Trip to Tuscany, October 2026

Time of year

Tuscany gets very hot in the summer (apart from the fact that there are too many tourists around), so spring and autumn are increasingly becoming the best periods to visit. It’s still relatively warm, but you’re not sweating and you don’t have to queue endlessly to enter the monuments or find a table at a restaurant.

Where to stay

We wanted to visit most of Tuscany (see below) but we also didn’t want to continuously pack & unpack our luggage, so we stayed for all 8 days at one place that was our «base» and drove everywhere daily (distances are not that big if you choose your «base» wisely). We stayed at Tenuta Massabò which is 20-30′ south of Firenze. It’s a beautiful residence with only 6 rooms, very well maintained and decorated with lots of art, the breakfast (included) is borderline more than we could eat and the staff is simply super-nice and helpful. Highly recommended! The owner (Filippo) is not only a host but also an artist and a former restaurant chef, so he can also cook for you a dinner on-site if you arrange this with him in advance.

Car rental

We rented a car well in advance (3-4 months). A day before flying I checked the car rental prices again and they were lower, but the 48h free cancellation had lapsed so I could no longer cancel and rebook. My advice is to set yourself a reminder a couple of days before the free cancellation expires and check if you can find a better deal.

Also, while we typically rent an electric car, this time we didn’t because a) it was more expensive than a regular car and b) our residence doesn’t have an electric charger. However, a) when I searched the day before flying, that price had dropped as well, and b) we realised during the trip that we could simply have charged at the places where we visited. Mental note for next time.

Firenze

Keep in mind that museums are typically closed on Mondays, and the Cathedral is closed on Sundays. Also, many public museums have free-entrance on the 1st Sunday of each month, so queues could be longer.

If you’re driving into town, be careful to avoid the Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL) or be prepared for a hefty fine. Many websites will recommend either parking at the central train station and walking into town, or parking at Scandicci and then taking the tram to the central station (and then walking into town). We preferred the Parking Beccaria, on the opposite edge of the ZTL and then walking into town.

Book tickets for Uffizi (long) in advance, to avoid queuing at the ticket office. Be warned that some of the best paintings are near the end of the museum, so don’t rush through those. A local guide suggested to book ticket for late afternoon when the queue to enter is shorter.

For the cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) we bought the tickets only a few hours in advance on the same day. Be prepared: climbing up the bell tower (campanile)’s 414 steps can be quite a challenge, so don’t do it right after a big breakfast or lunch. Same for the dome (cupola)’s 463 steps (which we didn’t do). The other major church (Santa Maria Novella) is also interesting to visit.

Then there’s the Piazza della Signoria with Michelangelo’s David, Neptune’s fountain and the Loggia dei Lanzi. We skipped the Palazzo Vecchio and Torre di Arnolfo. Very nice also (seen it only from outside but wanted to visit) is the Orsanmichele Museum.

Two nice museums to visit: Museo Galileo (history of his discoveries on astronomy, cartography and navigation) and Leonardo Interactive Museum (not to be confused with Museo Leonardo Da Vinci, right next door, like we did 😂).

Crossing the Arno via the Ponte Vecchio (maybe the city’s most famous symbol) to the Oltrarno area, I can recommend watching the sunset from the Loggia Roof Bar of Hotel Palazzo Guadagni (check the sunset time and go 30′ before), and then a bistecca fiorentina for dinner at Braceria all’11 (we had the grass-fed Finnish steak and it was excellent). We didn’t visit the Palazzo Pitti, nor the Boboli gardens. Also, we didn’t have time to watch the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo, but I could see huge crowds there from a distance.

Some pearls that you might not discover otherwise:

• Try any one of the «wine windows» (buchetta del vino): a small hole in the wall (typically next to a restaurant or bar), you ring the bell and get a glass of wine that you can walk around with, if you want
• Piccola Farmacia Letteraria, which can recommend books as «medicine for the soul», like a regular pharmacy recommends medicine for the body!
• Giacosa 1815 is the bar where they invented the Negroni cocktail
• B-Roof (expensive rooftop restaurant of Grand Hotel Baglioni) is also a good spot from where to watch the sunset, but it was fully booked for all the days when we were there, so try booking long in advance
• Stratagemma if you or your kids are into role-playing games, fantasy, etc. Only open few hours in the afternoon
• The food court on the 1st floor of Mercato Centrale
• The Stibbert museum for armors, weapons from all over the world, etc
• A fantastic view of the city and surrounding hills can be enjoyed from the San Francesco panorama in Fiesole
• We had excellent risotto at Risotteria Melotti Firenze
• A nice activity can be a «free walking tour» – lasts 2h-2h30 and you tip at will at the end (€10-€15/person recommended)
• If you have a couple of hours or half a day, it could be fun to follow a cooking class (there are plenty)

Lucca

Lucca is a very pretty small town surrounded by walls that you can walk on or you can rent a bicycle and cycle around (you can also rent a four-person bike that they call «risciò», but I would recommend an electric one because they’re quite heavy and you’ll quickly be exhausted). See: Duomo di San Martino (217 steps to climb the bell tower), or climb the Guinigi Tower (230 steps, trees on top of the tower!!!).

If you come at the end of October, keep in mind that there’s also the Lucca Comics Festival, but for most events you need to book well in advance.

Pisa

We only visited the Piazza dei Miracoli and climbed the leaning tower (Torre Pendente). Book in advance and again I recommend being at the top just before sunset. The Basilica is also nice. We didn’t enter the Battistero. To get there, we parked (free) at Parcheggio Via Pietrasantina and walked, but there’s also a little train that takes you back and forth, for €5/person.

Volterra

Nice little town in the mountains, with fantastic views of the surroundings anda quieter athmosphere. Can’t visit the Fortezza Medicea because now it’s a prison. Didn’t want to pay for the Acropoli Etrusca, and didn’t enter the Museo Etrusco Mario Guarnacci (saw too much culture in Firenze). Instead, it was quite interesting to visit the Torture Museum of Volterra – small but very interesting and original.

San Gimignano

Famous for its tall towers (there was competition between rich families about who would build the tallest). Small and 100% pedestrian town, beautiful architecture, very famous ice cream shop: Gelateria Dondoli

Siena

The Duomo is very big and full of interesting paintings, on the walls, ceiling and even on the floors! Note: the famous floor paintings are visible only during the months of July, September & October!

We visited also the famous Piazza del Campo where the horse race (Palio) takes place every summer, but did not walk up the Torre del Mangia (400 steps), nor the Facciatone (130 steps) – we had climbed enough stairs already during this trip.

I was surprised to see the «Lupa» (statue of female wolf feeding two children, Romolo & Remo) several times in Siena, although I knew it as a typically Roman statue. I discovered that in the legend, Remo’s children (after their father had been killed by Romolo) moved to northern Ertruria and took that female wolf with them. They settled down and founded Siena, therefore the Lupa Senese statue.

Siena is also the birthplace of the Eroica (bicycle race using vintage bicycles).

on the way back with shortly stopped at Monteriggioni, a small walled town.

Arezzo

Last stop in our trip, and we’re quite exhausted from all the walking, museums, climbing towers and stuffing ourselves full of excellent food. We parked at Parcheggio Pietri, climbed the public escalators (Hong Kong flashback!) and visited the Cathedral. As this was the 1st Sunday of the month, we happened upon the «mercato dell’antiquariato» which occupies several streets downtown around the Piazza Grande. We discovered also that several scenes from the film La Vita è Bella were shot in Arezzo.

Trip to Canada, October 2025

Preparatory actions

Make sure your passports are still valid!

Request an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) online – this is your tourist visa

If you plan to drive around, normally you need to obtain an International Drivers Licence (which I did, at my Commune in Brussels) but neither the car rental company nor anyone else asked for it

Before you arrive, download the ArriveCAN app (this is called an «advanced declaration«); if you fill in all the info, you can pass more quickly at border control when you land. I didn’t know and didn’t do it, saw the ads only inside the airport and didn’t have enough time. If you don’t, then (like us) you’ll simply fill in the same info on kiosk machines at the border, have your photo taken and be on your way to the border agent (which are very polite, unlike US border agents at our last experience, and I’m sure it didn’t get better since then).

In order to have mobile data while staying there and visiting places, it’s very convenient to buy and download an eSIM card on your phone (if it supports eSIMs). You can install it already while you’re back home, and it will get activated only once you arrive and it gets connected for the first time to the Canadian mobile network. The one we typically use is Airalo, it offers good prices and works reliably, but there are others.

The time difference from Europe to Canada’s east coast is 6 hours, so if (like me) you suffer from jetlag, buy yourself some melatonin pills that you can take shortly before you need to go to sleep.

Please note also that the plugs in Canada are not EU-plugs, you will need adapters.

Toronto

Very nice city, modern, clean. Everyone is super polite, people seem friendly and relaxed. Other drivers are very patient and respectful.

Places to visit:

• Royal Ontario Museum – part natural history museum, part history museum (Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, etc). While we were there, they also had a special exhibit on sharks which was very well done and worth the visit. A good way to spend the morning.
• Ripley’s Aquarium – very big and well kept, my kids loved it. A good way to spend the afternoon, before you go up the iconic CN Tower.
• CN Tower – I highly recommend visiting it at sunset (check at what time the sunset is and buy a ticket ~30 minutes before, so you can arrive upstairs and get a good spot along the windows). Even with just the basic ticket, which only takes you to the «main observation deck», you’re 346 metres above ground!! So, the views of lake Ontario, of the city and its skyscrapers and of the sunset are truly spectacular! You can also buy joint tickets for the Aquarium and Tower, for some savings.
• Casa Loma – I wasn’t expecting much before visiting, but it’s full of historical explanations, beautiful century-old decorations and (since we were visiting during Halloween) a highly macabre exhibition in the basement. Also, this villa being on a hill and slightly outside of downtown, you get very nice views of the city again. Finally, the history of the villa’s owner (super-rich, then lost his wealth and had to sell it) is an important lesson to remind yourself and to teach to your children.
• In the afternoon you can stand in front of the futuristic Toronto City Hall building (has appeared in several SciFi films & series) and then go down to the lakefront to walk along the Toronto Music Garden
• Wanted to do but couldn’t: watch a Raptors NBA game, visit the Aga Khan museum of Islamic art, try a peameal bacon sandwich.

Niagara Falls

• Voyage to the Falls boat tour – highly fun, highly recommended, but you get really close to the spraying water and you’re going to get soaking wet (the waterproof poncho that they offer you leaves your lower arms and legs exposed), so bring a change of clothes!!!
• Additional experiences available, but we didn’t do any ’cause we were too wet and cold: Journey Behind the Falls, Skylon Tower, Butterfly Conservatory

Montréal

• Old Montréal: start with the Science Centre + iMax, because the last movie projection was at 13:15 (!!) and the museum closes at 16:00 (!!!); then visit the Notre-Dame Basilica (truly spectacular inside!) and walk along the Rue St Paul with all it’s restaurants & shops. You can visit also the Notre-Dame de Bon Secours (less impressive than the Basilica, but still interesting) and the Grande Roue if you’re into that.
• Pointe-à-Callière History Museum – again, very well done, very interesting, covering both older history (discovery by Jacques Cartier, relationship with First Nations, Great Peace of 1701) and more recent history of the city, as well as a fun interactive exhibit about pirates and privateers and another about Montreal’s alleys. Highly recommended.
• Mont Royal park with its Kondriaronk belvedere & Mont Royal Cross. Please note that you cannot walk down to the city on the south, east or part of the north side.
• Eat: Schwartz deli for smoked meat sandwich (expect a long queue at all times of the day), La Banquise for poutine, very inviting Chinatown.
• Montréal is the only city in the world where the sun «rises in the south»
• Montréal Metro running on “whisper-quiet rubber wheels”
• Drivers in Montréal seem much less patient and much more aggressive than in Toronto
• Wanted to see but couldn’t: Olympics ’76 stadium, «La Ronde» Six Flags amusement park, Canadiens hockey game, underground

Impressions

• Everything is (or seems) bigger: the cars, the roads, the food portions, even the sky felt bigger in Canada!
• Driving in Canada as a European: speed limits don’t seem to mean much and there are practically no speed cameras.
• Driving in Canada as a European: you have to get used to the «right on red» rule (you can turn right even if the traffic light is red, after coming to a complete stop and unless otherwise indicated)
• Traffic lights are often placed after the intersection, which makes it easier to see them when you’re the first car; good idea!
• Free tap water is served automatically in all restaurants and refilled for free
• They have a US-like tipping culture, which we found awkward. Also, taxes are not included in the price at restaurants and shops

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)

After a long research, doubts and tribulations, I bought a fully electric vehicle (BEV) a few weeks ago. Here are some of my findings via research before the purchase, as well as recent experience since the purchase. I hope that they might be useful to others, especially in these times of significant disinformation (fear, uncertainty and doubt – FUD).

Charging – on the highway

When travelling long-distance, you want to be able to stop and charge your battery to (almost) 100% quickly so you can continue your trip. This means DC (direct current) charging, a.k.a «Mode 4«, a.k.a fast (>50kW) or ultra-fast (>150kW) charging.

My experience so far (from Belgian, French and north Italian highways) is that this is a non-issue. I have almost always found many available ultra-fast chargers; I’d swipe my credit card, plug the car in and then go use the restrooms, buy something to eat/drink, etc. Come back 30 or 45 minutes later and my car is at or near 100% charge. Even if it’s only at 80%, that’s good enough (cars tend to charge more slowly between 80% and 100%, so it might be worthwhile not to wait for 100%).

My Renault Scenic long range has a 87 kWh usable battery, which means I’ve been able to drive ~300km on the highway (120 km/h), in cold weather (~5° C) and with a roofbox* above the car, before reaching 20% battery and stopping to charge. This would coincide with our lunch or dinner plans, so we would have stopped anyway.

Note: The roofbox increases energy consumption by an estimated 25-30% due to increased aerodynamic resistance as well as the extra weight of the load contained within it. With the roofbox on, the car was indicating an average energy consumption of ~26-27 kWh per 100km, which matches the 300km estimated range above. Without the roofbox and with warmer weather, I expect that the car could do ~400km between charges.

Charging – with a regular electrical plug

This charging mode (a.k.a «Mode 2«) is sometimes unknown to people I talk to, but it is possible to charge your car (albeit slowly) at any regular socket! Where I live, there is a regular (AC single phase, 230V, 16A = ~3.3kW) plug; I bought such a cable (from Dépow) and I’ve used it already twice.

It’s very slow (it would take more than 24h to charge my car 20%-100%), but when you have a regular city commute or when you’re at your destination, it’s fine; just plug it in at night and the next morning you have gained 20% – 30% or even 40% of battery.

On a typical day I might only consume 5% or 10%, so you can do that once per week and never worry about public chargers. Also, this type of charging is the cheapest (in many EU countries, household electricity prices range around 0.30€ per kWh; source: Eurostat).

Charging – at public on-street chargers

This type of charging (a.k.a «Mode 3«, typically 7kW or 11kW or sometimes 22kW AC) is what you’ll find on city streets, at shopping malls, parking lots, sometimes at hotels or at work, etc. 7kW will need 12h to charge my battery (20%-100%), 11kW will need 8h, 22kW will need 4h-5h. You need your own cable for this, but it typically comes with the car.

This is the charging that I have found most frustrating so far: sometimes you can only do it if you have a «charging card» (such as Shell Recharge, Mobilize for Renault, etc); sometimes you need to download an app on your phone and create an account. Often there is a QR code on the charger that you scan with your phone, which takes you to a website where you enter your credit-card details. Note: apparently there seems to be a new risk of fraud here, with fraudsters sticking their own QR code on chargers, which takes you to a fraudulent website that steals your credit card data. Also, sometimes the charger already has a cable, sometimes you need to use yours; sometimes you launch the charging session first and then plug in the cable, sometimes it’s the opposite. Sometimes launching the charging session fails but it’s not clear why, and when you try again it works (on the 2nd or sometimes 3rd attempt).

Overall, a very unpleasant, unnecessarily complicated and not uniform user experience. Whoever builds these public chargers needs to get their act together and make it simpler for the average person to just plug in the cable, swipe their credit card and start charging!

PS I have hope in «Plug and Charge» (part of ISO 15118) or OCPP becoming more widely available, which would allow your car to identify itself to the charger, including the payment details, so you would just plug it in and it would automatically negotiate the charging session and start charging. Tesla cars and Superchargers include a proprietary version of this, called Fleet API.

Range anxiety

Many people who don’t own an electric car are worried that a BEV’s shorter range (compared to an internal combustion engine car, a.k.a ICE) will impede them from travelling long-distance, or at least make it much more complicated / slower.

This has not been my experience so far (see also the «Charging – on the highway» paragraph above). You need to stop for 30 minutes every 3 hours, but that’s good for your safety as well, and often inevitable when traveling with children 😉

On the other hand, if you are the type that drives for 6 hours, stops for 10 minutes and continues, eats in the car etc, then maybe a BEV is not for you.

Also, I am lucky to live in a part of Europe that is rather electrified; other regions still need to catch up on charging infrastructure.

Battery lifespan

This is another fear that I’ve heard regularly: your battery might die at some point and it’s very expensive to replace. Experience so far seems to indicate the opposite: BEV batteries tend to outlast the useful life of the vehicle itself, so there are now programmes to reuse those batteries (which might still have 70% of their capacity once the car is no longer usable) for other purposes, such as grid storage.

Specifically the manufacturer of my car offers a warranty that after 8 years and/or 160.000 km, the battery will still have at least 87.5% of its initial capacity.

Positive aspects

• There are the obvious environmental benefits: 0 local CO2 emissions, EU electricity production is becoming greener each year, and the efficiency of the electric motor (~90%) is much higher than for combustion engines (~20%-30%).
• Then there’s the instant torque when you press on the «gas pedal», which is very pleasant and sometimes helps you quickly get out of a dangerous situation on the road.
• The much simpler drivetrain with fewer moving parts means increased reliability and lower maintenance costs. No exhaust system, no oil or fuel filters, no spark plugs, less usage of brake pads due to regenerative braking, etc. On the other hand, you’ll need to change tires more often.
• The electric motor is a lot quieter (mainly at lower speeds), which is very pleasant; you can talk with your passengers or listen to music / podcasts / audio books more comfortably. On the other hand, we are used to estimating our speed by the motor’s roar, and with this quiet motor you can easily underestimate how fast you’re going 🙂
• The electric car is much more efficient for city driving than a combustion car, due to no consumption when idling, regenerative braking and higher electric motor efficiency at low speeds.
• Another thing that I personally really like in (most) electric cars: the lack of an exhaust pipe from the front motor to the back of the car means that they have no «tunnel» going down the middle of the car, which means more storage space between the two front seats and a flat floor for the rear seats, making life for a 5th passenger much more comfortable.

Drawbacks

The main drawback I can think of is cost: electric cars in 2025 are still much more expensive than combustion cars, making them much less affordable. I hope that the automotive industry will manage to reduce those prices in the coming years.

Also, charging infrastructure still needs to expand, especially in some parts of Europe, in order to be readily available whenever needed, and at competitive prices.

Plug types

In Europe, pretty much all cars (including Teslas) use the CCS Type 2 («Combined Charging System«, IEC 62196), so you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues. It’s a German design, proposed by the European car industry in 2011 and adopted by the European Commission as EU-wide standard in 2013.

In the US, most brands are switching to Tesla’s NACS plug.

In Japan they are using a different connector called CHAdeMO.

Scheduling charging stops

Calculating whether you have enough battery range to reach your destination (and return?) can be a challenge. Thankfully, Google Maps (via Android Auto or Apple Carplay) talks to your car and knows the current battery state, estimated range, etc. Therefore, when you enter your destination, Maps will tell you at what battery level you are expected to arrive at the destination. If it is insufficient, it will automatically add one (or more, depending on the length of the trip) stops, including the estimated duration of each stop and estimated charge level after each stop. This is pretty cool and very convenient.

What’s more, you can check each proposed stop concerning the type & power of the charger, when it was last used (if it’s more than a week ago, it might mean that it’s out of service), as well as what restaurants, bars & amenities are nearby (so you can kill some time while charging).

Trip to Japan (Easter break 2024)

Some notes to self & potential advice to others, from our trip to Japan during Easter break 2024

Practical tips

• If traveling from Brussels, it might be cheaper to take the TGV to Paris Charles de Gaulle and fly from there
• Mobile internet will be very important while there, to navigate, translate, look places up, coordinate within the team if you split or get lost, etc; if your phone supports eSim, you can buy one online (e.g from Airalo or Ubigi) and install it even before departing. If not, you can buy a physical SIM at the airport of arrival or in town.
• If you plan to travel around a bit by train (e.g Shinkansen), it is probably worth buying in advance the Japan Rail Pass (this is the official website, but there are others). You will get a voucher by letter that you have to take with you and convert it to the actual pass (one per person) once there. Then, if you want to travel by Shinkansen you have to reserve your seats; you can do that online or via machines at some stations. The pass is also convenient to travel inside Tokyo by taking some of the rail lines (including the monorail to Haneda airport) rather than metro.
• You don’t need a visa to enter Japan as a tourist with an EU passport, but it will save you time on arrival if you register in advance, on the government’s Visit Japan website. You’ll get a QR code to show at arrival.
• Electrical plugs are different in Japan, you’ll need a few adapters for your chargers (although many hotels have USB plugs near the bed, and some even have European plugs)
• Try to book in advance / buy tickets as many visits as possible, and as early as possible; tourism to Japan is exploding and you might not be able to enter without, or you’ll waste a long time queuing!
• Cash used to be king in Japan; nowadays you can pay for many things by credit card, but you’ll still need more cash than what we’re used to in the west. You can buy some Yen before leaving, bring euros to exchange them once there, or simply withdraw at an ATM once you’re there
• There are practically no trash cans to be found anywhere on the streets (apparently, they were removed after the terrorist attack with sarin gas in the Tokyo metro in 1995). You can return your trash to the shop where you bought an item (if you’re still nearby), otherwise you’ll have to carry it with you back to the hotel. Still, the place is spotless!

Things to see in Tokyo

Three neighbouring areas to explore on the west side of Tokyo are:

• Shibuya, with the famous pedestrian “scramble crossing”, the statue of Hachiko, the observation deck of Shibuya Sky, the Mandarake collectibles store, etc
• Harajuku, with the Meiji Jingu temple (Shinto) & surrounding Yoyogi park, Takeshita street for cosplay (short for “costume play”), Omote Sando street for high-end shopping, etc
• Shinjuku, with the Golden Gai area (many small artsy bars in a row), etc

On the north-east you can explore:

• The Asakusa neighbourhood with the Tokyo Skytree, the Senso-ji temple (Buddhist) and surrounding shops & restaurants
• The Ueno park for cherry blossoms (sakura) if you’re going in the spring and the Tokyo National Museum
• The Akihabara neighbourhood for electronics, more cosplay, etc

You might also like:

• The Akasaka neighbourhood (e.g for the Harry Potter café and decorated stairs to enter the metro station).
• The Kanda Jinbocho neighbourhood with its antique bookstores
• The various TeamLab exhibitions
• The Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo arena

Note: if you can, try to find a tall hotel that offers a nice view of the city’s skyline

Things to see in Kyoto

Temples to the east: Fushimi Inari Taisha (including a long walk uphill), Kiyomizu-dera. In between the two, you can explore the Higashiyama Ward and might want to try a kimono rental and a tea ceremony.

Temples to the north-west: Kinkaki-Ju (golden pavilion). While you’re there, you can also visit the Arashiyama bamboo forest.

Downtown I highly recommend the Manga Museum. We could also visit a sakura & lights show at night (yozakura) around the Nijo castle.

Could be interesting also: Nishiki market for street food (only until ~17:00), a samurai lesson at Kyoto Samurai.

Note: public transport in Kyoto is not very convenient, you’ll probably have to use taxis a lot, but they are rather cheap.

Note2: Kyoto is much smaller than Tokyo and struggles to cope with the high number of tourists during recent years. Getting food can be difficult if you don’t book in advance, many (most) restaurants have long queues at the door.

Food

Food in Japan is amazing, safe and cheap!

• Okonomiyaki (pancake/omelette, can have noodles or cabbage underneath, added ingredients & sauce)
• Ramen (hearty soup with noodles, vegetables, meat, half an egg, etc)
• Sushi (we found western sushi much tastier)
• Japanese curry (spicy)
• Izakaya (pub-like)
• Wagyu beef, either as a steak or Yakiniku (thin slices, grill in the middle of your table and you cook it yourself) or Shabu-shabu (hot pot, cook it yourself)
• Yakitori (skewers)
• Teppanyaki (hot plate, cooked in front of you or you cook it yourself)

Other things to try

• Nara park (for feeding the deer and for the giant Buddha statue)
• Somewhere near Fuji (Hakone? Yamanaka?)
• Onsen / public baths
• Cat café / dog café

Discorso di Elisa Anzaldo al funerale di David Sassoli

Sandra, Livia, Giulio, tutti.

Consentiteci di fare un ricordo degli amici e dei colleghi di David.

Ciao David, cosa hai combinato! Potessi vederlo, non ci crederesti.

L’elogio della mitezza, della gentilezza, della generosità, della bontà. L’elogio dell’educazione, dei buoni modi, del rispetto degli altri. Ho cercato un dizionario delle virtù; pare che tu le abbia avute tutte. Adesso quasi tutte! Non che noi avessimo dei dubbi, noi che ti conoscevamo, noi amici, delle tue virtù. Casomai avevamo dei dubbi sui tuoi vizi. Ma un dubbio sì invece: che tu avessi sbagliato epoca: con le tue virtù non si andasse poi tanto lontano – in politica, poi! E invece!

E quale scherzo ci hai fatto! Tutti qui, a parlare di te! Sono bastati solo tre giorni, solo tre giorni, e le parole, quelle con cui noi giornalisti giochiamo tutta la vita, hanno cambiato verso.

Hai sfondato muri di gomma con la tenacia della tua gentilezza, con l’ostentazione del rispetto che avevi per gli altri, con la fermezza dell’educazione, con lo sfinimento del dialogo, con la forza della prudenza e con la dirompenza della tua mitezza.

Scriveva Bobbio: la mitezza non è remissività, non è umiltà, non è modestia. La mitezza non è sopravvalutazione, né sottovalutazione di se stessi. E un atteggiamento, è una disposizione verso gli altri. La mitezza, scriveva, è una donazione e non ha bisogno di essere corrisposta.

“Il mite europeista” ha titolato un giornale questi giorni. Un’ondata di affetto e di stima ci ha travolto. Al TG1 ci ha stravolto. E ci ha fatto ricordare i tantissimi momenti con te, i confronti tra gli amici, dopo la mensa, infiniti. Quando se ti scappava proprio poco-poco l’inizio di una discussione politica, non ti si fermava più, perché partivi da lontano, da De Gasperi, e poi ripercorrevi un po’ tutto per concludere che qualcosa comunque bisognava farla. E poi l’hai fatta!

E dicevi: “il problema degli altri è il mio problema, e risolverli insieme è la politica! L’indifferenza non è un’opzione!” Cioè, tutti gli insegnamenti di Don Milani che tu avevi respirato a casa, li raccontavi a noi.

Con Massimo de Strobel. Massimo: amico fraterno, fratello, l’ombra… Arrivavi trafelato allo studio del TG1 pochissimi secondi prima delle 20. Sempre di corsa. Poi, ti riassettavi un po, ricomponevi questo affanno, ti infilavi la giacca e dicevi: “buona sera dal TG1”. Ma a casa quel “buonasera” suonava in un altro modo! Segnava “scusate, posso? so che state cenando, ma dovrei raccontarvi cosa è successo oggi”. E da casa le persone dicevano “prego, accomodati, vieni, vieni qui con noi. dicci, raccontaci”. Autorevole ma con garbo. Lo ha detto la RAI, lo ha detto il TG1, lo ha detto Sassoli. E dunque, era vero.

Giacca blu, camicia azzurra, cravatta scura. Poi è arrivato Gianni Riotta. Gianni dall’America. Lunghissime passeggiate insieme notturne. E noi al mattino cercavamo di carpire cosa si erano detti, per capire come sarebbe andato il TG1. E lui ci diceva: “viene dall’America, è avanti”. E noi dicevamo: “dai, fatti più moderno!”

Quando sono arrivati i social sapevamo, eh Sandra, lo sapevamo. Lo sapevamo! Allora, comincia Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, tutti. Devi stare su tutti! Sei su Whatsapp? No. Sei su Facebook? No. Sei su Twitter? No. Sei su Instagram? No. E lui diceva: “ma sono qui, parliamoci!” E aveva ragione lui! E diceva: “Ma forse non è moderno buttare giù un muro? è social – diceva – buttare giù un muro perché dietro c’è un mondo! Ma non è moderno accogliere un migrante? Dargli la mano quando arriva attraverso il mare? è social perché dietro di lui c’è una comunità. E non è moderno forse la famiglia – puoi farla piccola, puoi farla grande, allargarla quanto vuoi – è più ricca di un gruppone Facebook” ci diceva. “Quello è moderno! Ok mi metterò sui social” e si era messo anche lui.

Poi sei andato in Europa e ti abbiamo visto molto, molto meno ma siamo stati così orgogliosi, così fieri di te! E dicevamo: “il nostro amico David apre il Parlamento Europeo alle donne che hanno bisogno di asilo, lo apre a chi ha fame e li fa mangiare lì, il nostro amico David – c’è il lock down – apre il palazzo del Parlamento, lo tiene aperto, perché così chi è in città si sente meno solo, è come il supermercato, è come la farmacia, è un servizio essenziale! Non sono solo, non hanno chiuso tutto e mi hanno lasciato qui. La porta del Parlamento è aperta! L’Europa c’è!”

Quante sere abbiamo passato a discutere di libertà d’informazione, d’indipendenza, di pluralismo, di servizio pubblico, nel salotto di casa di Paolo Giuntella – qui c’è Laura, la moglie – un altro carissimo amico fraterno dal Giorno, al TG3, al TG1. Stessa identica passione, stessi identici vizi: il fumo – maledettissimo – e il calcetto, sul quale – non so, dicono che eri un po’ bravino, io sapevo che ti facevamo giocare perché faceva un po figo avere David Sassoli nella squadra di calcio del TG1.

La terra, David, avrà il profumo del basilico e della menta e anche dei tuoi amatissimi fiori.

A noi lasci una caparbia lezione di ottimismo. “Non è moderno forse il Manifesto di Ventotene?” ci dicevi. “La via da percorrere non è facile né sicura, li c’e scritto, ma deve essere percorsa e lo sarà!” E tu avresti aggiunto: “nessuno è sicuro da solo, facciamolo insieme!”

Ciao David, ti abbiamo voluto tanto bene! Grazie

Ερωτικο (ΑΛΚΑΙΟΣ, ΜΙΚΡΟΥΤΣΙΚΟς, μΗΤΣΙΑΣ / μΗΤΡΟΠΑΝΟΣ)

Στίχοι: Άλκης Αλκαίος
Μουσική: Θάνος Μικρούτσικος
Πρώτη εκτέλεση: Μανώλης Μητσιάς

Με μια πιρόγα φεύγεις και γυρίζεις
τις ώρες που αγριεύει η βροχή
στη γη των Βησιγότθων αρμενίζεις
και σε κερδίζουν κήποι κρεμαστοί
μα τα φτερά σου σιγοπριονίζεις

Σκέπασε αρμύρα το γυμνό κορμί σου
σου ‘φερα απ’ τους Δελφούς γλυκό νερό
στα δύο είπες πως θα κοπεί η ζωή σου
και πριν προλάβω τρις να σ’ αρνηθώ
σκούριασε το κλειδί του παραδείσου

Το καραβάνι τρέχει μες στη σκόνη
και την τρελή σου κυνηγάει σκιά
πώς να ημερέψει ο νους μ’ ένα σεντόνι
πώς να δεθεί η Μεσόγειος με σχοινιά
αγάπη που σε λέγαμ’ Αντιγόνη

Ποια νυχτωδία το φως σου έχει πάρει
και σε ποιο γαλαξία να σε βρω
εδώ είναι Αττική φαιό νταμάρι
κι εγώ ένα πεδίο βολής φτηνό
που ασκούνται βρίζοντας ξένοι φαντάροι

Ποια νυχτωδία το φως σου έχει πάρει
και σε ποιο γαλαξία να σε βρω
εδώ είναι Αττική φαιό νταμάρι
κι εγώ ένα πεδίο βολής φτηνό
που ασκούνται βρίζοντας ξένοι φαντάροι

Jacques Brel – Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas
Il faut oublier
Tout peut s’oublier
Qui s’enfuit déjà,
Oublier le temps
Des malentendus
Et le temps perdu
A savoir comment
Oublier ces heures
Qui tuaient parfois
A coups de pourquoi
Le cœur du bonheur
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas

Moi je t’offrirai
Des perles de pluie
Venues de pays
Où il ne pleut pas
Je creuserai la terre
Jusqu’après ma mort
Pour couvrir ton corps
D’or et de lumière
Je ferai un domaine
Où l’amour sera roi
Où l’amour sera loi
Où tu seras reine
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas
Je t’inventerai
Des mots insensés
Que tu comprendras
Je te parlerai
De ces amants là
Qui ont vu deux fois
Leurs cœurs s’embraser
Je te raconterai
L’histoire de ce roi
Mort de n’avoir pas
Pu te rencontrer
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas

On a vu souvent
Rejaillir le feu
D’un ancien volcan
Qu’on croyait trop vieux
Il est paraît-il
Des terres brûlées
Donnant plus de blé
Qu’un meilleur avril,
Et quand vient le soir
Pour qu’un ciel flamboie
Le rouge et le noir
Ne s’épousent-ils pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas

Ne me quitte pas
Je ne vais plus pleurer
Je ne vais plus parler
Je me cacherai là
A te regarder
Danser et sourire
Et à t’écouter
Chanter et puis rire
Laisse-moi devenir
L’ombre de ton ombre
L’ombre de ta main
L’ombre de ton chien
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas

And the same song in other languages:

Frank Sinatra – If you go away

Γιάννης Πάριος – Μη μ’αφήνεις μη

Gino Paoli – Non andare via

Marlene Dietrich – Bitte geh nicht fort

Switching from a «special» to an ordinary Belgian ID card

After having a «carte d’identité speciale» for 2.5 years here in Belgium, I decided to switch to the ordinary (electronic) national ID card, for the following reasons:

• the CIS is rather large and does not fit well into most wallets (the ordinary one is the size of a credit card)
• the CIS does not offer any benefits compared to the ordinary one, once the 1-year period for VAT-free purchases has expired*
• the ordinary ID card can be electronic, i.e. include a smart card, which (combined with a smart-card reader which you can buy for 8-10 euros, and some software that you can download from the federal government website), you can access all the e-government services here in Belgium (for tax declaration, obtaining certificates from your commune, etc)

* I confirmed this both with the relevant office here in the EP, as well as with my commune.

So, the procedure for switching from a «special» to a regular ID card is a little cumbersome, as follows:

1. First you have to go to the office in your EU institution which gave you the CIS, and give it back. They will send it back to the Belgian Foreign Affairs Ministry, which will then send them a certificate proving that you have returned the card, called «attestation de restitution de la carte speciale». This takes approx. 2 weeks
2. With the above mentioned certificate you can now go to your commune and ask for a normal ID card. You must bring: your national ID card or passport, your rental contract, your work contract (in our case, a certificate that you work for the institutions), and 5 photos
3. Once you have applied for the ID card, the police need to come to your house and check that you actually live there. They had already done that 2.5 years ago for the CIS, but apparently they need to do it again. Of course they don’t tell you when they’ll come. After exactly 1 month, and as I was starting to become restless, my commune sent me an email telling me I could now go and complete the application for the ID card. The police never came to my house
4. When you go to the commune again, you can ask for an old-fashioned or for an electronic ID card. The electronic one costs €19.2 (in 2014). Having done that, you are told to wait another 2 weeks. The PIN for the ID card is sent to you by regular post, and the ID card arrives at the commune. I am not sure why this step couldn’t have been done together with step 2 above, and save us all a little time?
5. With the PIN code in hand, you can go and pick up (and activate) your new ID card

Belgian license plates

Here’s a description of the procedure to obtain Belgian license plates for a car already registered elsewhere in Europe, after I went through it. I hope this helps others thinking of doing the same.

There are 7 steps in this procedure:

1. Collect the necessary documents (certificate of conformity, current vehicle registration). You can obtain a CoC online, it will most likely be much cheaper than asking your car dealer. I got it from here: http://cocexpress.fr/ Please note that the CoC is not asked until the 5th step, so feel free to go through steps 2-4 while waiting for the CoC to arrive
2. Go to customs (Douane, 11 Rue de L’Entrepôt, 1020 Brussels, 08.30-11:00 + 13:00-15:30), fill form, obtain the «pink paper» which shows that you’ve started the procedure of changing license plates. Here they only ask for the current vehicle registration form. In the field «when did you bring the car into Belgium for the first time», the customs officer told me to simply write the current date. You will be asked to pay the symbolic price of 1€ here
3. Go through inspection (controle technique, http://www.autocontrole.be/). For vehicles less than 4 years old (as in my case), they will not actually check the vehicle, just put a stamp on the «pink paper» from step 2. No money is necessary in this case. Otherwise, you need to take an appointment and go through an actual technical control of your car.
4. Buy insurance. You can do this even if you don’t know your new license plate yet. I went with Ethias. They will ask you for some proof from your current car insurance about your bonus-malus level
5. go to DIV, register your car ( http://www.mobilit.belgium.be/fr/ )
   (60 rue du Progrès, 1210 Brussels, 08:30-14:30). Be ready to spend 1-2 hours waiting here. The actual procedure takes 5 minutes. They will ask for all the documents from the previous steps (current vehicle registration, CoC, the «pink paper» from customs, the insurance document). They will keep your current vehicle registration, so you might want to make a copy beforehand. The rear license plate and new vehicle registration will be delivered to your home on the next working day by Bpost. You will have to pay 30€ to the postman.
6. Make copy of the rear license plate for the front of your car (cost me €20). Note that the front plate is now the same size as the rear one, not smaller like in the past or as in some other Member states
7. Register at your Comune in order to get a parking permit (carte d’habitant). This is valid for a calendar year and allows you to park for free in specific parts of your comune. For Woluwe Saint Lambert his costs 10€. They will ask you for the vehicle registration and identity card ( http://www.woluwe1200.be/fr/cadre-de-vie/deplacement/stationnement/test )

Reference: http://www.blbe.be/en/importing-and-registering-car

PS I will update this post once I’ve completed the 2nd part of this process, i.e. getting rid of your old license plates

Love Vs Hate