Airport camping traveling

                                        AIRPORT AND TRAIN STATION CAMPING

Ville de Gent
Gent
Gant
Gand
Belgium

chateau médiaval de Gent
Gant medieval castle.
awsome view of the city

Magnifique architecture, histoire...
maginficient architecture.
the history itself is amazing.

A TINY BOWL OF SOUP, BREAD AND ONE APPLE
ROUGHLY 4.50 EUROS
petite soupe petit pain une petite pomme

Pendant que je suis assise à charger ma tablette je trouve ce livre de recette sur la table pendant plus de 30 minutes personne est venue le chercher. Je suis heureuse de l avoir trouvé.


While I was sitting charging my tablet, I found this cooking book. it was on the table for over 30 minutes and no one came to claim it. I was very happy I found it.
I collect cooking book.
free beeze.
Yeah! i  like it.

Traveling on a shoe string with an adolescent can be an interesting trip but I promise myself to spend quality time with my nephew beofre he reach 18.

Passengers:

• Me an experience flight attendant 
• and my nephew  first timer in Europe who is going to have his 17th birthday in Europe.

Destination:
MONTREAL -ATHENES

Lenght of vacations:
5 days


Delay
Our trip is cancel:
Stand by over booking can not leave for the sun, beach and snorkling in Athens
change of plan
no place...
Think

Dam!
Tablet is already out of power.
Need to go upstairs at the office.


MONTREAL BRUXELLES
Its a go!
Run!

Sleep on plane.
Save money.

Charge tablet.

Think what to do next where to go after that
Thinking where to bring him
What is the best place 2 take him in Europe?

Best place I would like my nephew to see in Europe would
Be...
Hum !

Follow me to find out where we end up


BRUXELLES
BRUSSELS

Arrive in Brussels

Bruxelles ( 30 minutes wait at the counter)
Wait to get a train ticket.
Line ups are long.

Bruxelles Gent.
Train leaves now

Go! Run!
Hurray up!
It's leaving in 5 minutes!

GENT

Gent spend the day in Gent looking at mediaval castle, eating wafles, cubedron while looking at amazing sites of European history.

Back on the train.
Go! Run!
Hurray up!
Its leaving!



AIRPORT CAMPING 

FIRST STOP
FIRST NIGHT
Bruxelles
Brussels

Look at the departure board to inspire us.
Charge our batteries.
Tablet
Ipod

We chill at the Sheraton Hotel for a cocktail, time to charge the batteries. Tablet first, I pod second and reserve a flight on internet.
A day at work during my vacations:
Trying to figure out the use of my tablet while booking an airline ticket.
What a fun evening.

Eat peanuts. Drink some more.

We than decide to go to Venice instead of Rome. Its cheaper flying there than Rome.

Even with airline discounts, it doesn't mean you strike a deal all the time.

So we decided to go to VENICE
For our second day in Europe.

Eat more peanuts and toast to our new destination with a kir royal.
Wait for the tablet to charge to its fullest.

We go back to the airport for a good night sleep.
I slept on a bench, my tall nephew, 6 feet 5 on the floor.
Took a while to sleep.
My bones are feeling the metal bench
Every 15, minutes I change side
Strange noise, people passing by,

We slept a little and were ready to go on to the next day.


Had breakfast at the airport downstair.
Croissant, juice and cafe creme

Change terminal.
45 minutes walk be aware.
Wait for plane
Slept some more.



Bruxelles Venice by plane.
Reserve ticket, its a go.
Run!

Landed in Venice.
Yeah!

Money-budget discussion before we go on exploring.

Had to go to the business office at the airport to check the flights on internet.
Forget Samsung tablet, the power is useless.
Spend 10 euros for 30 minutes here to use internet.
We needed to know when are the flight back to Brussells so we could plan our departure out of Venizia.


VENISE 

City tour by bus 
I ask for the bus for the St Lucia station so my nephew could have the spectacular view of Venice but instead we ended up we a tour of the city of Venice; the regular part. Old, poor and dirty.


We got back to the airport hop on the other bus number 5
We took the canal boat 
Day pass

Boat on the canal, hop on hop off; is fantastic.

Gelato breaks are welcome has temperature rises, cappucino and coca-cola halt give us a boost to keep us going beating  the jet lag that is kicking in.

My nephew need to battle this unknown ennemy: Jet lag.
Keep on walking fast speed is a good way to do it.


City tour by boat
We ended up having dinner on a superb island. 
Lido

LIDO

My nephew and I wanted to see the Lido beach.
Pizza and spaghetti dinner ...


Venice by night
Amazing view to watch from the boat ride that will take us back to Venice.

The tablet at night is useless to take picture and it takes for ever to open.

Leave Venise.


The night is too cold to sleep at the train station.
Airport in Venice too dirty to sleep at airport.

We decide to take the train all night to keep us warm.
Check the departure board.
Trieste sounds good.

Train To trieste
Leaves now.
We want to hop on the train.
The conductor says:
You need to get the train ticket from the machine.
We ran to the machine.
Buy ourselves 2 train tickets.
Run back to the plateform.
The conductor says:
You need to pass it thru the machine.
What.
I did not sign in for a marathon.
I sign in for a vacation.

This time my nephew takes the ticket and ran to the machine to  validate our ticket.
 Tickets are validated.
We can now board the train.
Just a little bit before midnight.



TRAIN CAMPING
SECOND NIGHT

We slept on board the train to Trieste. 
Where it was nice and warm but crowded. We reserved for first class but they didnt had first class. Nice, we just paid 16 euros extra for no first class.
We try to get reimbourse when we left Trieste but it was mission impossible.


Arrived in Trieste

TRIESTE 
The train station was close.

Ww wonder in a bar resto until 2:30 trying to charge our tablet and ipod while drinking a sprite.
Afterwards we needed to wait for the train station to reopen.
Waited 2 hours in the cold, in front of the train station.
So cold I thought we went back to Canada.
It finally opens around 4.

SHE MOST HAVE BEEN 89 YEARS OLD FROM SLOVENIA OR SOMETHING SLEEPING ON A BENCH AND IT WAS NOT HER FIRST TIME SHE WAS USED TO THE WASROOM ANTIC WATER FAUCET WHERE YOU HAVE TO PRESS THE PEDAL. i WAS EVEN STUCK IN TH E WASHRROM COULDNT GET OUT OF THERE. tHE LOCK ON TH EDOOR WAS SO OLD. iH MY GOD AFTER 10 TO 15 MINUTES I MANAGE TO GET OTU AND THERE SHE WAS WASHING EHRSELF AT THE SINK. pROBABLY TOO OLD TO HEAR ME SCREAM FOR HELP OR THE TRANSLATION DIDNT COME TO HER OLD YEARS





So we went in and slept in for 2 hours roughly.
Afterwards we went  for a visit.

im so cold i put all my clothes on and the shirt of my nephew I am super cold

Trieste
We ate 5 Croissants.
3 for my nephew 2 for me
2 macchiatos
My nephew went on top of the hill to check the view while I was thinking what to do next.
We took a city tour.

City bus tour.
Fantastic.
But its too cold too stay.We won't get any tan here! And it will be best, if we were going up to Brussels,  lots of tourists in Venice got me thinking, we will perhaps be stuck here, if we were to stay in any longer.And trying to leave during week-end was not the ideal situation for stand by like us.


We leave Trieste.

Trieste, a eastern city with italian flavor, with dramatic scenery of the adriatic sea.
No soul in  sights, no fishermen at sea, no one,  in a ghost city, moscovit feeling, eastern european feel on an italian ground. Cold wind, no sun, no one around.

Saw no more than 10 people in total.



Train ride between Trieste and Venise.

One of the 10 most scenic road I have seen.
Adriatic sea.
O gee so close to slovemia and croatia.
No picture Samsing tablet is already out.
But our standby ticket, and my nephew who needs to go to work...
We definetely need to go back home.

Back to Venise


VENISE
Venise second day to check on time schedule for Bruxelles and leave bag at the airport.
We have no choice and we can not find any place to plug our tablet or iphone so we need to go back to the only 2 plugs available to us at the airport in Venice.
Unbelievable.
Venice is not a tech city. Nothing to accomodate the passengers. Whats with a plug. It doesnt hurt anyone to put plugs so we can plug our electronics.

You want to plug your computer, tablet, cell phone, ipod....camera...
Think again before you leave for Europe.
No more power for the tablet.



City tour by foot again 
Without backpack, what a relief at this point.
Chilling in Venice.
Eating gelatos, eating french fries...
Relaxing.
Saying goodbye to Venice was hard.

Return to the airport to get the pack sac before nine oclock. Need to charge the tablet so I can connect and check the load of the flights back.

Third night sleep
Slept at the airport.
It's better than all the hotel rooms we have seen. At least we have space, and fresh air. My sinus could not handle those old stuffy rooms we visited.

Had pizza at the airport.
Charge our tablet and ipod.
Went to bed exhausted.

Airport camping no choice but we need to find a bench no way we are going to sleep on th eflorr in this filty airport. Rats will definietely crawl on us for sure. Restaurants are dirty, washrooms are dirty...

Third night.

There was this man talking to himself asking us for money at time to time.
The man who wash the floor was also talking to himself but beside that, the night was good.
We could stretch our legs on our 3 seat bench without armrest.
It was perfect.
We pull another set of 3 seater bench, so my nephew could stretch his leg a little further.
He slept like a rock.
I had a hard time waking him up for his birthday.
I sang the song 3 times before he got up.

Left in the morning for Brussels
06:00 departure
Had breakfast.
Croissant marmelade and macchiato.

I tought I was going to die with my nephew.
The plane we were on.
Brussel airline had a hole in the fuselage.
It was pooring rain inside at the front.
it was not condesnation.
It was rain.
We couldnt take a picture of it my tablet was out of power and dont count on European aircraft to charge your tech equipment either.

So I could have gone out the plane with my nephew and change aircraft or risk it.

I figure, it is a small flight, 2 hours and a half, and by the time the hole would expand to an extreme, we will be fine and since we are not flying at a very high altitude, we would be fine; just like the Hawaian flight, who knows?
Just fasten your seat belt real tight, just in case.

All the passengers up front were pointing the hole to the crew members but they were not doing anything and I did not see them call the pilots either. Unless the ring on their phone did not work as well that day.

It was raining on the plane but we needed it to go back to Brussels a.s.o.p. for my nephew who needed to work the next day north of Montreal.


Brussels 
Run to catch the plane.
Change terminal.
Go thru customs.
Run some more.
Pass security.
Left my silver bracelet there. (souvenir form India)

Arrive at the counter in a rush.
No
No she says.
No.
What no?

You can not board the flight.
Why not?
We change the date of our departure.
Why can't we change our flight.
No. You can not board the flight today.
Not very nice.
I have the confirmation on my tablet but its dead.

Between us we airline crew (beside me) are the worst ennemies. Worst than the Gestapo.

WIthout an explanation she told us try tomorrow.
But we are here we want to go now.


We were pissed off by the treatment we receive and especially my little nephew couldnt go back to work the next day either.

It was his birthday and he wanted to go home.

Stuck in Brussels.


BRUXELLES
Situation is not good  did not take into consideration that the Belgium are on vacations.

Vacations starts tomorrow. Everyone in Belgium will leave the country.
We did not expected that. I knew when the French goes on vacations in August you want to avoid this period but the Belge; I didn't know.
They are worst than the French people. They all leave Brussels at the same time by plane.
Little family of 4 with their little pack leaving Belgium.


I am stress out.

We leave our bags at the Sheraton concierge.
Had a french fries sprite and a pelligrino at the Sheraton while tablet charge so when I come back from our city tour of Brussels,  I would have figure out a way to get us out of here,
Pronto!

Brussel afternoon
Train to Brussells
Walking tour of Brussels.

                                                          Wafle -birthday cake for my nephew big 17


Waffle and chocolate tasting.
Thinking
Stressing out some more...
Looking at black clouds..
Had a beautiful afternoon in Brussels.
We saw the royal palace, the mannequin piss. He is playing tricks on people now. European union building...
We saw plenty.
It was time to go go back to the airport.
You do not want to hang around the city at night.
We wanted to stay to see the city hall light show that is beautiful but it will get us too late afterwards and the train station in Brussels at night is a bit dangerous.
I didnt want to risk it with my nephew.
I know Brussels like the palm of my hand.

People spending the night at the airport the regulars

The not so regulars

SHE STOLE OUR FIRST SPOT. WE WERE HERE YESTERDAY. 

I was on the bench and Lucky prefered to sleep on the floor

The crazy croud at 4:00A.M.

Again star buck
10 euros an hour for internet
coffee

watching people at starbuck

over booking

did not make the flight

Sleeping on the bench in that area when the police came to scare me.

Sleeping at the airport with others who oculd find a ticket, a home a friend.



Fourth night
Sleep at airport in Brussels. Nice and clean washrooms.Clean, lots of space.
Spend 30 euros to try to rebook us on a next flight the next day.
Spend 22 euros to try to get our tablet and ipod to charge and have a cocktail...excuse to stay in a little longer.

Another night at the airport.
Did not sleep much.

Police encounter.

They were not pleasant. Very hyper. At first, when I look at them,  I tought they were tough guy trying to intimidate me. I was at the very far end of the airport to get the best seat ever. 2 4 seats bench for me and my nephew.
They were wearing swet shirt. How could you tell they were police.
One of them, the smaller one,  ask me a question, I answer him but he didnt like the fact that when he ask me:
French, German, English ?
I answered:
Yes.
Be respectuful, he yelled at me.
Hum! I'm not sure what he meant by that. Very uptight policeman.
So the other policeman come back to me and shouted:
Do you speak flemmish?
I said: no but I speak arabic and spanish.
Oh boy!
They were furious.
I didnt know what was wrong with me answering his question at all.
I didnt know why they were getting so upset.
He told me there are bad people sleeping here. I should be warn.
Yes I know that, I have been here before and its the first time, I was seeing security at the aiport in all that time beside check point, I told myself.
I still did not understand why he didnt told the poor people to go away. Why they were so rude to me.
I could'nt go back to sleep. I counted my bills and left for Starbuck. Too bad for our beautiful long beches, I had found to spend the night.
I went  to charge my tablet for the zillion time and bought myself a bottle of water. When I sat down, I realize my nephew had kept my charger. He was still at the Sheraton texting his mommy, on his Ipod.
Spend money for nothing. Not a good night indeed.

Yeah we finally made it

Leaving for Montreal at 10:50 only the next day.
Wait, stand by.
It s full she said but go wait at the gate.
No place doesnt sound too good.

Wait, stand by.
Go.
Its a go!

Run! Lets go!
We are going to Montreal!

MONTREAL



July the 5Th

Even if my nephew call his employer that he was stranded in Europe and he will be coming in, in the afternoon instead  of the morning, they told him to show up but didn't let him work and was send home to wait for them to call him back. Today, he was told, he will not work there this summer.

I am so sad to see that his memory of his first trip will be darken for ever by this event.
He told them the truth, text them a message, that he was stranded but not good enough.

All I wanted for him is to have a little fun before he start to work.
All I wanted for me is a bit of fun for my boring life and give some time to my nephew always saying I dont do anything with him.

Sad to see this.
Now he will hate me for ever as this place was all he dreamed for to work there all winter all summer.

What a nightmare this vacation was because of this bad news. The rest my feet and all that pain I suffer is nothing compare to this news.

He is young and wants to work but now what will he retain from telling the truth.
Not much.

Having fun in Venice