Totally wired for Belgium
We’re both working now and an embryonic daily routine has started. Some kind of normality, albeit a new and fresh one, is creeping into our daily lives. And to function effectively in our daily lives, we need to have a solid grasp of the basics.
Supermarkets
As an Information Designer, I’m used to working with hierarchies. Hierarchies help information consumers to understand the relationships between distinct data.
I learned that, here in Brussels, you can make quick value judgements by applying a hierarchy to compare day-to-day options. All you need is a pencil, a sticky note and a native Belgian:
| Poshness | UK | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| Rolls Royce | Harrods | ? |
| Mercedes Benz | Marks & Spencer, Waitrose | Rob |
| Ford Mondeo | Sainsbury’s, Tesco | Delhaize |
| Nissan Almera | Asda, Somerfield, Morrisons | Match, Champion, GB, Colruyt |
| Austin Allegro | Lidl, Aldi, Netto | Cora, Lidl |
Coming from Britain, possibly one of the most class-conscious nations in the world, these comparisons are helpful!
Plugging in
As daily life in our new country now starts to take shape, we realise that it’s time to make another small break with Britain: electrical plugs.
There’s only so far you can go on a couple of converters bought in the airport lounges of the past!
Belgium uses CEE 7/7 plugs and given that J is a major fan of both electronics and toolbelt DIY, I let her rip on some of our “business critical” connections.
It was pretty much impossible to get information from the Internet about rewiring UK plugs to European formats.
Typically, Wikipedia boasted an overwhelming volume of information about the various international standards, but nothing whatsoever of practical value.
That’s why, if you dear Reader, should need to convert your British plugs to Belgian or French plugs, I have prepared this nice diagram.
It really is as simple as that - just apply the normal wiring to the plug as shown and you’re away.
You shouldn’t need to worry about fuses and that sort of thing, everything worked fine in our tests.
