brussels airlines
b.spirit! magazine
nov-dec
{ 20 }
“
For my wife, who had been a dentist in
Washington for 27 years,
it was a dream come
true for me to be posted in Brussels. It was most
like Washington; Washington is the capital of the
US and Brussels is the capital of Europe.”
“
There is so much magic in Belgium.
It has such
a long history and a love for culture and festivals.
A lot of food throwing goes on here – I’ve thrown
walnuts and had oranges thrown at me. Some
carnivals are known for their satire and I’ve posed
for embarrassing pictures next to dummies of
defence ministers in pink tutus and even naked
papier-mâché mayors.”
“
I’ve carried the Meyboom, which is a tree that
has to be planted before another city steals it.
We’ve had folklore events at the Manneken Pis,
the medieval pageant of Ommegang. And of
course there are the wonderful museums here –
everything from Flemish masters to cartoon and
comics. I love the Art Noveau architecture you see
everywhere over the city and the EU complex
where you can learn about Europe. Brussels is a
fascinating place.”
“
I am a huge fan of Liège waffles
and very
against putting chocolate sauce or whipped cream
on them as it destroys their caramelised essence.
Anyone who visits me is only allowed to taste the
Liège waffles piping hot. They thank me for it the
minute they savour the taffy-like taste.”
“
I spoke neither French nor Flemish when I got
the job
and I’ve been taking lessons five days a
week, every week, since I got here. I have to use
my French in Wallonia and so they just hold their
ears and hope for the best. Flemish is a hard
language to speak correctly, so the Flemish speak
English to me a lot. I can understand most of
what’s being said but you’ve got to split your
verbs, do the hokey-cokey and move them around
–
so I’m still learning where to put them!”
Howard Gutman
The US ambassador to Belgium reveals why being posted to Brussels has been a fantastic experience
