13. The Trip to Benelux

And here we are at the end. The trip has reached its inevitable conclusion. Just like last year, I'm here to mark the final point.

We spent this final day mainly in the car on our way back home. The start of our journey, as Řízek dubbed it, was at 8:30. After breakfast and a quick return of the borrowed containers, we set off towards home. Along the way, we made three stops. The most important one was just before the borders of our republic. During this stop, our medic Tadeáš registered his subjects. Everything went smoothly, and the registration was successful. The second stop was to refuel near Beroun and the third was a snack stop featuring sausages in buns at Orlen.

After dropping off our colleagues, we gathered for a vehicle clean-up. It was quite swift compared to last year. After tidying up, we went for an excellent burger at LA Burger by the pond.

Now, it’s time to summarize the trip. It was a beautiful 13 days of traveling through a lovely part of Europe. Each of us was captivated by something different, whether it was the architecture, traditions, food, or nature. All the Benelux countries, which were the main goal of the trip, delighted us. It was interesting to discover something new and unknown to our eyes every time. Other countries like France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Germany were beautiful and pleasant bonuses. We were most surprised by the omnipresent bicycles and the lanes for them. They weren't always the typical heavy city bikes. Often, we spotted truly exquisite and expensive pieces, which particularly had me staring in awe. It's hard to highlight just one thing, but it was once again incredibly legendary.

We tasted local delicacies, slept in tents, cooked on a gas stove, swam in natural waters, and so on. This is just a small glimpse of what we've experienced and continue to experience. This is not something to take for granted. It requires a great group with a clear goal and an understanding of what to expect from each other. For some of us, it was our 4th trip together. Twice, six of us were traveling (Baltics, Balkans), and this year, seven. Every year brings something new. After all these years of