SHAPE: A Discovery In NATO Military Services...
By zerrinhosgor - 11/21/2009 04:17:00 AM
After he went for his military service, I planned for a travel to abroad. And I communicated with one of my mother's friend living in Belgium and decided to go and visit them. They live in Mons and when I looked at the city in Google Earth, I saw the SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) near Mons. I was surprised. In the airplane, I met someone and when I told him the place that I will stay -Mons-, he asked me whether they are related with military. Because Mons is remembered with its military base. I hadn’t known about it.
One of the first places that I wanted to go and see was SHAPE of course, when I reached there. Luckily we found a friend in there and the day was came. I wanted to go there insistently, but they didn’t understand why I wanted to go there so much. It was my secret ;) ... It would be really interesting for me. I was in the city that we talked about my fiance’s military service, so I couldn’t miss that opportunity. He was in another place but I were in SHAPE. That’s it! It was really interesting and when I told him about this, I think he will be surprised.
It was a rainy day when we visited the SHAPE. We met with a friend from Turkey and her husband was a soldier there. She showed us the place. Lots of people was talking about the free shop because of its cheapest price, but it wasn’t. And there were Carrefour shopping center, flower shop, shop selling electronic devices, sport center and apartments. I saw lots of soldiers from different countries, but especially I saw many soldiers from Sweden. There were kids cycling, women shopping and teenagers jogging. There were also good opportunities such as sport center, language courses, etc. for families living there. The place wasn’t so good for a tourist but being there was enough for me.
Is there anyone having a SHAPE pass card taken during her travel?;))... I was lucky, because I went Mons and my friends had an acquaintance from SHAPE.
Now the scope of my visit to there took place. Think about it!!! My fiance doesn’t know the city that I stayed during my Belgium travel and of course the city where SHAPE located in. And I showed him my SHAPE pass card while he was making his military service. What can he think about it? There is a card in his hand and writing SHAPE pass card and my photo on it...
It was worth seeing the astonishment on his face.
Mons is a car-dependant city and we reached the city center in 5 minutes by car. Maybe you can think about walking but it is impossible. There are only motorways and if you are far away from the center it is not meaningful. In fact in the street where my house located in you can not see any people too. People come home and go to work by car and they don’t use the streets. They have not a public life in the site that they live.
