Sunday, February 22, 2009

Brussels' impressions

Impression 1
Homeless person with the obligatory blanket and dog….and cute, fluffy rabbit on his lap.

I always wonder where they get the cute puppies from. I had to restrain myself more than once to ask them if I could have the puppy and take care of it. And now this : a rabbit?! How do they provide food for those animals? What does the rabbit do while he is sleeping under his carton-made bed? And why do these animals always seem sedated?
(OK, I admit : I worry more about the animals than about the homeless people themselves. Shame on me)

Impression 2
Police car standing at the edge of the park, “one with chocolate please” sounding through its speakers.

I stare unbelievingly at the police car and the two cops inside it, only to hear the words repeated “one with chocolate!!”. Ten meters later the mystery is resolved : cop nr 3 is standing at the van selling ice cream and waffles, with or without chocolate topping…

Impression 3
Coming home, welcomed once again by the smell of cannabis

No, don’t worry, it’s not P having found the ultimate relaxing drug. And we haven’t moved to Amsterdam either. This is still Brussels, and these are still our annoying twenty-something neighbours – who have fallen into the habit of smoking pot every single weekend, filling the hallway with intoxicating fumes. Luckily, P rather enjoys the whole complaining-game lately, so I leave it up to him, while I spray lavish amounts of air freshener down the stairs.

1 comment:

Space tiger said...

Oh man, I have been wondering about that guy with the dogs/bunny for a while too. I always pass him. He didn't have a bunny until recently, I think, but I always want to ask him for it. Oh, the stories I could write about the beggars here.

Also, all the police I have met here have been really funny. When I went to the police for my application at the commune, the captain just kept talking about how much he needed coffee.