Carless car free Sunday

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Carless Sunday, Car Free Day

***** Location: Europe
***** Season: Autumn
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Every year from 16 to 22 September is European Mobility Week, a week in which the major cities of Europe try and encourage the ever greater diversity of transport. The aim is help motorists to choose more environmentally friendly ways of moving across the city and, increasingly also, to help cities plan their transport policy in such a way that sustainable transport can flourish.

2012 was the eleventh year of the European Mobility Week. The movement has now expanded well beyond Europe, and in 2012 included 11 non EU Member States, some as far afield as Brazil, Canada, Japan and Taiwan. Altogether, 1983 cities participated (for more information, see http://www.mobilityweek.eu).

The highlight of European Mobility Week is the Sunday within the week, which for participating cities has become the Carless Sunday. In 2012, this was 16 September.

On this one Sunday of the year, the people of Brussels (where I have often spent the day) may not use their cars from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm. The only vehicles allowed on the road are public transport (providing their services free of charge on this day), taxis, ambulances, police and any citizens who absolutely need to use their cars and have acquired a permit from the authorities in good time beforehand. The police rigorously enforce the ban, and fines are heavy if cars are caught on the roads or if those allowed to drive exceed the special speed limit of 20 km/h.


So many cyclists on the rue de la Loi

Carless Sunday is one of the best days of the year to be in Brussels. Everyone, young and old, are out and about with bicycles, scooters, skateboards, rollerskates, prams and whatever else. The weather seems to be fine each year, and people enjoy themselves outdoors for what may be the last time before the onset of autumn and winter. The streets are taken over by pedestrians and those using their own power to move. Activities are laid on for children and families all over the city, and many of these are organised or supervised by the police, who endear themselves to the public on this day and have an exhausting time.

The noise level in the city is much reduced, and people enjoy the fresher air and the calm atmosphere. For many, it is one of the highlights of the year and a real family day.

Text and photo © Isabelle Prondzynski


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A Car Free Day encourages motorists to give up their car for a day. Organized events are held in some cities and countries.
September 22 is World Car Free Day.



According to The Washington Post, the event "promotes improvement of mass transit, cycling and walking, and the development of communities where jobs are closer to home and where shopping is within walking distance".
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Autofreier Sonntag


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HAIKU

For the past few years, I have enjoyed writing haiku on carless Sunday.
Here are some of them :

carless Sunday --
the traffic lights change
from red to green

carless Sunday --
the peal of church bells
reaches my ear

once a minute
another plane takes off --
carless Sunday

the distant sound
of a baby crying --
carless Sunday


carless Sunday --
parents and children
out with their bikes


Activities for parents and children
in the Cinquantenaire Park



carless Sunday --
each bounce of the ball
so audible

the city seems
filled with human voices --
carless Sunday

two children playing
in the middle of the road --
carless Sunday

music wafts
across the roofs --
carless Sunday

seven o'clock --
carless Sunday ends
with a peal of bells

(2012)



carless Sunday --
even the smallest birds
have a voice

silencing the radio --
enjoying the sounds
of carless Sunday

carless Sunday --
the rustling of leaves
in the garden below

a small girl
dragging a small dog --
carless Sunday

even one taxi
makes so much noise --
carless Sunday


rue de la Loi
rings with human voices --
carless Sunday



(2011)



a long row
of neatly polished cars --
carless Sunday

carless Sunday --
he walks out to buy
a car

(2010)


the voices
of the smallest birds --
carless Sunday

carless Sunday --
listening to the television
instead

(2009)


a bird sings
a new song from the roof --
carless Sunday

teenagers wobble
their bicycles on the cobbles --
carless Sunday

the voices
of unseen children in the streets --
carless Sunday

carless Sunday --
left on the zebra crossing
an abandoned shoe

an aircraft takes off --
its sound floods our street
on carless Sunday

carless Sunday --
bells from a distant church
call us to prayer

sharing some sweets
with a stranger --
carless Sunday


relaxed police
buying a Tibetan lunch --
carless Sunday




carless Sunday --
rollerskating the pram
up the road

carless Sunday --
my neighbour snores all day
in his bed

cars return --
the cyclists ride home
prudently

(2007)



carfree Sunday --
voices of children playing
in the streets

carless Sunday --
tea and a read
in silence

(2005)

Haiku and photos © Isabelle Prondzynski


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carless sunday -
lovers cross the road
without care

carless sunday -
kids skate on the road
holding hands


Monday morning -
painful noise invades
Brussels

Dr. Kumarendra Mallick
India


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Related words

***** . Silence .


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Neuville War Cemetary Belgium

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Neuville en Condroz Cemetery

***** Location: Liege, Belgium
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation





The Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial is home to the graves of 5,329 members of the United States military who died in World War II. It is one of fourteen cemeteries for American World War II dead on foreign soil, and is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The ninety and a half acre cemetery and memorial is located in Neuville-en-Condroz, near the southeast edge of Neupré, Wallonia, Belgium.

It is one of three American war cemeteries in Belgium, the other two being at Flanders Field and Henri-Chapelle.

The site of the cemetery was liberated from Nazi control by the U.S. 1st Infantry Division on 8 September 1944. A temporary cemetery was established on the site on 8 February 1945.

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5328 graves, 462 missing in action
to the Heroes of 1944 who liberated my country

Serge Tome


trois paratonnerres
au dessus de l'aigle de guerre
Neuville War Cemetary

three lightning rods
above the war eagle
Neuville War Cemetary



fin d'hiver --
une rose rouge
parmi les croix blanches

end of Winter --
a red rose
between the white crosses



sans taches
les croix de marbre blanc
du Cimetière Américain

stainless
the white marble crosses
of the American Cemetery



More haiku by Serge are HERE:
Ardennes American Cemetery


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***** Placenames of the world used in haiku


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Barbeque

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Barbeque

***** Location: Belgium
***** Season: All summer
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Summer is here, and barbecues with it -- a favourite Brussels occupation.

The more historic housing blocks in the centre of town have gardens on the inside, each divided from the other by a high wall, so that only those living in the upper storeys of the surrounding houses can overlook the neighbours' gardens. The whole interior of the (typical) block where I live, must be the size of a football field. I am living two floors up from the ground floor and have a grand view over at least the nearer gardens -- a view which I enjoy every day. Each garden is different, each has a different shape and size, some are higher, some lower, but all have character.

One of the neighbouring families used to have three cats which, climbing a tree, could reach the top of a wall and from there many of the other gardens. The old lady living in the house closest to my balcony, would leave out a saucer of milk for them, which they used to visit regularly. But the family has moved on, and their successors did not bring cats...

At the centre of our block is a mature chestnut tree, which brings pleasure to all of us neighbours, particularly at this time, when it is covered in white-and-pink flowers. Another neighbour has a wisteria, whose scent reaches all of us during balmy nights. Further down, and hard to see from here, is a flowering apple tree. I am so lucky to have all this within 4 minutes' walk of my office! Long may it last -- many of these historic blocks have been demolished to make room for huge new buildings such as the very office I work in...

The barbecue season has started, and smoke is wafting up from another neighbour's place. Their garden has been converted to a pleasant courtyard, with huge pots and climbing plants, and a couple of tables for outdoor dining :

between my window
and the lilac blossom --
neighbour's barbecue

An enjoyable night will be had by all -- particularly since Brussels does not suffer from mosquitos, so that outdoor dining, even after dark, is pleasant and popular.

Isabelle Prondzynski


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. Jingisukaan nabe 成吉思汗鍋 (じんぎすかんなべ)
"Genghis Khan Stew"
Dschingis Kahn Barbeque.

kigo for all winter


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. WASHOKU
Grill, bake, broil, toast (yaku) 　


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Queen's Day Belgium

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Queen's Day

***** Location: Belgium
***** Season: Summer, July 21
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation




quote
Queen Fabiola of Belgium
(née Fabiola Fernanda María de las Victorias Antonia Adelaida de Mora y Aragón; born Madrid, 11 June 1928) is the widow of King Baudouin of Belgium. She was Queen consort of the Belgians for 33 years.
Since her husband's death in 1993, she has been styled HM Queen Fabiola of Belgium.
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Monarchy in Belgium
is constitutional and popular in nature. The hereditary monarch, presently Albert II is the head of state and is officially called King of the Belgians.
The Belgian monarchy combines several public and political missions. On the one hand, the king symbolises and maintains a feeling of national unity by representing the country in public functions and international meetings.

Queen Fabiola —
Fabiola de Mora y Aragón (wife of King Baudouin)
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MORE
Kigo from BELGIUM



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Matonge Festival

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Matonge Festival (Fête du Quartier Matonge)

***** Location: Brussels, Belgium
***** Season: Mid-summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

At the end of June every year, the Brussels area of Matongé (within the commune of Ixelles) takes an entire week-end to stage a huge street party. The through roads are blocked for the festivities, and people come from all over Brussels and beyond, to enjoy themselves. Brussels loves summer street festivals, but this is one of the biggest!

The Matongé is the African area of Brussels -- named after the elegant city centre street of Kinshasa (DR Congo). It started modestly with a few African shops and a hostel for African university students. Over the decades, it has grown in both size and attractiveness, and is now sought out by the Brussels Africans and non Africans alike for its relaxed, tropical atmosphere and the African music, groceries, restaurants, textiles and hair care provided by the many outlets. The Brussels Africans are well integrated into European society -- they are on the whole no poorer than the local Belgians, and some of them are quite wealthy, liking to flaunt it!

The Matongé is always an enjoyable area, but at festival time, it goes wild!

There is non-stop music up to (and beyond!) midnight for two days, there are cultural events in the many centres around the area, and there is lots of eating and drinking, with the numerous African restaurants of the quarter setting out their various foods. Although there is an increasing population of Anglophone Africans (mostly Nigerians and Ghanaians) now living in Brussels, the Matongé is Francophone, and the local specialities are most often from Congo, Senegal and other West African countries. The atmosphere is relaxed, and the party is for everyone, children and grown-ups alike.

The greatest joy for me, over the years, has been the mixing and blending that I observe. In 2007, most of the tables set out in the streets had mixed parties of African and European friends or family who had come to enjoy the party. A huge proportion of the children are mixed African and European, and a new coffee-coloured generation is growing up into beautiful young citizens.


Enjoying themselves at the Matongé Festival 2007

Text and photo © Isabelle Prondzynski

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One of the “must-see” sights of Brussels, certainly among the Top Ten on the Brussels sightseeing trips, is the Matongé mural named “Porte de Namur -- Porte de l’Amour” (Namur gate -- the gate of love). It can be found attached to a house near the old city gate of the road to Namur, and shows a leisurely scene depicting well-off Africa in Brussels -- with a show of flesh that would not be altogether typical!!


©　PHOTO virtualtourist.com

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Matonge : la fresque

Chéri Samba, peintre congolais de réputation internationale, a été invité à peindre un tableau traduisant les sentiments multiples qui habitent les habitants du quartier Matonge à Ixelles et à rapporter avec humour les éléments signifiants de leur vie quotidienne.

Cette toile a été agrandie sous forme d'une fresque photographique de 15mx12m qui est accrochée à la facade du magazin Hema situé à la rencontre de la chaussée de Wavre et de la Chaussée d'Ixelles à Bruxelles.

Le projet a été accompagné d'animations scolaires et de conférences publiques.

©　www.cec-ong.org/Matonge

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More Matonge photos (from both Brussels and Kinshasa) here :





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HAIKU

Matonge feast --
traffic jams reach out
far and wide

lured by
a drummer from Senegal --
Matonge beat

a rasta whirls --
his trinkets and chains
all dance with him

~ Isabelle Prondzynski


Photo © Isabelle Prondzynski


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***** Kenya and African Haiku

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