MISSING BRUSSELS

Yes, some of you might say I'm sick, I know... But I miss the grouchily charming atmosphere, the secluded spots you find out turning on an apparent back alley, les frites, le chocolate, the pork knee on La Quincaillerie and the petit gateau from Les Brassins...

I miss the Art Nouveau façades, the wide perpendicular avenues, the organicity of the city that grew spontaneously and the failed attempts to keep that under control. The trees... those tall ones that have little round leafs that seem like flying coins when the sun is hitting them as the wind blows.

I miss Place Flagey, I miss the view from Poelaert, Les Marolles and its antiques shops, my beautiful apartment at Avenue Louise, my cosy apartment at Avenue des Courses all girly and welcoming, I miss staring at the sky from that balcony when the sun was setting on the few summer days. I miss Watermael Boitsfort and the Fôret des Soignes that stopped Napoleon's surge.

And I miss Bois de La Cambre, oh boy... I'm probably the only person in the world who would prefer Bois de La Cambre to Stanley Park, but Bois de La Cambre has soul, has history, has enchantment. It's one of those magical places you feel you'll turn around and fairies will be following you like "A Midsummer Night's Dream". So many moments I spent by myself there, reflecting on my life, my past, present and future, full of despair sometimes, but also full of hope other times.

I still dream I'm walking the streets of Ixelles and admiring the Art Nouveau constructions I love so much. They ingrained in my unconscious as something with deep symbolic meaning, I'm not sure what, but it surely is sweet, calming, feminine, fluid, just a balm to have those dreams.

What better image could I have found to remind me of that beautiful little gem Brussels is than "L'Empire des Lumières" by Magritte, covering his museum at Place Royale? This shimmering glow that reflecting the vastness of existence in the darkness?

Bonne nuit Bruxelles, tu me manques.