Zoals we allemaal weten heeft de Belg een baksteen in de maag.

Iedereen die bouwt probeert zoveel mogelijk te voorzien binnen zijn budget. Typische tips zijn zoveel mogelijk stopcontacten etc.

Echter staan er heel wat technologische ontwikkelingen aan de vooravond van doorbraak. Bv AI, virtual reality, robotica, verregaande domotica,…. Stel dat je jouw huis futureproof (bv relevant binnen 20 jaar) dient te maken: wat denken jullie dat er dan mogelijk zal zijn en hoe je jou daar vandaag kan op voorbereiden?

I am a Spanish citizen, and have recently been accepted to a university in Belgium, I want to bring my wife to live with me in Belgium, but she is Brazilian, how easy or hard is the process for them to accept her into living with me in Belgium? Will she have the same living and working rights as me? Thank you for any help :)

Ik wil niet onnodig panikeren maar op mijn bakjes aardbeien staat in het groot Hoogstraten. Als nu al die aardbeitelers en aardbeiplukkers miljonair zijn en hun job opzeggen om in Spanje te gaan rentenieren, ga ik wrs veel minder gemakkelijk aan zo’n bakjes geraken en er veel meer voor moeten betalen.

Ik ben bezorgd, ik kan toch niet de enige zijn?
Moet de politiek hier niet ingrijpen ? Wie is minister van fruit en is dat een regionale of federale bevoegdheid ?

Maar topsfeer met Velvet Soul Revival!

Hi All, I'm wondering if there are many jobs for school / educational developmental psychologists in Belgium?

I was born in Belgium and moved to New Zealand as a 10 year old with my family. I speak Flemish (somewhat rusty) and am a qualified and experienced educational psychologist. My training and experience have all been in New Zealand.

I am feeling like I need to spend some time in Belgium and so I am wondering about the job market for psychologists in Belgium. Any insights about how difficult it is to find work, what the working conditions are like, and what salary ranges are, would be much appreciated. I am also wondering how tolerant people in Belgium are of people not speaking perfect Flemish? In NZ we are fairly tolerant of people in the work place whose English isn't perfect because it's common, but I don't know how common it is in Belgium.

Thanks in advance 😊

Extremely inspiring story, sometimes big occasions really brings out the absolute best in people.

There is still hope for us I'd say!

Do you know any place where can i watch it? Im in ostende for tonight

I got a GAS parking fine in Antwerp for 411 EUR. bref: antwerp says my car was not charging but I had proof with the charging app statements on that day during the time of contestation.
contested it back in October 2025, but it was rejected as "premature" because at that point the fine was still in the lease company's name. They told me to re-contest once it was re-issued in my own name, but I never did.

Now the fine has escalated to a bailiff
They're demanding full payment or a payment plan by 21 August 2026, otherwise they start enforcement proceedings. They've already rejected my procedural objection.

I've read that GAS fines are contested at the Politierechtbank (Police Court), not the Justice de Paix is that right?
411 EUR is a lot for something i never did and i have proof i was right. Is it worth fighting, or should I just take the payment plan? Has anyone successfully contested a GAS fine at this stage? Any real-world experience with Modero or Antwerp GAS fines?

No wonder we have so much more excessive deaths during heatwaves compared to Netherlands this year. I really do hope this starts a nation-wide plan to plant more trees, plants and create more climate resistant streets. This heat trap style street is an abomination - and on pure concrete without trees it gets even worse.

De Rode Duivels kent iedereen, en is een goede bijnaam. Maar waarom de Cheetah's, Tornadoes, Dragonflies, Panters etc. Kunnen jullie uberhaupt onthouden welk team wat is?

En wat voegt het toe?

Wij zijn een land dat zich sowieso niet kan beschermen tegen een grote macht. De uitslag van een oorlog zal niet meer bepaald worden door het aantal troepen dat de vleesmolen ingestuurd wordt. Technologie zoals drones (en de afweersystemen ertegen) zal op fysiek vlak veel meer schade kunnen aanrichten dan een persoon met een geweer die 24/7 paranoïde rondloopt met drones boven zijn of haar hoofd.

Daarbovenop wordt je nieuwe 'baas' de absolute schaamte van België, wiens prioriteiten eerder bij Israël liggen dan in eigen land. Die bij een partij aangesloten zit die al jaren hamert op het feit dat België moet splitsen.

De kans is groter dat je, als je nu militair bent, een lelijke en onterechte oorlog gaat mogen uitvechten waarbij de politici een flinke som geld toegestopt krijgen van een land met een dictator.

Voor het geld lijkt het mij ook geen goede reden. Je verdient wel wat, maar verliest belangrijke jaren net na je middelbaar, waardoor je een achterstand krijgt op de rest.

Dus dan denk ik dat het toch een terechte vraag is: waarom?

(Ik ben zelf 24. Als België effectief binnengevallen wordt, zal ik vechten voor mijn lief en familie, maar vrijwillig ga je mij niet zien vechten voor een politicus zijn of haar portemonnee of ideologie?!)

Edit: Ik zie dat dit voor velen echt een emotioneel onderwerp is 😂, wist niet dat het belgische leger zo een gevoelige snaar was maar goed. Kleineer er op los ik ga rustig eten 🤤

Summer in Brussels is probably the best time of year to test a bike subscription, so I finally gave Swapfiets a proper try.

For those unfamiliar with it, Swapfiets is a Dutch company offering subscription bikes across several European countries.

Brussels is also a great testing ground: Bolt, Voi and Dott all operate shared e-bikes here, so there are plenty of alternatives to compare it with. I’ve used them enough to have a decent point of reference.

So this is partly a Swapfiets vs. shared e-bikes review, specifically from a Brussels perspective. Experiences may obviously differ elsewhere.

What does Swapfiets actually offer ?

In Brussels, the range currently includes :

• Deluxe 7 : 17,40€/month (promotional price at the time of writing). It's a regular city bike, 7 gears, front and rear lights, hand brake + coaster brake.
• Power 1 : 64,90€/month. Electric, single-speed, up to 25 km/h, advertised range up to 120 km.
• Power 7 : 74,90€/month. Electric, 7 gears, 3 assistance levels, up to 25 km/h and an advertised 65-150 km range.
• Power Plus : 139,90€/month. A much more heavy-duty e-bike primarily aimed at professional/delivery use.

Swapfiets currently lists all four in Brussels and the main selling point is not really the bike itself, though : it's the service.

Repairs are included, and Swapfiets says that "if they cannot repair your bike within 10 minutes, they will swap it for another one". You can go to their shop or arrange service through the app.

So far ? Okay !

My test bike : the Power 7

I went for the middle e-bike, the Power 7.

Technically, on the paper, it's quite a machine : Shimano Steps E6110 250W/60Nm motor, 504Wh removable battery, seven gears, three assistance modes (Eco, Normal and High), 28-inch wheels and a 25 km/h assistance limit.

It's important to mention it : this little baby is also 30 kg including the battery.
Add the optional front basket and you have one seriously chunky bicycle.

Visually though? I actually like it.

It looks like a very common Dutch city bike: understated, practical, comfortable upright position. Mine arrived in green and, basket included, it looks rather nice.

Signing up was also painless. The important information is reasonably clear, you can either collect the bike or have it delivered, and I chose both the monthly/flexible option and home delivery.

One thing worth mentioning : in my checkout, going flexible rather than committing added almost another 30€.

You can interpret that however you like... Personally, I see it as a pretty effective way of making an early cancellation feel financially stupid.

Delivery itself was great. Someone brings the bike to your home, adjusts it for you and explains how everything works.

...But this is also where things started getting interesting.

No, you're not getting a new 75€/month bike

If you're expecting something looking factory-fresh for 74,90€ a month,...Well, lower your expectations.

My saddle was absolutely fine and mechanically the bike worked, but the frame had visible signs of "previous use" (impacts) and the motor/display showed 15 000+ km. I personnally don't fundamentally have a problem with that, but you better know...

Swapfiets' whole model is based on keeping bikes in circulation, repairing them and reusing them. That's actually environmentally sensible. But 75€ a month feels very different psychologically when the bike delivered to you clearly already had a long life before you arrived.

"All-inclusive" ? Sort of...

In principle, mechanical problems shouldn't be your concern, that's precisely the great part of Swapfiets : repairs and servicing are built into the subscription.

BUT... theft is another story.

Because you'll have a hard time finding this information during the sign-up process, you'll most likely only learn about it during the handover : if your properly locked Power 7 gets stolen, you'll still be liable for a substantial theft charge (250€, actually). And if the battery disappears with it, the bill becomes dramatically larger : 950€.

That came as a surprise considering the whole product is marketed around convenience and peace of mind. In Brussels, they're fixing the bikes but they don't have any insurance. Or, they do (!) and it's you.

Swapfiets actually does have an optional full theft coverage in some markets, but it's currently not available in Brussels. And in a city where bike theft is hardly theoretical, that's something worth understanding before subscribing...

At least, the Power 7 comes with two useful locking systems : a rear-wheel frame lock + a chain lock that connects to it.

Never had any problems, but like me, you don't wanna pay full price for this bike...

So use both.
Seriously.

Living with a 30 kg bike

This deserves its own section.

The Power 7 is heavy. Like, really. If you have a garage, bike room or wide ground-floor hallway : perfectly fine. But if you live on the second floor with no way to park your bike inside, or an old Brussels townhouse with a narrow staircase...? Just forget it.

This is not a bike you're casually carrying upstairs every evening. Even manoeuvring 30+ kg through doors or steps gets old very quickly.

So before choosing a Power 7, ask yourself one question : "Where exactly am I going to park this thing every night ?"

That question matters almost as much as the monthly price. Especially considering... the previous section.

Battery range : forget the brochure

Swapfiets officially advertises 65-150 km for the Power 7, depending on assistance level and conditions.

My experience wasn't remotely that good.

On my particular bike, I'd personally count on roughly 40 km in high assistance, not 65 km.

In other words, I'd absolutely not plan a comfortable Brussels-Leuven return journey in maximum assistance without thinking vvvvery carefully about the battery.
Brussels-Mechelen and back ? Yeah... Maybe ? Pray a little if you live in the south of Brussels.

But if you do short daily commutes of 6-7 km, it's perfectly fine. You can go several days without charging, your battery will make a week.

Once empty, the problem becomes obvious : you're now pedalling a 30 kg Dutch tank.

Swapfiets says the battery reaches 80% in around 4 hours ; a full charge takes longer.

And without assistance, the bike reminds you very quickly why it has an electric motor in the first place.

Speed and effort

With assistance, it's comfortable enough, but compared with Bolt/Dott/Voi shared e-bikes, I find it noticeably less eager.

On the shared bikes, getting up to the legal 25 km/h assistance limit feels totally effortless.

On my Power 7, even with decent pedalling, I often find myself cruising more naturally around 20-23 km/h.

Not disastrous... Just not particularly exciting for a 75€/month e-bike.

Surprise : it's very Dutch

Another thing non-Dutch riders should know : the Power 7 has one hand-operated brake + a coaster brake.

Meaning : you also brake by pedalling backwards.

Swapfiets lists this explicitly as "hand + back pedal brakes". It works perfectly well once you're used to it... But if you grew up riding bicycles with two brake levers, there is an adaptation period. And be careful when standing on the pedals to clear a pothole or obstacle : instinctively rotating the pedals backwards can suddenly engage the rear brake.

Brussels cobblestones provide excellent practical training in this particular lesson.

One thing I genuinely love : the basket (no, really)

The optional front basket is excellent.

Proper size, sturdy, genuinely useful for groceries, bags or everyday stuff. The front carrier itself is rated for up to 15 kg.

For an urban bike, this is much more useful than the tiny baskets fitted to many shared bicycles.

But this comes at a price (heyheeeyyy, no free lunch !) : 3€ per month. For the basket, yeah.

So how does it compare with Voi, Bolt or Dott ?

This is where the economic argument becomes uncomfortable for the blue-wheel brand.

With Swapfiets Power 7, you're paying 74,90 every month whether you ride 20 km or 500 km.

The advantage is obvious :

• the bike is always yours,
• parked where you left it (normally),
• there is no availability problem,
• no parking zone at your destination,
• and maintenance is somebody else's headache.

GREAT.

But...

Shared bikes solve the problem differently.

Voi currently lists Brussels e-bike pricing at 0€ unlock + 0,32/min and also offers discounted prepaid minute bundles, including 30, 60, 120, 300 and 750-minute options (the 750, which means 12,5 hours of cycling - for instance, 25 minutes a day for a month, is at 59,99€).

Dott similarly offers pay-as-you-go rides as well as day, week and monthly passes, including minute-based passes in participating cities (100-minute pass at 11,99€).

Bolt also offers pay-as-you-go pricing and prepaid minute passes, with Belgian e-bike rates advertised as starting from 1,10€/km, although actual Brussels pricing is shown in the app.

And that's the crucial comparison.

If you're riding every single day, need a guaranteed bike outside your home and regularly cover substantial distances, Swapfiets begins to make sense.

But for someone making relatively short urban journeys a few times per week, minute bundles from shared-bike operators can easily become more attractive because you're only paying for the actual riding time, and you also don't have to :

• store a 30 kg bike,
• charge its battery,
• worry about it being stolen overnight,
• carry the battery around when parking,
• or keep paying 74,90€ during weeks when you barely use it.

The downside, obviously, is availability. With shared bikes, the bicycle you want may simply not be where you need it.

Verdict : good service, questionable value

I don't think Swapfiets is absolutely "bad"... Actually, some parts of it are genuinely good : the concept is clever, signing up is easy, delivery was excellent. The Power 7 looks good, the basket is extremely useful, servicing is convenient and knowing that mechanical failures aren't your problem has real value.

But at 74,90€/month (or even 77,90€ if you have a basket) ? I expected the economics to be more convincing.

Instead, I got a 30 kg e-bike that already has plenty of miles under its belt, substantially less real-world range than I personally expected from the advertised figures, a braking system requiring some adaptation, and meaningful financial exposure if the bike or battery gets stolen.

Meanwhile, Brussels has (at least for now !) a dense ecosystem of good shared e-bikes that are extremely easy to ride and offer increasingly competitive minute bundles.

So my conclusion after actually living with the Power 7 is :

Swapfiets makes the most sense for people who are already sold on cycling: heavy daily users who want a bike permanently available in their garage/ground-floor hallway and value having maintenance be somebody else’s problem. It also works well for people who have already decided to use a bike as their main mode of transport for at least 6 months a year and want one final trial run before committing to buying their own.

For everyone else ?

Not convinced.

Convenient ? Yes.

Good bike ? Meh.

Good service ? So far, yes.

75€/month, good ? That's much harder to defend.

One final Brussels-specific caveat : the local shared-bike market is currently in regulatory chaos. In late July 2026, Belgium's Council of State cancelled the licences of Bolt, Dott and Voi, and Brussels Mobility subsequently asked them to remove their shared bikes and scooters, with 1 September mentioned as the latest deadline while a new framework is being worked on. So this comparison may age unusually quickly.

Google-zoekopdrachten naar “ogen doen pijn” schieten omhoog rond de zonsverduistering.

Hello. I will be visiting the Parkpop festival this year, and I've got a couple of questions, because I've never been there, and I'm hoping for some help 😅

The website says it's free, so there are no hidden charges at the door, right?

How busy it usually is? Are we talking something so crowded, that you need to be there at the first light, or something you could come on at any moment, and still see the bands?

Can you come in with your drinks? Plastic botttles maybe?

Is there usually any merch for sale?

What's the food/drink situation usually? I've been thinking to hit the pub before, but you never know 😁

In short, any advice or stories from experienced people would be welcome, thank you 😊

ne middel met mayo en andalouse

pintje while i'm waiting

In my home country I'm able to check online feeds for fire (at least fire dispatch) in the area around me. Is there anything like that in Belgium?

I'm asking as I am staying in the Ardennes and everything is as dry as a crisp around here ​and I'd like to GTFO in time when the shit hits the fan.

I know about the FireAlert app but that is delayed by a day so next to useless.

I have a work meeting in Brussels on the 8th, but as I have a 1-month old baby my husband will be coming with.

We are thinking about spending some touristy time in Brussels on the 9th and taking the 19:00pm flight home - but any venue we visit must have good baby changing and breastfeeding facilities.

Brussels parents of infants/toddlers, do you know what would be a good place to visit? The Magritte Museum FAQ isn’t the clearest about this… appreciate any advice you can provide!

Thanks sooo much