We scrambled to pack at get out by the noon checkout time and to the train station for our 12:45 train to Liege. The first snafu was that the door of the washer/dryer unit in the apartment was locked shut. By design the machine locks the door until the unit cools down but it had been off for almost an hour and the lock would not release. The landlord came in and ended up calling the service number and was told the only way to clear was to run in through the wash cycle. So we decided to get our luggage over to the train station (only a 5 minute walk) and I would run back and grab the (likely wet) clothes. We got over to the train station and decided to take the elevator down to the track level. The small elevator door started to close as I was stepping towards it and Karen valiantly tried to stick her hand to stop the door closing. However this just cause the doors to shut and go into some loop that would not release the elevators or the doors. So Karen and the kids are stuck in a tiny elevator (it has partial glass doors - so I can see them). So at this point I have clothes locked in a washer and my family locked in an elevator. I go to find somebody to help and after 5 minutes - somebody finally shows up to help. He fixes the problem by giving the doors a few hard shoves. That action releases the door and the elevator descends. I wisely take the stairs. Of course my biggest regret is not getting a photo of my wife dripping with sweat trapped inside a tiny train station elevator. After a sprint back to the apartment to grab the clothes now freed from the washer - we boarded the train.
The first leg was a brief trip to Liege - where I purchased essentially a discounted 10-ride pass for the Belgian rail system. When I looked at the ticket - it was apparent you were suppose to fill in details for each trip but the words were in French so was not 100% certain on how to fill it out. When the train conductor approached I asked if she spoke English and could help me understand how to fill out the form. She informed me that I was 'in trouble' as I am required to fill out the form prior to boarding the train. She now had to charge me full-fare or we would have to pay a fine. Great ! A stupid American tax !
After vowing not to eat another belgian waffle as long as I live - we finally arrived at our next destination - Ghent (or Gent). We had a bit of a walk (with all our gear) to our next airbnb but we made it without incident. The Ghent accommodations are much bigger than Maastricht and everybody was happy to have some extra space. We are a 10 minute walk to the heart of downtown and we took a quick stroll down there where the boys (not participating in my boycott) had Belgian waffles after dinner. The downtown is very picturesque with canals and old buildings.
We are excited to explore Belgium and France over the next few days...
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