Im here, but that doesnt mean the trip went any smoother.
It almost went completely wrong.
So lets start with the beginning.
My day started with a family lunch of Belgian mussels.
After that my father brought me to the train station of Mechelen.
I had to change to a direct TGV to the airport of Paris, Charles de Gaulles.
It is technically almost impossible to carry both the bike box and the bag with the rest of my luggage.
When I left the first train in Brussels I was immediately helped by a black guy who carried the other bag out of the train.
From there I was on my own. For several hundreds of meters I had to slide the other bag with the front of my bike box. Hundreds of white Belgians stared at me but no one helped me out. I was dead by the time I had reached the other end of the station.
But when I arrived there a great surprise was waiting for me. The French railways were striking. My train was cancelled. I should have known that the French are even worse than the Belgians. At the train station they told me to take one 1 hour later. That one was definitely not cancelled. When that train arrived the staff from the train said the train would only run untill Lille, halfway to the airport.
That was enough for me. I called my dad, managed to get my ticket refunded and jumped into the first train to Mechelen, of course after sliding back the same way as I had come.
We arrived at the airport in Paris 3 hours before my flight, but I had only half an hour left when I arrived at the gate. Not a bad day in the end. I was 250 euros richer, because they didnt charge me the extra fee for the bike. At the counter they asked me something like "Do you have to pay for the bike"... I asked her to repeat that 2 times again and of course I said "Oh no, not that I know"". I was prepared to negotiate, but never thought it would be so easy.
And the next morning I landed in Santiago without any difficulties.
It took me 2 hours to repack my stuff and rebuild the bike. It all went succesfully and after one hour of riding through some of the poorest neighbourhoods I arrived in the city center. It took me some time and a few grey hairs in the library, but eventually I found wifi and looked for a good hostel. And thats where I am now.
Tomorrow I ll go sightseeing and pick up Joachim from the airport.
I found a quiet spot far away from all the annoying taxi drivers who offer me a ride.
Before
After
It almost went completely wrong.
So lets start with the beginning.
My day started with a family lunch of Belgian mussels.
After that my father brought me to the train station of Mechelen.
I had to change to a direct TGV to the airport of Paris, Charles de Gaulles.
It is technically almost impossible to carry both the bike box and the bag with the rest of my luggage.
When I left the first train in Brussels I was immediately helped by a black guy who carried the other bag out of the train.
From there I was on my own. For several hundreds of meters I had to slide the other bag with the front of my bike box. Hundreds of white Belgians stared at me but no one helped me out. I was dead by the time I had reached the other end of the station.
But when I arrived there a great surprise was waiting for me. The French railways were striking. My train was cancelled. I should have known that the French are even worse than the Belgians. At the train station they told me to take one 1 hour later. That one was definitely not cancelled. When that train arrived the staff from the train said the train would only run untill Lille, halfway to the airport.
That was enough for me. I called my dad, managed to get my ticket refunded and jumped into the first train to Mechelen, of course after sliding back the same way as I had come.
We arrived at the airport in Paris 3 hours before my flight, but I had only half an hour left when I arrived at the gate. Not a bad day in the end. I was 250 euros richer, because they didnt charge me the extra fee for the bike. At the counter they asked me something like "Do you have to pay for the bike"... I asked her to repeat that 2 times again and of course I said "Oh no, not that I know"". I was prepared to negotiate, but never thought it would be so easy.
And the next morning I landed in Santiago without any difficulties.
It took me 2 hours to repack my stuff and rebuild the bike. It all went succesfully and after one hour of riding through some of the poorest neighbourhoods I arrived in the city center. It took me some time and a few grey hairs in the library, but eventually I found wifi and looked for a good hostel. And thats where I am now.
Tomorrow I ll go sightseeing and pick up Joachim from the airport.
 |
| Ready to hit the busy roads of Santiago |
Dat fluovestje is toevallig geen eigendom van de Mechelse afvalverwerkingsmaatschappij? ;)
BeantwoordenVerwijderenBlij dat je veilig bent gearriveerd, Viel Spaß!
En doe de groeten aan Joa!