European Vacation: Take Two
I'm going back to Europe in November to visit Dirk and Caroline. Caroline, as you may recall, is my friend from college who I visited abroad this past Easter. She was also a bridesmaid in my wedding. Dirk is a new friend, although I haven't done a very good job of introducing him.
At one point after returning from Europe last April, I started to detail my trip, including how I met Dirk, a German hash house harrier and a Major in the British Army. I grew tired of this, as I do of telling any story that takes more than an entry or two (I never even posted pictures from my wedding reception or honeymoon).
Well, I met him at the hash in Wurzburg, Germany that Caroline and I attended the last weekend of my stay. He and I had a similar agenda, which was to avoid running the hash trail. My reason was that it was expected to take 8 hours, and I was weak--weakened even moreso by the blisters that I had accumulated all over my feet from walking through Budapest, Vienna, Munich, and all of those other fabulous cities. He didn't want to go running because it was raining.
Dirk.
So after I slept half the day, he invited me to go into the city with him. He was fairly talkative, which was good because I was not, and I escorted him as he purchased chopsticks and hot sauce in some Asian market. Then he and I drank hefeweizen in a little pub before returning to the hostel.
Later in the evening, there was a party in the hostel and I gravitated toward him, largely because Caroline was busy dancing with some guy and Dirk was one of the only people I really knew. Plus he was too busy chain smoking and drinking to care about dancing and was instead among a group of smokers near the entrance to the hostel. Since I am a hideous dancer, I didn't mind hanging out with the smokers, even if many of their conversations were in German.
At one point, Dirk said to me that if I were ever in Germany again that I could stay with him, and if he was not home, I could stay with his girlfriend. It was nice, but it sounded like something a person says when they are drunk and acting overly friendly. What I didn't know was that it was typical of him. This summer alone, he's hosted at least three American tourists and a Canadian. Thus, at the time, I thought it was a nice thing to say, but I knew I'd never take him up on the offer.
Five months later, it's a different story. Seven months later, I'll be taking advantage of his offer.
Come November, I am flying into Brussels, where I will stay in a holiday flat with Dirk and one of his friends for a few days, before heading to Bonn for the rest of the trip. I will meet some of his friends and his girlfriend Fiona. I will sightsee and meet up with Caroline, who is currently in Prague. It should be a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to it immensely.
After this, I suppose I should stop travelling alone and start taking Leon with me. And I imagine that I will. But in November, I will have the opportunity to spend time with two people who mean a great deal to me and I can do so in a most fabulous place, eating and seeing and experiencing amazing things. I need to accomplish this before I get too old.
Me and Caroline in Budapest.
At one point after returning from Europe last April, I started to detail my trip, including how I met Dirk, a German hash house harrier and a Major in the British Army. I grew tired of this, as I do of telling any story that takes more than an entry or two (I never even posted pictures from my wedding reception or honeymoon).
Well, I met him at the hash in Wurzburg, Germany that Caroline and I attended the last weekend of my stay. He and I had a similar agenda, which was to avoid running the hash trail. My reason was that it was expected to take 8 hours, and I was weak--weakened even moreso by the blisters that I had accumulated all over my feet from walking through Budapest, Vienna, Munich, and all of those other fabulous cities. He didn't want to go running because it was raining.
Dirk.
So after I slept half the day, he invited me to go into the city with him. He was fairly talkative, which was good because I was not, and I escorted him as he purchased chopsticks and hot sauce in some Asian market. Then he and I drank hefeweizen in a little pub before returning to the hostel.
Later in the evening, there was a party in the hostel and I gravitated toward him, largely because Caroline was busy dancing with some guy and Dirk was one of the only people I really knew. Plus he was too busy chain smoking and drinking to care about dancing and was instead among a group of smokers near the entrance to the hostel. Since I am a hideous dancer, I didn't mind hanging out with the smokers, even if many of their conversations were in German.
At one point, Dirk said to me that if I were ever in Germany again that I could stay with him, and if he was not home, I could stay with his girlfriend. It was nice, but it sounded like something a person says when they are drunk and acting overly friendly. What I didn't know was that it was typical of him. This summer alone, he's hosted at least three American tourists and a Canadian. Thus, at the time, I thought it was a nice thing to say, but I knew I'd never take him up on the offer.
Five months later, it's a different story. Seven months later, I'll be taking advantage of his offer.
Come November, I am flying into Brussels, where I will stay in a holiday flat with Dirk and one of his friends for a few days, before heading to Bonn for the rest of the trip. I will meet some of his friends and his girlfriend Fiona. I will sightsee and meet up with Caroline, who is currently in Prague. It should be a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to it immensely.
After this, I suppose I should stop travelling alone and start taking Leon with me. And I imagine that I will. But in November, I will have the opportunity to spend time with two people who mean a great deal to me and I can do so in a most fabulous place, eating and seeing and experiencing amazing things. I need to accomplish this before I get too old.
Me and Caroline in Budapest.