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After a solid 8.5 hours of sleep I was spared another horrendous wake-up by the little gremlin and instead was simply buzzed awake by my alarm-clock. My bus would depart at 1200 from Station Bercy, and we had a couple hours left to get ready. Thijs has a nifty set-up where’s able to turn on his Nespresso machine without leaving his bed. Instant-access-coffee; part of his early-morning routine. I jumped aboard and enjoyed a cup of Joe before hopping into the shower. Thijs went to get croissants. The last croissants of the trip. I told myself I’d better enjoy them.
With plenty of time to spare, we enjoyed a relaxed breakfast together and subsequently made way for the metro.

The bus was delayed.
Thijs would head to London later the same afternoon, to spend some time with his girlfriend who’s currently doing an internship in The City.
Such international folks we all are…
Even though Thijs predicted that packing his bags would take him 5 minutes tops, I didn’t want him to end up rushing. I told him he shouldn’t wait up.
We hugged and said goodbyes.
Not soon after, the bus pulled into the lane and I was home-bound.

The first official stop would be Brussels, which would take several hours. The bus was not even half-full.
I got comfy in my seat, and let my mind wander…

I thought it a shame I was heading back already. It had felt really good to take this small break, and I would not have mind for it to have been longer. To say I would return home properly rested, would be an understatement; it’d been busy, active and very full few days. But I did get to clear my head, in the outdoors and through plenty of elaborate talks with my friends. Friends for whom I’m grateful they’re a part of my life.
In my mind I time-traveled ahead to the next adventure we’re going to share. I’m really hoping that it’ll be soon.

The eight hours on the bus went by smoothly. I listened to music, napped, read and looked out the window. Near the city of Antwerp I caught a glorious sunset. Even though the horizon was sheltered by the cities infrastructure, the fiery pallet reminded me of some beautiful evenings along the PCT.
Even though the bus had a delayed start, the driver managed to catch up;  we came to a halt in Utrecht half an hour prior to the scheduled arrival-time.

After a glance through my apartment, I gave myself a little compliment for leaving the place in tidy order. It’s nice coming home, realizing you’ll be able to settle into to the evening calmly.
I would close my eyes and think about what future adventures could be made into memories.