We used the time in Arras to travel to Brussels the capital of Belgium and reached here on 1st December, 2013. Brussels is known as Bruxelles (French) / Brussels (Dutch). Starting as the 10th-century fortress town founded by the descendants of Charlemagne , Brussels has an ancient past that goes down to medieval ages. It is today divided into three regions Flanders in the north (Dutch), Wallonia in the south (French) and Brussels in the centre (Bilingual). Many of the important landmarks are known with the name of Charlemagne who is seen as the person who united Europe in the beginning of the medieval world. Today, Brussels is the centre of European politics, with the European Commission, the European Parliament and NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) operating from here. Though very cold there is a festicvity in the air and Christmas being around the corner the streets are decorated and lighted.
As a feminist historian working on South Asian history for the past forty years, I went back into the past and started thinking of my various Journeys in to life and through life. This blog would then give a peep into history and the different civilizations, cultures and the people that one comes across in this journey. I do not keep these in chronological order, but the Journey the place becomes the focus.
Friday, December 13, 2013
In Brussels
We used the time in Arras to travel to Brussels the capital of Belgium and reached here on 1st December, 2013. Brussels is known as Bruxelles (French) / Brussels (Dutch). Starting as the 10th-century fortress town founded by the descendants of Charlemagne , Brussels has an ancient past that goes down to medieval ages. It is today divided into three regions Flanders in the north (Dutch), Wallonia in the south (French) and Brussels in the centre (Bilingual). Many of the important landmarks are known with the name of Charlemagne who is seen as the person who united Europe in the beginning of the medieval world. Today, Brussels is the centre of European politics, with the European Commission, the European Parliament and NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) operating from here. Though very cold there is a festicvity in the air and Christmas being around the corner the streets are decorated and lighted.

