vie). Flanders's best result was sixth place with Tom Dice and his song 'Me and my guitar'. Now Gustaph took 7th place. He even got three times 12 points from the jury. Greece, Australia and Georgia were so kind to give their 12 points to our Gustaph.

Busy weeks ahead!

This month will be a very busy one. Not only do we have workmen over the floor - renewing the electricity circuit - but we also will be away from home quite a bit.

The electrical work started at the end of April. Our installation dated back to 1929 and although some renovations were done already, you can imagine it's not quite up-to-date with the new regulations! So now Ivoco (the company we contacted to do the renovations) is busy with work on the electricity. New cables everywhere, new contacts and plugs. We've been living in the dust for some time yet. You can clean as much as you like, but as long as the work is going on, it's actually no use.

And at the end of this month, another firm will put in new windows and doors. More dust!

To escape the dust, we do some trips this month. Then at least you're a couple of days free of loud noise and dust. We've been to Antwerp last weekend, and coming up are trips to Amsterdam, The Hague and London. 

I suppose our renovations will go well into 2024, as there is still so much to do and sometimes it takes time to get the right materials. And of course we must see to our financial plan. The hourly rate of the workers is fair, but materials have gone up in price quite a bit. 

Oh well, we'll survive and then we can live in a house that looks new and is up to the new standards.