Welcome Back, Exit through the Gift Shop
Back-dating this to Sunday, June 2nd, 2019, even though it’s June 6th 2020 by the time I’m posting it
Going back the way we came ends up being unsurprisingly uncomplicated. We have a short flight to Copenhagen and an eight-hour flight back to Boston. We arrive at the airport with plenty of time for both breakfast and beers at the lounge before our departure.
The only remotely confusing thing about the whole ordeal is the fact that the exit to the gates goes through some kind of mall for some reason…
On our layover, we roughly know our way around the Copenhagen airport’s construction—although not as well as we would if I had followed Matthias’s lead as I should have and raced with him for a quick pit stop at the lounge on our way over—and make our way through customs with little fanfare. Naturally Matthias is ‘randomly selected’ for a search at the gate, and I do my best to make the border agent uncomfortable while he’s going through Matthias’s stuff. I’m one-upped in my discomfort goals by a man who somehow manages to fall through a temporary wall by leaning on it too hard.
Leaving Belgium I’m excited at the thought of returning. It’s tiny and easy to get around—next time could be the time we finally rent that car and drive to Switzerland—and there are plenty of places to see outside but not too far from Brussels itself. Matthias wants to come back every year, so we’ll see whether that’s an eventuality.
Editor’s note one year later: hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
I loved staying in Etterbeek, right near the Place Jourdan, which afforded us the opportunity to have beers and Brussels’s best frites for breakfast each day (after noon, the traditional breakfast hour, of course…). I like that we fell into the choice of never really adjusting our sleep schedules to the time zone, so we won’t be jet lagged when we return home.
I think my favourite part was Grand-père Albert leaning out his second-story window to greet his grandson, and the happiness he brought Matthias by being able to connect as family. Old pictures and older stories are always welcome.
Well, that, or our nudist rave friend.
