Village, town, city. Or the personal dress code of human nature. 7PM.

In an hour, I am meeting up with my colleagues for dinner or at least for a first drink in the lobby in case some people are a bit late. In the meantime, I am relaxing after a well filled day at work, watching TV from my comfortable bed. My hair is still drying and I am only half dressed. But with the regenerating shower I just had, I could beat every world record of Getting Fully Ready in No Time. One of the nice things about hotels is that you are able to watch news, sports or other programs from all over the world. This said, it becomes a bit trickier in a country where you dont speak the language, where the channels of neighbouring countries use totally indiscernible vowels, and where the targeted tourists come from an even more distant linguistic zone. At those moments, watching TV has a totally different meaning. Unsurprisingly, the Simpsons are airing even here. After one of the numerous commercial breaks, I start smiling. The continuous observation made me think suddenly about an utterly random, but nevertheless titillating detail. Not about Apus dress code, nor about Homers habits, neither about the Itchy & Scratchy shows. Somehow, I got stuck on the name of Bart and Lisas neighbour, Ned. Ned, also known as Ned Flanders, is maybe a random name for at least 99,9% of the Simpsons world population. And usually, I am part of it. But for once, my mind followed another train of thought. In case you didnt know it yet, Flanders is also the name of the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. And believe it or not, the other name of Dutch is Nederlands, abbreviated as Ned. This brings us thus to Flanders Ned... or Ned Flanders. Intrigued by this confusing coincidence, my eyes start to follow my mind, rather than the moving shapes on TV. On the one hand, one could draw an analogy between the political history of Flanders the region and the personality of the TV star, Ned. Both share a combination of leftism, Christian conviction and commercial liberalism. On the other hand, it might just be a twisted reinterpretation of some facts. The cartoon figure is just the result of the endless American creativity of Matt Groenings last 10 to 20 years. And Flanders is an existing Belgian region that has already seen many Groenings pass by during its history. In fact, I must admit that Flanders is quite charming, offering attractive sides and sites to a wide variety of people. Most international city hoppers visit the historic center of Bruges, or attracted by the glitter of Antwerps diamonds, the differing beach spirits of Oostende and Knokke, the special mix of Leuvens identity, the vivid richness of Ghent or the jenever and fashion scene of Hasselt or Maasmechelen. Some prefer the medium sized towns that combine a human scale dynamic with some personal touches. The carillon roots of Mechelen. The small shops close to Liers Zimmer tower. The fruit market of Sint-Truiden. The World War testimonies of Ieper and Breendonk. The breweries in Westmalle or Puurs. Fans of fresh air would love the cyclist roots of Geraardsbergen. Walks in the Westhoek. A nice drink in Roeselare. The music festivals in Peer, Tienen, Kiewit or Deinze. The folkloristic processions of Aalst or Dendermonde, castles in Borgloon, Alden Biezen... You name it. And I am even not talking about the cultural events, endless hiking routes, or its creative patrimony.

Jrgen Janssens | 2012

janssensjurgen@gmail.com

So far the smiling or the skewed analogies. End of the story - or of todays mind boggle episode. Flanders hosts a wide series of landscapes, towns, cities or villages in which each different kind of person will find himself or herself probably at ease. Period. And our Simpson friend Ed lives in Springfield, the name of more than 40 towns in the US- each probably also very different and host to a wide variety of people, preferences and creative cultures. Period. Maybe I will get a bigger part of the picture later, during one of my next after-shower-beforedinner-TV sessions. Commercials are on again. I dont understand the language and am even not sure to know what kind of product they are advertising. The only two things I am however very sure about is that I should get ready, and that it is time for me to break that world record.

Jrgen Janssens | 2012

janssensjurgen@gmail.com