This week marked the tenth anniversary of our move to Europe. Technically, we’d always lived in Europe and had always been European. For many British people though, that small stretch of water between southern England and France was, and is, a psychological barrier to feeling fully European. That sense of otherness that pervades the psyche is as much responsible for the disaster of Brexit as deceitful, self serving politicians and press barons.
Like many of my compatriots, I had never given much thought to the issue. I was both British and European, and I didn’t feel less of one and more of the other because my British European passport was a burgundy red colour. In 2016, that comfortable coexistence suddenly changed. In the run up to the Brexit referendum, the question of whether we Britishers were truly European became paramount.
We had been living in The Hague for over two years when the vote happened. On a warm June evening the day of the vote, friends from London were visiting. We sat in the lovely Plein square looking towards the Mauritshuis with its treasure trove of Dutch Golden Age paintings. As we drank and chatted, the votes were being counted and 17 million people chose irrelevance and political instability, bordering on buffoonery.
The following day, the sun shone and everything seemed much the same. Yet, I woke with a sickly feeling in my stomach that had nothing to do with the dark, rich Haagsche Broeder monastery brewed beer that we’d been drinking the evening before. Britain voted to leave the European Union, and it changed everything. It took five years for the practical impact of Brexit to fully affect our lives, but that day I voted to leave Britain.
In the years following this absurd act of national self sabotage, I’ve felt more alienated from the seething mass of contradictions Britain has become. Sadly, and it does make me sad, this is unlikely to change at the next election with a much needed change of government. As a side note, our British friends from London who visited us that day in The Hague decided to relocate to Paris.
This though, is a travel blog, and these ten years have allowed us to travel far and wide across continental Europe. We spent four and a half years living in The Hague and loved this beautiful, historic city with perhaps the best quality of life of anywhere I’ve lived. Having a glorious beach a mere 10 minute cycle away was an added benefit, and one of the things I most miss about the city.
We never expected to live in The Netherlands, but when the time came to move to Berlin it was a terrible wrench to depart. Truly one of Europe’s great cities, life in Berlin was, at first, very hard work and then disrupted by the pandemic. But we came to love this city where some of Europe’s darkest history has taken place. Living here made me realise just how far east Berlin is, psychologically and physically separate from the west of Germany.
Other than a few stops Interrailing as a teenager, I hadn’t spent much time in Germany. Our three years living in Berlin were eye opening. It is one of the most underrated countries in Europe. From the shallow waters of the Baltic coast, to the grandeur of the Bavarian mountains, the forests of Brandenburg to the wineries of the Rhine, Germany is full of glorious countryside and ancient towns and villages. It also has beer. Go. Now.
Having never spent much time in Belgium either, when we relocated to Brussels almost three years ago it was a surprise to discover that it wasn’t simply a Frenchified version of the Netherlands. I’m not going to lie, Brussels is not a city we have fallen in love with, yet. A love-hate relationship that tilted more towards hate in the early days has settled into an uneasy truce today.
I’m beginning to feel more at home here, but that is frequently shattered by some arse of a driver almost killing me as I try to cross the road on a zebra crossing. Belgian drivers are the worst in Europe, of this I have few doubts. Beyond the city boundaries, Flanders has a triumvirate of medieval towns and an excellent cycle network that is a rival to the Dutch. Days spent walking in Flanders Fields have been truly rewarding.
I’ve spent less time in Wallonia, but it’s fascinating in its own right. Namur, Dinant, Liege and Mons are all places to make repeat visits to, and this year I’ve promised myself more time to explore the southern Ardennes region by bike and foot. For a small country, Belgium has a lot to offer. Plus, if there is one thing that living in Brussels does well, it is that The Netherlands, Germany and even the British Isles, are easily accessible.
Enjoy Europe. Personally however much I love the old continent, I am increasingly worried that it might one day fall back to war. (Or the entire world for that matter.) The combination of the Tramp and the “hijo de P*t*n reminds me of the last last of the 1930’s.
‘Hope I’m wrong.
Stay safe.
It is difficult to know how the next few years might work out, but if what I’m seeing in the EU is anything to go by, it will be more fractured and dangerous than before. I hope I’m wrong also.
We all hope we’re wrong, but the threat level, in my view ks now higher than in the first half of the 80’s, when the Russians deployed SS20’s… (I was in the Defence industry then… Wart was on everybody’s mind.) 🤞🏻
Enviable choices. Bxt always felt to be like some private vice made public.
I’d be over there too, had the health and the money.
That’s a very good description of this city!
I agree with you about the quality of life you can have in Europe compared to the UK. It makes me so sad too for my friends living in the UK….they don’t deserve what is happening there. Politics and corruption was a slowly boiling frog over many years, nobody was aware it was cooked until it was too late. I really hope they rejoin the EU again. I loved your pics of the Hague, I haven’t been there but it makes me want to go
The Hague is such an underrated city, if you ever get the chance to visit I’m sure you’d love it. I should go back more often. As for Brexit, it has been a disaster in my opinion, but I don’t think there’s a real prospect of rejoining for at least a generation. It’s very sad.
It is very sad yeah I agree. I lived in Edinburgh once (but Kiwi/Aussie) such a vibrant cosmopolitan city….so many cities in the UK became like this when they were part of EU it was amazing. I feel nostalgic for these times but they are gone…it sort of breaks my heart a bit. Many people in London and elsewhere are jumping ship and moving to EU countries. I understand that….the UK was magnificent back when it was a part of EU, I really hope they rejoin and they will then attract back the professionals who left.
And absolutely! Love the look of the Hague, what a funky cool looking place 😎
They’re all exciting cities and countries to visit and live in. When you start to take an interest in local art and history, everything takes on so much meaning that it’s a never-ending dive to get to know and discover everything better. For the past three years, I’ve been revisiting Europe intensely, so happy with this depth and density, unknown in America.
I think we got lucky in the places we’ve lived these last few years, but I’m still holding out for Spain at some point in my life. In the past I spent quite a lot of time in the US, always found it fascinating.
I keep telling you – don’t tell everyone about Germany! That way it won’t be too full of tourists!
As for Brexit, every word you say I am in complete agreement with.
It’s such a great place though!
It amazes me how governments can work against their own people and “we the people,” don’t seem to be able to stop them from screwing everything up.
The current British government seems to specialise in that!
The nightmare in the US has begun with women dying as doctors watch and do nothing.