Turned out to be a great experience as the boats were very easy to operate and there was very little traffic on the canals to worry about. It was nice to see Ghent from a slightly different perspective.
The train to our final leg (London) was at 3pm from Brussels so we did a final sweep of our lovely 3 level flat at hit the tram. When we arrived in Ghent we schlepped our luggage from the train station to our airbnb so everybody was happy that I had a tram pass to get us directly to the train station with ease.
The 2 hour train ride from Brussels to London was smooth. Only slight hassles were the British border agent with the aggressive cross-examination.
Agent: "Where are you staying in London"
Me: "An Airbnb by Kings Cross Station"
Agent: "Where is that ?"
Me: "Ummm, it is the international train station..."
Agent: "THIS REPRESENTS THE BORDER TO THE UK - I NEED THE ADDRESS OF YOUR AIRBNB !!"
Me: "You want the address to my AirBnB ??
Agent: "I think I am entitled to your address"
Me: You can't HANDLE the address of my AirBnb"
OK - so the last three lines is what I wanted to happen instead I frantically scrolled through my phone to find an address that this guy had no way of verifying if I just made it up.
The other hassles were a guy across from us that had two separate 20 minute animated self-phone conversations in some foreign tongue and Wifi slower than molasses.
The morning was characterized by a tranquil ride through the canals and we stepped off the train into one of the busiest train stations in the world at rush hour with a cold rain falling. It was a shock to the system. The blessing of my Airbnb reservation being cancelled was the new place I reserved was just a block outside the station. So we were able to get to our pad with being just moderately miserable.
The new place was also a contrast to our last palatial home. It is a cozy little place with a great location - steps from the station. It has two bedrooms but the living room also has a bed and it has a small kitchen. The sleeping arrangements work out alright but there is really no common area for us to hang out or eat together. The reality is that we have a long list of things to do in London - so I don't expect to be in here much so expect it will work out fine.
We went out for pizza and the place was packed and due to the rain nobody was anxious to give up their table and head out into the night. We were not anxious to go out and search for an alternative - so we squeezed into a table with two young girls and made the best of it.
It was an early evening as we looked forward to brighter days ahead.
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