The last week was a bit tumultuous, filled with to do lists. A check up with my general practitioner, getting all sorts of preventive medicines, getting all kinds of toiletries, evaluating the Vietnam project, receiving some people from Geneva, visiting my grandmother, my brother and my nephews, bring in my bike to the shop for a last check up, collecting my passport with all the visums, buying all the last necessary stuff.... And then - yesterday evening - I brought my bike and my two 89liter ortlieb duffle bags to Schiphol, packed the bike and left everything at the depot. And after that there were no preparations left!
So this morning I went to work for the last time. My colleagues will have four months to blame me for everything that went wrong over the last year, so I insisted on having my annual performance and development session before my departure. And after the P&D we had our weekly friday 10am cookie moment, during which I said goodbye to my colleagues. All the encouragement and enthusiasm is heartwarming :-)
I also had dinner with friends last Wednesday. It’s strange to leave them behind again, after spending most of the last 14 months abroad. After the next four months I’ll try to be home a bit more often! Promised! Thank you for keeping up with all the weird stuff I do and my ever increasing ego :-)
After work I went home and changed into my comfy un-fashionable flight wear. I took the train to Schiphol, collected my bike and bags from the depot and checked in. Having a multi-destination ticket to Cairo and back from Cape Town while simultaneously checking in a bicycle raised a lot of enthusiastic and encouraging reactions :-)
And now I’m waiting in the AF/KLM lounge before boarding my flight to Paris. Nothing better than to sit in between all the posh people in my unfashionable flight wear while drinking Cava :-) I should enjoy it while I still can. After thursday it is camping in the desert without a shower :-|
16 and 20kg. Not too bad :-)
The bike is another 20
Drinking Cava while waiting for my flight to depart....
Drinking Cava while waiting for my flight to depart....
Right in time to see the bike being loaded :-)
