Brussels Bounce

I spent a part of the week in Brussels. I had a concert that I had bought tickets to in March. The concert was mildly disappointing. That being said, I got to spend time with my mother and friends that I had not seen in a while. So the trip itself was worth it.

What I enjoyed most this weekend was going out on Saturday. We started the evening by watching the start of Estcoy-8. It is a documentary that tells the story of a military mission to Afghanistan during which the estcoy-8 (Estonian company number 8) suffered the heaviest losses in the history of modern Estonian warfare. You know the casual pre-game to go out on a Friday. 

Once we finally stepped out of the house we saw leave the bus we needed to take. So we walked. We walked from the European district to the Old Town of Brussels. It felt like a completely new town to me, even though I have lived in Brussels for 10 years. I knew approximately where we were headed but I had no sense of direction for a big chunk of the walk. 

We were headed to Café Lava, a bar near the Brussels Stock Exchange. There were waiting a few Erasmus students. It felt like something out of a book. One was a talkative blonde German with a moustache, a scarf and a flat cap. He rolled his own cigarettes. When he was not smoking, he was rolling the next one. Then there were two Spaniards, well to some extent. One of them was a mix and match – half Irish half Spanish. 

We were seated outside. There was a good little ambience going. All tables were full of young people and were buzzing with chatter. The inside was also very much alive. The ceiling was high and the lighting was dim. The beer was reasonably priced and the bartender was small and heavily tattooed. 

Everything was good and fine. The only restriction to the fun was that I needed to take the last metro home. In such a cosy place it is difficult to notice time passing. By the end, we were of course running to catch that metro.

This Week’s Suggestions:

🎶 “For Her (Chemtrails)” by Tanerélle, IMANU, Machinedrum:

This is a nice bouncy song. It's a song that has a really pleasant and calming sound to it whilst having some energy. Have a listen.

🎬 "Estcoy-8. An untold story.":

Not for the faint-hearted. An intense description of a mission that did not go as planned. The reason I like this kind of documentary is that it feels real. It is people being confronted with the most existential and primal questions at an early age.

Till next week!