Living in Belgium

[clara]

Hello Sydney,

I think of moving to Belgium. That takes a lot of time, I can tell you.

I've been to Bruges in Belgium for a short weekend. I really liked it there - it's still old fashioned and old worldly. Is Belgium a better place to live than Holland, then?

Clara

[sydney]

I've been to Bruges in Belgium for a short weekend. I really liked it there - it's still old fashioned and old worldly. Is Belgium a better place to live than Holland, then?

Hi Clara,

I wouldn't say it is a better place. In some aspects it is more pleasant yes. I live close to the Belgian border. So, in a way I am almost Belgian. I am thinking of moving to Belgium because it is easier/faster to travel to my work.

Greetz,

[CrIpLeX]

I live in Belgium
But I rather like to move to Finland/Sweden.
Belgium is nog bad, but it's too full (it's a small country with many people)
Everywhere are buildings, almost no nature, and you always here a train or a plan or whatever, you can never be in a quiet place
The people are less social than in Scandinavia example, but i don't know the difference between Holland and Germany or something.
They say the education is one of the best in the world, but i think it's quiet hard to get you're grade here
I just want to move to another country cause Belgium is really too busy for me, if I want to walk a little in the woods, the closest wood where it's quiet is 200Km away from here. But if it's for your job i think it's kinda logic u choose to move, but I rather go to Scandinevia I guess, however I still don't really know it there. I'm going on vacation to Finland this year, just to look if it's as nice there as I heard.
Anyway, I think it's quiet good living (economicaly) but i think the social life is quiet bad :/

Greets

[clara]

Hi CrIpLeX,

Britain is very overcrowded. It's a smaller country than Sweden (I think), yet it's got about 60 million people living in it :huh: Compare that to about 8 million people in Sweden........Britain has got lovely places in it (Wales is lovely, isn't it, Styvisor?), but it's ruined by all the concrete jungle that is sprouting up everywhere :angry:

I didn't see very much of Belgium last year, just the area around Bruges......

Btw, welcome to the site!

Cheers,
Clara

[Piempampoentje]

life in belgium is quiet ok, apart from the taxes on what you earn
We've got a terrible mixture of all styles of buildings, we have something that is called "lintbebouwing", houses are built along the road, so you get the impression that every plot of land has been built. Building companies buy meadows and farmland to build houses on, nature goes lost, old buildings just stand there, nobody uses them, nobody cleans them..
I like it on the countryside, but according to me, they're raping it by building so many houses on it..

[vis]

Belgium is a fantastic country.
For example the Belgians have a great cycle-race culture.
A lot better then we have here in Holland.
And Belgians make fantastic pancakes.
Pancakes and cycle-races, what does a man need more?

[styvisor]

Britain has got lovely places in it (Wales is lovely, isn't it, Styvisor?)

Hey Clara,

Wales is indeed a lovely country , except in the past decade it has started to see a lot of expansion of urban sprall all over the countryside I used to go camping in .

Wales has a more rugged hilly (mountanous even) beauty to it than say areas of the Peak District (or Scandinavia), which has beautiful vast areas of woodland along with plenty of rolling hills. If I ever had the chance though I would want to move somewhere which has forests and hills and rivers as far as the eye could see, and lose myself for days wandering around the forests and getting to grass roots again B)....... Somewhere where you have sun during the summer and snow through the winter I'd probably die a hppy old man if that ever happened.

How would you describe Essex, Clara? Is it in the green belt around London?

For example the Belgians have a great cycle-race culture.

Hey Viz,

In the past couple of years I've really got into cycle racing and have quite enjoyed the Tour De France and the Tour of Spain this year.... I don't think I'd be able to do 100 odd miles a day though olleyes:

A couple of sports I'm looking forward to with some pleasure through the winter months are all the winter sports like Ski-Jumping and the Biathlon. Only about another month before they start again Can't wait.

Cheers and beers form a wet and chilly Wales,

Styvisor

[clara]

Hello Sty,

How would you describe Essex, Clara? Is it in the green belt arond London?

Essex is........not that great. It's all flat around Essex and is, in my opinion, massively overpopulated. They have built so many houses here that it's looking like a concrete jungle. And John Prescott wants to build more houses here! :angry: There is a housing shortage but they shouldn't be encouraging more people to move here. Houses are way overpriced. The north of Essex is lovely though. It's got more countryside and is more old fashioned. Places like Saffron Walden and Thaxted are really quite nice. It's the south of Essex (where I live) that is too crowded. It's very near London.......on the other hand, I can just hop on a train and be in London very quickly, so....I shouldn't really complain! And it's only 12 miles or so journey to the seaside!

I went to Pembrokeshire a few years ago and stayed in a youth hostel. What I
really loved was when we walked back from the pub at night, through the countryside, and all you could see when you looked up at the sky was what I can only describe as a blanket of stars. Ah, bliss. Maybe I'm just a hippie or a romantic at heart, but I like that sort of thing

take care,
Clara

[CrIpLeX]

Thank you for welcoming me
But... Belgium isn't great: I don't really like pancake's and cycling even less :S
I just want to go to Sweden just to look...
Btw: Does anybody know the song at the beginning of the movie ?

[sydney]

Hoi CrIpLeX,

I just want to go to Sweden just to look...

Sweden is a great country with lots of nature. The citylife in Stockholm is great too. Stockholm has become my favourite city since last summer. Before that, it has always been Sydney (of all places ).

Btw: Does anybody know the song at the beginning of the movie ?

The Song you are looking for is Drifter of the band <a href='http://www.drrling.se/yvonne/' target='_blank'>Yvonne</a>.

More info on the <a href='http://ezkidds.phpwebhosting.com/fa/subpages/html/framesoundtrack.htm' target='_blank'>soundtrack page</a>.

Greetz,

[CrIpLeX]

Thank you
Oh I really like the movie, only the end is a little bit quick, but it's still a great movie...

[vis]

In the past couple of years I've really got into cycle racing and have quite enjoyed the Tour De France and the Tour of Spain this year

And the classics, don't forget the classics!!!
Pity that the season is over
But guess what, i'm watching the six-days of Amsterdam at this moment on tv.

I myself am looking forward for the speedskate season starting next weekend

But... Belgium isn't great: I don't really like pancake's and cycling even less :S
I just want to go to Sweden just to look...

Well Criplex, if you want to live in sweden, there is a way.
Yesterday i read in the newspaper that there are enough jobs in Sweden and in other Scandinavian countries.
A duth organisation called Centrum voor Werk en Inkomen, a jobagency, helps you to get a job and a house.
They are collaborating with such organisations in Scandinavia.
On november 1 they organise a special information evening in Amersfoort.
I have no more details, but try www.werk.nl
Good luck.

[CrIpLeX]

Well... thank you but I live in Belgium so it's driving a while and by the way I'm 15 So I have to wait a little longer

[belgian]

I live in Belgium, I am born and bred in Belgium and I wouldn't recommend it. Unless you live in a worse country than Belgium, like Russia or Holland, which are even more depressing. And if you're thinking of going to Belgium, go live in the southern part, where they speak French, the people are much more easy going there. In the North (where I live) people are very materialist and not very interesting. We don't have mountains or great lakes or anything.
The good things we have is the food, the pubs and the economy. But the atmosphere, especially in the northern part is not recommendable.

By the way it is typical for a Belgian to complain about his own country, which I think says enough. We're a nation of alienated selfhaters.

[anticheerleader]

All of these places that you are all talking about sound so much better than this small town in Texas. As soon as I graduate I'm getting outa here. B) But until then, guess I'll have to just be used to it........