so a wrench in the works

Well we returned to Brussels to get our flight home and in order to clear customs, we needed to test negative for COVID. So we tested ahead of time to prep for the airport testing and guess what- we had COVID.  Phil thought he had seasonal allergies and I was showing no symptoms  but we both ended up with positive tests. Boo Hoo! 😕

So we snapped into action and booked a flight home a week later hoping that we would test negative on the next try and then booked train tickets to and a hotel in Amsterdam for a week. One of our favorite cities in all of Europe - we were not feeling deprived - we actually felt like we got a bonus vacation week!

Last dinner in Brussels - the same place as the first night

Last view of Brussels before we headed to Amsterdam

We arrive in Amsterdam and check in and go in search of a grocery store for sodas etc.

Lunch in Amsterdam a classic Dutch cuisine....

they still have automats!

the food at The Pantry

A dinner favorite for numerous prior trips

Lunch outside in Spui

A gorgeous day so we opted for a walk along the canals and some time in the nearby park

A prior favorite, BRIDGES (along with Bord 'Eau which had closed and reopened as VEGAN!) 

A terrific find for lunch - we wanted to return for dinner but the COVID infection was hitting me enough that I had no appetite.

A visit to the Rijksmuseum

a new place to try- near the museum and our hotel

the view from our hotel room - of the museum...

Another gorgeous day so we opted for a canal boat ride this day!

A hugely disappointing restaurant that we went to only because it shared a name with a Chicago favorite - atrocious service and a limited menu-

However, this one was a WINNER- highly recommended to anyone in the area of the Rijksmueum!

Again to the park after lunch- 

And then finally - we headed back to Brussels a week later- the US State Department had lifted the requirement for negative COVID tests two days before our flight! So we were headed home on the rebooked flight out of Brussels.

I was thrilled with the extra week of vacation even though we did try to limit other people from exposure to our COVID and spent a ton of time outdoors.  by the time we came home I had been through a little bit of cold-like symptoms (shorter than usual but with a nagging cough) but Phil had more issues and ultimately went to see his doc when we returned.  

So we got back to town and had some dinners with friends and them went to Scotland and I went on a trip with TB and Phil went to Ireland... it ended up bieng a busy year when we decided to sell off some investments including our place in Florida and head to Spain for part of our winter 2023! 

more to follow- stay tuned.