EL SEGUNDO HERALD January 27, 2022 Page 11
Purrrfect Companions
Travel from page 2
an election in part because no one trusted the
country to go a day without a sitting government.
In 2010, on the other hand, Belgium set
a world record for surviving 541 days with no
government at all—and hardly anyone seemed
to notice. Belgian elections are lively, chaotic
affairs, with three or four strands of political
thought divided regionally into French, Flemish,
and even German versions. For a month or two,
everyone gets excited, posters splash across the
walls, demonstrators fulminate, and the timorous
US State Department issues an advisory.
Then, just as quickly, the citizens get back to
the business of living and ignoring city hall.
The longest-lasting and most successful invasion
of this tiny country took place in 1831 not
on the border, but in an obscure collection of
London drawing rooms. By then, all the crowned
heads of Europe had inter-married, rather than
tainting their blood with the rest of us. So along
with a hemophiliac gene, the European royals
all shared the same irritable German uncle,
Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. If they all
sported unearned crowns, why shouldn’t he?
Eventually, the mighty gave in and—while
barely mentioning it to the locals—awarded the
German-English-speaking-Protestant Leopold
a French-Dutch-speaking-Catholic crown and
the title King of the Belgians.
And this in turn led to a much more serious
invasion, when Leopold’s son, by then King
Leopold II, complained that he’d been left out
of the race for imperial colonies in Africa.
Once again, at the 1884 Berlin Conference, the
European nations gave into Leopold’s grumbles
and awarded him the vast Congo River basin.
This led to one of the bloodiest, most horrific
scandals of colonial mismanagement in history—
so bad, that ten years before the King
died, obese and tired, in bed with his favorite
Bruxelles prostitute, the frustrated Belgian
government took away his prize.
The guilty secret, of course, is that the flood
of money from the Congo turned Bruxelles
into one of the most beautiful capitals in the
world. The usual monuments and palaces are
far less overbearing (and tourist-mobbed) than
other European relics—after all, imperial pretensions
only travel so far in a tiny populace that
treats tax evasion like a second religion. Yet,
Bruxelles sports the greenest park network of
any capital on the planet, with gorgeous spaces
ranging from the geometric Parc Royal and
Grand Sablon to sumptuous Botanical Gardens,
to the leafy sprawls of le Bois de la Cambre
and le Forêt de Soignes.
In 2016, when American journalists arrived
in Bruxelles to cover the terrorist bombings at
Église Sainte-Catherine de Bruxelles: A demon gushes liquid venom
in agony at all our righteousness.
La Rue des Pierres: Le Cracheur spews his opinion of tourists
and officials alike.
Arc du Cinquantenaire: One King’s taste in art, another King’s
penchant for scandal.
Zaventem Airport, they had a serious problem
fitting Belgian chaos into their preconceived
notions of how public life should work. They
described the city as thoroughly misgoverned
and segregated, and even declared our own
neighborhood of sixty years a “no-go zone”
for Caucasians. Every time a protest breaks
out, those same foreign news sources quake
and tremble—even though their own footage
might show bored café goers watching the
excitement from the fringes.
The ancient name Brosella refers to the
swamp along the Senne River with the evil air
that has produced some of the finest beers and
lagers in the world. Today, the swamp might
be filled in and driven underground, but the
notion remains of dragging great things and
great moments out of chaos, one puzzling,
anarchic lunge at a time. We’re guessing this
is why Bruxelles enjoys relatively few visitors,
at least from the US. Americans generally
head to Paris and London for pretensions of
aristocratic grandeur and to Amsterdam to
misbehave amongst the tulips. In Bruxelles,
you have a more subtle and polyglot reflection
of the progress of Europe that has always had
fans crowning it the best-kept secret in Europe.
And like most locals not involved in the tourist
trade, we don’t mind if it stays that way.
Next up: The Earth in the Palm of Your
Hand.
Ben & Glinda Shipley, published writers
and photographers, share their expertise and
experience of their many world travels. If you
have any questions or interest in a particular
subject, please email them at web@heraldpublications.
com. •
apartment complex changed to no-pets policy.
Camila is friendly, inquisitive and loves her
human. She’s talkative when she wants food or
pets. Camila is still young herself and will need
a high energy playmate to keep her company.
She can be adopted with any of her kittens
from the recent litter, Spring, Winter, or to a
home that already has another similar active
young cat who will play with her. Even though
Camila had been a wonderful mom taking care
of her kittens, now that she has been spayed,
it’s time for her to find her forever home and
retire from making more babies.
Do you like big cats? Shamu is a huge
hunk of love that enjoys attention, affection,
and food, but not necessarily in that order. He
is a laid-back boy who is happy to take long
“Time spent with cats is never wasted”
– Sigmund Freud.
When you adopt, you save a life… and in
turn enrich your own.
Minnie is a bit of a diva. She has lots to say
and strong opinions (her sister is Siamese). She
loves cuddles and pets, and purrs instantly when
touched. Despite her diminutive stature, her
cuddle buddy is Jacques-Pierre, another foster
cat in our house who is still a kitten himself,
but quite large. Despite their size difference
(Jacques is about three times Minnie’s size)
they love to wrestle and play together. Minnie
would love to be adopted with Jacques-Pierre
or any other younger cat or older kitten who
would love worshiping her and following her
lead. She is patient with children (so long as
they are worshiping her, preferably with treats)
and is also very independent.
Jacques-Pierre is sweet, shy fellow, whose
big heart is hard to resist. When he is feeling
safe, Jacques-Pierre loves being hugged, pet,
and cuddled. At night, he likes to sleep pressed
against his human. He a submissive cat who
gets along with difficult kitty personalities and
would love to be placed with a confident, even
bossy cat who would love him (or let him
worship them) and tell him what to do. He
is currently taking orders from little Minnie
who is 1/3 his size. He loves caring for her
and will cuddle and groom her several times a
day. They would love to be adopted together.
Ready for a double treat? Orange Juice
(orange tabby) and Creamsicle (buff tabby)
are a bonded pair of teenage brothers. Both
are super sweet, affectionate, and outgoing.
They are also highly energetic and playful.
Bonus feature… they were raised with and
love dogs. This handsome duo is looking for
a safe and loving home together.
Phoebe is a bold, playful charmer. She can
be quite athletic (and immensely entertaining)
as she performs high leaps to catch the “birdie”
at the end of a wand toy, bats a little ball or
goes vertically airborne during a game of chase
with her siblings. Every morning, she is one of
the first kittens to cuddle with her foster mom
in bed. Although Phoebe takes a moment to
warm up, she truly enjoys getting attention
and loving pets from all people, regardless of
whether she knows them. Phoebe has lived
with a dog and an unrelated cat since birth.
She has shown increasing interest in playing
with both as she has gotten older – although
they generally ignore her. She has also enjoyed
playing with several visiting children. Because
Phoebe has a lot of playful energy, she would
do best with a playmate to keep her company
instead of being the only pet in the home.
Camila is an owner-surrendered young
mom who had birthed two litters already at
approximately one year old. Her previous owner
decided to surrender this beautiful girl after his
Orange Juice
Creamsicle
Camila
naps in a soft warm place while he patiently
waits for cuddle time with his human. If you’re
looking for a fur buddy to keep you company
while you watch TV or relax on your couch
after a long day at work, Shamu is your guy!
You are invited to meet this big lovable guy
and see if he is the right fur baby for you.
These cats and kittens are available for adoption
through Kitten Rescue, one of the largest
cat rescue groups in Southern California. All
our kitties are spayed/neutered, microchipped,
tested for FeLV and FIV, dewormed and current
on their vaccinations. For additional information
and to see these or our other kittens and cats,
please check our website www.kittenrescue.org.
Saving one animal won’t change the world, but
the world will surely change for that animal. •
Minnie (left) and Jacques-Pierre
Phoebe
Shamu