May 5, 2011

A trip to Bruxelles

Take the ferry from the house with the dog and luggage.  Drop the dog with Hans.  Get on the bus to the train station.  Bus gets stuck in traffic due to road closure for huge crane construction thing.  Have to get off the bus and walk to the station.  Get to the station. Tunnel to train closed.  Cross the street to other side of train station.  Electrical problem - express train to airport not working.  AT ALL!  So.  Get into taxi for airport.  Me and the other million people trying to get to the airport on time.

Taxi not moving.  Putin has arrived and road to airport is closed for security.  Taxi driver drives wildly through back streets to get through road block a la Steig Larsson's "Girl who played with Fire".  Many jokes in the taxi about how we are going to have to drive to Brussels (all of us in the taxi on same flight) but I am not laughing.  Try text Bron to tell her I might not be meeting her in Brussels (Bron flying in from Copenhagen and we meeting in Brussels airport).  Phone not working.  Bron cant call me back so I have to borrow a fellow taxi passengers phone a few times so she knows I might not make my flight.  Yay, I love bumming calls off strangers.

Traffic clears up, we fly through.  Get to the airport to late to check in.  Talk our way onto the flight.  Trainee lady forgets to give me a boarding card.  Rush back to get it.  Get through security with a bottle of water and cell phone in pocket.  Let Bron know I have checked in and will met her in Brussels.  Her flight is delayed 1,5hrs because the wheel fell off her plane.

Fortunately our flights are safe and the drama stops there.  We meet in Brussels. Our room has been upgraded to a suite with two complimentary mini bars.  Oh Boy!

Next day I walk for hours and eat waffles, chocolates, pommes frites avec mayonnaise, croissants, hot chocolate.  The day finishes with another train, flight and taxi, all of these thankfully smooth and calm.
I wouldn't have been able to take that kind of stress two days in row.


Found in the Mini Bar!

Our Suite 


Le Grand Place


I couldn't resist a pic of the bathroom!  Can you see the t.v for watching in the bath?




Royal Palace


I loved  Belgium, I highly recommend it and am looking forward to going back one day *hint hint*

LK