I will never get used to Belgium although I like staying here. I am going to a nice fitness center, which opens early in the morning - the main reason why I have chosen it - and it closes very late.

It is open over the week-end, not that I can use it that much, since I am staying in Brussels most of time between Monday evening and Thursday morning. But sometimes when I am lucky, I am arriving at night on Saturday and my first move on Sunday will be my trip to the fitness center. Unfortunately, I like to start my day with an espresso. Not possible in my fitness center. No one is there before 9 to prepare a coffee and, the management is too reluctant to buy a coffee machine. The explanation for this is that they like to be a little posh and a coffee machine is obviously regarded as anti-posh. Great! Nothing before 9 AM!

Today at 11:45 I said to myself, after 1 hour of spinning, good time to have an espresso. So, I went to the bar but, again no one was there. I found the lady in the kitchen and she told me, that between 11:30 and 12:00 she is having her break. She understood my impatience and went to prepare an espresso for me.

To get it straight, I am not complaining about working hours or siesta breaks. But is it not possible to buy a simple coffee-machine, were everyone can get his coffee, or tea, or hot water, whenever she or he wants to?

Service which is only functioning partially is ok and acceptable as long some kind of replacement exists, like a simple coffee machine.