Countdown.

We have finally arrived–or are rather close to it: departure.

It is an amazing feeling to say that. How to express it? Maybe like when you play Monopoly and you know that on your next turn if you roll exactly the right number you get to buy that elusive property that will win you the game. You feel the excitement, the rush, the anticipation.

Who am I kidding? I’ll compare it to finding your favourite roast of coffee on sale, or mis-priced for that matter–and it’s all yours. Or like finding an amazing cafe nestled just moments from where you are and it’s a trove of wood bench and window seating . . . tiny, warm, the hiss of steam, the aroma of ground coffee wafting to and fro . . .

Now I’m getting off topic.

At any rate, it is time. We are days away from our departure to Hungary. With practically minutes remaining we work daily to ensure suitcases are packed and sealed before we head to the aerogare.

One recent mishap was our requesting a baby bassinet during our intercontinental flight. Looking online we were reviewing details when suddenly my wife’s seat was no longer next to mine! We had the bassinet but not each other, so to speak. A quick phone call from a helpful agent and we were back in business.

But it’s here: the smell and feel of travel. It begins to shake and charge you. It suddenly feels as if you are seeing the world through different lenses. Things just look different. It is almost as if you begin to lose touch with where you are. You begin to feel more a part of where you’re going. I’m loving every minute of it.

One last day to work tomorrow and then at last we’ll be off. Not sure if there’s anything overlooked at this point as we’ve been tidying and organizing the house for weeks. We have slowly and surely come to this point of preparation–whatever that word means for us.

All I have left to do it to buy a little music for those odd moments on the road. It’s a toss-up between Armin van Buuren’s forthcoming album Balance (2019) or his more classic one Mirage (2010). Either way “Who Will Find Me in the End” in Armin’s mash up of Peter Martijn Wijnia, Majesta and DJ Shah featuring Adrina Thorpe will be on my playlist.

Travel. There’s simply nothing like it. I’ve even tried to pack less this time. Just can’t wait to get out there, sample foods unknown and sip and savour it all. I’ll be thinking of you when I have espresso in a cool curbside cafe with fog rolling in off the Danube and the bells of Szent István Baszilika tolling in the distance.

Now get out there and see your world.