My vacation (Part1:Belgium)

Trip to Brussels:

April 24,
I arrived at 7:00 due to the delay of my flight from Frankfurt. Lu and Nuno had been at the Brussels airport to pick me up.
Nuno has a new Audi sedan. The weather in Brussels is still gloomy similar to English weather in autumn and winter. As it is already in the end of April, the temperature only stays at a comfortable level.
We chatted about their life in Brussels and football topic (as it is always our great concern).
“Yasu, are you hungry? What do you want to eat for dinner, tonight?” Nuno asked.
“Pizza or codfish.” I answered him immediately.
“Yasu does not like Belgian food much.” Nuno laughed and explained to Lu,
“OK, Yasu. We can go to a Portuguese restaurant near our apartment. It is not the best in town but it is very close. You can have some cod.”
I love fish. Unfortunately, Brussels is not an ideal place to eat fish from seawater. The level of freshness in fish sold in supermarkets here is as bad as one in England. It convinced me well enough to avoid it when I had cooked it when I had been here. So, dried cod can be a good choice for fish lover like me.

On the way to the restaurant, Nuno told how “wonderful” Belgian builders are. Lu and Nuno were supposed to move to their new flat some days before my arrival. The builders delayed their schedule.
“In Belgium, you can’t expect anything goes on schedule. They are very slow.” Nuno complained, “Our builders are slow. Incredible! They were doing nothing when we went there to check.” In fact, David is also suffering from problems with Belgian builders.

There are many Portuguese cafés and restaurants in their neighborhood. I had Bacalhau a Bras (fried cod with potatoes). It really filled my stomach.
“I will get a few kilos in two weeks.”


April 25,
I woke up at 6:45 and I felt that I would not be able to sleep again. There seemed to be a remaining effect of a jet-lag. So, I decided to do some writing for our blog.
Today, Nuno and Lu took me to an attractive Flemish town, Bruges, located in the northwest of Brussels. As you may know, Belgium can divide into two parts; French and Flemish (Dutch). There is always an argument about dividing the country into these two interest groups. According to Nuno, Flander is the second-earliest region where a modern industrialization took place after England. It was flourished by the international cloth trade from the 13th century. It is also one of the places which did not suffer from any major damage by bombing in the World War II. In Bruges, most of medieval building remained in a perfect condition since the 13th century.
When we arrived there, we parked our car close to the centre. It is also the first time for Lu to visit Bruges. This means that we have Nuno Vicente for our private guide to city-tour.
“Nuno, which way we should go?” Lu asked
“I don’t remember. Let me take a look…” Nuno flipped pages of a guide book.
“With whom did you come here?” Lu asked another question.
“I don’t remember.”
“You don’t remember anything!”
“Yeah, I am not good at remembering things. My memory is limited. So, I use it for certain things.”
“Certain things like work.” Lu added.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“And football! Nuno, you remember nothing when I talk to you while you are watching TV!”
“No! You always come to talked me when I am concentrated.” He means watching football games.
Then Nuno turned to me and said, “She never comes to talk to me when I’m watching other programs.
”
- Nuno, flipping pages on his guide book, trying to find where we are -

He now found the street where we were now on the map on his guidebook. In the center of the town, there is a canal. It becomes the hottest attraction for tourists: Some stay in a terrace to enjoy the view and a meal. Others pay extra money to go on a boat cruise. It was a pleasant day to spend time outside.




We had lunch in a square. We were caught by a waiter who ridiculously tried to catch attentions of every tourist passing by with all the languages what he can think of: English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and so on. We did not really care how silly he was but we simply want to fill our stomach.
The meal was ok. Nothing special. Not bad but not so good, too. The only thing that bothered us was the charge of a bowl of rice at 4.50 euro. The restaurant charged us a small side dish.
After lunch, we explored a bit more of the town and we went to Oostende, where Belgian sun seekers spend weekend in summer.
My overall impression of Bruges was a clean and pleasant town. I had only images of gloomy Brussels and rundown ghost-town image of southern part where I passed by train in my last visit. In fact, Belgium is not so bad as I thought before.

April 26
Yesterday, David came back from France and he was so exhausted that he could not come for dinner to Nuno’s apartment.

-Lu, David and Nuno in front of their new apartment-

We decided to meet him for lunch at a cafeteria near Nuno and Lu’s new apartment.
Today, I am going to write about our dear Spanish friend, David from Castilla: region of Madrid. He works as an auditor, same job he had back in Spain. According to him, his job now involves regular visits to countries in EU to check out european rules and standards. David’s team visits different regions to observe how they manage inspections. This takes 5 working days and sometimes includes trips from one region to another.
This time, David travelled to France. It involved a 3- hour travel between two places at the longest. In his previous job it involved frequent business meals. David and his team were usually invited to local restaurants for full-course meals. It sounded wonderful for me but hearing what he said it is a hard work.
Local people usually took them to the best restaurants that they can think of. When they serve some more dishes and drinks, it is rather offensive to turn down their offer. This time, he was in France. The French, of course, is proud of their food very much but in his current line of work these privileges do not exist no more. But still he was in France and enjoyed by himself after work hours.
“I had too much this week.” He admitted. “We tasted their local dishes, their specialty. We went to very good restaurants. So, you cannot simply say “I had enough.” or “I watch my weight”. They poured more wine and after a series of main dishes, they ordered some dessert. This is special in this region. You must try it. If you say no, they insist it is worthwhile to try. You cannot refuse it.”

As no exception, David is also proud of his country. It is probably true that all Europeans are proud of their own countries. So, when they meet other nationalities, a huge discussion often take place: what is good in their culture and country or which is better!
Today, the discussion started with my choice of languages to study. I will take a Spanish course in Barcelona next week.
“Yasu decided to take a Spanish course in Barcelona. Yasu, it’s a good choice.” David began.
“What a shame! Yasu started to learn Portuguese some years ago. You spoke to my mother in Portuguese. Now he betrayed us.” Nuno added.
“Well, that means Spanish is more useful language to him. Spain is so big. Portugal is so small.” David said.
“But I like more Portuguese food than Spanish food. I don’t think Spanish food is better than Portuguese.” Lu made a comment on this Spanish and Portuguese issue in a different angle.
Then David protested “That’s because you do not know very much Spanish food, Lu. And it is because you married a Portuguese guy.”
“No, it is true.” Lu answered.
“What do you think, Yasu?” David wanted some support.
Instead of supporting him, I chose to make a joke so that we could laugh a lot. I remembered Nuno’s comment on tapas. So, I said.
“Yes, I like Spanish food but some of tapas are greasy…”
“No! Yasu. Come on!” David was shocked. We all laughed.
Before this discussion, I remembered Nuno saying “David never thinks that someone outside Europe would say that Spanish food is not good”. So, I tried to create a fun together. In fact, I often select some of Spanish products when I do grocery shopping.

Today, we took David’s car and drive to the southern part of Belgium. As I was not very impressed with Brussels in my last visit, they decided to take me to the countryside. We travelled to Namur and visited a castle. We walked along a river. It was indeed pleasant to spend time there.





-David on revenge against Portugal and its supporter-

In the evening, we had dinner at a French restaurant. The restaurant’s specialties are duck and Foie gras. They planned to take me to a Swiss cheese fondue restaurant. But none of Fondue restaurants were open. So, David decided to the French restaurant. I found that the food was excellent. After dinner, we went to a bar to drink. We did not stay long because I started to fall asleep.


- grilled duck, a wonderful dinner. Thanks for David -


April 27
Last night, Nuno suggested David to meet at a Portuguese cafeteria for breakfast. So, we left the apartment a little earlier than eleven. The cafeteria was introduced in a gourmet magazine in Brussels and it is known for serving a nice Pasteis de Nata, egg tart. To make it more clear what it is like, the best known Pasteis de Nata is called Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon. The one we all tried at least once near the Monastery of Jeronimos in Lisbon.
David told us that he will bring his friends from Madrid to join our trip to Luxemburg.
“David maybe bring his Spanish friends because he felt bitterly defeated.” I started.
“Yeah, a Danish girl does not help much to support Spain.” Nuno responded. David brought a Danish friend from his work for last night dinner. But the Portuguese side was outnumbered. The result was obvious.
Luxemburg is located in the southeast of Brussels and it takes less than 3 hours by car. 20% of population is Portuguese. In the 1960s, the country was developed with manufacturing steel. During that period, Portuguese migrated to Luxemburg and engaged with manufacturing sector and other low-paid serve sector. Nowadays, the country’s strong industry is financial service.
Luxemburg is rather small as a country. Even if we consider it as a city, it is still small. As the weather was good, we walked around the town under the sun.

A trip to Taiwan

I am glad to fulfil a promise: A promise that I made about two years ago. Linda and her boyfriend, Tso Lin visited Japan two years ago. I went to Kyoto to spend three days with them. For a long time, I was so occupyed to look Europe getting away from my busy life in Japan. I had never had a chance to visit her in Taiwan.
I actually travelled to Taiwan a couple of times on a business trip and my last visit was almost a decade ago. In that period of time, the Taiwanese government has been enphasizing a fast growing industry: such as high-tech and computer industry. At that time, my first impression of Taiwan was like early 1980s in Japan. I felt as if I was making a time travel to my childhood. Cars were old and shops were not so clean and run by families.
However, this time, once I arrived in Taipei and I was surprised with the country’s rapid growth.Highways and roads are much more in order. Taiwan’s largest commercial area is much bigger than my city. It could be similar to Tokyo and Osaka. Shopping area also far larger than Fukuoka.

In order to build your knowledge about the country, firstly I wrote a little bit of its history and political situation.
In the early seventeenth century, Dutch landed in the southernwest coast of Taiwan and started to occupy the island. In that period of time, Chinese people started immigrate in the island of Taiwan and beat Dutch to establish their government.
In the end of nineteenth century, Taiwan was occupyed by the Japanese government after China lost war. Many Taiwanese felt betrayed by the Chinese government when it gave away Taiwan for the war settlement. The Japanese occupation continued till 1945.
To my surprise, unlike China and Korea, Taiwanese people tend not to have strong hatred for Japanese. This is probably because the Japanese Empiral army contributed to develop industry and build infrastructure during the period and there was no unlawful killing of innocent people, forced labour and imprisonment which occurred in China and Korea.

I flew to Taipei on 8th Februrary. A few days before, people had celebrated the Chinese New Year. This is the longest and most important holiday in Taiwan. During this period, the majority of people go back to their hometown to spend their holidays with their families and relatives. In Taiwan, large manufacturing service industry are concentrated on the northern part of Taiwan. Due to a rapid economic growth, a large number of population moved from the southern parts to find a job. In the New Year holidays, those people were leaving for their hometown. So,highways were crowded.
When I arrived, there was a traffic control in order to flow the traffic smoothly : No car with less than three passengers was prohibited to enter the highway. So, poor Linda who only knows how to get around the city and get to the airport by the highway, took much longer time to get to the airport.
“Lu and Nuno are often late to meet me, ok. Maybe I cannot expect David and Athina to be punctual. Linda would not be like them.” I was thinking never knowing the situaion on that day. But I was relaxed. There was no need to be nervous or in a hurry. I was in holidays. She arrived twenty minutes after my arrival and apologized for her late arrival. The traffic was not normal.
It was raining and the temperature was lower than what I was expected.
I was invited to her parents’ house. I had traditional new year dishes and I got a bit tipsy with strong liquor which her grandfather constantly served me.
“My family tries to avoid getting drunk, trying to find an excuse” she told me.
“So, today I am the one to have a drink.”
The liquor that her grandfather offered to me was really strong. I tried a few before I could finally stop him...”
After the meal, Linda took me to a temple and then we still had time to spare. So, I decided to challenge “Foot massage”.
Frankly speaking, I did not try it for fun or my healthy. I simply wanted to write some funny experience on this blog.
However, I suffered a lot! A man really enjoys how customers suffer. Really.
“My friend, a female friend tried this foot massage. She suffered a lot and felt ill.” Linda said.
“It is just a painful experience. I do not think anyone enjoys. The only one who enjoy is this guy. This mean-machine!” I thought. The man is still smiling.
The good thing came only after great agony. My foot and lower part of legs light and I felt incredibly well. However, I thought I would choose a western style body massage rather than this painful experience.






On the second day, we set off for Tainan. A few years ago, they opened a new high speed railway which connects Taipei and towns in south.
As what happened during our stay in Lisbon, running all the time, we had to run crazily to get on the train to Tainan as well. Linda took her car to the high speed train station which is far away from the city centre and we circled up to the top of a car parking without no success in finding a space on the ground, first, second floor. We finally parted on the top floor on open air.
“Yasu, we have to run. We have only five minutes!”
When we reached the platform, the train was about to stop and we got on and took a seat with relief.
The train smoothly left the platform. On the way to Tainan, the train offered us a pleasant landscape of Taiwan’s countryside. It showed scenes of rice planting. In Taiwan, farmers grow and harvest rice twice a year. Two seasons: They plant in February and harvest in late spring and then plant again in June.
It took less than two hours to get to Tainan. Tainan is the first place where a town was built. About 400 years ago, Dutch settled down this place and Chinese immigrants took control on the town later.




Linda’s boyfriend, Tso Lin and her friend at work, Roy waited us in the city center. We went around the town by scooter to visit historical sites and traditional first food shops.



Food in Tainan is excellent: Let me introduce you some of Taiwanese first food.

Deep-fried shrimp roll: This is my favorite! Coated deep-fried. The outside is crispy. The inside is elastic.


Bean curd pudding: You can have different types of beans: red, green, yellow etc.


Sticky rice cake with sweet red bean: This is exactly what we, Japanese call Zenzai.


Pork dumpling in soup.



Tso Lin, Linda and Roy, my guide in Tainan

In Tainan, people go around to taste just one dish at a time and move to another. Like Spanish, when they go to eat Tapas. Eat and have a little chat and go. Almost nobody stay long. Basically, Taiwanese do not spend so much time at table.
“I remember that the first dinner with Nuno at the North Terrace: the first Portuguese night. He spent about one hour for cooking. The dinner started at nine and lasted 4 hours. We, Taiwanese, eat and finish very quickly.” Linda said.

On the next morning, we went back to Taipei. We enjoyed a sunny day tour in Tainan. But when we came back to Taipei, it was rainning again. We went to the Taiwan’s largest history museum.


On the evening, we had dinner with Linda’s family: parents, uncle and aunt. To my surprise, Linda’s uncle and aunt both speak very good Japanese. When they were young, the Japanese army occupied Taiwan. They were taught in Japanese when they were at junior high school. A lot of Japanese family lived during that period until the World War II ended. Her uncle brought Kurosawa movie to show me. It was my great surprise.



On my fourth day, we went to the countryside to visit a region where they grow tea. Taiwan produce very good Woolong tea. We had lunch at tea cuisine restaurant and after lunch we watch a shopkeeper how to make tea.




Next morning, Tso Lin had to leave for Korea for a business trip. We took Linda’s car to bring him to the airport. He regularly takes a business trip to Korea for two weeks. After seeing him off at the airport, I asked her about their wedding.
“Yes, we are planning to get married this year but we are busy at a lot of other things and preparaton now. Probably in autumn. Will you come?”
“Yes, I will.” I made a response immediately. I could be an only foreign guest who does not understand Chinese. But I did not mind. It must be another interesting experience. Now I know both Linda and Tso Lin. I have knowing them together since their trip to Japan. It is nice to see them getting married.
On the following day, we visited the ceramic museum before my departure and she took me to the airport. She dropped me off at the terminal and we exchanged the last salute. I watched her driving away.
"The trip was short but I will come back soon."