Having spun out our stay in Häagen-Dazs as long as was decent, we trundled our luggage to the Eurostar Terminal.

We compacted our belongings into as few discrete packages as possible and packed them into the plastic trays provided. Then we passed through the metal detector gate. When Tigger went through, the light flashed red but she was waved on.

Eurostar departure hall

Having recuperated our possessions, all that was left to do was to sit on those hard plastic seats in the departure hall until our train was announced. At least it was fairly cool in there, unlike the stifling conditions in the station concourse.

As I write this, it is about half an hour to train time.

Just before 8 pm there was an announcement followed by a general movement of people in the same direction. I asked a member of staff what the announcement had said and she confirmed that boarding had begun for our train.

Sending hundreds of people through a none-too-wide gate causes a bottle neck effect such that people are squeezed together then released on the other side. This must be how the sand grains feel as they pass through the neck of the hour glass.

Once on the platform, movement is easier because we all have assigned seats and the crowd disperses along the whole length of the train. We are in coach 6, seats 45 and 46.

Racks for large items of luggage are at either end of the carriage but our small bags fit easily on the overhead shelf.

We have seats at a table and so far the facing seats have remained unoccupied. Let’s hope they stay that way.

The train departs 5 minutes late but may make up the delay.

Sunset viewed from the train – photo by Tigger

Tigger draws my attention to a bright orange sun hovering on the horizon. (Photo by Tigger.)

The temperature in the carriage is cool, a pleasant change from the heat we have endured during the day. What will it be like in London? A comparison of weather forecasts indicates that it is 2 degrees hotter in London than in Brussels!

At 20:56 the map on our mobiles show us to have crossed the border into France. Belgium is behind us and our Belgian chapter is concluded.

I can begin to reflect on the experience and will continue to do so in days to come. Travelling around so much on tram, bus and metro has given me a more intimate view of Brussels and its area than on previous visits. You cannot come to know a city and its region in only 4 days, even building on previous visits, and I have more questions than answers. Nonetheless, I feel that I know Brussels a little better.

Travelling through France, separated from the country and its people by a pane of glass that might as well be an impenetrable wall is a strange sequel to Brussels. France has been very kind to me in the years I have known her and has given me inestimable gifts. France is part of me in a way that Belgium is not – at least, not yet.

From the train window at Calais – photo by Tigger

We have stopped Calais to take on more passengers before plunging under the sea and emerging at Dover, in that Albion rendered perfidious by Brexit. I feel as though we are about to leave civilisation for an island recently conquered by barbarians.

Once upon British soil, the train sped on north, stopping briefly at Ebbsfleet, then continued on into London to finish where we started our journey on Thursday, at St Pancras International.

And there, to all intents and purposes, our story ends. At least, until next time…

This is our last day in Brussels. Our Eurostar departs at 20:22 and we need to arrive 45 minutes before that (19:37) to perform the usual ritual of bag search and passport control. That leaves the morning and afternoon free. We can leave the bags with the apartment reception and collect them later as the apartment is just a short walk from the station.

The weather forecast promises temperatures of 30 deg C later in the day, something we need to take into account.

The tube of my left hearing aid has broken and I cannot use it, reducing hearing acuity in that ear. I shall have to rely on my right ear until I can go to the hospital, audiology department, perhaps on Tuesday (tomorrow is a bank holiday), for a replacement.

We left our apartment block for the penultimate time (we will return later to collect our bags) and followed the familiar route to the station.

Our usual breakfast place has let us down: they’ve run out of croissants! We have had to patronize a rival establishment. It seems that on Sundays things don’t work as smoothly as on the other six days.

This is the Palais du Vin (“Wine Palace”) built in 1909 as a wine watehouse. The photo doesn’t do justice to the Art Nouveau decoration. These days it accommodates an indoor market.

We did have thoughts of riding the tour bus but to reach it required a walk through the streets in already uncomfortable hot conditions.

When we spotted L’Aubette it was like finding an oasis in the desert. We went in and ordered cooling drinks.

We passed by the Cathedral. As we were so close, I cut the top off the steeple.

We passed in front of this shop. The notices say it is closing down and “everything must go”. It looks as though all the stock is stuck to the front of the shop!

We have taken refuge in this fast-food outlet.

This may look like a can of Lipton Ice Tea but to me it seems more like a life-saver!

One way to keep cool is to go underground – into the Metro. Limonnier station was nearby, so when bought tickets from the machine at the entrance and went down to the platform.

We boarded the first service to roll into the station. It turned out to be tram. Confusing? Probably not, when you are used to it.

By the time the tram stopped at its terminus at the station called Churchill, we had decided that riding the trams was the best (and cheapest) way to keep cool so we boarded another. This one took us to a familiar destination, Heysel.

Yes, another picture of the Atomium! This time with a fountain for a bonus.

The question was whether to jump on another tram or look around for somewhere cool to have a drink and perhaps lunch.

The question answered itself when we spotted this Italian restaurant called Delizia.

We boarded the tram once more but but manage to go very far: only one stop in fact. It turned out that a tram “incident” had blocked the line. We had to transfer to the buses.

The first bus took us to its terminus at the Military Hospital. I have no idea where this is but it is well away from the centre if town.

Where buses are concerned, I leave it to Tigger to work out bus numbers and routes as she seems to have a special talent for this. The bus we took was empty when we boarded but soon filled up.

We left the bus at Bockstael station intending to take the Metro back to the centre. Somehow we ended up catching a mainline train and having to buy a joint ticket for €4.80.

Arriving at Brussels Midi station at 5 pm we decided to go to the apartment and collect our bags. We walked v-e-r-y slowly in the street because it was v-e-r-y hot.

Having recuperated our bags and dragged ourselves back to the station, we parked ourselves in Häagen-Dazs where we relaxed and consumed cold drinks.

In an hour or so, we will have to present ourselves at the Eurostar terminal and go through the rituals necessary to access our train. All being well, I will pick up that story later.