2001.08.22 :: Brugge, Belgium

Cultural Capital of Europe 2002

Brugge is getting ready for the having the ambiguous honorary title of 'Cultural Capital of Europe 2002.' So the city is spending oodles of money renovating the downtown to make it as picturesque as possible.

And what will this do for them??? Attract more Japanese tourists, of course!
Big whoopee!!!

I hadn't planned on touring the evening events downtown because I was sick of seeing cultural 'tourist' stuff. But coming back from the bankomat I saw a large group of people gathered down a street and went to observe.

There were various outdoor drama scenes depicting Belgian history and other venues had dance groups performing cultural dances. Every 20 minutes the herd made a stampede to the next venue as the various performances proceeded as if on a revolving scratched vinyl.

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The performances were really cheesy; but the well-rehearsed actors, the uniquely constructed sets, the romantic lighting and various fog machines gave the town a feeling of flawless cultural perfection found in movies.

Japaneese Tourists: there's a big joke about the Japaneese tourists. People whom I'm talked to about this feel a little sorry for them because it seems as if they are never enjoying themselves... With plain faces: they take photos of everything that they've seen in their travel guide; they ride quietly the small tour buses with small earphones straddling their heads, they eat at 'tourist' restaurants; and buy tourist trinkets. I hope that they enjoy this sterile approach…

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