Finding The Bright Side of Belgian Public Transportation

Before we left for Brussels, I went on Google Maps and planned out how long it would take to go from home to school, from home to work, from school to work, and from work to the nearest authentic Belgian frites and beer establishment.

This was, of course, pointless, as these things came naturally after the first day or two, and my own little routines could not have been planned out in advance. What I did learn from this planning is that my internship was a long way from both our neighborhood and school- much further than anyone else’s.

Initially, I was frustrated by the distance. Others got off work and commuted 10 minutes home and still had some daylight, while my friend Kristyn and I got off work and had at least a 45-minute journey ahead of us before even thinking about doing homework or having dinner.

We were pretty bitter, not to mention jealous of every car that passed by. Our commute would have been 15 minutes if we just had a car. Public transportation in Belgium is well organized and fairly clean, but it's crowded and time-consuming. We weren’t impressed.

About a week or two into our experience, we were still jealous of those who worked close to home, but we had found some pretty good perks to our public transportation situation. First, there was a bakery in the train station where we switched trains. Second, there was also a grocery store in the train station. I don’t know if I can explain this to someone who isn’t in the situation, but these were like gifts from god.

Halfway through our journey to work, we would get a croissant or a pain au chocolat to eat on our way to work, and halfway through our journey home, we would stop and get a baguette or some butter or whatever struck our particular fancy that day. We treasured these places.

However, the question is: what’s better, public or private transportation? The answer depends on what is important to you. Is, for example, helping the environment more important than comfort and privacy? If your answer is yes, then congratulations! You’re a better person than me.

I love commuting in my car. I used to drive from east Atlanta to west Midtown for my server job in my little Fiat 500, and what you might know about Atlanta is that there is a lot of traffic. My commute was anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. While sometimes I would have rather been anywhere else but stuck in traffic, at least I could turn my music up and talk on the phone and re-route if I wanted. I never had to deal with smelly men who get too close or slimy children who won’t stop screaming. Just peace, quiet, and the open road baby.

When studying abroad and having no car, a great public transportation system with a bakery in the train station is the next best thing, but every time I passed a Fiat, a single tear went down my face, knowing the freedom I was missing.

Our little pastry oasis