Toxic shock
I am on record suggesting that Brussels’ reputation – resting as it does on predetermined perceptions rather than reality – is beyond salvation.
This does not mean that I see no ways of ameliorating said reality, if not for the benefit of prospective tourists and transplants, then for the benefit of those already here.
Example: few things surprise the outsider more than the apparently liberal attitude towards urinating on public streets. This is not simply an after-hours phenomenon; I’ve witnessed it even under the midday sun.
Nor are native Brusseleers exclusively to blame; plenty of us expatriates have found it all too convenient to do as the Romans do.
I’m not a stickler for decorum. I quite enjoy Chuck Berry’s much-bootlegged golden shower home video, and I find the Manneken Pis a charmingly irreverent role model, in theory. But in practice this custom renders many corners, porticoes and passages in the capital downright toxic.
Georgio Valentino
Source: The Bulletin
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Comments
Terry Tibbs
Typical Brlgium
you cant find a public toilet but enter a cafe and theres a Madame Pee pee ready to berate you if you leave the toilets without paying - Why??? Because they are fat old ladies with nothing better to do than substitute their unemployment benefit with some tax free money for cigs + duvel. Remember - the Brassiere?bar doesent pay these ladies, they are here by choice!!!
None of the Expat pubs or bars have a madame pee pee......
Belgians take note of the hospitality offered from the very populous equation of the expats. Remember- Brussels would be a backwater town only for all the expats and instutions existing there and they still have the nerve to hold a knarled & greasy hand out for your money.
Maybe if they developed a personality and let peole use their toilets for free - they would converse more and develop a better rapport with non-locals. Remember - Belgians are only friendly if your making them money - otherwise its a gruff Uggh.... Non!!
RMJ
This is indeed an unfortunate side of Brussels, but without more public toilets it is unlikely to change. In other countries, there are plenty of public toilets available, either free or with a small charge, whereas in Brussels, the only option is to try and find a cafe. Even large supermarkets and shops do not offer any facilities.