The eagerness of travelling

It's something that grows and grows inside us. Sometimes it's even more than that.
It's someone who's there to taunt us, and to tell us where we don't belong to. It's life mixed in a big bowl full of all the amazing persons we met during our travels.
We feel so lost and empty. We spend all the time knowing that something is missing but we never find out why. Then we jump out of the chair, buy a flight ticket, kiss that person one last time with a smile in our face, and we leave. So lost and still we do everything we can to get even more and more lost. Lost in a distant country, lost in our thoughts with trains and butterflies in our hairs.
This is it we think, while the train slowly make us fall asleep.
One day, two days, three days, four days. One more train, one more amazing view or one more delicious coffee. Another tight hug, and another missed kiss. We continue travelling, hoping that tomorrow we will find the answer.
We find millions of answers, but then we come back home and we know. It wasn't enough, it's never enough. We need the people, the tight hugs, the beautiful landscapes. We need to have the feeling of being lost in our bodies and not just in our minds.
And probably tomorrow will be another good day to leave.

Sleep tight

Sarah

There was no pasta for 3.5 euros, but there was a crappy Subway sandwich. But now there's Sarah.
It's strange to meet this girl, now that I feel so lost. I'm listening to "Down in the dark" from Cody. Beautiful lyrics that have a huge meaning for me.
5m ago this girl was telling me how she decided to travel for 7 months, leaving almost everything behind. Hummm let me correct, carrying only what she could carry. I think that most of the time, we carry an heavier backpack that we should. I'm not just talking about when we travel, but in everyday life. We should only carry what we can carry and leave the rest behind. I couldn't be happier to meet someone like Sarah.

After a couple of hours talking with her all I can say about her is, God what a girl. We often meet amazing persons, but this one I won't forget. She had the same feeling I was carrying with me, in her eyes. It was special to meet her for sure, and I already miss her.
I gave her a tight hug and I left trying not to tinkle away some tears.
It's always so difficult to meet this persons and then just leave.
Anyway it was time to head to Antwerp but first it was time for breakfast.

Brugge

I still have a strange feeling inside. I feel kind of lost, but there's also the feeling that someone or something is about to come. This city is more than beautiful. With it's mediaeval look, there's a nostalgic feeling that is brought to this place. The buildings are beautiful and the parks are even more. It's getting cold but still everybody is standing outside.
One of the waiters is pressuring me to leave. I think that here with so many tourists they don't feel comfortable with a guy carrying a huge backpack, red jacket and greasy hair. I would love to travel all the time. Yeah I know how stupid it sounds to say this but probably I'll need all my life to figure out what to do.

Adele sings now "Daydreaming", and in this amazing place that is something totally possible to do.
I close the zipper from my jacket. It's getting colder and colder but still I can't stop smiling. Today someone told me that I Europe is my home. I love the feeling of not knowing what to expect. Just go with the flow. Now it's time for another walk and for pasta for 3.5 euros.

Ieper

After something that could have gone bad, I headed to Ieper. No idea where it was on the map, and no idea where I was heading to. My stomach was still complaining about that Subway sandwich I had on my way to the train.
I decided to write a little bit more. It calms my inner ghosts as they come in times like this. The train continued its ride to Ieper and I smiled. It was so strange to think how I got there, that I didn't even know what to say or think. My hand kept on writing and writing.
Ieper comes then on the board, while a voice repeats both in Dutch and French, that we arrived to this city.
Eva's mom, message, "I have arrived", send. My thoughts were still blurry by Gent. After not even 5m I see them. The same amazing smile Eva was carrying, existed in her mother. I was immediately feeling full of hope and good thoughts again. I decided then to talk about Portugal and the differences I was finding in Belgium. Inside I was feeling kind of strange and sad, because I couldn't say a single good thing about my own country. My mind was just letting everything go.
"I hope you don't mind we walk, but Eva told me you needed to talk a little bit." - Eva's mom said.
I smiled and continued walking with them. In the end, beautiful parks, beautiful stories, ending with an amazing dinner in a local pub, and funny street performances.

I couldn't ask for more, and there I was again saying goodbye to Eva, knowing inside that it wouldn't be the last time I was going to tell her goodbye.

Life brought me a little bit of hope in something really simple. Then I would never guess that those moments would tell me so much even in other adverse moments, even in distant places.

The violin maker

After spending an amazing night eating the unhealthiest fries in the world (but still really tasty and with an amazing girl), I went for a picnic with Nele, and after that we headed to the Violin Maker. It sounded almost like something from a movie. Still I was trying to picture him on my mind.
After a bumpy ride, we got to the shop. It was full of beautiful polished violins, among other instruments. Slowly from the back room, the violin maker came. From the dark, a small figure wearing a lab coat greets me and Nele.
After asking him something, the violin maker carrying the wisdom that only someone like him could carry, he brings from an old shelf a black leader suitcase full of beautiful violin bows.
Slowly, Nele pulls one of the bows, and starts playing. Amazed with her beauty, I closed my eyes and started listening to her while she tested bows from all shapes, sizes and materials. She looked like an angel playing such a beautiful instrument.
After some minutes the violin bow finds her. The violin maker breathes and closes the suitcase, like someone who just did a good job.

Eva

After waiting in Le Pain Quotidien, I went to wait for Eva near the university benches. When she came I was immediately embarrassed with her. She was carrying something in her smile of such beauty that I can't even describe by words.
After that, all the time I've spent with her was more than special. With such joy and with such a beautiful way of laughing she became in less than 24h someone important in my trip.
I could never say this too many times, but thank you Eva.

Le pain Quotidien

After riding my bicycle through Gent, I decided to find a café or so to write and rest for a while. This is kind of perfect even if it is really expensive.
Chocolate and a nice coffee, were all I wanted right now. The day was amazing and fortunately now it's getting colder and colder.
Even feeling that now I'm realizing what I'll face in a nearby future, I feel free. No strings attached, no problems, nothing. I feel happy in a place when people don't judge others because they do different things. I saw students seated all around, setting tables and chairs in the streets, ridding their bikes everywhere. This is for sure where happiness stands. It's a strange city whenever I think that in a certain way it reminds me of Münster.

A family stands now in front of the beautiful table where I'm at. A father with a small baby and a young girl. The baby stares at a book called "Konijintje". He smiles while he pretend to read the small phrases lost in the middle of the colourful drawings.

An amazingly beautiful girl with short blond hair, ask me with a beautiful voice that causes me goose bumps, if I need something else. Without her noticing it, I cover my arms to hide the goose bumps.
 It's difficult to understand what's real or not, when you're running away.
This is it, I think to myself. Going from here to there, staying here and there, falling for one girl and another, total lack stability. This is probably the best way of being stable. Living peacefully with my inner ghosts. But I admit that it's kind of strange to thing that after searching for perfection all the time, and stability, all I need is to stop trying to be perfect all the time and just go with the flow.

While I wait for Eva, I continue thinking till they kick me out of there.
They are about to close, and outside it's getting colder and colder.

Hot, hot, hot

Hot, hot, hot. This is how my trip starts. It's around 33 degrees here in Portugal, and I must say that it feels like I'm dying. The trip started in a kind strange of way. I'm now on the train and I don't know why but there's a girl shouting like a parrot every 5m. I'm sweating and this amazingly weird things happening make it feel like a strange video from the 80's. I'm eager to meet everybody and to give a big big hug to Monika and Nele.
Finally I'm inside the plane. Ryanair with its stupid 1 bag only policies made me almost destroy my camera. After some really stressing weeks, I feel a huge relief about making this trip. I was getting too much stressed all the time, and after the last events it's good to relax and to take some time to think. Even knowing that tonight will be to relax, tomorrow a lot of things will happen. I'll meet my first couchsurfer in Belgium, and I'll meet Nele.

After a nice hour of sleep I've realized one thing. Life it's never about the path we follow, or about what happens during it. It's all about what we take from it. I still feel strange, although I think it's just anxiety related to everything that will happen tomorrow. The 3 meetings and a lot of other things make this day yet to come really important.

Porto

Almost 1am and I can't sleep. I'm not sure if I'm just tired or if it is the enxiety before a big trip. My body is wasted, my mind is kind of lost, and in the end I'm just sitting back and trying to relax. Lets see what the night brings and what answers will come.

Less than 24h to be in Porto. I have no idea about what will happen, and for the first time I'm travelling really light. In the end I just hope I'll find a place I can call home.