{"id":2425,"date":"2019-02-06T22:53:05","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T21:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/?page_id=2425"},"modified":"2019-02-06T23:04:51","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T22:04:51","slug":"week-05-quick-trip-to-brussels-then-friday-at-the-office","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/?page_id=2425","title":{"rendered":"Week 05: quick trip to Brussels, then Friday at the office"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of this week’s images are related to my job, but in very different ways. In the early part of the week I had a quick trip to Brussels for a meeting at the European Commission on Tuesday afternoon. Once back in the office, we had the “last-Friday-of-the-month” noontime drink, except that we did on the first Friday of February instead becase our office had arranged a charity run on the last Friday of January.<\/p>\n

5_1<\/strong>
\nBut as usual, I started the week on two wheels in the mountains. While taking a break on this little square in Jijona, I photographed my bike leaning against a mural of the town as it looked 100 years ago:
\n\"R005140\"<\/p>\n

5_2<\/strong>
\nThere is a plaque commemorating “those who fought for liberty and democracy” during the Civil War, i.e. the republican side:
\n\"R005141\"<\/p>\n

5_3<\/strong>
\nThe streets in Jijona are steep, so it takes some energy just to walk to buy the newspaper:
\n\"R005145\"<\/p>\n

5_4<\/strong>
\nOn the way home, a pastoral scene in El Campello, depicting the mix of modernity and tradition here:
\n\"R005161\"<\/p>\n

5_5<\/strong>
\nLater, a walk along the beach in El Campello. A man in good company:
\n\"DSF3559\"<\/p>\n

5_6<\/strong>
\nOn Tuesday morning I flew to Brussels, departing at an ungodly hour, but still enjoying the familiar sights of Brussels airport, such as Tintin’s moon rocket in the main hall:
\n\"R005150\"<\/p>\n

5_7<\/strong>
\nThis bar I had not noticed before, but it is quite striking:
\n\"R005149\"<\/p>\n

5_8<\/strong>
\nMy colleague and I descended to the train station under the airport to take the train to Schuman, the heart of the EU quarter. I used a graffiti-covered train car for a selfie of sorts:
\n\"R005152\"<\/p>\n

5_9<\/strong>
\nTwenty minutes later, we were at Schuman, walking along the Berlaymont (headquarters of the EU Commission) to our hotel:
\n\"DSF3560\"<\/p>\n

5_10<\/strong>
\nAround Berlaymont are various buildings housing other parts of the Commission, such as DG TRADE, where I often stop to photograph the statues on the wall:
\n\"DSF3563\"<\/p>\n

5_11<\/strong>
\nWe had enough time to check into our hotel and have lunch before the meeting started at 2 p.m. We went to Kitty O’Shea’s for lunch, a place where I go for a beer or two every time I am in town (because it is a nice place and always a short walk from whichever hotel I am staying in). However, this was the first time I have ever eaten there (it was good). Kitty’s is the kind of bar where the TV is tuned to news and current affairs channels rather than entertainment or sport:
\n\"DSF3561\"<\/p>\n

5_12<\/strong>
\nAfter our meeting, we took the metro to the centre and walked around a bit. This is Boulevard Anspach, an important thoroughfare in the centre which has recently been made pedestrian:
\n\"DSF3566\"<\/p>\n

5_13<\/strong>
\n\"DSF3567\"<\/p>\n

5_14<\/strong>
\nAll this walking made me thirsty, so I guided us to my favourite bar in the centre, Poechenellekelder, just across from the Mannekin Pis. The beer menu is one of the reasons I like this place:
\n\"DSF3574\"<\/p>\n

5_15<\/strong>
\nPoechenellekelder is often crowded, unsurprisingly:
\n\"DSF3573\"<\/p>\n

5_16<\/strong>
\nHaving fortified ourselves with a couple of beers, we walked on. Finding Grand’ Place is not difficult, given the height of the tower at Brussels city hall:
\n\"DSF3568\"<\/p>\n

5_17<\/strong>
\nOne of the many small streets leading to Grand’ Place:
\n\"DSF3575\"<\/p>\n

5_18<\/strong>
\nThe square in all its splendour:
\n\"DSF3577\"<\/p>\n

5_19<\/strong>
\nThis restaurant was our goal:
\n\"DSF3580\"<\/p>\n

5_20<\/strong>
\nIt is a Brussels favourite, serving traditional Belgian food such as stoemp<\/em> or waterzooi<\/em>. I have been going there since I first moved to Brussels in 1995 and have continued to visit regularly after moving away in 2000. The place looks the same as it did when I first set foot there more then 20 years ago:
\n\"DSF3579\"<\/p>\n

5_21<\/strong>
\nOn the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Kitty O’Shea’s for a nightcap:
\n\"DSF3583\"<\/p>\n

5_22<\/strong>
\nI woke up early on Wednesday morning and went for a brief walk around the hotel. As predicted in the weather forecast the day before, light snow was falling:
\n\"DSF3584\"<\/p>\n

5_23<\/strong>
\nI love taking city photographs in weather like this:
\n\"DSF3586\"<\/p>\n

5_24<\/strong>
\nLater in the morning, we made our way to the Schuman station to take the train to the airport. There was little bit of snow in front of Berlaymont:
\n\"R005154\"<\/p>\n

5_25<\/strong>
\nThe last photo in Brussels this time around. There was enough winter weather for the plane to need de-icing and there was another 20-minute delay while the runway was being cleared:
\n\"R005156\"<\/p>\n

5_26<\/strong>
\nThen Friday arrived and it was time for our drink at the office (and good munchies as well). I have recently decided to use my 11-year old Leica M8 more often, and it is perfectly suited for this type of photography. So all the images from the Friday event are shot with that camera, and a 50-year old Summilux 50mm lens. Claire and Stephanie:
\n\"L1013426\"<\/p>\n

5_27<\/strong>
\nCarolina and Jes\u00c3\u00bas:
\n\"L1013436\"<\/p>\n

5_28<\/strong>
\nPouring the wine:
\n\"L1013440\"<\/p>\n

5_29<\/strong>
\nFranciska has caught me in the act:
\n\"L1013442\"<\/p>\n

5_30<\/strong>
\nOur Polish secretary Kasia, enjoying herself:
\n\"L1013444\"<\/p>\n

5_31<\/strong>
\nBlanca, in a good mood too:
\n\"L1013456\"<\/p>\n

5_32<\/strong>
\nStephanie wants wine!
\n\"L1013450\"<\/p>\n

5_33<\/strong>
\nNino in good company:
\n\"L1013461\"<\/p>\n

5_34<\/strong>
\nTwo Greek ladies in serious conversation:
\n\"L1013462\"<\/p>\n

5_35<\/strong>
\nStephanie explains to Massimo the joys of salchich\u00c3\u00b3n<\/em> with trufles:
\n\"L1013475\"<\/p>\n

5_36<\/strong>
\nFinally, a sequence of three images of a Greek lady trying a Finnish liquorice liqueur called Koskenkorva Salmiakki. First, pouring:
\n\"L1013484\"<\/p>\n

5_37<\/strong>
\nTasting:
\n\"L1013485\"<\/p>\n

5_38<\/strong>
\nReacting. It is safe to say that Koskenkorva is an acquired taste:
\n\"L1013486\"<\/p>\n

5_39<\/strong>
\nI finish with yet another pre-dawn picture from my neighbourhood, but not from the beach. This is our local fish shop, getting ready to open, around 7:45 in the morning. I am strangely fascinated by this place:
\n\"R005159\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of this week’s images are related to my job, but in very different ways. In the early part of the week I had a quick trip to Brussels for a meeting at the European Commission on Tuesday afternoon. Once back in the office, we had the “last-Friday-of-the-month” noontime drink, except that we did on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2397,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2425"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2425"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2430,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2425\/revisions\/2430"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}