MY FIRST TRAIN RIDE IN BELGIUM ALONE

I just like to share about my first train ride in Belgium alone.

I would like to share about it because I hope it helps others and I just had a laugh about it.

Actually, there were only two other people in the train.

I was about to go out of the train. For other trains, there are usually so many people and I felt the train door opens automatically. Then, I go together with the rest of the pack.

This time, I was the only one going out. I stare at the door and wait for the door to open.... and it does not!

There were instructions but of course, all the words were in Dutch! (so this is how it feels to be illiterate!)

So I went back to the train coach and asked help from the person there and asked which button to push!

It should be the GREEN button!!! (I was actually confused earlier!)

Now looking at the picture, I can see that GREEN means OPEN.

While the YELLOW button means CLOSE as per the diagram.

But at that time, I did not see that! So there was just a tinge of panic since I heard the door closes in a few minutes and I guess that blinded me!

Well, seems like a simple problem but I actually was also amused! 

So, I just wanted to share you this story!

Can you relate ?

LEUVEN STATION 2015

My visiting fellowship was at the Universitaire Gasthuisberg Leuven, Belgium but I was booked in Brussels so I have to go through Leuven Station daily... a stark contrast from Vilvoorde Station.

 

From Wikipedia: 

Leuven is the main railway station in the Belgian city of Leuven, in Flemish Brabant. The station is operated by the national railway company NMBS and is located on railway line 36.

In 2007 it was the fifth busiest station in Belgium, only preceded by the three main Brussels stations and Gent-Sint-Pieters railway station.

The station recently underwent extensive and costly renovations lasting several years. The station square houses a major bus terminal as well as extensive bicycle parking and car parking. The station includes a tunnel which passes underneath the station for pedestrians as well as an overhead bridge with elevators. The station is fully accessible for wheelchairs.

AT NIGHT:

If in case, it is already 10 p.m., the station closes and these were my learnings:

1) Go out of the station office since they close the doors. I wanted to go in to buy a ticket through the counter and I later found out, there were a few people who just got out of the station ticket office since they were locked in there for a while.

2) You can only get a ticket through the ticket machine. Since it needed their credit card plus I wasn't sure of it was in Dutch, then that was definitely a problem. Fortunately, there was a young lady who obliged to get my money and she would be the one to get the thicket from the machine.

From the Rail Station, I had to ride the bus to UZ Leuven.
The bus station is just beside the rail station.

The bus station 

The buses as they pass by UZ Leuven

The bus schedules at UZ Leuven: I usually take the Bus 600 and Bus 316 to Leuven Station

Inside the bus

The view of UZ Leuven from the bus just before entering the Hospital Complex. 

Leuven Station is a safe and modern rail station.

Leuven is a beautiful and historical place!