The ATOMIUM....Built for the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels, the Atomium was only supposed to be around for six months. It's done a little bit better than that. And, it rivals Mannekin Pis as the landmark most recognized in Belguim by any tourist who's heard of the country. The 335 foot monument (108 meters) was designed by architect André Waterkeyn to represent an iron crystal, only magnified 165 billion times. Most people come to the Atomium to go inside it. I, however, went to it to dance badly in front of it.

A relative sent me a website that he thought I'd enjoy. "Where the Hell is Matt" featured Matt Harding dancing around the world at famous landmarks. I'd been to a lot of them so I was intrigued (Sossusvlei, the Great Wall, the Galapagos Islands, Luang Prabang, and Machu Picchu). But, I was also jealous. (Antarctica, Easter Island, Micronesia and New Zealand!) The full list was much longer than that. I was quite impressed and wrote to him about it.

And, Matt wrote back in a group emailing telling about his visit to Belgium. The focus of his videos in the past had been Matt and the monuments. On the upcoming video, he was more interested in people from around the world. So, I was invited to dance badly with him in Brussels. Of course, I went. There were about 40 people who came to the event. It took a while to set up, but the actual six or seven takes were easy and fun.

After the filming, Matt was so gracious. He wanted to make sure that everyone attending was glad they came. He posed for photographs, signed autographs, and danced with anyone who had a video camera. I was so impressed. I had a good talk with him too. Longer than most, but not long enough. I explained how his site came my way. So, he asked, "How many countries have you been to?" When I said seventy-five, much to my surprise, he said that it was more than him. He was up to sixty-three. Of course, I knew in about a year he would be well past my total. But, it was nice to have a higher number for the moment. Matt and Melissa said that nobody ever gave them presents before. But, in Brussels, they had three gifts. Somebody gave them Belgian beer. Another person gave them Belgian chocolate. And I made them badges that read, "Where the Hell is Belgium?"

MARTIN

to learn more about Matt go to www.wherethehellismatt.com

MARTIN