After the near catastrophe involving me forgetting our day-pack in a bistro (see last entry, I got it back) we were faced with another catastrophe - it was late, we were tired, and we needed to figure out where the heck to go next.

This is where the macbook really proved its essentiality (not a word). We had originally intended to go to Luxembourg from Antwerp, but a few hours of googling vacancies and prices changed our minds.

A slight panic set in as we realized tomorrow was creeping up and we still had no plans. We compared flight and train prices for just about every permutation and combination of travel options; Munich and Frankfurt were strong considerations, but at 4:00a.m. we finally decided on Zurich, Switzerland.

The problem? Our 4a.m. decision left us exactly one hour to pack and make tracks to Antwerpen Centraal to catch our 5a.m. train to brussels. As you will see from the pics, we thought we were seriously F'ed.

Our run to Antwerpen Centraal was nothing short of heroic; ACP and myself both with our backpacks slumped over our shoulders and no sleep under our belts. It didn't help that the ticket booths were closed at the station - so we hopped on the train with no tickets, broke a 50 with a nice person in first class, then paid the attendant and slipped back to second class to breath some relief.

I don't have much to say about Brussels except for my French was mocked yet understood, the croissants are exceptional (especially on no sleep) and it was wet. We didn't have much time before we were on the train to Zurich - at last. We slipped into a cabin and had a nap. The ride ahead of us would take 8 hours and we were more than happy to catch up on some sleep.

About half way through our journey however, we were accompanied by two elderly locals from France. They were more than happy to give us a talking-tour of the French countryside and the education system in France. They pointed out the town of Metz and told us about the astronomical clock in Strasbourg. (or something to this effect, my french is far from perfect.)

Still very much sleep deprived, we hopped on the incredible tram system in Zurich and made our way to our hotel. We found a grocery store and then went directly to sleep.



Time to do some serious Googling.


ACP while I was running around desperately trying to find an ATM. Her confidence was truly inspiring.


Brussels, loved it! (this is about as much of the city as we were able to see from the train station)


I had to take an obligatory "Mussels from Brussels" picture in honour of JCVD.


We were both hopelessly tired but still in good enough spirits to take pictures. People everywhere seemed to love our whiteboard.


On the train to Zurich!


Train cabins are the only way to go. Especially for two tall glasses of sparkling water such as ACP and I. Just as long as the train doesn't fill up.


Passing through France.


Paul and Yannick from France were our Cabin-mates for a few hours of our train ride. The sign says something along the lines of "Best wishes to our two Canadian travellers."


It doesn't matter what you order in Belgium, it's going to have egg in it.


The French countryside.

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