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.
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
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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