Wednesday 24th April - A long day of travelling

We got up early to ensure we had everything packed and time for farewells. David's bike had to be checked in at least 90 minutes before departure. All 4 of us travelled from Bruges to Brussels together and had our final coffee and waffles at the station. Serena and Fergus went off to discover all the "pissen" statues in Brussels.

We headed through the long lines at security and passport control before boarding the Eurostar. We were in Standard Premier seats and were pleasantly surprised at the lovely lunch served to us on board. It felt like "Princess class".

In 2 hours 15 minutes, we were in central London at Kings Cross St Pancras station and lugging our baggage down the street to Euston station. Dark clouds were building up and our Belgian sunshine was left behind. Unfortunately, our train was cancelled which meant our reserved seats were no longer valid on the next train. The Virgin Railway staff could not have been more helpful. They ensured that someone took us directly to the platform ahead of the crowds to get us settled on board and make sure there was space for the bike up front as it didn't fit in the luggage racks.

As we headed across the road to our hotel, the first few drops of light rain began. It was a relief to finally stop. We have already booked our tickets to return to London tomorrow and made sure the bike will be catered for too. Serena and Fergus are still waiting for their flight to Dublin as we eat dinner, then they have a 2 hour drive back to Galway.

What a brilliant time we've had together once again! It was "See ya Later!" rather than good-bye, as we plan to visit one another at least annually. The latest idea was to meet in Spain or Portugal if David heads back to Belgium next year.