This album is made in homage of my dear friend L. I would never have considered that trip to Brussels if I hadn't been influenced by her. In my mind such adventures are best shared with someone you care about, such as family, or close friends. I did travel on my own before (to Germany), and while enjoyable, it still felt as a misuse of time and resources. Besides I was busy studying during recent years, so I wouldn't allow myself to use money and time on such leasure activities.
And yet, much to my surprise, I made wonderful discoveries that I am now happy to share here. It's my first time making such a big album, and I am surprised that I have so much to say, especially given that I only stayed for two days. Maybe I needed that break, despite the fact that COVID didn't impact me as much as other people, crossing the border was really refreshing.
Lol, I still remember that I didn't pack my things the day before. Instead, I made a list before going to bed, and rushed in the morning to get everything in order and be on time. It worked quite well, and I was enjoying the extra stress of the incoming deadline. However something unexpected happened: someone left their luggage unattended in Gare du Nord. Therefore I was stuck in the subway, unable to do anything about it. Worse, some guy was trying to open the doors just after the driver explicitely asked us not to do that. I had to yell at him.
It was really upsetting to miss the train due to factors completely outside my control, although it can be said that if I moved out earlier this morning, I may have been able to get in before the alert was triggered. Still, with about 40 mintues to spare, I thought I was safe.
In the end, the train controller let me in, since I had a ticket for the same day, and he was aware of the delay caused by the incident. As a matter of fact, it is unlikely that I was the only one in this situation.
Unfortunately, this is the first thing I saw coming out of the railway station on my way to the hotel. I was really disappointed to be honest. But even before I could try to find the hotel, I was stressed about my internet connection. Without Google Maps, I would be completely lost here (although it's not so bad since many people speak French or English). Still, the prospect of trying to buy a map to navigate the city was daunting, it's just too inconvenient nowadays. In fact, I only needed to activate data roaming to enable 4G in Belgium, while I never noticed its absence in France.
This is a very nice place. Even early in the afternoon, people are out drinking beer, lol. There are many tourist shops there, and an interesting curiosity, as big chocolate statues of the Manneken Pis can be bought in this area.
I don't have the words to describe my joy upon seeing this wonderful castle. I even wished to be a child again and go play. There was a soccer infrastructure nearby, and the kids kicked the ball over the goal. So I ran after the ball which unfortunately hit a car on road behind. I entered the field and shot on the goal. The keeper was quite scared actually, as I hit the ball quite hard.
This was another great moment. If you didn't know, I am a huge fan of the polish language. I never found a polish library in Paris (it's already difficult to find restaurants), how come I stumbled upon such a treasure on my way back the to the hotel ? There are so many different paths that I could have taken, and yet, here I was. Talking with the librarian, I learned that she has been holding this shop for 18 years! You could find everything, books for children, romance (miłość), bibles, language learning, etc. This took me back 35 years ago when my mother would take me to the library. Nowadays, I do almost everything on the tablet, phone or desktop computer. Funnily enough, I never read "The little prince" in French, and I am about to try to read it in Polish! Ahah, nice joke XD.