When Andy Williams sang about the most wonderful time of the year, part of me likes to think he was speaking about Belgium's annual change of train schedule.
I accept that this yearly update to the rail timetable is unlikely to be the inspiration behind the festive hit, but it's a nice idea all the same.
And it may sound like a small event, a minor adjustment for when you finally return to the office. But what a difference a day few minutes can make to those that rely on Belgium's rail network.
No matter where you commute from or to, the morning routine is a fine-tuned ritual: the coffee needs to be made at just the right time while those getting ready dance around each other to do what they need to do.
The kids need to be dropped off at school, the dog needs walked, and even minor hold-ups can have alarming knock-on effects.
And after all of that, you need to make your train (or risk the one that stops at EVERY stop). So make sure you know when it is.
What I'm trying to say is, read this and won't miss your train. You've been warned.
Let @johnstonjules know.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus will likely outpace the Delta variant, based on limited preliminary data. Read more.
2. Tool allows Brussels’ citizens to directly report pedestrian-specific issues
The Brussels-Capital Region has updated its online tool to make it easier to report specific problems in public spaces in the region faced by pedestrians, especially those with reduced mobility. Read more.
3. New schedule for Belgian trains: what changes?
Like every year, Belgian railway company SNCB is implementing changes to its train schedule on the second Sunday of December – this is what changes this year. Read more.
4. ‘Cheap and fast’: Brussels doubles budget for social bicycle leasing
The Brussels-Capital Region wants to improve the mobility of vulnerable people and is doubling the budget for social bicycle leasing, announced the cabinet of Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt last weekend. Read more.
5. KLM pilot assists Belgian teenager in her bid to fly solo around the world
Belgian-British teenager Zara Rutherford arrived in South Korea on Saturday, the first Asian stop in her bid to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. Read More.
6. A week of mild weather on the way in Belgium, RMI predicts
Belgium can expect ice-free roads, above-zero temperature and generally mild weather over the next few days, according to the latest forecast by the Royal Meteorological Institute (RMI). Read more.
7. Hidden Belgium: The witches gathering
Ellezelles looks like an ordinary Belgian village. Nothing to see here, you might think. But Ellezelles turns out to have some mysterious traditions. Here's more.
