Cheerio!

We move house this coming Saturday. We are moving to a place where, so I am told, the local people speak in a strange accent and are difficult to understand...regular readers may want to add their own punch line below:

.......................................................................................

Boom, boom!
Because of the move, I decided that I would visit a few old haunts. It didn't get off to such a good start yesterday morning when I made the mistake of taking a different road to the one I usually take and promptly got lost. I've written about this before, but the roads do not work properly in Belgium. They mess with your mind. The road I wanted was shut off for road works and so I could either turn back or take the next road which seemed run parallel to the one I wanted to take. Well, it was a lovely early Autumn day and so I took the next road. Anyone who watches the tv show Lost may find the idea of being able to move an entire island a bit far fetched. Anyone who has enjoyed a walk in the Belgian countryside wont find it so strange! That's the only way I can explain ending up where I did!
I arrived on a busy main road that I didn't recognise, I could either go left or right-technically I could go back the way I had come but I had passed a group of shifty looking farm workers earlier and didn't want to look like I was lost. Lucky for me I chose the right way and 15 minutes later found myself in Oostmalle, which surprised me a lot because it seemed as if I had reached it in no time at all.
I took the bus into Antwerp this morning with the intention of stocking up on some hard to get Asian cooking sauces. It continues to be a really pleasent month here in Belgium and after 30 minutes on a very full bus I just had to get off because I was sweating in a very alarming way! Also I thought that the long walk into the centre of town would be an inexpensive way to experience the delights of Morocco without actually leaving Belgium! I have found over the years that once I move out of a region I very rarely go back unless I really have to. We are moving a fair distance away and I don't think I shall be seeing much of Antwerp in the years to come. It could be said that in my mind I had already moved away from the area because today I only saw it's bad side and not it's good. I bought my goods from China Town and walked on down to the Groenplaats, popped into Fnac to have a look at the new English books, walked past the waffle sellers and realised that I would never have the waffle and cream I'd always promised myself and then spent a penny in the Staadfestzaal, surely one of the most beautiful shopping Malls in the world and well worth a visit if you are ever in need of a toilet!
The photo that accompanies this post was taken in the central train station in Antwerp, another beautiful building and worth 15 minutes of your attention should you ever visit the city.