Bruges to Berkshire ... by Train, Again!

Today is different. I’m amazed to see that it isn’t hot and sunny. In fact I can barely see through a fairly thick fog. Apparently this is the normal weather for this time of year, but it will probably burn off quite quickly.

A final breakfast and I’m itching to get going. I say my farewells to Nicky and head off into the mist. My plan is to follow the canal ring round to the station. I’ve left about an hour to do this in which I thought was generous, but I hadn’t taken the surface of the footpath into account. Goodness me! It was hard work pulling my suitcase along on that gravely path. In the end I only just made it to the station in time to catch my intended train.

Then I decide I had better check I’m on the right train and ask the Marylyn Manson look alike in the seat across the aisle.

Luckily for me I knew the time of my train as I couldn’t find Brussels Midi on the screens. What I hadn’t taken into account was that this is the French name of the station. I knew I was heading in the right direction, but simply couldn’t work out which station to get off at. However the Ticket Inspector was able to set me straight and I needed to get off at Brussels Zuid (the Flemish name).

The journey was pretty uneventful and I was actually quite sorry I hadn’t travelled a little further outside of Bruges. Still I can always do that next time! At Brussels Zuid/Midi I tentatively hop off, minding the very large gap between the train and the platform. As always I’m really early but decide to check myself in anyway. This is an awful lot easier here than at London Waterloo. It’s here that I buy Dad and David’s chocolates and some nibbles for the girls’ night I’m hosting when I get back home. The rest of the time I spend reading.

The Eurostar is again only half full, so I end up with two seats to myself again. There are some advantages to travelling alone! The journey is uneventful and again I spend most of it reading. The only point of note is that halfway through the journey every mobile phone on the train suddenly started beeping. This is because most mobile companies send you welcome messages when you roam into another country. So it’s a really useful way of telling that we have just entered France!

I’ve been used to all my travel this holiday working out absolutely perfectly. So I was due a little trouble. It finally happened at London Waterloo, when I tried to get my ticket home. First I tried a really crowded automatic machine. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any station that fitted the bill – not even Reading! However it did drive the really impatient person behind me up the wall, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. In the end I went into the ticket office and joined another long queue. However at least I was able to buy a ticket all the way back to Thatcham (I’m heading home to Mum and Dad).

In the end I only have to wait an extra half an hour. At least it gives me a chance to get something to eat. On the train I throw myself down in a damp stressed out heap. Then I decide I had better check I’m on the right train and ask the Marylyn Manson look alike in the seat across the aisle. That would be just my luck, catching the wrong train at this stage in the journey. Marylyn turns out to be a DJ doing a gig up at Reading University. Unfortunately I can’t help him with directions but we have a nice little chat anyway. My last change of my train is nice and easy and within half an hour I’m getting into Dad’s car and heading home for a rest.