Netherlands - Round The World Tour 2003 T-61

pre-departure

Kerkrade

Sunday 12th January

Right now, I’m sitting in Karin & Wiel’s living room writing my first travel journal entry. Hopefully, I will add an entry a couple of times a week from her on in. I guess you’ll just have to keep reading to find out whether I had the discipline to keep it going.

This evening we went to see Happy Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at the cinema. I sat between Kai and Max. During much of the film, I got to hold Max’s hand for some reassurance. Max is a very loving child and I’ve always felt like I’ve had a special bond with him. I enjoy all my nephews and nieces but I have to confess that I have a special place in my heart for Max. Can’t really explain why.

I spoke with a travel agent about our RTW tickets and the various other tickets we need to get us to those places we want to go. I always knew that it was gong to be logistically challenging but everything seems so real all of a sudden and suddenly, the whole process seems daunting. We are well beyond the point of no return so we’ll just have to plough through now.

We walked into a travel agent the day before yesterday and I suddenly got the urge to check into prices for a few days in Paris. What the hell, we are just 4 hours by train away, have never been there and, damn it, I’m on holiday, right? We’ll see what becomes of that idea. We asked Frank if he wanted to go with us and we also asked Karin & Wiel. No concrete commitment from either yet but the trip, if we go, is still a week or so away yet.

Still have the rest of the day tomorrow and part of Monday here in Venlo before going back to Kerkrade. Then we get to go see Dinie & Dré and the kids again. I’m looking forward to that.