The breathtaking scenery of the Belgian Ardennes is demanding some ascetic and randomly scattered beats in order to be viewed to its full potential and to my absolute awe and amazement. Meandering rivers, interlocking streams and a heard of deer grazing peacefully on a mountain slope, just a blink away from a gothic portal leading into the height of the mountain and the depth of the surrounding vegetation to a castle with two towers, just like a picture in a book, timeless to absurdity and ephemeral as the train rides by…entering Liege, where ‘L’Enfant’ was filmed, I’m recognising the scenery again –cold modern bridges that tower over the river like pyramids – the ‘emperor’s new’ pyramids. Then a random ‘Le Ram Dam’-named café, as random as the rest of the memories of that particular region Of Belgium – dark and obscure as the deepest secrets in people’s hearts…It’s curious how I think back on that region, since there’s no other connection, not even a feeble link between us, may be only the fact that we do possess those obscure secrets, remaining seemingly pure and picturesque.
And may be a whiff of literal reference makes me, not just choose, but fall in love with the neighbourhood which I’ll be soon moving to – the hills, the trees, the slopes, the fences and the eternal pit – place du Flagey. As for the reference lass direct, it makes me look deeper into those shadowy hearts of my closely related and treasured people, as well as my own…

I cannot explain why these thoughts and memories have suddenly sprung up in my mind, but somehow they coincide with my discovery of “Austerlitz” – a novel by W.G Sebald who’s writing style is rather controversial, mixing up the historical facts and fiction, peeling the memory of the protagonist as he observes architecture, deconstructs it in his mind and discovers the memories that he has been missing himself. The fascination with the train travel, as it bends the boundaries of time and place, is one of the main themes of the book…ooph! A long sentence on one breath that was! I’ll gasp for air – I’ve got to read it, got to read it from cover to cover, for the fascination is unruly wild.