We had to wake up at about 5:45 today so we could catch a bus at about 6:30. We packed up and ate our breakfasts and then went out to the bus stop right outside the lodge at about 6:25. It was raining and windy and cold so that wasn't the most enjoyable wait but the bus came on time so we didn't have to wait too long. We took the bus the city square and then walked to the train station. Our train left at 7:30 and we arrived at the station at about 7, so we did really well on time. We boarded our train and found better seats than last time. There weren't as many reserved seats this time. The train was pretty empty. I watched a movie and then fell asleep. When I woke up, the train was packed full. We made it to the Dublin train station and hopped on a bus to the airport. It started off empty as well but filled up as we drew closer to the airport. A guy came around a checked tickets which had never happened before and then there was some problem, so he kept going up and down the stairs checking tickets and such. Not really sure what went wrong but they were struggling trying to figure it out. We got to the airport and it was pouring rain. We found the printers and finally settled the printed boarding pass fiasco one and for all. We checked in and then went through security. It went smoothly. They did check my hands and waistband though. Kind of weird how they rub them with a fiber wand and then like test the fibers for something. Not sure why they do that. After security we searched for lunch and then waited to see which gate our flight left from. We had to walk across almost the whole terminal to our gate and then waited for about an hour. The flight was delayed and didn't take off for some time after we boarded so I ended up falling asleep before we took off. This flight is very empty. There was probably only 30 people on it and about 180 seats. I was in a middle seat but I didn't have any seat neighbors which was nice. The flight went by quickly. We landed and exited the airport and went through a short passport check. Our next task was to find the bus stop where our bus would take us to the train station. It was kind of confusing, but Annah had some tips on where to go so we found it eventually. We weren’t sure when the bus would get there exactly but we didn’t really have a schedule since we were just hoping it would work itself out. It did. The bus came after waiting for about 15 minutes. It was a 20 minute or less drive to the train station. There was a train leaving in about 30 minutes after we got there. Perfect. We tried to find a quick snack and then waited for our train. The train arrived and we found some seats easily since it wasn’t that full. This train ride would take about an hour and a half. It was a very long ride and the train filled up quickly. We had to switch over at Leige, but the train was delayed so we waited what seemed like a long time. I was ready to be back by this time so I was done waiting. The last 20 minute train ride finally landed us in Verviers. We walked back to our facility, but we were hungry. We tried finding food on the way but couldn’t find anything. We decided to go to the pita place down the road. We ordered, but they only take cash and we were drained of cash after our travels. The atm was across the street so I just ran out to grab some. After we chowed down, we returned to the facility after a week away. It was a whirlwind! We greeted the others who were already back and shared some quick stories. I face timed Ben shortly to see him on his birthday and catch up after all my traveling. I was tired, so I showered and hit the bed as soon as I could.

Fun Facts: there was a cute little girl who sat across the train from me on one ride. She was quite the entertainment. I had forgotten how trashy and smelly Belgium was. I didn’t miss it.

Shoutout: BENJAMIN!!!! IT’S HIS BIRTHDAY! I HOPE YOU HAD SUCH A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY! YOU DESERVE THE BEST HONEY! I LOVE YOU ALL AROUND THE WORLD!