Living in Geel

Facilities in Geel

How to pay

Commonly accepted credit cards in Belgium are Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club and American Express.  These cards can also be used in cash machines like ‘Bancontact’ or ‘Mister Cash’.  You can find these at the following places:

• Markt: Fortis Bank
• Markt: KBC
• Nieuwstraat: Bacob
• Werft: De Post

Using the phone

If you want to call Belgium from abroad, dial the international admission number (this number varies for each country), then the area code (omit the 0) and finally the subscriber’s number.  The country code for Belgium is 32.  

If you want to call abroad from Belgium, dial 00 (= international admission number), then the country code and finally the area code (omit the 0) and the subscriber’s number. 

Telephone cards, which are necessary to call from a telephone booth, can be purchased in post offices, railway stations, book shops or in the telephone shops. 

Important phone numbers

100	for urgent medical assistance and the fire brigade
101	police
112	European emergency number
106	'tele-onthaal', a helpful ear for urgent psychological needs
1207	to find a subscriber’s number in Belgium (Dutch)
1307	to find a subscriber’s number in Belgium (French)
1204	to find a subscriber’s number in foreign countries (Dutch)
1405	English directory assistance
03/217 75 95	special centre for the treatment of burns
070/245 245	anti-poison service
02/649 95 55	suicide prevention
02/648 40 14	help-line (English, 24 hours, crisis information and support)
070/344 344	Card stop in case of loss of credit cards

 

Shopping

The supermarket chains GB/Alma (Pas) and Aldi (Waterstraat) run their own ‘brand’ lines which cut the average prices considerably, especially in staple goods such as bread, milk, rice, …  There’s also a smaller supermarket in the centre of Geel, named Vewo (Markt 57) where you can find anything you want.  Dairy products can be bought cheaply at local markets.  The same applies to fruit and vegetables.  There is a weekly market on Tuesday (Markt).  

Small grocery stores are a little more expensive.  They usually are open between 09.00 a.m. and 06.00 p.m. and are closed on Sundays.

We also have a few night shops in Geel, which are opened 24 hours a day:

• ‘De Pas’ (Pas 76, 2440 Geel)
• ‘New Paradise’ (Pas 127, 2440 Geel) 
• ‘Naomi Voeding’ (Stationsstraat, 2440 Geel)
• ‘Elma Voeding’ (Stationsstraat, 2440 Geel)

Bakery	is known as	Bakker
Hairdresser		Kapper/Kapsalon
Bookstore		Boekhandel
Butcher		Slager/Beenhouwerij
Dairy		Zuivel
Fish shop		Viswinkel
Grocery store		Kruidenier/Algemene voeding
Florist		Bloemenwinkel/Bloemist
Pharmacy/Chemist		Apotheker/Drogist
Newsagent		Krantenwinkel/Kiosk

 

Flemish eating habits

In Flanders, people usually have three meals a day:

• Breakfast: sandwiches / slices of bread or cereals, coffee or tea
• Lunch: sandwiches with coffee or tea
• Dinner: 3 course hot meal: soup, main dish with meat or fish and potatoes, desert (served around 6 p.m.).

Typical Flemish dishes are:

• Steak and chips
• Mussels
• Various stews like rabbit in Trappist beer or Gentse Waterzooi

Cheap restaurants and snack bars:

• Pita Geel: pita, pizza, pasta (Nieuwstraat 87, tel.: 014/59 38 19)
  Also home delivery!
• De Kruimel: sandwiches, pizza, pasta (Markt 89, tel.: 014/58 33 81)
• ‘t Koffiekot: sandwiches, pasta (Larumseweg 71 A, tel.: 014/58 48 35)
• Panos: sandwichbar (Nieuwstraat 34, tel.: 014/59 48 49)
• Mille Paste: fish, meat, pasta, Italian food (Markt 24, tel.: 014/58 46 86)

Laundry Service

You can wash your clothes here for a small amount of money.

• Joni (Lebonstraat 50, 2440 Geel)
• Mr Ecowash (Elsum 113, 2440 Geel)

Sockets

If you want to use the Belgian sockets, it’s good to bring an international plug with you. 

Post

Stamps are for sale at the post office (‘postkantoor’).  You can also buy them in some tourist shops where you choose your postcards.  Each town or town area has at least one post office.  We have red post office boxes in Belgium.  The address of the post office in Geel is: Werft 63, 2440 Geel.

For further information visit their website www.depost.be.

Taxi

• G.T.M.
  Technische-Schoolstraat 50
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/58 49 49
• Hendrickx Karel nv.
  Retieseweg 81
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/59 07 36

Doctors

• Dr Eric Fourneau
  Technische-Schoolstraat 39
  Tel.: 014/58 71 99
• Mr Peter T’Seyen 41
  Dr. Van De Perrestraat
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/59 17 00
• Mr Marnix Vandoninck
  Violetstraat 32
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/58 42 54
• Ms Inge Buseyne
  Gasthuisstraat 29 A
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/56 07 90

Pharmacies

• C. Pousset
  Markt 27
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/58 82 80
• E. Raeymaekers
  Stationsstraat 23
  M.Bellens
  Pas 26
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/58 81 05

Dentists

• Ms Erna Andries
  Drijhoek 12
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/58 41 86
  

Sports & leisure

In the immediate vicinity of the institute you can enjoy the following facilities:

Basketball club Geel BBC is the leading club in the region today.  Three training sessions are organized every week and there is one game in the weekend. BBC Geel works with a coaching staff and a physiotherapist.  All trainings and matches take place in the AXION, a new and professional sports venue near the KHK campus.
                                              
For further information, please contact:
Niels Bartholomeus - BBC GEEL
n.bartholomeus@skynet.be
0032/ 472 454 222

• Fitness centre B-active  (Markt12, tel.: 014/58 41 60)
• Fitness centre Olympia (Stationsstraat 58, tel.: 014/58 21 64)
• Swimming pool (Werft 53, tel.: 014/57 09 60) 
• Cinema Studio Filmtheaters Geel (Werft 30, tel.: 014/85 74 40)

Tourist office

• Tourist Office
  Markt 33
  B-2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/57 09 50
  E-mail: toerisme@geel.be

Public Library

• Werft
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/57 08 55
  E-mail: Geel@bibliotheek.be

Cultural centre

• De Werft
  Werft 32
  2440 Geel
  Tel.: 014/57 03 40
  Website: www.dewerft.be