I would be going to the Netherlands before term would start. And that takes a bit of preparation. The neighbour needed to be asked to feed the cat (I know they cuddle too; that’s lovely), I needed to choose things to do on the long train journey; I chose a book I had neglected, documentation relating to my promotion attempts, and my notebook for jotting down thoughts about that, and about a lecture I had to prepare. And my car needed a bit of care as it would take care of the Bethesda-Bangor part of the trip. My tyres never stay properly inflated for very long. And I needed to bring a lot of food and drink as I would be travelling for about 12 hours.
Packing was not a big issue. I was going by train, and luggage restrictions are generous there. And I didn’t feel bad about parking on campus for a few days. After all, term had not started yet, so it would be quiet.
The going by train was a third attempt, after having given up and going by plane once, and not managing to get seat reservations for the next trip either, and going by boat that time. Booking all of it is a pain! I don’t know if I’m willing to do it again. I know the train has better climate credentials than the boat, but not losing a year of your life due to frustration trying to cobble an itinerary to Amsterdam together is worth something too. And as well, soon there will be no Eurostar to Amsterdam. And of course there are other trains going from Brussels to Amsterdam, but that would still complicate the journey. I am not saying I give up on the train, but I must say I am quite tempted by the boat.
I was a bit worried about the whole thing; would all go well in Brussels? That’s the crux. And train travel to London was a direct train, but back it would be lots of different ones. The previous time I did the itinerary, that got rather tiring, with things going wrong and my ETA at home getting later and later. Let’s hope this time all goes well!
No comments:
Post a Comment