The Penalty Box

Another adventrure of the two gringos in Belgium...

A lot of our "mishaps" happened within the first 24 hours of arrival. After checking into our "suite" we took a short nap to recharge our batteries and headed out to locate the Label Expo location. One great feature Brussels offers is an extensive public transport system. There is a Metro (aka subway) station within 5 minutes of our hotel and 5 minutes from the expo. We located our departure station and boarded the train hoping we were heading in the correct direction. We watched as we pulled into the first stop and confirmed we were in route towards a transfer station three stops away. When we arrived at Simonis (name of transfer station) we proceeded up the escalator to connect with the next train to the Expo. Upon reaching the top of the stairs we noticed a train approaching. Once it stopped everyone departed the train. So what do the two wise Americans think. "Great, an empty train heading out. I guess EVERYONE on there must have needed to get off here. Lets jump on and get going to the Expo. We've got this train thing figured out". Only problem was thre train proceeded out of the station and came to an abrust stop about 1/4 mile from the station. An anouncement comes over the speakers in french that we think says "end of the line, depart the train". Then the train operator walks by on a catwalk along side and waives at us making a circular gesture. We are starting to ponder our predicament. Should we try to get off and walk the plank or stay put...we aren't moving...this is going to be really embarrasing when we do pull back into the station as the only two on the train...how long are we going to be stuck in the "Penalty box". About two minutes later the train starts back towards the station, the doors open upon arrival and we depart. A few minutes later another train going in the same direction arrives, the passengers stay on, so we jump on as well and depart to our destination. Thankfully we are not the only people that have made this mistake. We watched two girls do the same exact thing yesturday. They realized their mistake almost immediately and their expressions showed it.

Next up "French to Gringo Translation" followed by "The case of the missing Transformer"