Tag: Local Events

My life wherever I happen to be

Posted in Culture

Singapore Lantern Festival

Posted on by pierreo

The eighth month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar is considered to be mid-autumn and during the full moon of that month everybody celebrated mid-autumn festival.

In many Western cultures, this is known as the Harvest Moon, but it generally signals the end of summer or beginning of fall.

Mid-Autumn is celebrated with Lanterns and the best place to see these in Singapore used to be Chinese Gardens.  They are closed for a major renovation right now and therefore the Lantern Festival was held in Jurong Lake Gardens, which is right next door.  I happened to see the lanterns while I was cycling in the neighborhood and so we decided to go for a closer look one evening.

Along one of the alleys, we noticed that the trees had been covered in crochet-covers, some of which were quite interesting.

We started before sunset to see what the lanterns look like in daylight.  There is a whole section dedicated to different countries.

Italy is well represented with the Tower of Pisa, in front of a man with Pizza, the roman Coliseum and also the Rialto bridge in Venice with a gondola.  The trees did not make it easy to take a decent photo…

Egypt went for their ancient culture

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Posted in Culture, Travel

Iowa in August

Posted on by pierreo

Yes, we went to Iowa in August 2019.  There was a very good reason for that: Bee had to drive a large farm tractor.

We also went to the Iowa State Fair and visited Madison County.  We had a really nice trip.

The tractor deal was a promise made by a friend many years before that and she did come through – her brother provided the tractor and the instructions.

Bee was concentrating hard for the maneuver to take the tractor out of the hangar.  It would not ave been good to crash right away.

It was not a very long ride, just enough to get a feel of the “beast” and say “I did it!”  We were fascinated by the switch with a hare and a tortoise – allowed to select between high and low speed.

While we were there, I drove it too.  It was by far the largest tractor I ever drove.  The oldest one must have been the Porsche I drove in the 70’s in Belgium – it was over 30 years old at the time.

The State Fair was quite an occasion.  Neither of us ad ever been to one and so it was an opportunity to see a side of American Culture that few visitors see; even a lot of Americans who live in cities have never been to a state fair.  We saw lots of farm animals, a wagon driving competition, explored some very large tractors, had chicken on a stick and tasted the six wines who had won the “Best” awards that year.  At the end of the day, we saw a concert by “Foreigner” (great – but I did not care at all for the opening act!)

This was a new experience for me: the first time I did not finish the glasses that were offered in a wine tasting.  Actually I finished one out of the six that was drinkable – the other five were way, way too sweet for my taste.  Later on during this trip, we went to one of the wineries in Madison County (The Covered Bridge Winery) and found very nice wine.  We started talking with the Winemaker and he reminded me that in judging wine, one has to differentiate between wine that one likes, and wine that is well made.  The wines that win the competition are very well made, but maybe not in a way that I like; that is a good point that I had not thought about before.  From that point on, I am now saying “I do not like that wine” rather than “that is not a good wine”.  Apparently people in Iowa prefer sweeter wines and most winemakers will make a sweeter wine to please the local palate – surprisingly enough, they do not make wine to please just me and I have to accept that.

After two days in the Des Moines area, we decided to move to Winterset, in the middle of Madison County where we had booked at the beautiful Heavenly Habitat Bed and Breakfast.  More on that at the bottom of this post.  On the way, we stopped at the Living History Farms – a large park where life in Iowa 100-150 years ago has been recreated with some original buildings.  We had a very interesting visit starting with the farms which are only reachable by taking local transport – a cart pulled by a tractor.

We went for a walk in the fields and saw this fence overgrown with wild flowers – very simple way to separate fields if you do not need barbed wire to keep animals in or out.

Not far from the fence we saw this beautiful bird who did not seem to mind our being there – or maybe he was waiting for us to leave so he could eat the bug in peace.  He is very discreet, keeping an eye on the bug, but looking distracted while doing so.

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Posted in Culture

Christmas Eve – Bonfires on the Levees

Posted on by pierreo

In 2004, while I was living in Baton Rouge, I decided to stay home for Christmas.  My parents were coming and spending New Year with me, but I was free on Christmas Eve.

Somebody told me about Bonfires on the Mississippi levees around Lutcher and Gramercy so I decided to check it out.  At the time, I was still using film, but the company I used to develop the film had a special offer to put photos on CD and I took advantage of it.  I therefore had saved digital versions of the photos from this first visit – not necessarily the best quality, but good memories.

I arrived a few hours before the fires were lit, and was amazed at some of the constructions.  This is a log cabin that was fully equipped inside, with tables, chairs and dummies.

The ghost that you see in front of the photo is the result of a technique I used with my film camera when I was faced with a crowd.  I would put the camera on the tripod and take several super-imposed shots without winding the film.  Since people move, only the fixed objects that I am trying to photograph are clearly visible.  Here, I probably only took 3-4 shots.

At 7 PM, the fires are lit, and there are fireworks, by individuals.  Some of the fireworks are quite nice – I have no ideas how much money people put into these.

There were quite a few people, but it was not crowded.  Even the River Road was not totally jammed.

The majority of bonfires are pyramids that tend to burn quite well.

I like the movement of the embers in this photo.

Even the log cabin went up in smoke Continue reading “Christmas Eve – Bonfires on the Levees” →

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Posted in Culture

An Unusual Transhumance

Posted on by pierreo

Last Sunday, on a prairie called “Le Chant des Cailles” in the middle of Watermael-Boisfort (one of the communes that comprises the greater Brussels) people slowly gathered but also seemed puzzled.

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There are vegetables in the garden, but they are ignored by the crowd.

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Children are also present, some wearing costumes, but this is not a masked ball.

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There is sheep wrestling too.  But the only spectators here are other sheep – they actually seem to be very puzzled as to what their “man-friend” Antoine is doing to their boyfriend!  All these are 8-9 month old yews with a single “ram” charged with inseminating them.  He has been quite busy and successful so far!  Jamina later went to reassure the ladies.

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So why the crowd – the anticipation is building as the people move to a local street.  One car came up the street, and upon seeing the unexpected crowd made a quick U-turn and is now fleeing the scene.  There are even professional photographers, who should watch their backs!

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Jeremy has decided that all is OK and the show can begin Continue reading “An Unusual Transhumance” →

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Posted in Culture

Carnaval of Malmedy 2014

Posted on by pierreo

I do not make it every years, but whenever I can I always enjoy spending the Sunday of Carnaval in Malmédy, in the South of Belgium, in the Ardennes.  There is a very special celebration there each year, with some formal and traditional events, but especially a carnival parade with free participation from anybody who wants.  This year was the 556 year that this tradition has existed.  There are records dating back to 1458 – however, nobody can be quite sure how many parades there have been in total.  It probably changed a little bit over the years too.

The Sunday celebration opens with the “Dance de la Haguète” – last time we came, we missed that as we were still having lunch, so I wanted to make sure that we saw it this time.  We setup at the front of the crowd early and waited.

As I said, there is a lot of free participation to all events.  Three teen girls, dressed as Pandas entertained us for a few minutes – they were obviously having fun.

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The Haguète is a very colourful traditional costume.  They must have been treated very poorly in the past, or in traditional lore, or legend … some time any way as their carnival “trick” is to capture the ankle of an innocent bystander with their wooden tool (not sure what it is called) and force them to apologise on their knees, before they are released.  Traditionally also, a different society each year gets to open the parade with a dance.  As you can see on this picture, some of them start very young…

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There were a lot of people watching from every point of view.  There was also a duo between the band accompanying the Haguète and the brass band on the balcony here.

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As the parade was getting ready, we actually met the three clowns who get to open the parade.  It is obviously a great honour to be selected for that job; as soon as she saw my camera, I got the best smile in the world!  And we chatted a while after that.

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Posted in General

The Amerigo Vespucci in Antwerp

Posted on by pierreo

One of my favourite sail boat is the Amerigo Vespucci – the Italian Navy training ship.

It was built in 1931 and has been part of the Italian Navy ever since.  The lines and the multi coloured hull make it unique amongst the large sailing vessels that regularly visit different ports.

I first saw it and photographed it in New York, on the Hudson River in 1986 when it came to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.  Here are the pictures from back then

and another

When a friend called me to say that the Amerigo Vespucci was in Antwerp for a day, I decided I had to go take a look.  I started in Linkeroever, on the opposite side of the Schelde from the city hoping that I would be able to get a full view of the ship, and I was not disappointed.  It was moored right in the old docks, in front of the Cathedral and the older part of the city.

We went under the river in the pedestrian tunnel and came out to take a closer look.  At the front, several sailors were clearly not “keeping up appearances”  as they were texting with a technology that was totally unknown when the ship was first built.  However, it is their time to relax when they are off-duty, so we have to give them a break.

A general view from the front gives an better idea of the size of the ship – the people on the side of it look so small!

Contrary to the reputation that Italians might have, the figurehead is a man – Amerigo himself!

A composite of several photos showing one of the  masts, also showing the number of ropes that are used to control the sails.  Every single rope has a unique name!

Even from the back, it is a very impressive vessel – and it is clear that the crew had made a special effort to make sure the gold and brass was shining at its best for this visit.

Not often you get to be chis close to such a magnificent sailing vessel.

If you are interested in more information on the vessel, and more photos, follow the link below detailing her visit to London just before she came to Antwerp:

http://thamesvessels.blogspot.be/2013/08/italian-navy-sail-training-ship-amerigo.html

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Posted in Culture, Travel

Le Carnaval de Malmedy – 2011

Posted on by pierreo

I spent a week-end in Arimont with friends at the beginning of March.  The main reason was for us to attend the “Grand Defile de Carnaval” in Malmedy on Sunday, but since we were there anyway, we went for a short walk on Saturday near the Lake of Robertville.  We started at the Chateau de Rheinardstein, recently reconstructed and actually occupied.

We got a good look at it because I initially took the wrong path … it has been more than 20 years since I last did this particular walk, and things have changed a little since then.

The weather was absolutely perfect, with bright sunshine even if a little cold.  We were prepared for that part.  As we got on the right path, I slowly started to see scenes which awakened old memories.

The Bahyon River is a small stream coming down from the Eifel which joins the Warche at this point.  The Warche goes to the Ambleve, then the Meuse and eventually to the North Sea.  We are not far from the sea, but still, four rivers removed from it.

At the end of the walk, we just ‘happened’ to pass by an excellent restaurant, with views over the Lake of Robertville, so we decided to have a late, leisurely lunch.

Sunday was a different story.  We came to Malmedy early to start soaking in the atmosphere so special at this time of year.  You could see preparations going on everywhere and people in the classical costumes congregating from all corners of the city.

There is some reliable information that indicates that this is the 553rd edition of this particular celebration – at least the first documented one was 552 years ago – I am not sure if we can prove that there was one every year since then.  I must have gone to more than 10 parades over the years.

Even the public is getting in the mood … this is not not some one I claim to know!

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Posted in Culture, Sports

Manneken Pis Celebration

Posted on by pierreo

I interrupt the telling of my trip to Slovenia to relate our recent Manneken Pis Day here in Brussels.  Every year, the cyclo club I joined, the Cyclo Woluwe St Lambert or CWL, celebrates the most famous statue in Brussels.  We did so again on Saturday, my first opportunity to take part in this unique event.  More about the club at

http://wolucyclo.be/index.htm  I am hoping that there will be more pictures there as I could not take any of the whole group.

It was a beautiful day and I was dressed for action, the first time I was wearing the club colours as I had only obtained my new jersey the week before.

We gathered at the usual starting point – Stade Fallon – at 8:30, quite early for a week-end.

Everybody is wearing his club colours.  There are a lot more people than usually on Sundays.  This is good.  We even have guests from Bouillon (in Belgium) and Meudon (in France), two clubs with which the CWL had events this years.

And we are off.  About 50 cyclists meander through the outer communes of Brussels on the way to the Grand Place.  It is quite a crowd waiting for the light on Avenue de Tervuren.

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Posted in Culture, Travel

Le Carnaval de Malmedy

Posted on by pierreo

I could go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.  I have been to New Orleans many times since 1975, but never for Mardi Gras.  I could go to “Il Carnevale” in Venice.  I have been there too, in 2000, but not around Carnival.  And, of course, I could go to Rio! I did in 2005, but missed the carnival by about 6 months.  The main reason why I do not do these things is because I am cheap, I fail to plan long enough in advance, and I really do not like very large crowds.

I like to go to smaller, more intimate celebrations – like the time I celebrate Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge.  I like it when there is a lot of interactions between the participants and the crowd, and that is why I have always liked the Carnaval of Malmedy.  I went there regularly in my youth, but probably had not made it in more than 30 years.  I decided that I had to go this year.

The weather on Sunday was not the best.  It started snowing as soon as I left Brussels but fortunately the roads were not too slippery.  They were not slippery, that is, until I arrived in Eupen – that is where the road starts to go up to the Haute Fagnes – a Natural Reserve know in English by its German name of Eifel (a lot of is was situated in Germany before WWI and this was re-taken by Germany during WWII – there was very harsh fighting in this area in 1944 and especially in the Battle of the Bulge).  With all the snow, I expected spectacular scenery and since I had a few hours before the parade started, I decided to make a short stop to what is probably my favourite nature spot in Belgium.  I was not disappointed!

Near the road, there were people leaving on cross country skis

I had a quick chat with one of the local ‘rangers’ – probably a volunteer who is available on week-ends, just in case.  She confirmed that the region has not seen such beautiful snow in many years.  I decided to go away from the skiers on some of the footpaths in order to get away from the crowd – I did not have to worry, there was not much of a crowd.  It was snowing lightly while I was there, but had been snowing harder during the week.  The trees were laden with fresh snow.

The moor – this area is actually a marsh – was untouched by human tracks – most of the reserve is closed as walkers could damage the delicate ecosystem (as I was told…).  Visibility was not that good as snow kept falling and was actually getting heavier.

The clouds were so low that in places the trees faded into the clouds

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Posted in Culture

A smorgasbord of Culture

Posted on by pierreo

I had a very interesting two weeks!

If you have read the “Who” Page of this blog, you will know that I try, every month, to do something special – my way of preventing from falling into too much of a routine, and making sure that I enjoy life to the fullest.  I am not going to have any problems fulfilling this requirement this month!

Actually, I started in late January with a visit to the BRAFA – the 55th Brussels Antiques and Fine Arts Fair.  This is very ‘posh’ and proper – all the pieces shown are for sale, but I could not afford most of them (and really would not want a lot in my apartment!) but it is like a visit to a museum.  I did not expect to find anything that I would be tempted to buy, and I was not proven wrong.  However, it was still an interesting visit, made more so by the location.

BRAFA is held in the old industrial estate of Tour et Taxi, nothing to do with either a tower or taxi cabs but used to belong to the German enterprise of “Turm und Tassi”, and this is the literal translation of the two German words.  They are located along the canal on the North of Brussels and I am not sure what they used to do in there.  For much of my youth, what little of it I spent in Brussels, these were derelict, abandoned buildings.  They were renovated 10-15 years ago and now host a number of events.  It was the first time I was able to go inside.

My cultural tour continued on 1st February with a very unusual concert: “Jerusalem” by Jordi Saval.  The concert essentially retraced the history of Jerusalem from antiquity to modern time through the music of the people who occupied it over the years.  I really enjoyed it even though it was “difficult” music – difficult on the public in so much as it required a lot of our attention in order to really enjoy the experience.  I often listen to music while I am doing something else (I am listening to “The Phantom of the Opera” right now) but I could not do anything while this was playing.  There are songs and recitations in several languages, and the words are just as important as the music.  During the concert, there were super-scripts (in two languages of course – this is Brussels) to allow us to follow the meaning; if you listen to it at home, you would have to follow the text from the libretto.  Here is the cover art in case you are interested in buying – my recommendation: go see the show if you have a chance!

Jerusalem

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