Sometimes you just live

There's a really nice pet supply store here and we need a couple of things for the hondje so I decided to take a "road trip". The store is about a 45 minute walk so since it was chilly and I didn't really want to lug back (remember that 45 minute walk) whatever I bought so I decided to take the bus.

When Ross was here, he helped me figure out the bus and we only made one boarding error, but were soon on our way again. Well, I haven't braved the bus again until now AND I was on my own AND that can sometimes be reckless.

So I make the 5 minute walk to the bus station and ask which bus will take me to the pet store. The nice lady (who BTW speaks perfect Engels) says take Bus H1 at Lane 5 and it leaves in 20 minutes. Okay, sounds easy enough. I sit at Lane 5 and, sure enough, a bus pulls in about 15 minutes later and naturally I get on it.

I hear one of the passengers ask if this bus is going to the ziekenhuis. I think to myself 'the ziekenhuis is not in the direction of the pet store, but maybe this bus will make a hard right and head in my direction after the ziekenhuis'.

Then this woman hops on at the last minute and asks the same question. She sits facing me and starts coughing. I think to myself (while trying not to breathe) 'I may know why she's headed for the hospital'!

I realize after several stops (including the z-huis), the passengers have dwindled down to one older woman, one middle aged man, and middle aged me. AND that we have now left the city. Finally the bus comes to a stop and the woman and man get off.

I am pretty sure at this point . . . this ain't my bus.

Soooooo, I go ask the bus driver where this bus stops next. He says "nowhere - you have to get off here". Geen dienst! No service! So I ask when the next bus will come and if will take me back to Start. He says yes, but it will be in 40 minutes.

Okay, now I have a decision to make. Sit on the bench in the cold and wait for this bus that goes back to Start or walk back to Start starting now.

I decide to walk. Right past Start and back to the original Start - our apartment. So 2 hours later I'm back at home wondering how many seconds MY bus was behind the bus I actually boarded. And all those people who got to the hondje store without me!

Live and learn. Or sometimes you just live! I made a pot of coffee and called it a day.