Indeed lots of things are expensive here. People who live near France always shop there rather than in Belgium for example. I do not know compared to Germany, but it is probably the same. At least I know that it is for all electronic/photo stuff.

Yesterday, on a trip to the far South of Holland, I was also driving a bit across Belgium.

Surely I've looked around to get confirmations for the prejudices about the Belgian way of driving.
The motorway-ring around Antwerpen is good for that. I've seen some drivers, who were too fast, have overtaken on the right side or have been to close to the car in front. But I must admit, that I was a bit surprised, when I've seen, that the majority of them had yellow license-plates.

A propos licence-plates: I saw a VW Bora from Maroc at the exit to Burgerhout.

Is there any Lancia-fan around? On the motorway, direction Eindhoven, nearby the "Massive"-lamp-factory I've seen a broken down Lancia Delta. Perhaps a bit abandoned. The hazard-triangle was still there, but the front license-plate was gone.


Then I wanted to buy something typical Belgian (and compare the prices to Germany), so I went to the "Carrefour"-market in Turnhout.

@Antoine: a lot of things are f...ing expensive in your country (wine, fruits, meat, deodorants and much more). Sometimes 50% or even 100% more than in Germany.
So I didn't buy Belgian chocolates, mustard or beer. I'll get it cheaper here or in NL.

I but just a few things as gifts for wife and cat at home. But there I've found out, that it wasn't Belgian. The "Chocolat Liegois"-pudding was made in Germany, the rice-vanillapudding "rijstpap" made in Poland and the cat-food made in Liechtenstein.
Belgian was the stuff, which was tasting good, but was stuck as a brick in my stomach later on, two "profiteroles"

But Diesel was cheap, even cheaper than in Holland.

Yes I know, but it still sounds quite nasty. But hey, maybe I'd like it if I'd try it, but we don't have it here in the US. Maybe we'll get it sometime in the future though, then I'll for sure give it a try

Diet Coke with Green-tea-flavour.

Green-tea and Coke?

Just a little question, I had in my head, since just had bought boxes with beverages.
Are there some other countries, where you can get Coca Cola light (European name, Diet Coke in America) with green-tea-taste? We bought one bottle, my wife likes it.

Food or drinks with green-tea-exctract I know from trips to Asia, mainly ice-cream, but Coke light with this taste I cannot remember.

The biggest choice of gas-stations -and the biggest gas-stations in Europe itself, too- you findin Luxemburg, close to the border to Germany.

Isn't that the case for whole Europe?
At least in Belgium it is (I often go to an Esso Express station as it is the cheapest of Brussels and on my way when going back from work)

In Germany BP went out of the market. They were quite common, but ca.2 years ago they made a big deal with the German ARAL-company with selling/swapping a lot of gas stations. The deal was so big, that by the law BP has to give up nearly all stations, with their name to avoid a monopolistic/oligopolistic market-position.
So now ARAL took all former BP-stations and the smaller, older ARAL-stations were sold to the Polish company ORLEN. For a while they put their name on it, but after a few months they got the name "STAR" (but still hold by ORLEN).

The history of the fuel business in Germany is interested, but complicated.

So we don't have EXXON, here they are named ESSO.

Ca.25 years ago TEXACO has left the German market, all of their stations were named DEA. The name DEA was very popular in the pre-war-times and 50ies, but has left the market then. After a few decades they came back...

A propos BP: I've read, that just 5 or 6(!) BP-named stations are left in Germany. One of them you could see, if you have watched the TV about the techno-party "Loveparade 2008"
And in the second house behind that BP-station, there is my office

Yes, I read on the net it used to be three bars. Marmite is sort of the same I think, we have it as well.