The best pit stop - Visiting family relative while extended traveling

Nowadays the world has became a smaller place. I used to hear that a lot when I was growing up and the phrase “It’s a small world” seem like a true fact with airplanes and especially cheap flights. 

Not only that, its so easy now to connect with halfway across the world with the internet as long as you have a reception. Still when you plan a long extended trip and have no idea where to go, suddenly the list of place you could explore never seam to end. 

6 months seam too short and even a year or two could not seam to fit all the places I wanted to visit.

York Minster

Family seam to be all over the world too nowadays with people migrating, working and studying abroad. I was one of the fortunate ones to have quite a few relative of sorts and one of them was in England, Yorkshire.

Family does wonders when traveling. They are your first ties that you keep in touch, support and keep you going after your dream, as long as you get past that initial homesick withdrawal. 

Its like a sense of security as well knowing that if any emergency happens you have a phone call away that you know no matter the cost they would drop everything they are doing and fly to wherever you are to get you back to home.

Of course knowing someone is watching your back does sometimes have its bad side effects such as going the more dangerous route and taking more risk.

Extended families such as uncles and aunt or cuz for that matter that are in another country makes wonderful pit stops where you could loose that sense of uptight from traveling alone so long. 

No longer having to worry if some stranger you just met is going to pinch something off your backpack while you are sleeping or thinking what to do for dinner makes a very different long awaited rest. 

Don’t get me wrong … I tend to sleep in a lot during the travels and was always over rested but the rest of the mind was another thing altogether

The other best part I loved for the pit stop was the familiarity. No longer needing to go through the introductions. They know you, your good part and also your bad habits. 

Complains was also a welcome such as naggings since you seldom get those from newly made stranger friends or at lease if it does happen you just don’t talk to them. 

Conversation changes to a deeper meaning when old families or friends that are not afraid to pinch a sore wound just to disturb you.

Well I pit stopped two weeks over Christmas to New Years in 2011/2012 …. Got feed well and was ready for my next big leg to America …. But not until a short ride up Ireland first and a few more towns I have never been before in England

What to do on a Transport Strike Day -Brussels

Remember when I said the choice of staying in a hostel far far away was going to come back to haunt me … well it was on a Sunday in Brussels a beautiful morning when I woke up to find out there was non- public transport whatsoever for the day due to a planned strike.

Now the expensive hike rate for the hostels in town on this particular day suddenly make sense … Now I know why the hostel I stayed was so cheap ….

So what can you do on a Strike Day ……. my thoughts on what should I do and actually did….

Try to catch a plane …
You are screwed … book another ticket … luckily for me … my flight was the next day Monday … Phew … but for those that somehow have the unfortunate schedule to be flying on a strike day, take full comfort that the flight will most probably continue without you if you don’t reach that airport in time for check in. Beg someone to drive you there and pay him … unless its cheaper to book a new ticket for the next day …

Stay in bed and Slack away

I was seriously contemplating doing this for the whole day, just stay at the hostel where I was alone in a 4 bed bunk bedroom with no one around pure quiet bliss write in my journal, sleep … laundry if I had the chance …. 

A stay in day … a break within a break … but alas this hostel really haunted me for there was no food whatsoever even closeby. 

I was hungry by lunch and had to go out hunting and after 1km of walk I still couldn’t find any food stall … it was a Sunday … hence most places closes outskirt of town

Meniken Piss 

Do Cabs go on strikes too ???

I really don’t know about this one but I swear I did not see a single cabby the whole day let alone a bus … subway was fully closed … that plan was out the window quick enough

Try to Hitch Hike to Central Town

I actually started walking in the direction of the main city where I knew plenty of tourist within the old quarters will keep stores open and food would be available. 

Hunger was driving me now and not really the urge to visit places, so I put my thumb out with no luck since although outskirt of town it was still in the town. Quite rare for people to hitch hike in town I guess …. No luck there

Walk to Central Town

This was what actually happen … I walked 3 hours to reach the center of the city of Brussels. Immediately head for one of those restaurants near the old square … cost me 45euro for lunch …. Bah … I was hungry …. I still had to walk back to the hostel I realized

Christmas Shopping

With the amount of time I need to spend walking into town and back I did my last minute Christmas gift shopping for my relative since I was flying to see them the next day at York. Good old Swarovski Crystal … bought three of em and it was done in 10 minutes …

Last roll of the Dice - Casino Brussels
And to shed light in to a gloom day … I visited the casino and got all my Christmas presents for free …. I was friends again with my old buddy after what happened in Netherlands ….

Walk Back home - Don’t forget some takeaway
Alas the slow walk back to the hostel with takeaway in the bag …

It’s a Comical City - Brussels

Brussels was my ticket out of the Euro zone with my free stamp visa reaching dangerously close to the 90 days. The hostel I choose was relatively very far from the city requiring a train ride almost 20 minute and another 20 minute walk along the road. It was cheap basically but fairly good in condition.

The choice would come back to haunt me later.

One beauty of staying so far away from the city was that you get to see the local lifestyle. A bit boring for a tourist still it was real. 

The hostel was actually in a sports hall where people book courts, played basketball , squash, tennis, gym, and almost anything you can think off. 

I was brought pass all the sports court and at the back linked by a small bridge was the hostel managed by the sports hall itself.

There was plenty of rooms in very good condition with all the facilities minus a kitchen. There was no kitchen …

The choice would come back to haunt me later.

Hopping back onto the train I headed to explore the city of Brussels. The first that I immediately notice was all the mural painting of comical characters on building all around the city. 

Apparently being the home of quite a few famous comic writers such as Peyo - Smurf , Herge - Tintin, Edgar - Blake & Mortimer and many more I was not aware off.

I found that many of the artworks were just round the corner but intentionally missing the busy street of the tourist.

Hence the start of the hunt of Comics Graffiti Begins.

Last Minute Stop - Luxemburg

You know when sometimes you just want to be a bloody tourist ??? I know a lot of people who shun the tourist mentality and would prefer full independence travel anytime over a tour guide …. I am partially guilty of it but sometimes … you just cant avoid acting like a tourist ….

Luxemburg was one of those times I guess. I just wanted to add one more country to count of my journey …

The only Hostel in Luxemburg

From Gent I bought a return ticket to Luxemburg…. RETURN ticket … thou I was never going to use it … apparently according to the train ticket booth seller if I buy the return instead of the one way journey it was actually cheaper than buying two individual tickets to Luxemburg and then to Brussels. 

Must be something to do with the imaginary international border line whereby ticket crossing country can be quite expensive. But buying a return ticket means you will be coming back so it was good and cheaper.

41 Euro for a Return Ticket to Luxemburg from Gent

So I got the return ticket to Luxemburg which will serve as my ticket to Brussels from Luxemburg and if someone’s lucky passed on the next person that would be going to Gent from Brussels at the hostel …. 

We all help each other … backpacking strangers helping strangers every little bit to save money …. Like leaving food in the common kitchen label free for all …

Luxemburg … was beautiful … but boring to boot … well maybe it was winter so nothing much was going around. The city was like a castle in a epic fantasy book where the river or ravine spew in a circle around the city and was so deep that if it was not for the bridges it would take forever to cross over.

Down the ravine the semi outer city was a eerie place at night. Yet if you have a friend with you I would definitely suggest venturing around looking for a pub …. Its almost mystical at night.

Daytime nearby was a old ruin of some sort … did not really understand what that was but it looked interesting enough to wonder about for 3 hours …. Of the things I discovered were some weird fucking sculpture ….

Weird Fucking Sculpture 

Luxemburg City

Luxemburg City 

Passing By Town - Gent

Gent

Days were numbered as Christmas was coming close and I had promised my uncle and aunt that I would drop by in York then. 

My cuz just had his first born son, and my uncle was leaving me messages saying everything was hectic … so I decided to skip hop a few more towns and try to make it to Yorkshire by Christmas eve instead of a week earlier.

Gent was one of those force to go places.

Its different from unplanned like Antwerp, Bruges, Bratislava for this was forced to go. Somewhat like Igounomenitsa in Greece I was originally planning to hit Luxemburg directly from Bruges, but there were no hostels on a Saturday night. 

Left with no choice I stopped in gent for a night and visited as much as I could for the short amount of time I was there.

It was a fascinating town but not enough to hold me here even if I had time to do so. I did try finding a jazz bar which was suppose to play everyday but was disappointed when no one played when I was there.

Still at lease there old streets to explore and a ‘little glass street’

Best shot of the day … sneakers artwork

Sneakers Artwork