Hunting buildings in Brussels.

I started my holiday thinking I was about to blown to bits, as a whole range of bags, minus owners sat next to me in the sun just outside Kings Cross.  Mindful of security I wandered back into St. Pancras to report it only to be told that they did not deal with Kings Cross or have any means of contacting security in Kings Cross.   How, reassuring to know, that in a crisis the security guards are on top of things!  I was genuinely pleased to get away despite a short delay and for no ghastly news stories from the UK cut across the screens in Brussels.  

 

Despite an hour's delay waiting for permission to enter the tunnel,  it still seemed a miracle to get on a train in the UK, that I come out shortly afterwards in another country.    I am still beating myself up about why I have not travelled like this more before.  Anyway, Brussels was at its sunny best and as I was in town earlier than expected, I not only got to enjoy a lovely vegetarian shawarma, I also managed to spend two hours getting lost on the way back to the hotel so saw most of what I had come to see at least provisionally. 

Several things had come together to initiate this visit.  One I wanted a break and realised I could get a cheap ticket somewhere,  two where I hoped to go to did not come through, three that gave me the chance to think about revisiting somewhere I had not been to in a long time,  four I have been meaning to go to Brussels ever since a friend moved there and ever since meeting someone with a rather lovely hotel there and five,  when I visited 40 years ago I failed to see the Palais Stoclet.  So number one on my agenda the next morning was to head out to Montgomery area where I was greeted by this wonderful sight. 

After that everything was literally downhill, I found another Art Nouveau gem, stopped for coffee in a park near the European Parliament building,  sheltered there during a downpour, continued past the Royal Palais and was able to get an earlier train than expected to Antwerp and part two of the holiday. 

Polling Day

I spent Polling Day having to bite my tongue whilst the Tory candidate next to me is claiming in her publicity to be a green champion, when her party is part of the reason we are in a situation of climate emergency. She may be genuine, seeing her dashing back and forth between polling station on foot she may well be but why she has not made the connection between her interests in growing things and the environment and the damage being done by her party to the enviroment. I want to write this on her facebook page, but knowing now I have to be thinking of the party rather than just my own anger, I am holding back and just writing on this page, in the safe knowledge that very few people will read it. "We would not be in the position of climate change emergency if the various Governments of the last few years had taken note of the crisis and acted. The pollution level is terrible here so would be interested to know what is being done to in Broxbourne to improve things. Mature trees keep being chopped down and are not replaced by sufficient trees to compensate and there is no where locally for people without land to plant trees as part of the Queen's Canopy as far as I can tell. And much of the area is a building site as five bedroom properties are being put up in lots of parts of the borough. So I fail to see how the local Conservative Party can claim to be keeping Broxbourne beautiful". People of Broxbourne please wake up and smell the coffee. Some good news is though that nationally the party has been battered and the Greens and Lib Dems on the whole have done better. And amazingly we came second in the area where we did a sustained campaign. I say we but actually I did little towards it so well done to those who did leafleting and doorknocking. I came forth, which seems a bit disappointing after polling third previously in another ward, but this year the focus was on getting a full slate which we did and coming second, which we did. How do we build on this? I had no idea how much hard work it is getting people out to vote, I thought we were just told it is election day vote and people did, but no they need to be wooed and cajoled.