It's grey and rainy again in Brussels. On my way to see the flower carpet on the Grand'Place, I spotted David Casa (MEP) looking rather dapper and sporting a bright green sweater and smile. Just off Place St. Catherine I discovered a contemporary art studio which had an installation called Bipolar Perversion in the window: a giant brown stuffed teddy bear stood dangerously behind a stuffed polar bear. The teddy bear looked distinctly happier than the polar bear which had a worried look on its face. Not far from the Bourse I almost got sprayed by a merry group of SDF (sans domicile fixe - i.e. tramps) who were mucking about with a bottle of champagne. A few hundred steps away, a strange force pulled me into the Librairie St. Honore' (Livres Neufs a Prix Reduits) and I left with a book called Le terrorisime intellectuel and a novel called Les 20 000 Femmes de la vie d'un homme. Self explanatory titles I guess. By the time I approached the Grand'Place, it was raining tropically so I was forced to pop in to the nearest souvenir shop to buy yet another umbrella. On my way to the till, I passed by shelf after shelf of Mannekin Pis mugs and plates. The tiny, flimsy umbrella is overpriced but it does have BELGIUM written in orange on a black background. The flower carpet was getting soggy and a string of anoraked tourists stood round the perimeter fence taking photos, looking downcast or silly. It was time to leave. But I just love this place. Tonight we should be in Bargemon.