a place in Brussels?

Having praised the Belgian painting schools, it was appropriate that yesterday was a celebration of Belgian architecture. The apartment I was looking at was in the Simonis/Jette area – within sight of the huge Basilique St Coeur and round the corner from a stately park. The turrets of the red brick buildings with a mix of bay windows and balustrades stretch into the distance – with hardly a space between them. Images of elegant carriages (from Flemish painting) contrasted with the reality of burkhas!
The flat was from the 1930s with one of these marvellous see-through arrangements of 3 rooms - ie the 3 rooms opening out on one another and allowing the light from front and back windows to light the place.
Having a flat in Brussels makes more and more sense for me at my advanced age - with all the access it so easily offers to the cultural treasures not only of Belgium (or whatever will follow its presently anticpated demise) but of France, Germany and Netherlands.

Brussels culture

Have now identified some possible apartments here in Brussels and will make a first visit Thursday – in a nice area. Had the idea today of revisiting the Musee des Beaux arts whose presentation of Belgian painters and sculptors so impressed me first more than 20 years ago. And this was no disappointment – although only one of the striking Constantin Meunier sculptures of coal miners and their grieving wives now on display (see above). I had forgotten just how powerful Belgian realistic painters of the late 19th century were - such as Charles Degroux and Eugene Laermans with their studies of poverty (Le banc des pauvres showing the haggard faces at the side of the church service) and the effect of alcohol , Braekeleer (with his interiors) and Leon Frederic (with his studies of various age groups). The museum library was groaning with books on Magritte, James Ensor and Felix Ropf – and also on Breughel and Bosch (one of whose massive triptychs was folded to draw the visitor in for closer study) but not a single book apparently on the realist painters. However I did find one of these large black and white catalogues of the entire museum stock of “modern” painting which gave me what I wanted – 700 pages each with about 10 small versions of the paintings - for 5 euros! I came out of the gallery to typical Brussels gloom and rain. The gallery has an excellent website where you can access most of the paintings. The pictures which now head up the last few blogs are taken from that website.
Before that I had encountered one of these amazing shops devoted to classical music –at least to the (German) Nexos brand which allowed me to get 2 free CDs for 1 bought at 7 euros. This encourages experimentation – and so I was very pleasantly surprised by such revelations as Alfred Hill’s String Quartets vol 1 (a New Zealander who lived from 1869 to 1960); Giovanni Platti’s 6 Flute Sonatas op 3 (1697-1763) and various French Flute composers (Donjon; Genin; Godrad; Gaubert; Gounod) of the late 19th century. The opportunity for such musical and cultural serendipity is perhaps the main criterion in the selection of the base I seek – and does strongly point to this area. I remember with fondness a similar shop in Sofia.

vision and commerce

Had been worried about black specks floating occasionally in my vision and managed on Friday to get a session with an optician who gave me various tests and pronounced me clear of glaucoma but suffering from further deterioration of sight and therefore now in need of driving glasses. Idea of variable glasses came up – allowing one to have perfect distance and reading vision in one set. And so I duly popped in on Monday to a shop which explained (visually) the 3 levels of such glasses – in such a way, it must be said, that left little option than to ask for the “individualised” rather than the “standard” or “optimum” models. Running my parameters through their computer produced a figure of 360 euros for each lens plus the frame – meaning a bill of 1,000 euros. That explained why each customer had a cubicle to himself – and a seat on which to collapse! Belgium is, therefore, not immune from the crass commercialisation which has overtaken healthcare – and well analysed and critiqued in a book I bought later in the day from Waterstone’s – NHS plc by Allyson Peacock.
I managed to resist the other titles – simply noting them for Amazon purchases which work out at half the Waterstone prices. They included new collections of articles by Garton Ash, John Gray; an intriguing psychology book (The Compassionate Mind by Prof Paul Gilbert); a book on the politics of the present economic mess by the admirable BBC economic commentator Robert Peston; and John Kay’s one on markets; a large historical overview by John Keane, the great writer on democracy; and a delightful one on poetry by the renaissance man Stephen Fry.
Tuesday morning started with the luxury of reading another edition of New York Review of Books which I had also managed to pick up at Waterstone’s – and was very struck with an article by Mark Lilla which helped make sense of American politics - http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/may/27/tea-party-jacobins/
The picture is a de Brakeleer from the Brussels Musee des Beaux Arts

le plaisir de flaner

Saturday to Roddebeek and discovered that one thing has changed in the last decade. The second-hand bookshop at Woluwe St Lambert is no more! It has given way to a hairdresser’s (of all things). But the Saturday market is still on – with its home fare including, par exemple, le pain gouteux aux noix. And one positive development is that of the Ateliers de la Rue Voot – which runs courses on pottery, bike maintenance etc. On Saturday morning, you can bring your bike in and get a 3 hour course on maintenance – for 10 euros!
The next day, the same square was packed tight with its annual Flea market. I needed almost 3 hours to do the various stalls justice. Initially I thought there was nothing – but I emerged with a small marqueterie box reminding me of the exhibition which so impressed Daniela in Josselin (May 18 entry has photo); an old but superbly-crafted heavy wooden duck; a 1930s powder puff (Roma); a small 1928 book with the typeface, paper and wood engravings which I love; and, the piece de la resistance, a large Art Nouveau toilet jug for Sirnea. The book (La Rive d’Asie by an unknown for me - Claude Anet) is actually a good read – being part of a series (Le livre modern illustre) and the woodcuts by one Jacques Engelbach. Between its pages was lodged a programme from a September 1943 concert in Paris. Pity the cover had been spoiled by nondescript wrapping glued to its cover.
The picture is one of Frederic' most famous - in the Brussels Musee des Beaux Arts Royales

education

Interesting chat with Daryoush when we were in Waterstone’s. He’s been working on Yemen’s educational system and remarked that education was the key to a country’s future. “Yes and no” is my feeling. I remembered the veneration still accorded in 1980s Sweden to the reforming social democrat leader (Branting?)whose educational initiatives clearly made a major impact on that country’s subsequent social and economic development. Daryoush assured me that the transformation of Finland (an Denmark) was based on similar thinking. But notice that these programmes were based on a very distinctive set of values – they were not pushing education the way the technocrats do these days. And a review article of D. Ravich’s Death and life of the great American public school system in the 13 May edition of The New York Review of Books which I had bought in Waterston’s gave a clue. The article makes a distinction I hadn’t come across before – between the community-oriented schools of 19th century and the child-centred schooling which the thinking of Dewey had brought in. Apparently this was a distinction de Tocqueville made during his visit to the US in the 1830s –

In the US the general thrust of education is directed toward political life; in Europe its main aim is to fit men for private life

! Ravich’s latest book is an attack on the choice and measurement approach to schooling now dominant – and, intriguingly, Colin Talbot reveal that David Osborne who wrote the (in)famous Reinventing Government book of 1992 was opposed to choice in education.

He was asked what he thought about choice and markets in secondary education. The Charter Schools movement in the USA – very much similar to the ‘free schools’ policy of our Coalition government – had started just a few years earlier.

As with ‘free schools’, Charter Schools were supposed to be freed of state controls whilst still being funded from the public purse, and, crucially, be non-selective. Parents had the choice to send their kids to a Charter school or ordinary state school, but the Charter Schools were not supposed to select who they took. A perfect example of choice in operation, very much in line with the themes of ‘Reinventing Government’, one might have thought.
David Osborne however thought otherwise. He said that whilst he was in general in favour of choice there were some areas where it was not appropriate for super-ordinate reasons, and compulsory education was one of them. Why? Because, he argued, schools were the crucible of a pluralist society – it was the place where kids learnt to get along with people of different class, ethnic, religious and other backgrounds. Without this crucial formative experience existing divisions in society would be amplified and damaging – he even pointed to Northern Ireland as an example of what happens when you have segregated schooling. And of course the USA already had an all-too recent history of school segregation which the Civil Rights movement had fought in the 60s and 70s.
Schools choice, Osborne asserted, was already leading to renewed segregation in American schools. Whether or not the schools operated selection (and he thought they in reality did) it was pretty obvious parents were operating self-segregation. There were white Catholic and white Protestant schools being formed, black Protestant and Hispanic Catholic ones, and so on. He thought this was a disaster in the making and for over-riding reasons of democratic pluralism was against choice in this case. State-funded compulsory education, he argued, ought to be used to bind society together rather than splinter it into fragments.

His remarks clearly surprised quite a few in the audience, me included. Most of his listeners were clearly not convinced – this was after-all a mix of Tory policy-wonks and civil servants keen to do the bidding of their (current) masters – and in any case even the opposition New Labour party had gotten the ‘choice’ bug. But I came away thinking just how wise, thoughtful and courageous, his response had been. Some of our current and former leaders could do well to think a bit more about his arguments

For more see here.
Glorious weather now since I arrived here in Brussels. It’s great to have the luxury of relaxing and not having to tear around the countryside looking at areas and houses. If it wasn’t for the prices, Brussels could be ideal for a pied-a-terre. The faces in the city centre were happy and so cosmopolitan. Brussels and Sofia are definitely my favourite cities. Have been going through the last month’s back numbers of Le Monde – mainly for my vocabulary. But it is interesting to see the various issues which have been given prominence in that excellent daily - the argument about increasing the French retirement age (only 60 at the moment!); the growth of China; the future of the political centre in France; the future of the euro (naturally) and Europe generally.
The painting is

L'homme a la fenetre

by de Braekeleer

long journey

Monday another public holiday. Tuesday last house viewings in Carhaix and then Rosproden. Wednesday said goodbye to the cottage at 06.00. Thirteen hours - and 950 kilometres – later, I was in Brussels. I stopped for lunch (of bread and salami) at Verneuil sur Avre on the basis that this, I think, was where I stayed with a French family when I was about 15. A superb example of a French medieval town.

last few days

Sunday also wet - and had good chat with Mark and Ronnie who had bought the large property and land for more than 200 k a few years back and then had to bring all the buildings back to life. Mark mentioned how many English were returning home – many to be with grandchildren - as I had experienced in La Gacilly. The idea of a long-term let in the area makes more and more sense – although it doesn’t solve the issue of how best to invest my capital; nor ensure access to French health facilities.
Decided to check out the cafe bookshop in the forest just outside Huelgoat (l’Autre Rive). Reminded me of UK left-wing bookshops of 1970s. Found there the Gallimard Guide to south Finistere (Encyclopedies du Voyage) which I had been looking for. Also a 2nd hand translated edition of DM Thomas’ The Fluteplayer”. And some nice small-run local editions of poetry and pictures – on beautiful paper - which inspires me to think of a Romanian edition of my blog.
Then on to Morlaix – through a deep, boring forest. And Morlaix not all that interesting. The run down to Pleyben was across the spine – with superb views. And easily found the Vert Depot

late update

Saturday dawned wet and reckoned this was the day to see Carhaix – 20 minute drive back east. It seems in fact the most liveable of all the settlements I have seen – with medieval touches and some nice glimpses of countryside from its hilltop position. House prices seem good – although the English in evidence through voices and newspapers in shop. Booked in to 2 agencies for Monday. The literature in the tourist agency the best yet – for the Poher region.
Then on to Park I agency (Josiane) in Rosporden which has the TGV and is only 12 kms from sea – the first 2 modern houses being well designed – although overpriced at 143 and 128 respectively. Garden at first was great.
The notaires’ system somewhat redeemed their reputation – by the Rosporden guy showing me 2 fascinating houses right in the centre – smaller one for 117,000 (conservatory added at back to make its sitting room, 2 bedrooms and large office space in grenier) and then a 3 level period house for 125,000 et un jardin sauvage. Price low because (original) windows need double glazing. The guy who received us was dignified, open but a bit brittle. He had had the house for 6 years and the agent told me later that he was leaving because of a divorce. Ideal but for the 3 levels – and the house starting basically on first level. Obviously taxes are higher – perhaps 300 more so.

Even after 10 years living in Finistere, people apparently still discover new places – and I can believe this after the last few days. The tourist information centres are an impressive feature – ensuring that local history and geolo/graph/y are properly celebrated. You have the feeling that you could never be bored. Although there has been criticism of the role of the English in inflating house prices, we should never forget the role they played in restoring old houses – adding to the supply as well as the demand. Someone has surely done a study of their net effect? Probably a thesis hidden away in a university library!

Friday drove the short distance to Huelgoat which is very picturesque and very...English! Enough said.
Le Faou is the estuary and had the smell of the sea.
Brasseparts tourist centre has an edge – only one so far with an internet connection for 1 euro an hour
Discovered that Port Aulnay was vision on my retina from 1999. Popped in to Jenny and Kevin to share my thoughts. They mentioned an interesting decision tool which involves listing all the desiderata – and then scoring each against the others. Sounds intriguing.