hello in belgo

First experiences of Belgium - Bemusement at the labelling of a person on the airport concourse in front of me: he was wearing a 'Stella Artois' jacket and a Tintin backpack; Mirth at the idea that there's a Belgian Beer Cafe even in Brussels airport, Excitement at the abundance of chocolatiers, Concern when trying to understand the train timetables.

Nonetheless I managed to cross the language divides and arrived here in Gent. I haven't been into the town centre yet but it seems like a very nice, organised, well-functioning western european city: bike lanes, traffic lights, fritjeries (fried food shops), big supermarkets. If I were in the french-speaking part of Belgium then I might have a chance with the language but being here in the dutch part I'm forced to learn some extra words. Any clues on pronouncing alstublieft, please?

Last night I was tired from the early wakeup that morning, so I contented myself with a wander around the local supermarket and bought the delights shown in the photo above. Perhaps another mark of your modern western suburbium is the impossibly overstocked supermarket, catering for every market: so it was great to see, and then be able to buy, fresh bread in loaves, different cheeses like Rochefort (with mould that actually looked and tasted like mould), Normandie Brie, types (!) of muesli, and even some belgian beer (only leffes, chimay, grimbergen, kwak, some lambics, nothing too exotic).

So, greetings from the land of the fry and waffle. Tried a waffle this morning (just a plain one) and will go around walking for most of the day to try and justify some fries for dinner, or maybe lunch...

Ciao, Paul.