Belgium National Day in Brussels

July 21st is Belgium National Day. After continuous bad weather for the last few weeks, the weather was showing some improvement so I decided to go Brussels to see the military parade and enjoy the lively atmosphere of this special day.
I would of course not go without a camera and I decided to give myself a mission: one body and one tele-lens to go on an urban safari. My initial idea was to shoot everything in black and white (but using RAW to make sure I could use the colour images if I preferred to). In the end, I did not (yet) convert any of them to black and white. Although some of them are certainly worth a conversion, the colours were everywhere on such a day, so it was better to show them.

Belgium colours in the sky of Brussels

Here is a selection of what I saw.

Before the military parade started, the soldiers had been waiting patiently for hours in one of the streets leading to the Brussels Park in front of the Royal Palace. Here they are, finally getting ready for the show.

Soldier waiting for the show to startSoldiers waiting for the show to startSoldiers waiting for the show to startSoldiers waiting for the show to startAnother (tiny) photographer who dared to go very close to the soldiersDetails of soldiers, ready to startDetails of soldiers, ready to startDetails of soldiers, ready to startDetails of soldiers, ready to startMilitary force meets law and order. The street name is Law Street and the board below points to the Police.The new transport aircraft of the Belgian Air Force (Airbus A400M) was present in the sky of Brussels

Of course, on such a day, national colours are everywhere. And sometimes shown in a funny way. Here are a few examples of how the belgian colours were worn on that day.

Dog wearing Belgian coloursA few people in black-yellow-redA few people in black-yellow-redA few people in black-yellow-redAnd the national dish: French fries!

There was also lots of fun for the children. The whole park in front of the Royal Palace was a fun fair.

balloons seller in the Brussels ParkAre these two little girls trying to get another bite from the waffle ?Brussels is an international city

During such an event, there are always funny images to make. Most of them are usually not seen by many people. I noticed several people trying to understand what I was photographing 🙂 But I am sure that they would smile at the resulting image if they could see it.

F-16 fighter plane parked in the middle of Place RoyaleI guess this guy has been waiting for his beer a long time !Tell her with French fries... why not ?Veterans Access signs pointing to ambulance

Belgian soldier checking trafficBelgian police in red alert status

During my walk around the center of Brussels, I could not avoid spotting a few windows that I liked. I’m always attracted by the simple geometric forms of windows and their infinite possibilities of reflections. I’ll have to go back to the city center with my tripod and a few more lenses to have fun with these windows.

Clouds and sky reflecting on European Parliament windows, BrusselsCombination of an office building with nature hanging from it and blue sky suggesting holiday times instead of office workWindow in Bozar museum, BrusselsWindow in Bozar museum, Brussels

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