Trip to Belgium

[CPBO]

Well it is getting close to my trip to Europe.....I will head to Belgium on Oct 4th.......I am looking forward to some R&R even for a week......I will try to take some pictures of the Buses and Subways.....then I will try and figure out how to post em here....as I never posted any pics here before......

 

So my posts may be down....but it is for a good cause......

 

 

and not to worry Rikers Island is all the drama it use to be......so when I get time I will post a few posts on the nonsense that goes on....

[KNIGHTRIDER3:16]

I want some choc and some pics of hot woman pal I know where you park lol

(H)ave a nice trip :cool:

[Y2Julio]

Enjoy!

[Harry]

Have fun be safe!

[via White Plains Road]

Have a ton of fun and have a safe flight!

[Race Harley]

Enjoy and don't forget to bring back some chocolate! :tup:

[CPBO]

I want some choc and some pics of hot woman pal I know where you park lol

 

I got you buddy.....no worries

[mark1447]

Have fun! Bring some nice shots too :cool: Of the city and its transportation!

[Y2Julio]

I got you buddy.....no worries

 

Bring me back some Stella Artois and more of their fine Belgium beer.:cool:

[CPBO]

Bring me back some Stella Artois and more of their fine Belgium beer.:cool:

 

the way they throw your luggage around these days....it will be some broke Stella Artois.......

[Zman]

I just got back from England and France yesterday after a week of bliss; I was also in Belgium in May. It's great over there.

 

Listen CPBO, you can't call yourself a railfan unless you take a ride on the TGV; there's nothing like riding the rails at 190 mph. In Belgium the TGV is called Thalys and you can be in Paris in 1 hour and 20 minutes, or Amsterdam in three hours. I highly suggest that you take a trip, even if it's just a day trip. I also know a few spots for you to hit in Brussels and Paris, you can PM me if you like.

 

Thalys site: www.thalys.com/be/en

 

Hint: Brussels on the Thalys site may be listed as Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid as all stations are listed in their respective languages (i.e. Köln Hbf is Cologne, Germany).

 

Belgium National Rail: http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/index.php

 

Brussels Buses/Métro/Trams: http://www.stib.be/index.htm?l=en

[Y2Julio]

I just got back from England and France yesterday after a week of bliss; I was also in Belgium in May. It's great over there.

 

Listen CPBO, you can't call yourself a railfan unless you take a ride on the TGV; there's nothing like riding the rails at 190 mph. In Belgium the TGV is called Thalys and you can be in Paris in 1 hour and 20 minutes, or Amsterdam in three hours. I highly suggest that you take a trip, even if it's just a day trip. I also know a few spots for you to hit in Brussels and Paris, you can PM me if you like.

 

Thalys site: www.thalys.com/be/en

 

Hint: Brussels on the Thalys site may be listed as Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid as all stations are listed in their respective languages (i.e. Köln Hbf is Cologne, Germany).

He should take it to Amsterdam. Can you say red light district? :cool:

[Zman]

He should take it to Amsterdam. Can you say red light district? :cool:

 

Naughty, naughty.:cool: We won't even mention how Mary Jane is prevalent over there.

[Y2Julio]

Naughty, naughty.:cool: We won't even mention how Mary Jane is prevalent over there.

 

Funny how early Americans thought Europeans were prude, now we are the prudes. How the world changes.

[CPBO]

I just got back from England and France yesterday after a week of bliss; I was also in Belgium in May. It's great over there.

 

Listen CPBO, you can't call yourself a railfan unless you take a ride on the TGV; there's nothing like riding the rails at 190 mph. In Belgium the TGV is called Thalys and you can be in Paris in 1 hour and 20 minutes, or Amsterdam in three hours. I highly suggest that you take a trip, even if it's just a day trip. I also know a few spots for you to hit in Brussels and Paris, you can PM me if you like.

 

Thalys site: www.thalys.com/be/en

 

Hint: Brussels on the Thalys site may be listed as Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid as all stations are listed in their respective languages (i.e. Köln Hbf is Cologne, Germany).

 

Belgium National Rail: http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/index.php

 

Brussels Buses/Métro/Trams: http://www.stib.be/index.htm?l=en

 

Did you buy the train ticket before u left?

[Zman]

Did you buy the train ticket before u left?

 

Nah. What I usually do is that on the first day of the trip after dropping off my suitcases, I'll stop by at the train station to purchase the ticket. This helps for three reasons:

 

1) Long distance trains in Europe have assigned seating. If you wait too long, the particular interval could sell out

 

2) Tickets purchased at least one day in advance have cheaper fares. The more days in advance, the cheaper the ticket

 

3) You'll know exactly how to get to the train station from your hotel. You'll be doing all of the guessing up front on the first day rather than with time constraints and towing baggage.

 

Right now, one-way fares to Amsterdam range from 43€ to 71€ for advanced purchased tickets in second class (74€ to 108€ in first class) as opposed to 86€ (135€ first class) for unrestricted tickets.

 

The biggest piece of advice that I can give you is this: When you arrive in Brussels, DO NOT GO TO SLEEP!!! After the overnight flight you might be tired, especially if you're not able to sleep well on the flight. If you take a nap in the hotel, you'll be totally screwed for the entire trip; you'll be waking up at 1-2 pm every day as your body will stay on New York time. When you get to Belgium, check in to the hotel, throw your bags down, wet your face, leave immediately and sightsee. When the sun goes down after 8 pm, your body will start to crash, turn off the lights at 10 pm and you'll sleep like a baby until the sun rises just before 8 am. Then you'll be on European time and there'll be no jet lag.

[RokuSix]

Have fun, CPBO! Bring back lots of souvenirs.

[CPBO]

Nah. What I usually do is that on the first day of the trip after dropping off my suitcases, I'll stop by at the train station to purchase the ticket. This helps for three reasons:

 

1) Long distance trains in Europe have assigned seating. If you wait too long, the particular interval could sell out

 

2) Tickets purchased at least one day in advance have cheaper fares. The more days in advance, the cheaper the ticket

 

3) You'll know exactly how to get to the train station from your hotel. You'll be doing all of the guessing up front on the first day rather than with time constraints and towing baggage.

 

Right now, one-way fares to Amsterdam range from 43€ to 71€ for advanced purchased tickets in second class (74€ to 108€ in first class) as opposed to 86€ (135€ first class) for unrestricted tickets.

 

The biggest piece of advice that I can give you is this: When you arrive in Brussels, DO NOT GO TO SLEEP!!! After the overnight flight you might be tired, especially if you're not able to sleep well on the flight. If you take a nap in the hotel, you'll be totally screwed for the entire trip; you'll be waking up at 1-2 pm every day as your body will stay on New York time. When you get to Belgium, check in to the hotel, throw your bags down, wet your face, leave immediately and sightsee. When the sun goes down after 8 pm, your body will start to crash, turn off the lights at 10 pm and you'll sleep like a baby until the sun rises just before 8 am. Then you'll be on European time and there'll be no jet lag.

 

 

Thank you for the advice......yae the whole time change thing sucks.....but such is life......I looked at traveling on this train about a month ago....but you have confirmed my trip on it...... I am ssssoooo looking forward to going on this trip.....I love to travel in Europe.

 

One other quick question.....when did you exchange your money??

 

Have fun, CPBO! Bring back lots of souvenirs.

 

Thanks Rokusix......

[Zman]

What I do is that I'll go to a local bank here in NYC (i.e. Chase, Citibank, etc.) and exchange 100 € to have in my pocket so that I don't have to go running around the airport like a chicken without a head to get some bread. You often get a better exchange rate if you are an account holder with that bank.

 

Then all you have to do while you're in Europe is go to any ATM and make a cash withdrawal out of your checking account. Note that in order to do this your PIN must be only 4 numbers long. Any more or any less and your transaction will be denied; you can easily change your PIN (if necessary) while you're still here in NYC. This is the easiest way to get cash, plus you often get the best exchange rate this way. Also, you won't encur any withdrawal fees for making a cash withdrawal at a non-member bank (of course your local bank could hit you with a fee, just like when you make a cash withdrawal at a different ATM here in the US.)

 

Avoid Bureau de Change joints, especially at the airports or in tourist areas. They'll absolutely rape you.

 

One more thing about the train trip. Go to http://www.thalys.com/be/en whenever you get a chance, that is the official Thalys website. You can buy your tickets right on the site and pick them up at the train station; you can also print your tickets online, but don't do that. Print it at the station and have a nice souvenir since you keep the ticket when you're finished. You don't lose any of your rights (refund and exchange details will be the same unless specifically noted when you choose the fare, and you definitely will see the restrictions [if any]), and fares purchased on the internet can be cheaper than buying them at the train station. Check it out.

 

Just remember that before you board, you need to get your ticket stamped at the machines which are located at the entrances to the platforms. You'll see the signs which say "Compostez votre billet ici". Stick your ticket in and it'll print the time and date on the ticket which will cancel out the ticket the same way an LIRR Conductor punches your ticket.