Belgium - Holland - Terrorist Attack

Julian
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PL
Edited Date/Time 3/27/2016 1:50am
First time I travelled to these countries was 1979.

In Europe, they call Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg the Benelux.

I attended the 500 GP at Namur - saw DeCoster on his last year on a Suzuki

I attended a 500 GP in Holland.

I absorbed the people of these countries......... listen people.... These people are AMERICA !

What I mean is.....These people from these low land countries are the real thing, they are ---- Do I still have to be politically correct or is that now over?

Well, what I want to say is........ these people are great, sitting at a bar in Belgium on the evening before a GP and having Belgian MX fans buying you beer after beer, just for the hell of it....while benchracing - it just does not get much better than that folks.

Now we fastforward almost 40 years and we have certain people attacking the heart of MX (Belgium) The airport used by all the top MX stars.

It hurts me so much, I can not even watch the news !

If you have ever been to a small town in Flanders and seen how polite the people are, how absolutely clean the streets are, how every brick is in place, every window of every apartment clean. You just may know how I feel.
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Starcrossed
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New Bedford, MA US
3/25/2016 10:53am
It's not just you. We have all been affected by this senseless, violent attack, and send our thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.
flamenco
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Sevilla ES
3/25/2016 11:05am
Thanks for sharing your experience of a pioneering MX country.

At the end of the summer of 2014 I had occasion to fly into and out of the Brussels airport twice and stay overnight. I had no idea of the neighborhoods of the city, so booked a cheap hotel right in the Molenbeek district. I ignorantly traipsed around the streets, and took a subway into the downtown area to grab a bite. The beer was the best I have ever had. Getting lost on the subway back was eye-opening and hindsight one of my stupider moments. Let's just say I was shocked that the Paris (and now Brussels) attackers came from there, but not surprised.

These past few days I have stared at the pictures and videos of Brussels and cannot shake the surreal foreboding feeling I had the whole time there. I recognize many of those sites in Molenbeek, and of course, the airport.

I wish I had been able to visit the Belgium you mention, the smaller cities. The "natives" I chatted with in center Brussels were so very cool. I would love to take in a race there. And, while I'm not a hophead, I do usually go for craft beers, but Belgium beer was next-level-up amazing.
Julian
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3/25/2016 11:20am
flamenco wrote:
Thanks for sharing your experience of a pioneering MX country. At the end of the summer of 2014 I had occasion to fly into and out...
Thanks for sharing your experience of a pioneering MX country.

At the end of the summer of 2014 I had occasion to fly into and out of the Brussels airport twice and stay overnight. I had no idea of the neighborhoods of the city, so booked a cheap hotel right in the Molenbeek district. I ignorantly traipsed around the streets, and took a subway into the downtown area to grab a bite. The beer was the best I have ever had. Getting lost on the subway back was eye-opening and hindsight one of my stupider moments. Let's just say I was shocked that the Paris (and now Brussels) attackers came from there, but not surprised.

These past few days I have stared at the pictures and videos of Brussels and cannot shake the surreal foreboding feeling I had the whole time there. I recognize many of those sites in Molenbeek, and of course, the airport.

I wish I had been able to visit the Belgium you mention, the smaller cities. The "natives" I chatted with in center Brussels were so very cool. I would love to take in a race there. And, while I'm not a hophead, I do usually go for craft beers, but Belgium beer was next-level-up amazing.
Nice to see the posts in response to my thoughts.

I personally know the Paris, the Amsterdam, the Brussels of 1980. I lived in Bavaria with a Germany family for one year in 1980. I spend great amounts of time in Paris (when I had a French girlfriend) I lived and worked in Germany for 5 years in the 80's and travelled to GP after GP all over Europe,,,,, I KNOW what Europe is......!

And to see now what has happened and what is happening just breaks my heart.

RG1
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GB
3/25/2016 11:31am
I'm in Eindhoven now for the GP this weekend, I come here probably twice a year, I love it here. It always amazes me what a wonderful place it is and how friendly the people are. To see the areas around here end up how they have is really really sad

The Shop

flamenco
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Sevilla ES
3/25/2016 11:57am
Julian wrote:
Nice to see the posts in response to my thoughts. I personally know the Paris, the Amsterdam, the Brussels of 1980. I lived in Bavaria with...
Nice to see the posts in response to my thoughts.

I personally know the Paris, the Amsterdam, the Brussels of 1980. I lived in Bavaria with a Germany family for one year in 1980. I spend great amounts of time in Paris (when I had a French girlfriend) I lived and worked in Germany for 5 years in the 80's and travelled to GP after GP all over Europe,,,,, I KNOW what Europe is......!

And to see now what has happened and what is happening just breaks my heart.

Wow. Yes, I could just really get a hint of what you must have seen, and lived, firsthand. Add to that the wonderful GP Moto culture and heritage of the pioneers of the sport.

My nephew will be living in Germany for a year soon, working. I don't know his city yet, but now actually have concerns and will have to do some research.

I'm guessing Molenbeek is not, overall, as "no-go" as some of the Paris suburbs and British areas, but the ambience was menacing enough, Who knows? Maybe I was safe because killing a lone non-Belgium would endanger all the safe-houses I was walking by? Hard to talk about. Grace and peace, and be well Julian.
kzizok
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3/25/2016 12:06pm Edited Date/Time 3/25/2016 12:06pm
OP, I agree. I spent several years going back and forth to Europe (went to college in France) and some of my favorite people were from the areas that you talk about. I think most of us have sympathy for human tragedy in general. However, when you add in personal experiences on top of that (good ones), your heart breaks even more. I have spent a good amount of time in a state that has had many disasters and the effects they yeild can be devasting. I hope for a quick recovery for all that have been impacted by this violence.
Julian
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PL
3/25/2016 12:50pm
The people you see in this video are the types of Belgians targeted at the terrorist attack in Belgium

Note: I hear again and again people (even "professional" media) calling Belgians Belgiums.

Once and for all: The country is BelgiUm. The people are BelgiAn.

Twist1
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EI, NC US
3/25/2016 1:37pm
Damn. Sad to hear. Helps to hear. Tell another tale of back in the day. I'm 55 and DeCoster was mythical when I was a young kid racing. The Europeans. Always so cool, so fast.
500guy
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AZ US
3/25/2016 1:52pm
Met these guy's at Matterley Basin MXdN what a bunch of crazy and fun guy's , We broke the language barrier with Beer ha ha.
I wish them all the best and sincere condolences on this mindless violence.



Twist1
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3/25/2016 2:22pm Edited Date/Time 3/25/2016 2:25pm
Belgium Beer
Belgium Breasts
Suzuki
Full Bore
Long Live Belgium!!!! Redneck Yanks love Belgium! !!!
Long live Belgium! !!!!!!!!
Farkin' Belgian's owned MX, still do!!!!! How is that possible, are their like 8 FrankenMoto families that breast feed on race fuel?
Will never forget moving up to a Suzuki TM125 with Koni shocks. Got me a yellow long-sleeved Suzuki jersey. Fuggin Belgian wannabee ripper!!!!!
motogeezer
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Yorba Linda, CA US
3/25/2016 2:54pm
SCREW THIS!

Let's get back to our Belgian MX heroes.

Twist1
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3/25/2016 3:49pm
Mofo punch me I knock out his tooths.
Joel Robert...DAMN!

Remember ABC Wide World of Sports....THE ONLY way to see MX on TV back in the day. We're the races broadcast in Europe back then? Euro's getting good racing all the time I bet. I had to watch bowling and shit..
KlootZak
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Brussels BE
3/25/2016 4:01pm
For my work I lately travel a lot from Brussels (Zaventem). So I left the airport on Monday (around the same hour of the attack only a day after). Hearing the news only 24 hours later, is just surrealistic. Today I was allowed to pick up my car from the car park and there was a killing silence at the airport. Normally a lot of noise from planes, people, cars, ... and now it was painfully quiet. My colleague had goosebumps through her whole body ... Someone from my work was even there during the attack (and is on the cover on newspaper, luckily she's fine) ...



(you can see the damaged windows from the main lobby)

Fearo
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3/26/2016 1:13am
Thank you for this topic and for your kind words.
GuyB
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Aliso Viejo, CA US
3/26/2016 7:55pm Edited Date/Time 3/26/2016 8:00pm
The moto parts of this thread are good. The rest of it? Not so much. Let's keep it restricted to moto.
500guy
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AZ US
3/26/2016 8:13pm
KlootZak wrote:
For my work I lately travel a lot from Brussels (Zaventem). So I left the airport on Monday (around the same hour of the attack only...
For my work I lately travel a lot from Brussels (Zaventem). So I left the airport on Monday (around the same hour of the attack only a day after). Hearing the news only 24 hours later, is just surrealistic. Today I was allowed to pick up my car from the car park and there was a killing silence at the airport. Normally a lot of noise from planes, people, cars, ... and now it was painfully quiet. My colleague had goosebumps through her whole body ... Someone from my work was even there during the attack (and is on the cover on newspaper, luckily she's fine) ...



(you can see the damaged windows from the main lobby)

The Week following 9-11 , it was almost eerie here too, No planes in the air and not much of anything going on.
Piston Slap
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Stillwater, OK US
3/26/2016 9:41pm
500guy wrote:
The Week following 9-11 , it was almost eerie here too, No planes in the air and not much of anything going on.
I was in Brussels for Christmas 2003. . . the fresh made waffles with chocolate and all the other goodness right off the underground....Amazing.


3/26/2016 10:39pm
500guy wrote:
Met these guy's at Matterley Basin MXdN what a bunch of crazy and fun guy's , We broke the language barrier with Beer ha ha. I...
Met these guy's at Matterley Basin MXdN what a bunch of crazy and fun guy's , We broke the language barrier with Beer ha ha.
I wish them all the best and sincere condolences on this mindless violence.



Haha, this resonates with me! These lads are a crack! Lommel 2012, drank their red wine in a box! Good times!
Deetsmx
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Visalia, CA US
3/27/2016 1:50am
Missed the attacks by a few hours, was scheduled to land in Brussels around 2. First ticket I tried to book would have had me land at the airport 30 minutes prior to the bomb going off, luckily it was full. Been 8 years since I've been back here ( lived in Belgium for 9 years, US the last 28). It's sad to see what has happened to this country and how it has been ruined by socialism. That being said, looking forward to watching Herlings and cairoli in the sand tomorrow.

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