TWO COUNTRIES IN A TOWN

In the history, the borders are always interesting. It is an exciting experience to see the lands of another country looking forward from places where barbed wire, rivers, mountains or perhaps only stones are separated. Also, if there is a line and there is nothing to hold you, no one says no such experiment as to set foot in the territories of the two countries. One of the these places is Baarle town which including Netherlands and Belgian borders. This place is that we are searching from the internet as a cafe on the border.

History of the this town is existing before the establishment of the Netherlands and Belgium. During medieval times, landowners agreed on the boundaries of land by making agreements. Several times renewed agreements have been made between the land trade. Years later they plot the borders of the Netherlands and Belgium according to the landowners' landmarks. At the end, the land becomes a part of the Netherlands and Belgium. The part of the Baarle in the Netherlands is called Baarle-Nassau and the other part is called Baarle-Hertog in the Belgium.

As a person who lives in the Netherlands, one day thinking about what to do with my friend, we decided instantly and went to see this town. The first impressions we had showed that it was an ordinary little Dutch town. We started to walk inside of the town and try yo find for that line. When we found the line, we saw that the border was separated by tiles. On the one hand, the NL symbolizes the Dutch, on the other hand the B symbolizes the Belgium. But the thing that amazes us is that when we are walking on the Dutch side, we had no idea how we pass to Belgium side.

From the middle of the houses, half way through the markets, we reach the famous cafe 'Den Engel', while we were following the tiles. Nobody says anything to you if you put table on the border, even if it's borderline in the Netherlands. When we have found this place, we continue to sip the Belgian beers and visit the town. When we move towards the Belgian side, you will see the tobacco-selling shops in turn. Dutch citizens can get a lot cheaper because tax laws are different about tobacco in Belgium. In fact, tobacco is generally sold in half pound or kilo pails. Normal pack-style cigarettes can also be found cheaper.

These differences are not just about tobacco. For example; if a house in Belgium side,it is taxed according to Belgian laws. This is also same for Netherlands part. If the house or shop has an area on either side of the border, the front door will follow the rules of that country and home country which has the flag and door number of that country. According to what we did not see when we traveled but we are searching on the internet, the border crosses a house door. Because of that, this house has Belgium address and also Dutch address. And it has two door numbers and two door rings,too.

In a town that with two names have crossed these borders, we are witnessing how insignificant the borders are and how humans have seen it as so unimportant. When we follow the border lines and say 'Hey, look through the house, dividing the road into two borders', the people are watching us with a slight smile and continuing their way.

We continue to take photos and make jokes in the border between two countries in a town. If you come to Holland, and plan to go to the south part , or you plan on moving to Belgium, I really suggest to you to visit this little town. You can sip a beer in the middle of the two borders, while you are in the Netherlands, you can stretch out from Belgium and hold hand of your love, park your car in the middle of the border, or extend your money in the marketplace from the other country without extra fee. I'm sure everyone can reproduce it with their own creativity. The best feel is that they are just lines and that there is only one step to go through. As one Bosnian proverb says, 'The only obstacle in front of travel is the doorway of the door.

Note: I have also publish this article in steemit as a Turkish version two days ago. I have used some photos and articles. This all article is belong to me.You can see the link below. I hope I didn't have many grammar mistakes and incomprehensibility. Thanks :)

REF: https://steemit.com/tr/@ahmetd/bir-kasaba-iki-ulke