Since the train runs between Kortrijk and Oudenaarded, and Friday was a day where very few people would be at work, I decided to take the train rather than drive. Getting to Oudenaarde was no problem, except the train schedule didn’t seem to be the real train schedule. The schedule listed a train at 7:47, but there was no train. The one scheduled at 8:08 turned out to be at 8:06 instead. But with all that, there was no problem with the trip. It was fast, much easier than driving. It took about 10 minutes to walk from the hotel to the train station in Kortrijk, the actual train ride was about 25 minutes with two stops, and another 15 minutes to walk from the train station to the office.

Before I left the station in Kortrijk, I checked to see what the schedule was to return. It said there was a train on normal days at 2:28 p.m. or on weekends and holidays at 2:29 p.m. The next train was an hour later. I decided I’d leave the office at 2, catch the 2:20-something train, and all would be well. As luck would have it, I didn’t get out of the office until 2:10, so I really hiked down to the station. There were several tracks, and each had a train. Which one went to Kortrijk? I went up on the platform that I arrived on and asked a person. He told me this was the train to Kortrijk. I should have asked someone else! It turns out he spoke French and didn’t understand me for sure because the train went south instead of west and I ended up in Ronse instead at the next stop. So, here I sit on the train headed back to Oudenaarde. I’ll now be on the 3:20-something train. I should have enough time to ask the station master which train to take this time. I’ve got a telephone conference at 4:00 p.m. and I’ll be late. I forgot to bring my Blackberry with me today — it’s sitting on my bed waiting for me to put it on my belt! So, I’ve no way to call into the meeting until I’m back at the hotel room. Dang.

It’s now 3:29 and I’m on the train to Kortrijk from Oudenaarde. The train left a minute ago and I’ve verified with a couple of folks that this is the right train. It’s going a different direction than the last one, so that much is good. It’s a very cloudy day, so there are no shadows to indicate which direction we are going.

We’re going past the nuclear power plant, so we’re definitely headed in the right direction. The countryside is very pretty and very European. Lots and lots of small farms with multitudes of cows. I think that most of the farming must exist to feed the cows. The farms are generally well kept and tidy; a far cry from many of the farms in the back roads in southeastern Idaho. Almost every house that has a back yard coming up to the train tracks has a garden growing vegetables of some sort. Very few have grass in the back yard so it’s definitely more for growing things. Once I get to Kortrijk, I’ll have to hurry to the hotel. Perhaps there’ll be a taxi close by that I can take. It might be worth it.

This train moves quite fast between stations — faster than I’m allowed to drive on the highway. That’s probably why the train gets there more quickly, even with the stops. We’ve passed a couple of windmills — somewhat different than those in Holland but still windmills. I think I need to build one and start generating some electricity. Perhaps I can use the electricity to put pathway lighting in, or to put some lights in the back yard around the fence.

This must be more of an express train. We’ve passed a couple of stations where we stopped this morning. It’s time to put the computer away as we’re fairly close to Kortrijk! At this rate I’ll have plenty of time to walk to the hotel. It took only 14 minutes to go from Oudenaarde to Kortrijk. The fastest I’ve driven is 28 minutes — or twice as long.

Well, I’ve arrived at the hotel in plenty of time for my meeting. I could even answer a couple of e-mails!!