Same, But Different

If our most-recent trip had to have a theme, it would definitely be “same, but different.” For many reasons. It’s fun comparing cultures.

1. A Different Sort of Trip

We’ve been to Belgium four times now. But this time we stayed in that one country for 10 days. And we didn’t do much touristy stuff at all, like visit areas where most people speak English fairly well (shopkeepers, restaurant staff, and such) and food and beverage establishments offer menus in English.

Belgium is a small country (roughly the size of Maryland), yet there are three official languages spoken: Dutch, French, and German. Your geographic location within the country determines the language that will primarily be used. Because Annelies and Yves both speak English fluently, we’ve never made an effort to learn Dutch, their primary language. Normally, that wouldn’t matter. This time, because we weren’t in touristy areas, it did. We survived, but we all agree it’s time Mike and I learned some Dutch.

Of course, there are apps like Google Translate that can help you get by, but the translations you get tend to be very literal. Take this fun sign on the front of a store as an example.

The literal translation can usually get you in the neighborhood of the proper meaning, but people don’t talk like that. It probably means something like, “You’ll be amazed at the wide selection or quality of stuff we have.”

We talk about these language differences, usually when we are discussing the fact that we still do not know Dutch. Annelies gave us a great example during our last trip. You know how we say people are anal, meaning they are nit-picky or very obsessed with details? There’s no specific word or term for that in Dutch, no way to translate it literally. The way they describe someone as being anal is to say they are “mier neuken.” Literally translated, that means an ant fucker. Again, people don’t talk like that.

The point is, if we want to spend more time exploring Belgium off-the-beaten-path, we should learn some Dutch. We’ll see how that goes. I seem to remember having said that before. More than once, actually. But, language laziness is a very American trait.

2. Interesting Kiddie Entertainment

In the US, we typically see ride-on toys in front of supermarkets and maybe even big-box stores, but I’d never seen one like THIS. The ones we have in the US are stationary. The giraffe this little boy is riding is a hovercraft that moves through the mall. How cool is that?

Of course, I rarely go to shopping malls. Maybe we do have them in the US and I just haven’t seen them? If you’ve seen one here in the States, do tell.

3. The Widest Variety of Doors

The architecture in other places intrigues me. I was going to say “in other countries,” but even among various regions of the US, things can be very different.

I’ve often said the brickwork in Belgium delights and intrigues me, but have I ever mentioned the doors? They have the coolest doors. Really. Here are some images I captured to illustrate that point.

 

 

 

That wooden door is actually on a restaurant where we had a delicious dinner one evening. Not only is the door unique, check out the roof. It’s a thatched roof.

 

 

 

 

 

See the coverings on the lower-floor windows in the picture immediately above? Those are very common. They’re roll-down shutters (not sure if that’s the right word). Often, they’re electric, and can be opened and closed at the touch of a button.

 

 

 

I should mention that this is not a collection of photos from a fancy, touristy area, historical district, etc. These are just regular, everyday, ordinary houses I saw while walking around Grembergen, our friends’ town in central Belgium, which is located in the municipality of Dendermonde, in the province of East Flanders.

Here are some more pics, not so door-focused.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really loved the green-ceramic brick and purplish trim on that old house. Come to find out, it’s historically or culturally significant for some reason.

 

 

I really like that there are distinct bicycle paths. Even in the more suburban areas, lots of people ride their bicycles as a form of transportation, not just for exercise or fun. The red path in the above image is for bikes.

 

 

 

And for the final image of this post that got WAY longer than expected…

Vehicles in Europe are typically much smaller than vehicles in the US, and pick-up trucks aren’t exactly common. So we were really surprised to see this HD-branded extra-large pick-up truck.

I hope y’all enjoyed the pics. Can you understand why I enjoyed walking around, just looking? It’s a glimpse of everyday life in Belgium. Travel doesn’t always have to be to exotic, well-known places to be interesting.