360-degree photos are in Flickr.com (taken with my LG 360).
Micki found me on Facebook many years ago. I keep my FB account private for friends and family only, but I accepted his invitation because we had the same last name. But we rarely communicated and I knew practically nothing about him, except that he grew up in Germany and lived in Belgium.
A few years later, he found me in LinkedIn, and I learned more about his career. (He's a performer.)
So when I was planning this trip, I asked him if he wanted to meet. He's the only one I know in Belgium. He said, sure, why not?
Antwerp through his eyes
My Belgium itinerary was more flexible, which helped when he had to change plans. I was still surprised (and honored!) that he gave me a full day.
He offered to pick me up from my Airbnb place, which I was a bit reluctant to do since I barely knew him. But, for my safety, I have my whole itinerary in Google Drive with the names of people I planned to meet, and a few friends and family have access to it. Anyway, against my better judgment, I sent him the address.
I went outside at 9am to wait for him and he was already there across the street. I figured it was him because he was watching me and he smiled when I mouthed his name. He crossed the street and we hugged. Then off we went for a very long breakfast.
His first question in the car was, "How did you get the name?" So I explained that the Spanish conquistadors required Filipinos to take Spanish last names, and we figured that was how we got it. In turn, he explained that there's a small town in Italy at the heel of the"boot", where a lot of Tesoros live and his parents came from there. In fact, even his mother's maiden name is Tesoro, and his parents had to prove they were not closely related so they could be allowed to marry.
The conversation about our personal lives continued throughout the day, interspersed with talk about food, the theater, politics and religion, photography, health, and anything else that came up.
Demoing the Sony QX-100 to Micki.
After breakfast, we walked through the main part of town and took pictures. We made our way towards the river edge, and the entire time, he told me tidbits about what we were seeing, like my very own personal tour guide.
I initially handed him my 360 camera, but soon we were trading cameras back and forth. But I warned him that whatever pictures he took with my camera would be under my copyrights. Then he told me about the famous fashion designer who got into photography, but his assistants prepared and set up, and he simply pushed the button. In turn, I told him about the monkey selfie that Wikipedia published under the public domain because animals cannot claim copyrights, but the photographer who owned the camera claimed the copyrights.
Then we went through the underwater tunnel that took us to the "left" riverbank, where we continued to explore the parks and boat marinas. We even found a small water lock.
Underwater tunnel for cyclists and pedestrians.
It was already about 3 or 4pm when I realized I was hungry, so we stopped for pastry and tea before heading back.
We met one of his theater friends on a bike in the tunnel going in the opposite direction. He introduced us but it didn't look like his friend spoke much English. They talked a little then we went on our way again, retracing our steps back to his car.
On our way back, He showed me a charming alleyway that tourists don't usually know about. And he pointed out details, like the keyhole with a "guide" for the owner to more easily find the hole after an evening at the pub. :)
We drove to his home, passed by a local grocer for vegetables, fruit, and drinks. Then he cooked dinner. We started with broccoli soup, which was surprisingly filling, so I took a very long time to finish my pasta.
Meanwhile, we talked more about computer and web-related things. He showed me his plants, some of the things that he had in his storage from his parents' estate, and pictures and videos of his family and performances.
Later in the evening, we had more tea. It was past 2am when he drove me home.
Insights
I realized quickly that I had nothing to worry about; Micki is a gentleman and a gentle soul. In fact, he's very sweet and down-to-earth. Almost immediately after I met him outside the Airbnb, I felt very comfortable with him.
This was the first time I met a Facebook friend in real life because I restrict my FB friend list so it may not happen as often as SL friends. But like my SL-to-RL meetings, the friendship deepens. Micki is more a face-to-face guy than an online chatter, so I'm very glad I had this chance to get to know him and to get an intimate view of the life of a local.
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