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!)