small calender, brussels 2012

At this moment, just an hour before 2013, I have a small calendar in my hand titled “Brussels 2012”. Last year, I mean, in December 2011, my former colleague and his family came from Brussels to here in Maryland, and stayed for a while for sightseeing around DC area. At the time, they gave us this small calendar as a souvenir, and since then, I’ve put it on my desk next to my PC for an entire 2012. The calendar has twelve different pictures on each month, and they are, of course, a famous, beautiful piece of scenery of Brussels city I had once enjoyed. For example, crystal twilight Atomium at Heysel is in the page of September, and a Christmas tree in white at the center of Grand-Place is in the page of December.

Curiously enough, looking at these pictures now, I find there are few people in each scene. Here in pictures, there are just historical buildings, trees and flowers, and blue sky, sometimes, twilight-orange, water-blue sky. At the end of 2012, looking at familiar Brussels scenery without any people, I feel like listening to Gymnopédies, Erik A.L. Satie’s music, maybe something like a farewell for 2012 Brussels.

Anyway, having said Gymnopedies, I once went to Honfleur to visit historic Satie’s house, though I just found the house was closed at the time.

Brussels, Belgium in my small calendar.