I can't explain how excited I have been for this trip to start. I'm sure everyone I work with will tell you that I haven't gotten much done other than watching the countdown timer get lower and lower on my computer for the last few weeks. I spent all week preparing, last minute work outs, packing and repacking, and of course 15 separate trips to Target throughout the week. Then the day finally arrived. I woke up Friday morning super early because of the excitement of the trip. The plan was to work a half day, head home to take Mom and Aunt Lanie to the airport to catch their 4:30 direct flights to Brussels, then relax with a nail appointment before heading to the airport myself to catch my 7:50 connecting flight to DC then onto Brussels. They would arrive in Brussels about 5 hours before me, but we had a plan to meet up for lunch in center city. Then came the dreaded email - travelocity informing me via email only that my flights had all been delayed 24 hours due to the DC to Brussels flight being cancelled. I was devastated. I immediately called my Mom to tell her what was going on and then got on the phone with Travelocity. (I will never book another trip with Travelocity after the experience with this booking, not just these issues but also all the hassle Nicole went through trying to change her tickets, etc.) So, I sat in my car at work for 2 hours on the phone with Travelocity and Brussels Airlines and finally was able to get my flight rebooked to still be in Brussels before noon on Saturday. Arrival time would work out perfectly because this meant Mom and Aunt Lanie and I would actually arrive in Brussels around the same time. The major difference was I would be leaving CLT almost 6 hours ahead of my planned departure time! I finally walked into work at 930 just to tell everyone they had 30 minutes to get whatever they needed from me for the next couple weeks - sorry work! After that I rushed home and picked up my stuff before taking an uber ride to the airport right away - I wanted to arrive early just in case there were other issues with the booking. Checking in went smoothly, and I found myself in the CLT airport with 3 hours until boarding time. I spotted the spa and thought getting a mani/pedi would be the perfect way to relax - and it definitely was! It might have been the most expensive mani/pedi I have ever had, but well worth it not just because it was much needed but also because it was the best I have ever had. If you are ever stuck in that airport - highly recommended to go there!
Anyways, I made my flight to DC and should have been boarding the connecting flight around the same time as Mom and Aunt Lanie. Seemed like out flight was right on time to leave DC, but texting them throughout the boarding, it was sounding more and more like they would be the ones delayed. We ended up leaving DC over an hour late due to overbooking and no one was willing to give up their seat, even for $800 in United credit (at this point, there's no way I was taking that bait). I had to turn off my phone before Mom and Aunt Lanie knew what was going on with their flight, so in mid-air right now I have no idea how far out of Brussels they are. I guess I'll see when I get there....
In planning for the trip, we each took different cities. I have Brussels and Amsterdam, Mom had Paris, and Aunt Lanie planned Venice. In planning Brussels, I made them a full day schedule and myself a half day schedule, meeting them for lunch. Looks like that might have to switch. Guess we will see when in Brussels. Whenever the adventure starts, I hope Europe is ready for us!
On a side note, traveling all day gives you a lot of time to think and today, I couldn't stop thinking about how lucky I am to be going on this trip. Getting a little cheesy here, but I am so lucky to have the chance and the means to take 2.5 weeks off from work, I am so lucky to have a Mom and an Aunt that will make plans a month in advance to embark on this journey with me (and a Dad and Uncle that are ok with that happening), to have friends like Nicole and Joey to take on yacht week with me, and most of all to have had the opportunities in the past to get myself addicted to seeing the world (ahem - thanks Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, and many others.) I definitely have a major case of wanderlust, and if wouldn't give it up for anything.
But getting away from that sappy stuff, we are about 30 minutes out from landing in Brussels. I'm ready for this adventure to start with a good Belgium waffle from a street vendor. Until next time....
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