Thu, 24 May 2012
| Index | Last | Var.(%) |
|---|---|---|
| BEL 20 | 2113.27 | 1.14 |
| DAX | 6336.8 | 0.81 |
| IBEX 30 | 6548.9 | 1.68 |
| CAC 40 | 3043.54 | 1.34 |
| FTSE 100 | 5345.47 | 1.50 |
| AEX | 292.51 | 1.16 |
| DJIA | 12496.15 | -0.05 |
| Nasdaq | 2850.12 | 0.39 |
| FTSE MIB | 13083.74 | 0.95 |
| TSX Composite | 11564.8 | 0.99 |
| ASX | 4106.2 | -0.31 |
| Hang seng | 18666.4 | -0.64 |
| Straits Times | 2779.53 | -0.03 |
| ISEQ 20 | 495.29 | 1.06 |
Text size
Paul Morris recalls a trip to Dinant, where he refused to scale the heavens and plumb the Earth's depths. And he got wet.
Then we came across a flyer promoting the grotto known as La Merveilleuse no less. Much more like the thing. But then again, it was the same height as the Citadel, only downwards into the earth’s core, with access via a rickety wooden staircase no doubt.
Vertigo knows no bounds. The more we discussed it the more the innocent caves became Khazad-dûm, beset by Orcs, footsoldiers of the Dark One, and Balrogs, primordial spirits of fire.
"Far below the snow-capped peaks of the Misty Mountains, deep in the roots of Middle-earth, is a place of darkness and shattered glory, a realm long-since driven to ruin and left defiled, the Black Pit, a realm of terror and gloom."
We passed on the grotto trip. And soon the Citadel became Orodruin, Mount Doom herself, deep in the heart of the black land of Mordor, with all her attendant perils. We didn’t have to go up there. We were not charged with saving Middle Earth. We were just on holiday!
Another flyer sang the praises of la Meuse. So we took a little boat which plied its trade up and down the river. That was pleasant enough but we quickly realised that it covered the well trodden path we had already trod upon on our many long walks, except the boat was treading water, of course. Which is kind of how we felt.
Until we ventured out of town and found a strange little neighbourhood.
Dotted around, between the houses and in the lee of the castle walls, were little street games, works of art which prove that it’s not just the internet that offers interactivity. One of them was a simple stone tablet which asks you to feel the words as you read them aloud, until your realise it’s a tomb from the contagious plague that struck the district a few hundred years ago.
Another was an odd Heath Robinson contraption that invites you to turn a lever. All that happens is that a grating noise makes angry locals come to their windows, further inviting you to shut up.
Perhaps it was designed to call on folks to bring out their dead. As we stood in the torrential rain, we marvelled at the ingenuity of the artists responsible for cheering up what was no more than an ordinary little residential neighbourhood.
We returned to the centre of town, drenched to the bone, thin as wet cats, but happy now to watch the brave grinning tourists stepping from the Citadel’s cable-car. Little did they know that these two smiling landlubbers had come back among them to spread the Black Plague.
Paul Morris / Expatica
This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.
Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.
Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.
The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Google+
0
