Belgium Weekender 1

I was looking at the map in the corner of the street. The good news is that it is in three languages, and the bad news is that none of the three is English! It is not just the map, but most of the pointers, train timings, announcements are non-English. As long as it is not English, whether it is in three languages or ten, it doesn't make much difference :)

I am in Brussels, capital of the Kingdom of Belgium. I am doing many things first time in my life. This is the first country I am visiting which:

-doesn't have English as one of the official languages
-have driving on the right side of the road( on safer side I look at both side before crossing, wherever I cross); and
-was never a British colony ( and so, casual in office daily, and all non British ways which are again new to me)

It was a peaceful flight till Frankfurt where I had to leave my pickle bottles at one of the security checks because no bottles allowed in hand baggage having more than 100gm contents. The airport people spoke English, but most of the traveller's didn't. Again, the airport was big enough (much bigger than the other hubs I have seen, Dubai or Singapore) that I was walking a lot inside through no-activity areas, which was the right way to the gates, but it looks like I am walking to Brussels :))!

Landing in Brussels, my walk started straightaway. I was just wondering why someone should make such a huge airport to leave it so vacant, just to make sure that anyone landing there will walk 1km for baggage claim and another 500m for the 'uitgang', I mean the Exit!

I had trusted all taxis abroad so much, and this short guy exploited it well. For a charge of €22,00, he made it €25,00 with tip, and then vanished with €30,00 for dropping me in his jet black Mercedes so professionally!!!

I checked in to my apartment, I am fourth person in that two bedroom flat. It was spacious except for funny observations. In the place where we have a shoe rack - just as you enter - lies in the only wardrobe of the apartment!

I had landed on a Sunday, and shops including supermarkets will be open on Sunday!

I am staying in Everé, a suburb of Brussels (which means around 8kms from the centre of the city) and have to travel further another 20kms to reach the office. Going to office means, 15mins brisk walk to Everé station, catch a train to Halle (peak frequency is 3 trains per hour!), 35 mins train travel (it stops at a station and changes its direction and all - so much drama), and at last a 25 mins walk to office (I would be mostly be sleepy getting down after that slow train and so no brisk walk). So if I start at 7:40 and everything goes fine, I will swipe the card registering my entry at the gates at 8:58.

The best thing in the journey is the green part of the walk; and with the temperature also in tolerable limits (without a sweater), the walks are pretty refreshing. The walk from Halle is through a riverside for 300m, with houses on one side and trees on the other.

So my normal day starts around 6:30 and it will be 8 by the time I come back home if I get out at 6 from office. The days are longer now, the Sun sets only after 9.

Just waiting for the first weekend to come, many more things to do during my 6 weeks - commune reporting and getting the white card, changing my traveller’s cheques (normal commission ranges from 3 to 5 %) etc.

Let me take a week and will explain what they are.