Do you know these times when something comes up and you just know you have to jump and seize the opportunity without too much thinking? That happened to me a few weeks ago, when an old friend wrote me an email.
Frank was the first host on my very first solo couchsurfing trip. I stayed with him and his roommate for two nights in Dublin and we had a blast.
We didn’t really stay in contact after that, except for a sporadic update to confirm that we were both still alive.
When he invited me to visit him and his girlfriend in Brussels, I didn’t think twice and booked a ticket.
When I got off the train late last Friday night and hugged my host we hadn’t seen each other in more than four years.
Of course we had a lot to tell each other, and there was much chatting and joking and remembering.
Frank plays hurling and Gaelic Football and that Saturday he and his friends had a GF tournament. His girlfriend Jess and me went to see one of the games, but then we left to wander around the city.
I don’t know what it is about me and traveling, but I always seem to stumble across the gay pride somewhat by accident. Same here: One moment we’re sitting in a park munching our lunch and the next thing we know it’s gay pride!
What a nice surprise!
Even nicer was when we checked out a beautiful big park and discovered a huge medieval market was going on there!
Beautiful people in beautiful costumes, lots of interesting stalls, funny displays, and good music.
And sangria… well, don’t judge!
We sat and gossiped and people-watched until the sun went down and then we started wondering why Frank hadn’t called.
He was crashed out on the bed when we got home, half starving because he had been waiting for us to come home so we could have dinner together. Poor guy! His team won the tournament though, so after a great Indian dinner we went down to the pub to celebrate.
We had a great time partying, dancing and singing and only got home early in the morning.
So we slept in late on Sunday and spent the afternoon in the park reading and working a bit, soaking up the sun, or napping.
My train left a little after lunchtime on Monday, and so I got up early to go and see the Da Vinci exhibition at the Bourse Museum before I left. the two hours that I had were totally not enough to explore everything as much as I wanted to, but it was definitely worth it!
And then it was time to go home already, but not before a lot of goodbye hugs and invites to various future home cities (oh traveling folks!), promises and lots of good wishes.
It has been a while since I’ve been traveling anywhere else than to Scotland, and it felt so good to be on the road again. I got super nostalgic on the train home, dreaming of all the places in the world I hadn’t been, all the friends I still want to visit and all the opportunities that arise as soon as you pick up your backpack and put your foot in front of your door.
Ah, the travel bugs…
Now I’m back home and happy about the fresh energy and dreams this weekend has kindled inside me and knowing that no matter what, I’ll always have times where I jump on an opportunity, and it will always be a good thing.
