Europe Bound: Our Return Trip to Belgium

Posted by Katrien Vander Straeten Jun 30, 2006

Ok, so we survive our stay in Florence unscathed. But now we have to make our way back...

The moment we got off that bus we vowed one thing: we are not taking the bus back! My mom said: "If you are taking the bus back, go ahead, but I'm taking a plane!" And I responded: "Hey, so am I!"

And so we did purchase "one of those cheap flights you can get in Europe these days! (So you see: never say no.)

The problem (but of course there was a problem!) was the following: the plane took off from Pisa, an hour's train ride from Florence, and would land in Charleroi, an hour's bus ride from Brussels, which is another hour's train ride from Antwerp, our final destination. Moreover, the plane left at 8 in the morning!

So we arose, zombielike, at 4 am, strolled a sleeping baby and a heavy suitcase on wheels through the slumbering city, and boarded the train. Half an hour into the ride, we were fined 5 euros each because we hadn't punched our ticket. Because we were not Italians, the conductor informed us, and couldn't read the Italian notice, we didn't get the usual 40 euro fine... but I think he was just taking pity on us because of the sleeping beauty in the stroller. We were too dazed to protest, or cheer, or decide which of these reactions was appropriate.

At the train station in Pisa we saved the day for many another sleepy traveller, by finding the train to the Pisa airport at another platform than was anounced on the screens, and by informing the station manager about it.

So not only buses, but also trains were not on our side. We prayed our bad luck did not extend to airplanes.

It didn't. the flight is about two hours, and in Charleroi we could immediately board another bus (sigh) to Brussels. No more accidents there either.

My dad picked us up in Brussels, and we drove home to Antwerp, arriving at precisely the time when we would have boarded the bus in Florence for our twenty-four hour ride back.

The moral of this long story? Avoid those long trips if you can, especially when you're travelling with a baby (even the most well-behaved one). You can see those majestic Alps much better from the plane in daylight, than from the bus at night time!

We have two more plane rides to go before we get back home, in Boston.