A surprise that never happened

At the end of October 2017, I left Bucharest for Belgium with a purpose that was more personal than touristic: I wanted to surprise my son, who was living in Brussels. I landed at Charleroi, and the bus took me to Brussels-Centre. From there I reached B&B Chez Françoise, chosen specifically because it was only two metro stops from his home.

The surprise, however, failed before it could begin. Taking advantage of the holidays around 1 November (the Toussaint), my son had gone on a trip to Croatia. I thus found myself alone in a city I had come to experience together with him. I changed the plan and turned the stay into an intense exploration of Belgium.

Brussels, the starting point

I spent most of the journey in Brussels. The historic centre, Grand-Place, the churches, the Royal Museums, the Magritte exhibition and the performance of Lucio Silla at La Monnaie made up a richer programme than the one I would have prepared beforehand.

Two day trips

On two separate days I travelled by train to Antwerp and Bruges. Antwerp appeared to me as an energetic city, linked to the river and dominated by its cathedral; Bruges, by contrast, seemed organised around its canals, medieval squares and museums housed in old buildings.

A journey changed along the way

My son's absence gave the journey a form different from the one I had imagined. It was no longer the family visit I had prepared, but a succession of days lived alone, camera in hand, among three very different cities. Precisely this unexpected change made Belgium 2017 remain so well documented for me.