The journey has begun! Well, sort of.
On the 1st of December we will move out of London and set off on a journey of several months, seeing parts of the world that neither of us have seen at all (South America), parts that only one of us has seen (Oceania), and parts that we both want to explore more (North America).
But, on the cusp of setting off, we had one major task to complete first — getting our stuff into storage! And so we set off to Germany for a 6-day van adventure.
For me, I have to admit, the first day held little potential for excitement. After all, how exhilarating can a 10-hour drive be? But, as we reached Folkestone, on the southern coast of England, Andrejs started to get excited. You see, for him, it was his first time on the Eurotunnel. For those not familiar, the Eurotunnel entails a train that carries cars under the English channel. I had completely underestimated what a source of excitement this was for him. As we drove onto the train and parked as instructed, Andrejs’ eyes widened like an 8-year-old in a giant toy store.
When you think about it, it is pretty cool. It’s a train, that goes under the channel, taking cars on it from the U.K. to France. Andrejs looked around, eyes full of wonder and curiosity. I dutifully filmed the opening of the doors and our drive off the train, at Andrejs’ request. (For anyone else that’s equally excited, Andrejs has the video…)
But the highlight of the trip for Andrejs was yet to come. We arrived in Germany, at my family’s company’s factory and warehouses. We unloaded the van and packed our stuff onto pallets, ready to put them up on the warehouse shelves. If the Eurotunnel was exciting, that was nothing compared to the delight Andrejs showed at driving a forklift for the first time! His wide smile was infectious.
Our stuff safely up on the shelves, we toured the surrounds with my brother, and then continued back to London via Luxembourg City — the capital of Luxembourg.
We walked around the central area called the Grund to see the medieval fortresses with the river in the gorge below.
We visited the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was surprisingly cosy, warm, and peaceful. It has a history dating back to the 1600s.
After a night stopover at a rural B&B, we continued our trip back to London. We stopped for lunch in Ghent, the fourth largest city in Belgium, and took a walk to admire the many churches, interesting houses, and a castle.
Of course we sampled some local chocolate, too. (Speculoos-flavoured truffle — mmm…).
I enjoyed the trip, but most things were not entirely new to me. I had travelled on the Eurotunnel several times before and I have driven that forklift well past the point where it gets boring. I had even been to Luxembourg before. (Andrejs had not.)
But Andrejs’ delight at these new experiences has made a lasting impression on me. On our upcoming long travels, we will both face a multitude of new things, every week or every day! So, our van trip has given me a new goal: I want to delight in the new, with the same unabashed wonder, excitement and joy that Andrejs showed about that forklift.
Let the journey — and new experiences — begin!
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