Crossing into Belgium

Photo: Jenny Rollo

It feels like I have been picking on Belgium a bit recently though looking back over recent blog posts I think it is more a feeling of guilt than reality. But, there is a fair bit to pick on...... A recent road trip to England was a vivid reminder for me why I really dread the minute we cross the border in the car from the Netherlands into Belgium. Here's why:

1. The road deteriorates rapidly. It suddenly feels like you are off-roading, yet remarkably stay on what is actually labelled a motorway.


2. There are car parts littering the road, a reminder of the danger that lurks around every bend when you are in Belguim. If a blown out tyre doesn't get you, a crazy Belgian driver just might.


3. You suddenly acquire a trailer. Belgians drive even more closely together than the Dutch. Need I say more?


4. My blood pressure rises. It shoots up just by seeing the Belgium sign at the border.

Oh, I know there are worse (i.e. more life threatening) places in the world to drive a car but I don't go there on a regular basis. Maybe I don't get out enough but being in a car in Belgium is the most dangerous activity I undertake every couple of months. It's terrifying.

A Service Station, But Not As You Know It

As I mentioned in my last post I just popped over to England for a week and during the journey through the Netherlands, Belgium and France ideas for blog posts came flooding in (writing them down whilst travelling on Belgian roads was a challenge in itself - but more about that in another post). One thing that came to mind was service stations.

Stopping off to fill up and stretch your legs - service stations
(c) The Writing Well

Coming from the UK, I grew up with long road trips broken by toilet breaks and lunches or suppers in service stations. The quality of the facilities was reasonable and there was always a fair bit to occupy a curious child during a stop off. The most exciting type of service station was one on the other side of the motorway - we needed to walk across an enclosed bridge stretching across the motorway. Trust me, as a child it was exciting...... really, how often do you walk over a motorway?

Nowadays, motorway services in the UK are more and more commercial and seem to resemble mini shopping centres, contain an array of eating options from the big fast food chains and beverage choices from the major coffee house companies as well as a petrol station to fill up at. They also contain arcade amusements, WIFI areas, picnic areas and some even have a hotel to rest your weary head in. Oh, and there always seems to be a man trying to sell you breakdown cover or a credit card.

In the Netherlands a service station seems to comprise a petrol station selling sandwiches and coffee, a toilet you have to pay for and in essence a car park that is a cross between a lorry park and a giant dustbin. This pretty much sums up service stations in Belgium too, though in my experience the toilet facilities in Belgium are generally not great (and maybe explains why you see so many Belgians using the car park as a public toilet) and many places also have a baffling voucher/turnstile system for the toilet. In essence you pay 50 cents and you get a voucher. With this voucher you gain entry to the toilet facilities and then use the voucher in the shop as credit towards a purchase. So if you were going to buy something anyway, you essentially wee for free.

And that brings me to France. There are two types of service areas in France - one fit for humans, the other less so. The "toilet block in the middle of nowhere" aires de repos areas are common and easy to find along the motorway. You can usually smell the toilets before you leave your car and my best tip is to watch the faces of others leaving the toilet block before you venture in. You need to supply your own toilet paper (the French know this but us tourists are often caught out) and a torch certainly comes in handy. There is generally nothing else there, except for maybe a child's play area and a bit of grass or a bench to picnic on. The second type are service areas (aires de service) as are common elsewhere in Europe with fit -for-use toilets, a petrol station, eating facilities and a shop.

Bon voyage!

What are service stations like in your home country? What are your experiences like of stop offs during road trips from the Netherlands?

Driving Through Four Countries - An Exercise in Self-Preservation

I recently travelled back to the UK for a visit. We went by car using the Eurotunnel and hence travelled in a number of countries in one day: the Netherlands, Belgium, France and England. And the different driving 'styles' struck me.....

A12 in the Netherlands
Photo:L van Mulligen

It's not the first time I've mentioned it, but the Dutch do tend to like to stick close together on the motorway in the fast lane. It's called tailgating and it's actually illegal. Luckily most Dutch drivers who tailgate don't know this or simply don't care - and there aren't many police around to remind them on the motorways so it happens. It happens a lot. In fact it was actually pinpointed as the biggest annoyance for Dutch road users in 2010. Presumably it annoys the majority of Dutch drivers who think some distance between them and the car in front or behind is sensible and not those who glue themselves to the bumper in front. So that was my most notable observation on the Dutch motorways.

Then we passed into Belgium. You can usually tell that you have crossed the border as the quality of the road surface deteriorates dramatically. And as you jiggle your way down the motorway, something becomes very apparent. Belgian drivers are mad. They make Dutch drivers look tame. They tear down the fast lane with disregard to any speed limits (I learnt that foreigners caught speeding are treated severely by the police whereas the locals are not really bothered by law enforcement officers until they travel at the speed of space shuttles...) and they criss cross lanes as if they are the only vehicle on the road. Something worth watching out for in Belgium are cars with only five figures in the licence plate - these are drivers who obtained their driving licence with a pack of milk many decades ago (or at least they didn't have to take a driving test) ..... and the cars usually show much evidence of this.

Then we hit France. What redeems French drivers is that any driver probably looks good once you've escaped the Belgian roads unscathed. However, the French do something that none of their neighbours do - they keep their indicator on in the fast lane to let you know that they need to get past and they are not just using the fast lane to overtake - they are using the outer lane as their very own personal road to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Therefore, you really need to move over because they have priority. And there is no point just putting your ticker on - you're a foreigner and you still don't have 'fast lane priority'.

And then you drive onto the Eurotunnel train and marvel at how you've made it so far. It's time to sit and relax for the short trip under the Channel to Folkestone before your journey takes you on to the British motorways.

And then you notice the middle of the road attitude of English drivers. They sit in the middle lane of the motorway for no apparent reason. To legally pass them from the 'slow' lane you have to cross over to the 'fast lane' and then cut back to the furthest left lane. And they remain oblivious to the fact that they are causing mayhem around them as drivers criss cross to pass them. Some pass on the left, others on the right, but to no avail. I eventually worked out that some English drivers believe you have to pick a lane when you join the motorway and stick to it - no matter what. Horns. Lights. Cutting them up. None of it works.

So there you have it - Van Mulligen's observations of some of Europe's main highways. You have been warned.

What no Dutch or British Heritage?

Flamenco Dresses by Simon Gurney

What do throat singing, French food, carpet weaving, flamenco, hopping through the streets and oil wrestling have in common? They are all new additions to UNESCO's Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO's world heritage sites I knew about - this list is a whole new ball game.

These lists have been compiled for the fifth time and incorporate threatened traditions and cultural activities across the world. Sixteen such traditions have been placed on the 'List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding' (I seriously couldn't make this stuff up).

I am happy however to report that our neighbours, Belgium, has had three cultural events added to the list: Houtem Jaarmarkt (the annual winter fair and livestock market at Sint-Lievens-Houtem), Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand, (an end-of-winter bread and fire feast at Geraardsbergen) and the Aalst carnival. The gastronomic meal of the French has taken pride of place on the list and has attracted a lot of comment form the world's media. Iran and Spain have also been significant contributors.

Here's the explanation from the press release from UNESCO about the French dinner:
"France - The gastronomic meal of the French - The gastronomic meal of the French is a customary social practice for celebrating important moments in the lives of individuals and groups, such as births, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, achievements and reunions. It is a festive meal bringing people together for an occasion to enjoy the art of good eating and drinking. The gastronomic meal emphasizes togetherness, the pleasure of taste, and the balance between human beings and the products of nature."

Like what fonduing is to the Dutch then? Hmmm.....

However, on the list of additions for 2010, there is nothing for the Netherlands and the United Kingdom has also contributed zilch to the list. In fact, I can't find any submissions in the last three years (and can't find any list before that) by either my host or home country. Are the Dutch and British without cultural heritage worthy of the list? What about clog dancing, windmill building, morris dancing and beer making? The British pub lunch? Dutch snacks - the renowned bitterballen? I could go on....... amusing myself... but instead I'll ask you...

What Dutch or British cultural heritage do you think should be on these lists?