I'm on the move! Currently sitting in Isaac's Hostel in Dublin (which I recommend, by the way), and I'm waiting for my laundry to finish, so I figured I'd use my time wisely and get a travel post off. Can't believe it's only been one full week since I've finished in Digne, saying goodbye to my "little village"....
my students, both young...
and old...(I'll admit, these goodbyes occurred in very different contexts, but in my defense, some of my "kiddos" are aged 18-24, so it was not so weird if we hung out)
And then it was wham-bam-thank you ma'am off to Aix, then Brussels just for like 12 hours, as I left for the airport in the AM to fly to...AMSTERDAM! It was my 3rd time there, which actually surprises me a little, but it's such a lovely city. Quite frankly, I may just have to keep going back until I actually arrive to nice weather. I was lucky to be there for the madness of King's Day, aka the national holiday when people get drunk and wear orange, in honor of their monarch. At least that's what I understood. And there's lots of music festivals, which were apparently created with the express purpose of concentrating and separating the centers of debauchery so that the entire city did not unfurl into unfathomable chaos (it was a good effort but....)
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| My Turkish friends Yunus and Emir--Met on the Megabus to Amsterdam! Turkish people are astoundingly generous |
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| Dania and I in our neon sunnies, and Eric and Roxy (our fellow Couchsurfers) |
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| Jello shots for breakfast? Seems questionable, as far as ideas go... |
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| Party boats galore |
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| Vondelpark |
Then, largely to avoid a return trip to Brussels before my flight from the Brussels airport (to be fair, I've been there thrice, so I feel as if I have given the city enough of a chance to charm me--no dice), I hit up Antwerp and Gent. Both were overnights, and in Antwerp I really just had a late afternoon to explore, but my Couchsurfing host Naim was amazing, and we had a great night out.
In Gent, I had a little more time to explore, and another great night out with my host Didier, as well as two Aussies who were staying at his as well. It was not only great fun (God, I love Australians' accents), but an interesting experience: Didier is a super nice guy, an energizer bunny, and one of the most friendly and optimistic people I have ever met. He is also completely blind. So navigating the city, and bars and clubs and public transport, by his side, was a new thing for me--I realized I have literally never had any contact with a blind person. I'm not going to lie; I was nervous. People can fear what they don't know, and especially when in contact with someone with some sort of disability, I am so scared to say/do something stupid. But, as Didi says, you just have to take advantage of "the infinite resource that is human kindness." Traveling alone, I certainly intend to!
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| Ghent's historical center, above and below |
UPDATE: Dublin was fantastic--I'll do a post about it soon, specifically about how to make friends all over the world/hostel culture. Get excited. Currently sitting in the Dublin airport, awaiting my flight to Bratislava! So anxious to get there, although I'm sorry to say that upon arrival, sleep is my #1 priority.
and old...(I'll admit, these goodbyes occurred in very different contexts, but in my defense, some of my "kiddos" are aged 18-24, so it was not so weird if we hung out)
And then it was wham-bam-thank you ma'am off to Aix, then Brussels just for like 12 hours, as I left for the airport in the AM to fly to...AMSTERDAM! It was my 3rd time there, which actually surprises me a little, but it's such a lovely city. Quite frankly, I may just have to keep going back until I actually arrive to nice weather. I was lucky to be there for the madness of King's Day, aka the national holiday when people get drunk and wear orange, in honor of their monarch. At least that's what I understood. And there's lots of music festivals, which were apparently created with the express purpose of concentrating and separating the centers of debauchery so that the entire city did not unfurl into unfathomable chaos (it was a good effort but....)
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