Why waffle around when Brussels is just down the track?

Our final full day in Europe dawned cold and rainy, and Erin was in the mood to check an item off her bucket list.  Just call us spontaneous (Erin's influence on me cannot be underestimated) - we decided on the spur of the moment that the Van Gogh and Rijksmuseum would not be nearly as fun as heading to Brussels so she could have a real Belgian waffle.  So we bought our tickets, ran to the platform to catch the train before it pulled out, and before we knew it, we were on our way to Brussels for the day.

Haarlem is not in NYC....

I awoke early and feeling much better, and even made it back to the airport in time to greet Erin as she walked through the terminal on her way to the shuttle station.  It was a relief to have her there, safe and sound, and we caught the shuttle back to the hotel so she could take a shower and get ready for the exciting day ahead.

After a meal that nearly swept her off her feet in delight, we were off to the Central Station, and Amsterdam!

European adventures begin - my day out in Amsterdam...

After the excitement of being in Africa, we planned a couple days in Europe on the way home to the US.  We had to change flights in Amsterdam, so we packed in a couple extra days on the return flight to see what Amsterdam had to offer.  I left 24 hours before Erin did due to the vagaries of airline schedules and their crazy airfare structure, in order to save myself over $1000.  So as I said goodbye to Erin and Adam in Tanzania, it was with the knowledge that I would be seeing Erin again soon, a much easier leave taking than the last time I said goodbye, knowing it would be months!  (I won't even talk about my thoughts at leaving Adam alone in Africa.  Some things are best left unsaid!)

African finale....

My long awaited trip to Tanzania went faster than I could ever have imagined.  My last full day was spent making a few purchases and walking around the city taking pictures of things that Erin wanted to remember.  She took photos of people and places she saw every day, and she said goodbye over and over again to people who all asked her when she would be back.  She is leaving so many friends - I am amazed at the number of people who have become a part of her world in just four short months.

Back to the future....

Our fourth and final safari day started with an early breakfast at the lodge, then we were off again on the hunt for the rhino, our final animal we had to see.  Ema had warned us that it was a difficult find, and even he looked a little tense that morning as we set out on our search.

Retracing our steps...

Day three of our safari adventure, May 28, dawned cloudy and cold.  We could see that clearing would come once the sun was fully up, and we continued our adventure in high spirits, hoping this would be the day we would complete our list of animals we most wanted to see.

Among other animals, we were hoping to view all of the Big Five: elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard.  These animals were originally chosen for their difficulty to hunt, and the quest continues today as people on safari continue the tradition, primarily for photographs.  While lion, buffalo and elephant are plentiful and easily seen, the leopard and black rhino are very difficult to spot, and we were not at all assured of a sighting.

Great Wildebeest Migration...

Day Two, May 27:  We began our day early when Ema picked us up at 7:30 so we would have maximum time to find the great wildebeest migration.  We had the ridiculous fortune of finding it before 9 a.m.  We were in the midst of the wildebeests and zebras for an hour or so (Erin got photos, trust me, I will share) and it was a very interesting experience.