MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT (Irish)

Today I received this from a friend who works in Dublin. 

Ireland is suffering much from this Global Crisis. Some experts forecast (minus) -4% Growth for this year. The issue is that it is a country that is not used to this kind of situation, and a whole generation has known anything but growth and wealth. 

Anyway, this video is dedicated to the Irish Ministry of Transport. But I hope other Minitries learn form it. 

I am seriourly thinking of creating a "home-made" documentary about registration of foreigners in the Schaerbeek Commune, but I need more time for it. 

Enjoy the music!

METRO AT PEAK TIME

As I said before, I feel so happy that I do not need to take the metro in Brussels to go to work everyday.

Once upon I time....I decided to take it! like today.

8:45am
This is the picture of the Metro in MONTGOMERY, and I was going towards the centre:
(click on the image to make it bigger)

As you can see above, there were 9 minutes difference between the previous and next metro.

YES 9 MINUTES!!!!!!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT 9 MINUTES WAITING FOR THE METRO IN PEAK TIME, IN THE CAPITAL OF EUROPE!!!


I tried to make a picture of people inside the metro, but I couldn't move, and I almost couldn't breath. I was lucky enough to find a spot and get in. Not everyone could!!!!

In these conditions, how can authorities dare to encourage people to use public transport to go to work!!!!!!

I think that if I had to travel in the metro every day in those conditions I would never pay my tiket.

Below is the picture when I got off, the line in the other sense (outwards from the centre). It looked a bit better with maximum 4 minutes delay between metros.

CHARLEROI AIRPORT - Aéroport de Charleroi Bruxelles - Sud !

Welcome to Brussels South Charleroi Airport.

That is what you read when you arrive for the first time in this small airport located 60km far away from Brussels. This distance can be a small one if we think of big capitals (London, Paris, etc). But in Belgium 60km is a big deal. Actually, if you drive double that distance, you will probably have crossed the whole country.

Being Brussels the Capital of the European Union, you would expect it to have superb connections to its airports. Well, let's be clear. Connections with public transport to the ZAVENTEM Airport are OK; however, connections to Charleroi Airport could not be worse. Only one bus every 45 MINUTES!!!!!.

Despite of the outrageous trip fare (13 euro), the buses sometimes are so full of people that you have to wait the next one, or take a taxi to Charleroi Airport (150 euro approx.) since you have no other choice to get there.

Last month, a friend booked a flight to arrive in Charleroi. His flight was scheduled early in the morning (something like 6:30 am). When the plane arrived to the sky of Belgium, everything looked grey. Yes, grey because of the intense fog that covered the country those days.

The thing is that The Brussels South Airport is not equipped with special anti-fog RADAR systems. In other words. When the weather is foggy, bye bye Charleroi Airport. It is in fact unusable under those weather conditions.

The plane of my friend remained in the sky of Charleroi turning around during almost two hours, waiting for the sky to clear up. Since they were running out of fuel, they were forced to land in the Liege Airport (I call it aerodrome). After that, a Bus took one hour and a half to go there and pick everybody up and bring them to ....Charleroi!!!!!!

I think my friend lost one whole day....he woke up 4:30am to arrive in Brussels at 5:30pm. That was indeed a long day for him.