Forgive me, blog

I have just realised in complete shock that I have neglected you, blog, for some time now. Which is something I feel very sad about. Because some very interesting things happened lately. Some I can share with you, some I can not. Unfortunately.

Anyway ... Last Saturday I met my lovely friend Richard in Antwerp and spent the most wonderful day. The weather was absolutely incredible (and not only after Belgian standards), sunny and warm all the time which made us smile. We would have smiled anyway because we usually have a great time together, every time we meet. Richard is unchanged, of course. Still completely crazy and still makes me laugh. This time there was the three of us - the two of us and Prince William! Or, rather, a big picture of Prince William's face which appeared in all pictures that Richard was taking. Or most of all anyway.

We wandered the streets, Richard took pictures of rubbish as usual, we discussed all sorts of interesting things, took a lovely boat ride (but too uneventful to be very exciting), ate light lunch and dinner in two of the numerous restaurants of the city. Eventually said goodbye to each other (and Antwerp) around 9pm to jump on our trains (going to Brussels and Leiden respectively). Stay well, little one! Good luck with your marathon in October!!

I have been in Lyon since Tuesday morning, for work. I hadn't had great expectations in relation to Lyon but so far the stay has really proven a complete nightmare. First of all, yesterday evening when we got to our hotel (or, rather, the one which we thought we had rooms booked in) we were told that there was no reservation in our names. Somebody had called and cancelled it. The hotel was a Novotel and it today turned out that we had reservation with another hotel in the same chain. But apparently it was impossible for the lady at the reception to check in the common database and see that we did, actually, have rooms booked. So we had to stay for one night in another hotel and change hotels again today, which was a complete pain. It seems that most hotels are fully booked here this week due to the soccer match Lyon - Madrid.

Secondly, in this new hotel only 25% of the rooms have internet access and mine is not one of these ... Again, it was impossible for me to change rooms as, of course, rooms are fully booked here too! So I had to stay at the hotel bar to update my blog (I have wireless access here). At least the guys here have been quite civilised and did not yell, whatever the match result was.

I actually look forward to flying back home ... This will happen on Friday, if everything goes according to plan and no unpleasant surprises occur (you can never be too sure in Lyon!!) ... I look forward to sleep in my four poster bed again :-) I miss Brussels!!