My Talk with Peter the Cabbie

Travelers often struggle to find someone interesting to interview to better understand local issues. I find cabbies are a great resource. I was wondering why Belgium finds it challenging to keep its Flemish- and French-speaking regions from splitting up the country. Here’s my cabbie’s three-minute take on things as he drove me to the Brussels airport. How do you find cabbie chat while on the road?


This is Day 69 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more right here on my travel blog.

Comments

4 Replies to “My Talk with Peter the Cabbie”

  1. We were in Belgium (the Flemish side) with a Rick Steves tour last year. Fascinating country.

  2. I had a German cabbie take me to my hotel in Berlin in June 2015 and we had a philosophical conversation about the meaning of life. I was very struck by that; I studied German in college and remembered reading about German Philosophers in my Philosophy classes. He seemed to be well versed something I would not expect in America. I was arriving for your Berlin Prague & Vienna tour which I enjoyed very much.
    Best,
    Judy B
    Atlanta

  3. Reminds me of George Burns’ joke about how it’s too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair.

    Not to imply that I don’t listen to taxi drivers — I’ve heard a lot of interesting stuff from them, much of it useful. I’m just pointing out that it’s not a great sample to use for analysis.

  4. Very interesting. Never knew all that about Belgium. Even I benefited from your cabbie’s talk!

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