Mons was the city where my travel started and I stayed during my trip to Belgium.
When I first arrived to Mons, I felt a little bit confused. Because there were a few people around and I couldn’t see people strolling in the street. In addition to that, the house that I stayed was far away from the city center and there were no public transportation there. So, first day of my travel, I asked to myself “what will I do here, how will I reach to destinations?”... I was lucky because the family I stayed with was really helpful to me. They provide lots of opportunities for me to reach the other cities and destinations, but I need to tell that if you plan or want to go there, try to stay a place in city center or near the train station.
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| Mons |
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. |
| Mons - Housing properties |
One evening we went out and walked to the my host’s daughter's house and we hadn’t came across anybody. It was really interesting for me who live in a crowded metropolitan city.
Anyway, if we talk about the real city, we should mention about the city center and the lives in it. Mons is a green city. There are lots of trees in the streets and the houses have their own gardens and there are also some big parks. The city center is really different from the other sides of the city. |
| Mons city center |
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| Cobblestone streets |
There were some traditional narrow streets covered by cobblestones and a big city plaza and this side was really alive. But when you go down to the border of the center you face with different features. You can see that the city hadn’t extended from the city center.
There is a motorway surronding the center. It seems like the new houses had been scattered in different areas far from the center. There is no connection between center and peripherial sites.
After I saw the place that I stayed, I hadn’t expected to see such a beautiful center. The “grande place” was big and full of historic buildings. There were a big public space in the center. People were sitting in the street cafes and there was a flower bazaar in the center.
Mons town hall was the most attractive building in the city center. On its facade, the monkey of the Great Guard remains a mystery to this day. This animal is now a symbol of the town. If you stroke its head with the left hand, you will find happiness for at least a year.
There are also some water features designed for people's attractions. Here was attractive center for inhabitants and tourists. There are also some pedestrian streets without cars and these streets are used by inhabitants for their daily activities such as shopping, strolling, travels between home and work or school.
You can easily get involved into the real life that continues in the town. Because when you see some people after seeing empty streets, you start to live with them easily and automatically. I think the time that I went there made me feel like that. Because there were no tourists and I saw the real life sustaining in there in that period.
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| Mons town hall |
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| Grande place - water features |
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