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If it's Monday, this must be Belgium...

31/8/2015

If you get the headline, you must be 50 or older. By way of explanation for the younger crowd, there was a light-hearted comedy made in the late 60's about a European tour through multiple countries in one week called "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium" - sort of the Chevy Chase "European Vacation" of that era.

Anyway, it's Monday, not Tuesday. But it is Belgium - one of my favourite places in Europe.
Yesterday was the "Tanks in Town" event here. Dozens of collectors of World War Two military equipment stage a mock "liberation day" event in Mons each year with Jeeps, trucks, motorcycles and tanks while dressed in period uniforms. It's quite a thing to see a bunch of vintage military Harley Davisons, lots of big trucks and troop carriers, and a dozen real Sherman tanks rolling down the cobblestone streets of an old European city. George and I really enjoyed it.

This morning was for the kids - we took them to the city aquatic centre for some fun in the water. The weather forecast said this was going to be the last 30 degree day, so we thought we'd hit the local 6 pool complex. It was great fun, but they don't allow loose-fitting bathing suits, so George and I had to buy Speedos. He didn't want to put it on, but I reminded him that nobody here knows us, all the other guys were wearing them, and Mom promised not to take any pictures...

After swimming we drove 50 km east to Malonne to visit our friend Laurie Gilson, a former Rotary Exchange student in Haliburton who we've kept in touch with over the years. We spent a lovely afternoon visiting with her, her husband and son (who spent a month with us a couple of summers ago). We had a nice dinner, then drove back to Mons.

Tomorrow we're headed to Flanders Fields to learn about World War One. Jean Paul has taken the day off work and will go with us. Like everywhere, it seems you need to have visitors from afar before you visit the famous tourist sights in your own area!

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My first rant - Here's what's wrong with the French economy

30/8/2015

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On a recent flight from Brussels to Toronto, I sat beside a young French woman who said she had moved to Canada because there were no jobs or opportunities in Europe. This week in Paris, I think I got a taste of what’s wrong with the French economy.

One of the top tourist sites in Paris is the Catacombs underground tour. By way of background, hundreds of years ago, in order to access stone for building, scores of tunnels were dug under the city. Then, a couple of hundred years later, when the city wanted to recover land that had been used for cemeteries, they needed to relocate several million bones. Someone suggested putting the bones into the abandoned tunnels and caverns, which they did. Et voila. Today, it’s possible to visit this bizarre and creepy place.

In fact, every day hundreds of tourists take the tour. You go underground in one place, and pop up a few blocks away 40-50 minutes later. The cost is 10 euros for adults and free for kids, and I’d say they can put 200+ people an hour through the place. With no operating costs other than electricity for lights, 3 staff at the entrance, 2 at the exit, and maybe 10 more underground, this must be a huge money maker for the city.

Having said that, every visitor to Paris has heard the lineups are legendary. We almost didn’t go because I had read online that people often wait in a slow moving line for 2-3 hours to get in. This inevitably means that, in addition to the people who actually take the tour each day, there must be hundreds more who are scared off by the horror stories they’ve heard.

So what do the Paris authorities do? They maintain their hours of 10 am to 7 pm.

When we arrived at 8:35, there was already 50 people in line. (I know, I know, we’re crazy, but George said this was the one thing he most wanted to see in Paris.) By 10 am, there must have been 500 people lined up around the block. The staff were there about 9:30, but we all waited, and waited, and waited. With an attitude that would have made Soviet authorities proud, the man at the door held back all these people (waving 10 euro notes) until the official opening time. Then, believe it or not, the admission clerk got into a big argument with the third person in line, and everything ground to a halt. No kidding - we all stood there waiting another 10 minutes for that to finish.

Here’s my point. Why don’t they open at 7 am and stay open until midnight? By creating a second shift (even if it’s only for 3 or 4 months in the busy season) they could instantly create another 10 or 15 jobs for students and generate thousands in revenue for the city each day. If this had been the case, we would have been happy to visit early in the morning, and I'm sure many of our zombie-obsessed youth would gladly visit this mass graveyard at midnight!

Only a bureaucracy would create a system that forces hundreds of tourists to needlessly stand in line for hours (instead of spending money elsewhere in the city), convince others to skip a sight they’d like to see, avoid creating summer jobs for students, and miss out on millions in revenue every year - a classic lose, lose, lose, lose situation.

Anyway, that's my rant. I feel better now.

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Three Days in Paris...

27/8/2015

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Well, the great Devolin adventure is finally underway. We arrived in Brussels at 8 am Tuesday, picked up our rental car (a VW Golf Sportvan), and made an easy drive to Montparnasse in Paris in less than 3 hours.

Tuesday was Molly's 11th birthday, so we did as she wished and climbed the Eiffel Tower to look out over the city. The stairs seemed endless, but the view was great. It was also a good opportunity to get our bearings in the city, and see many sights from afar.

Yesterday, we slept until almost 11: unheard of in our family. Then, we took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe, and spent several hours walking the famous Champs Elysees. (George said it reminded him of 5th Avenue in Manhattan.) Molly and Ursula liked the Louis Vuitton fashion house; George and I liked the Renault auto technology store. We eventually got to the Louvre, but declined to join the long lines. We finished our 5 km walking tour at Notre Dame cathedral: an amazing building from the 12th century.

Today, it was rainy but we walked again anyway. Starting at the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, we toured Pigalle and Blanche - home of the famous Moulin Rouge. The kids thought the neighbourhood was a little seedy, with all the "adult" stores along the way. Next, we did my favourite thing: shopping in a giant department store. Actually, I have to admit that visiting the flagship Gallerie Lafayette was pretty impressive. Reminds me of Harrod's in London or Macy's in New York.

Now, we're back at the hotel for an "eat in" dinner. I'm pretty strict on enforcing our daily budget, so we're shopping at grocery stores and making most of our meals in the room.

Anyway, so far; so good. We haven't really settled into any routine yet. I expect our time in Belgium will feel more normal than a snug hotel room in Paris.

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5 sleeps to go

19/8/2015

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Departure day gets closer and closer - only 5 sleeps to go. I think Ursula and I are most worried that we'll forget something important. Fortunately, I will be back in Canada from Sep 25 to Oct 20, so I'll have another chance to get stuff done. Yesterday I was in Ottawa meeting with House of Commons staff about closing up my MP offices in Ottawa and Lindsay, and finding out what happens to my work-related insurance etc after October 19. Last week, somebody on a plane asked me what I do. For the first time in 11 years, I didn't really have an answer. Starting next week, I guess I'll say "I'm moving to Korea to be a University Professor".

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If it's Monday, this must be Belgium...

My first rant - Here's what's wrong with the French economy

Three Days in Paris...

5 sleeps to go

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