Adventures of Humphrey

**My Big Adventure – Day 2 Folkestone to Bruges**

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As promised, I woke my hoomans bright and early at 5am. They grumbled, had their showers, and started packing again. Once the car was loaded, we went down to the hotel lobby for breakfast. Mum had sausages—two of them!—and only gave me the tiniest little piece. Outrageous. I clearly deserved at least one whole sausage for my

troubles.

After breakfast, we drove just 10 minutes to a place called *Le Shuttle*. At the “pet reception,” Dad showed them my passport and they even scanned my neck. Boring stuff, but there were other doggos there, so that was interesting. The nice man at the desk got us on an earlier train. Hooray!

Before boarding, the hoomans, of course, needed another coffee. Then we went through a booth where people checked Mum and Dad’s passports and spoke in a funny voice (Dad said it was French). After that, we drove the *car* onto a *train*! Can you imagine? We sat inside it for about 40 minutes, and when we rolled off, Dad announced we were in **Country Number 3: Belgium**. Honestly, it looked the same to me.

We drove for a while, and I had a much-needed nap (guarding my hoomans all night is hard work). Our first stop was Oostende. But oh, the rain! By the time Dad found a parking spot, it was pouring. We all put on our raincoats—even me!—and went for a walk. There was a beach, and I was *so excited*, but then came the terrible news: “No dogs allowed.” Can you believe such a cruel rule? We walked to the end of the pier, but the rain was so heavy we could hardly see.

The hoomans got another coffee (surprise, surprise), and then we went to a dog park. Finally—freedom! I got to play fetch off-lead for ages. Best part of the day, no contest.

Next, we drove to Bruges. We checked into our hotel (Hotel Maraboe) and carried all my things inside. Once again, there was a massive bed, but I wasn’t allowed on it. Instead, I had to sleep in my crate. Hmph. We all had a power nap, though, so I forgave them.

Later, we went for a walk around the city. We had dinner, and I met a one-year-old Great Dane pup who was absolutely enormous. I don’t know what they feed dogs here, but they grow *huge*! Even bigger creatures were in the square—Dad said they were “horses.” Honestly, they’re terrifying.

After dinner, we wandered through the city some more. Mum and Dad kept saying how pretty it was. I wasn’t so sure—the dogs bark in funny accents, and the smells are very different. I’ll keep my judgment until tomorrow.

Finally, we returned to our hotel. After such a long day, we were all well and truly dog-tired.