Peculiar

25^th to 27^th of February, 2022.

              Sebastian looks like a cool guy with his long red beard. We talk a lot about Belgium and how expensive it is to live in here. The Government charges some insane taxes, for everything and some ridiculous things. That’s why it is a rich country! Just not everybody living on it is rich. One of the many things about Belgium that a lot of Brazilians don’t know.
              He drops me off in a gas station nearby Charleroi, where he lives, city which by the way, is the “Brazil part” of Belgium apparently. Sebastian told me that there is a lot of Mafias, crimes, drugs and prostitution (which is legal). I couldn’t believe he was actually talking about a city in Belgium. Even hashish is legal there! Apparently, kids from the age of 16 can already buy them. Unbelievable! This is just ridiculous!
              At the gas station, I see this young man walking out of the shop to his car. For some reason, I decide to go and ask him. When I ask him if he is going to Namur, he says yes. Then I ask him if he can give me a lift, and he says a very soft and calm “Sure!”, as if that was the most obvious answer for that question. So cute!
              Matthew is a military guy who’s mother is from Greece. He travels a good deal for his work. Basically he helps training other soldiers in different countries. He was in many countries in Africa. Mostly French speaking countries. Matthew is going to an outside part of Namur but again, when I tell him I am going to the centre, he tells me very peacefully that he can for sure drop me off at the central station. He even offer me a beer when I am grabbing my backpack from his trunk. He has this 6 beers pack and they look like a nice beer. To be polite,I say “no thanks!” and I regret later.
              At the Tourist Office, right outside of the central station, on your right side if you are staring at the station, and left if you are coming from inside, I talk with a lovely girl, and she explains some things for me in the free maps she gives to me. When I ask about leaving my backpack there, she seems a bit reluctant, and tells me I should try the central station. But when I tell her that they never have big enough lockers for the Hulk, her very friendly colleague asks me until which time I would like to keep in there, I answer 2 p.m. and he says it is fine then! Yay! The lovely girl actually takes it from my hands and put behind their desk.
              Namur Historical centre is actually super cute but also small. And you have to keep going in zig-zags, or like back and forward, to see all of it. But you can totally see it all in less than 2 hours. Including the 2 must visit churches: St Aubin’s Cathedral and Saint-Loup Church. The first one is gorgeous even though it is all white. Its beauty is on the carvings on the plaster, which are all over the place. It is amazing! The second one is almost impossible to describe its beauty, but I will try. The white ceiling it is all carved, which is incredible. The combination of the pink color of the marble columns, the vanilla of the ceiling, and the grey connection between them is perfect! Who would ever thought of that? And the extremely beautiful wooden carvings on the confessionals, in both sides of the church, gives the final touch for this gorgeous and must seen church.

              I get a surprise when I try to use the toilets in the Gallery Shop: you have to pay! First time in Europe I get into a Gallery Shop where you have to pay for the toilets. Seriously… No worries! In front of the Belfry there is one of those free public toilets which look like a capsule, and are self cleaned. Don’t like those? Not a problem too! There is a huge coffee shop / restaurant right at the corner of the Belfry, and it is so busy, that they will not notice you if you just walk-in and go directly to the toilet. At least they haven’t notice me!
              I take the rest of the time I have to go for a walk alongside the river, which is really nice. Before going back to take my backpack, I eat my sandwiches, in a bench by the river.
              I supposed to meet my CS host, Cédric, at a bike shop, around 2.30 p.m. Because I don’t want to be an intruder, I decide to wait for him outside. When it starts to rain though, I go inside, only to figure out that he is already there. I though he was coming to meet me there! Actually, he has just bought a cargo bike and it is doing some final touching. I actually help him! It is a funny and curious thing: the cargo part of the bike is made of strong stripes which are interlaced around a metal rectangular. It is quite tricky to do it, but we manage.
              Cédric tells me we are going by bike to his house. I say no we are not. I know I cannot. I don’t want to have another accident. He is pretty cool about it and offer to take me in his new cargo bike. I laugh. But he is serious about it. I say nope! Then he offers to take my backpack on it. I am a bit suspicious about the whole thing: the bike itself and my backpack on it. And I am totally honest with him. But he says that this bike is awesome and can handle even 3 people on it. I decide to trust on him. Only later, he actually tells me he is taking also his other bike (the one I should be riding on it) on the cargo bike. I am truly worried about him falling of the bike and me feeling pretty guilty about it. He assures me it will be fine.
              Before he lives, he gives me the directions to his home. It is quite a few things to remember, and without looking in a map, is even trickier, but I am confident I can find it. Ha-ha.