I experienced my first strike (manifestation) in Brussels last week. It was actually quite civilized... The STIB (Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles) applied for a permit to shut down most metro, bus and tram lines at 11:00am on Friday, for the day. Everyone was well prepared with many people walking (me), carpooling or telecommuting. Back home, strikes typically go on for days or weeks (until concessions are gained). They don't last as long here though they are more frequent. Before moving to Brussels, I still associated the word strike with bowling to indicate all pins have been knocked down with the first ball of a frame. This brings me to today's post... It was, no surprise, a wet and gloomy evening and we, the non-natives, were getting restless! I was also on the hunt for some much-needed, albeit indoor, color. We headed to The Bowl Factory in Waterloo, complete with "cosmic bowling" (the tracks & bowling balls glow in florescent colors when the lights go down), an arcade and Chi-Chi's Mexican restaurant. Everyone bowled a strike but me - that's okay, I still had a ball ;-)
Wow! you managed to make me think about going bowling, an activity I try to avoid since I always feel somewhat like the hippos in the movie Fantasia (the ones who wear the tutus and dance a ballet) when I saunter up to the lane. You have me reconsidering, especially if there are pretty lights and yummy Mexican food and drinks! I'm in!
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun but, wow, was I sore the next day! We would have a ball, Rach, especially with those Blue Lagoon drinks flowing ;-)
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