Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It's...the Eurostar train

In my excitement at getting my final okay from Universiteit Antwerpen - due to the bilateral structure of the Erasmus scheme both of my uni's needed to approve every aspect of my year abroad, including my courses, so of course there was the inevitable bureaucratic delay - I went ahead and booked my transport to Belgium despite not having anywhere to live yet.

First I looked at flights, only to discover that if I want to fly into Antwerp itself I have to go via Copenhagen at incredible expense and length. This seemed rather ridiculous to me, so I looked at getting into Brussels and then getting a train up to Antwerp, only to find it cost around £150. Again, ridiculous. Apparently, flying just isn't meant to be!

Thank goodness for Eurostar - a connection from my local train station to London, a zippy train to Brussels Midi and a speedy connection to Antwerpen Centraal, all in less than 7 hours and for less than £80. Pretty good going for a distance of around 400 miles!  Actually, this is less time than it takes to get to Dundee from my location in England, bizarrely enough. Plus I earn loyalty points for every journey I make meaning eventually I'll get a trip for free - ideal for visiting friends (and family!).

So, come the 30th of August I will be donning my rucksack, zipping my suitcase and heading off on an adventure in Belgium, leaving my Dundee life in storage and my cat at my mother's - who knows where I'll end up going and what I'll be doing!

I'd better pack a tent if I can't get a room somewhere soon though...!