Tag: car
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Getting skin in the commuting game
Further to my last missive, I finally succeeded in biking to/from work. Although (much like Finn learning to ride his bike without stabilizers) I didn’t really have much choice, as my car is in for repair. The windscreen wipers stopped wiping, opting to emit a burning plastic smell instead, and when I took it to the garage on Wednesday they noticed that the shock absorbers were shot (that would explain the clunking every time I take a speed-bump, then) and also needed replacing, and announced that I wouldn’t get my car back until Friday. So having cycled from the garage to… Read more
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No, really, they are are out to get me…
My car sprang a fairly serious oil leak (to the point where it was getting through oil faster than petrol, and I was leaving a trail all down the road). I’d noticed the oil light flashing on and off when I drove into work on Friday morning. So I topped it up with a gallon of Esso Superlube (company man to the last!) before I left work, but the oil light was flashing again before I was halfway home. I was just wondering where I’d find a garage open on a Saturday (this is Belgium, after all…), when the police… Read more
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The Joy of Driving (Or Not)…Belgian Style
Nowadays, a car is pretty much a necessity. And just about everyone here in Belgium has one. So why do the Belgians make getting a car on the road such a difficult, lengthy, and truly exasperating process? Here’s what I had to go through… When you buy a car (even a second hand one – and even from a private sale) in Belgium you don’t get the number plates with it. These are actually issued by the local authorities (it’s another way of getting tax).  We bought a couple of cars from a dealership, paid the money, and asked for… Read more
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Hey, where did the road go?
OK, I’ve had my first taste of country living. I was driving home from work in my tiny little 1.0 liter Opel Corsa, and decided to take what looked like a nice shortcut. I started hacking down this road that rapidly narrowed to only one (very narrow) lane wide, with trees on either side, clipping the wing mirrors. It was night, the road was very winding and I had about 10 yards visibility, but I gave it a go anyway. After about a mile, the tarmac gave way to gravel, so I slowed down to about 60mph and kept going.… Read more