Tuesday 18th October 2016

And so we find ourselves, once again, getting ready for four days away from home. At least this time it is just to Ostend, and this will be my new commute, traveling over by car each week.

I had failed to book my car onto a train, so that was the first task of the day once we had made coffee, fed the cats, etc, And I find that traveling between eight and ten seemed to be peak hour and traveling between those times would cost a hundred quid more. I balked at that, even with the company paying, so book on the first of the cheap services at 10:50.

That gave me a couple of hours to watch football, pack and get ready. So at just gone nine I had run out of things to do, so set off, thinking worse case I could sit in the terminal and have coffee and an early lunch.

It takes about fifteen minutes to drive to the terminal, uneventful and easy even through the roadworks. I arrive and check in and find I am offered the ten to ten train, which I can just make, so fail to stop at the terminal and thus also fail to get the headlight adapters I needed.

Once through immigrations, I find queues everywhere, as unbeknown to me, there were power supply issues in the tunnel. Two and a half rows of cars are allowed to board a train, whilst we wait.And wait.

And wait.

After eleven, we are allowed on, and after some delay we start the trip over to France. I only learn later in the day that the power situation got worse, and many trains cancelled later on. But I made it.

Rain was falling hard, making the hour blast up the motorway tricky, so I decide to take it easy, and make it safe. Heck, I even know the way to the hotel and office without the sat nav now, which is pretty good. Getting past the long lines of trucks and lorries, kicking up huge plumes of spray is interesting, but i press on and soon reach the turn off and after crossing over fields the road enters the strip mall which signals the edge of Ostend.

Along the main road, under the railway and along the docks, there is the turning, and into the road leading to the office. And once inside I meet friends and colleagues, who are running around like crazy things, but then this is par for the course.

I meet up, then get down to work, able to get four hours work in, catch up on mails and news before the office is cleared at half five, and i can drive to the hotel.

The new hotel.

Where I stayed before, was OK, but parking cost €21 a night, and the rooms were tiny and stuffy. So I asked to be moved to one over the road with its own parking, and some rooms have views over the beach. I drive in and find it has the narrowest of ramps, and even with just an Astra, it is hard getting round the corners and up the ramps to the first floor.

I manage to reverse the car into a tiny space, take out my case and walk down the steps to reception, where opposed the the parking garage, it is spacious and clean and swish. I will like it here.

I get my key and go to my suite on the 4th floor, I also have a balcony, but it looks into a courtyard rather than the beach. Whatevs.

At six, I go out to find somewhere to dinner, and remember there is a burger place next door. Outside I meet someone I have seen around various sites over the years, we greet each other and decide to go and eat together. Means we have someone to talk to, and only one of us has to pay.

I have a find burger, topped with creamy Swiss cheese, accompanied by good steak cut fries and strong Belgian beer. The sun has just set outside, the sky is red and orange, but fading to blue and black quickly. There is more than a chill in the air once we leave and walk the ten metres back to the hotel. Above us the waining moon, now four days past full, is shining down, and the deserted prom looks fine. If cold.

Back in my room there is football, and City are playing too. I follow it on Twitter, and get excited as we were two goals to the good at half time, but collapse in the 2nd half to cling on for a draw.

I open the door to the balcony a fraction, so I can hear the wind blowing, so fall asleep to that sound.