Rhode St Genese station

Rhode St Genese station 2

I ventured into the deep south of Brussels into the wealthy suburbs. The strong light brought out the simplicity of the waiting room on the station platform.

Sadly it's not going to last too long as the railway is going to be widened to allow four tracks, instead of the present two. The station itself is a listed building so it's the other side that has to be demolished.

There are 9 million bicycles in Brussels ...

Bicycles
Originally uploaded by zoeinbrussels

Brussels has tried to encourage visitors and locals alike to use bicycles that are for hire.
"Cyclocity: Brussels wide environment project allowing bicycle hire and drop off at various points in the city. Credit cards accepted. 250 bicycles available from 23 stations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

Personally, I haven't seen it to be much of a success but it's far better renting a bike than taking your own into the city only to have it nicked.

Kraainem Metro

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This metro station is unusual in that it is overground and contains no art inside. Instead the architecture is the art and on a sunny day it becomes a cathedral of light.

De Wand Tram Stop

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This tramstop is about to have more grafitti murals added to it, financed by the Brussels municipality. It's a lovely place in a tree lined well below road level. The trams enter and exit through tunnels.

I like the mural that is already there and the pale blue walls. I hope further murals add to the appeal.

Arts Loi Metro Entrance

Arts Loi metro entrance

Many metro stations have a surprising number of entrances and exits, some of them are pleasingly 'old school'. I really liked this one, with the trees either side and the classical building behind it.

Car Park Sign

parking sign close

There are several things that really wind me up and turn me into 'Mr Annoyed of Tunbridge Wells'. This is one of them.

It looks ordinary, just a direction sign that points out free spaces in each of the underground car parks nearby. Jolly useful, you might think.

But look at it again. When driving past you just can't see the numbers. What is the point of putting in such a potentially useful system and then using pale orange bulbs that can't be seen?

It's the technology of 'One step forwards, one step back'.

Arrow Left

arrow sign

A more discrete sing in place Londres, as one would expect., to Pro Velo, a bicycle tour company, pointing out one of their routes.

I heartily support the increased use of cycling in the city and doff my hat to them all. mainly I salute their courage in their quest to survive the outrageous driving standards in the city.

On the downside, I must confess that I have only been knocked down once in Brussels. By a cyclist.

Signpost

signpost

Had to virtually lie on my back and avoid the rush hour pedestrians to get this to squeeze into shot, but it's not too bad and I didn't get trampled on by the harde of GSM wielding Eurocrat functionaries, which is a bonus.

Repair Time

repairing tram line

There's been a lot of repair work being done on the tram line near us. In Britain this would be a sign that Easter is almost upon us.

Things might get a bit slack for a couple of days as I'm coming down with a cold.

St Catherines Metro Entrance

st catherines metro entrance

I'm not too sure if I like this or not. It does look cool, but there are far too many legs. they don't really get in the way and it certainly is a functional roof, but I can't make up my mind about this.

Inside the flowers work well and give the new platforms a fresh feel, but isn't it a bit lazy? A bit minimal?

Taking the roof off

anspach metro roof

The Demolition of the Aspach centre carries on and here the roof is coming off the De Brockere metro entrance. Later a temporary roof was put up in record time. I wonder how they're going to take away the walkway to the Monnaie Centre?

Dark Clouds

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By the Gare Central I managed to risk my neck by taking a photo in the middle of the road ad the clouds gathered.

I'm Waiting for the Tram

waiting for tram1

Not often I can squeeze in a velvet underground reference into this blog, but there you go.

I like this photo for reasons I can't explain. Perhaps it was just a quick snapshot that came out ok, or maybe because it captures the stillness of this guy who kept the same position, virtually immobile for almost 15 mins.

Road Rage on Two Wheels

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Another photo from Car Free Sunday. I saw these people caught up in a heated argument and eventually they all cycled off gesticulating to each other.

Road rage isn't just for car drivers...

Car Free Sunday

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Amongst the general jollity, one car had appeared on the Bourse where green activists showed how you could turn your car into a vegetable garden.

Meanwhile I was busy getting knocked down by a cyclist.

Exploring Brussels by bike

From April till October, a guided tour is programmed every Sunday afternoon.

Brussels : atmosphere, history and architecture
5 circuits of about 15 km (9 miles) lasting 3 hours, in the afternoon:

The heart of Brussels through the centuries, Treasures of Art Nouveau, Comic strips and cafés, Fountains and Sculptures.

Brussels, the greenest of cities
4 circuits of about 25 km (15 miles) lasting 4 hours, in the afternoon:

The green mysteries of northern Brussels, Castles and abbeys, The splendours of south-west Brussels, City and gardens (south-east Brussels), Brussels Art Déco and Modernism (1920-1940).

On yer bike then, have a look at http://www.provelo.be/ and find out what is on this Sunday or the next, or pay a visit to La Maison des Cyclistes (rue de Londres, 15 - Ixelles) to learn more about human-powered transport. Who knows, you might need to rent a tandem bicycle some day...

Bikes

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A full rack of the Cyclocity bikes waiting tor custom. These are conveniently placed outside a bar, but I guess most people prefer the bus or tram.

I haven't seen too many people use these bikes though, I wonder how the project is going..

New Metro Trains

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The shiny new Metro trains arrive in Brussels. The main improvement is the open carriages. The main disadvantage is the sideways seating as the g-forces in the faster trains can send unsuspecting grannies hurtling down the corridors

The Tourist and the Tramp

bus and sleeper

Yes, I know that should be "rough sleeper" or some such term. however, some photos compose themselves. I'd just wandered around the corner to see this guy sleeping in a bus shelter, and how anyone can sit nevermind sleep on those benches is beyond me. Just as I was thinking of composing a picture I noticed the sightseeing bus coming down the street.

Rogier Car Park

car park

Although there are many car parks in the centre of the city, most are underground. This is useful is Brussels' highly infrequent rain showers. for example I can get from Malbeek to Arts-Loi simple by walking the length of one of the underground car parks.

Indeed there is something of a culture of hiding cars. One of the first things I noticed about Belgium is that many houses have underground garages for their cars and one at ground level is a rarity.